Mount Anthor is a dragon's lair located in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Mount Anthor Dragon
Description
It is south-west from Winterhold. The fastest way is to fast travel to Saarthal and walk directly south. By climbing higher up the mountain, the player will eventually reach Mount Anthor summit. This area will be inhabited by two spellcasters, (level dependent upon that of the player), if approached before completing the quest Dragon Rising.
History
Mount Anthor's history can be traced back to the First Era, when King Olaf One-Eye subdued the great dragon Numinex in a legendary duel of Thu’ums, and brought him back to the fledgling town of Whiterun as a captive. It was then that the magnificent keep of Dragonsreach was rebuilt and renamed to serve as a cage for Numinex, whose head still adorns the Great Hall.
Quests
Malur Seloth of Winterhold will offer you a quest to kill the dragon that inhabits Mount Anthor. Killing the beast will earn you 500 
Strategies
Traveling to Mount Anthor from Alftand is possibly the quickest way of getting there, simply walk East and follow the path up to Anthor. If a dragon has been slain near this location, a cleared status will appear on the map; however, upon reaching Mount Anthor, there will be another dragon waiting. The dragon here respawns about once a week, making this a good place for Dragon bone and Dragon scale harvesting.
Because of the unique location of the perched dragon, it is possible to sneak up and around past it, approach from its rear. From here it's possible to sneak down the mountain peak and onto the stone structure where the dragon is perched and perform a sneak attack.
It's entirely possible to one-hit kill the dragon with the right combination of skills, perks and enchanted attire - namely the Assassin's Blade perk (x15 damage from sneak attack) from the Sneak tree and Shrouded Gloves (x2 sneak damage from 1 handed weapons) obtained from the Dark Brotherhood. This combination would allow for a huge 30x damage multiplier. Even a lowly Iron Dagger can be enough to fell the beast. By using the naturally formed archway just east of the bottom steps of the Word Wall, the dragon can be picked off easily with a bow.
Starting in the archway, get the dragon's attention. The dragon's health can be lowered at the start by sneaking through the back of the archway (North side) while it is roosting, then shooting it while it is still on its perch. The starting damage is even greater if the right Archery and Sneak skill perks have been added (up to x6 damage+critical+50% more critical; even more so with enchanted items).
While standing in the archway, duck back to the south side of the archway as the dragon circles around and lands in front of the archway on the north side. Facing north, hug the left side of the wall (this provides a natural rock shield from the dragon's fire breath). Now just peak out, shoot the Dragon in the face, then duck behind the rock again before getting burned to a crisp. It's usually easy to get in between 2 to 4 shots before it takes to the air again.
Repeat last step until the Dragon gets to about half its health. Once it is below half health, it will be grounded and will stay on the north side of the archway. Then just rinse and repeat... keep shooting it in the face until it dies.
This method also works with magic users as well. Although, when starting the battle with the dragon still on its perch, it should be started with an Shock Damage (Skyrim) attack. Frost, Fire and Shout attacks will wake the dragon up before it is damaged, and it will fly into battle before the attack reaches it.
Occasionally the dragon will hover, or land on top of the archway. When hovering, just make sure to remain unseen, though it is still possible to hit it with one or two shots if carefully done. When on top, just wait underneath the archway until it starts flying again.
Another good strategy is to summon Odahviing or Durnehviir to help you, if you have learned the shouts to call them. Since both are invincible, they will eventually win the fight, especially if the player helps out.
Amenities and loot
- There is a Word Wall with a word for the Shout Ice Form.
- There is an Alchemy Lab located here.
- There are six ore veins nearby that replenish themselves every week or two, along with some notable loot. There is a Corundum Ore Vein on the path between the Word Wall and Alftand. There are two iron ore veins – one barely north of the arch in front of the wall, and one on the path that goes up south-east of the wall. From the peak of that path (this tends to be the easiest spot to start a climb up the mountain to the dragon's perch), it's possible to work the way up to the top of the mountain. There a Moonstone Ore Vein can be found just above where the dragon sleeps, as well as one Quicksilver Ore Vein and one Silver ore vein (see below):
- Tucked away between two small peaks just north-west and slightly up from the Moonstone Ore Vein is a Dwemer shrine that is guarded by two Ice Wraiths. There is a Dwarven Warhammer of debilitation, two chests (containing a Soul Gem, two pieces of jewelry, and an Amulet of Dibella), a Quicksilver Ore Vein, and seven potions on top of the shrine itself. see: Mount Anthor Summit. All, including the Ice Wraiths respawn about once a week, with the exception of the hammer, which does not respawn.
- South of Mount Anthor Summit, slightly down the mountain/cliff, there is a small outcrop with a flag stuck in it. There is a Silver Ore Vein there, as well as a random helmet, weapon, and satchel there. All respawn regularly.
Bugs
- Sometimes the quest will instead point to Solitude docks instead of Mount Anthor, and upon venturing to Mount Anthor, it will have no dragon.
- 360 Target a different quest and fast travel to the summit, and it may appear.
- Sometimes the quest will point to Fallowstone Cave, instead. The dragon cannot be found inside the cave or in the hills above it.
- PS3 Occasionally, the Ancient Dragon that resides here will generate multiple Dragon Souls. Not all at once, but since it respawns regularly, there is a chance that each kill could result in another soul from the same dragon.
- 360 Sometimes the dragon will back itself into the word wall and get stuck.
- In rare instances, the dragon here will be invincible after taking the quest to kill it, meaning it will be impossible to finish the quest.
- Solution: Reload the game at a point before going to the Mount Anthor.
- 360 During the quest given by Malur Seloth, if you visit the word wall before facing the dragon, you will not be able to get the shout after the dragon is defeated.
Appearances
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Template:1st