The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — Achievement Walkthrough
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Tutorial-locked. Survive Alduin's attack, escape Helgen via the caves. Pick a side: Hadvar (Imperial) or Ralof (Stormcloak). Story-locked.
Standing Stones near Helgen + other locations. Approach + interact. Pick a blessing (Warrior, Thief, Mage, etc.).
Level via skill usage. 5 is trivial — comes in the first hours of play.
First major dungeon. Retrieve the Dragonstone for Farengar in Whiterun. Tutorial-tier dungeon — Draugr enemies + golden claw puzzle.
Kill any dragon. The soul absorbs automatically. Story-tied — first dragon at Whiterun's Western Watchtower.
Level 10. Easy progression through tutorial + first major dungeon.
Climb to High Hrothgar. Meet the Greybeards. Learn Unrelenting Force shout. Story-locked.
Each shout has 3 word walls + 3 dragon souls to unlock. Pick any shout, visit its 3 walls, spend dragon souls. Unrelenting Force is easiest (early game).
Travel to Winterhold. Cast a spell at the entrance gate. Faralda invites you in. Joined.
Each hold city offers a house for sale (after some prerequisite quests). Cheapest: Whiterun's Breezehome for 5,000g. Pay the Jarl's steward.
Daedric quests scattered across Skyrim. Quickest: Sanguine's Rose (Sam Guevenne quest in Whiterun), or Mehrunes' Razor (Solitude). Complete any Daedric questline.
Level 25. Main story + a few side quests hit this naturally.
Visit Jorrvaskr in Whiterun. Talk to Kodlak. Complete the initiation quest. Joined.
Smith something at any forge. Enchant something at any arcane enchanter. Brew at any alchemy lab. Three crafts = achievement.
Take the boat from Windhelm to Solstheim. Triggered when cultists ambush you in mainland Skyrim early — pick up their note.
Every named location on the map auto-tracks. 100 = thorough exploration of the open world.
Speech-check dialogue options. Each conversation type counts once. Easy via different quests + investigation dialogues.
Pick a skill (One-Handed, Sneak, Restoration, etc.). Use it constantly. 100 takes 30-50 hours of focused use. Smithing levels fastest via leather-armor grinding.
Find Brynjolf in Riften's marketplace. Help him scam an NPC. Welcome to the Guild.
Infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy disguised as a guest. Sneak through to find Esbern's information. Story-locked.
Misc objectives are the minor radiant quests (deliveries, item retrievals). 50 cumulative. Most natural during full Skyrim playthrough.
Start the Dawnguard DLC. Reach Fort Dawnguard. Story-locked.
Travel to Sky Haven Temple with the Blades. Discover the prophetic wall depicting Alduin's defeat. Story-locked.
Continue the Companions questline. Receive the gift of lycanthropy (or refuse). Become Circle member. Story-locked in faction line.
Travel to Windhelm (Stormcloaks) or Solitude (Imperials). Talk to the recruiter. Mutually exclusive sides — pick one.
Three plots available: Lakeview Manor (Falkreath), Windstad Manor (Hjaalmarch), Heljarchen Hall (The Pale). Buy from each hold's Jarl steward (5000g).
Travel to the Tower of Mzark with Tolfdir + Mirabelle. Solve the Dwemer mechanism puzzle. Reveal hidden knowledge.
Stop Ancano from corrupting the Eye of Magnus. Become Arch-Mage. Massive magical confrontation.
Hear rumors about Aventus Aretino in Windhelm. Complete 'Innocence Lost', then trigger the Brotherhood contract. Alternative: kill Grelod the Kind in Riften, sleep, get visited by Astrid.
Build a home with a child's bedroom + arboretum. Visit Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. Or find homeless street children. Adopt.
Sell loot, complete radiant quests, smith + enchant items. 100k gold = endgame accumulation. Smithing/Enchanting/Speech loop is the meta money maker.
First major Dragonborn DLC quest. Free Solstheim from Miraak's influence. Story-locked.
Retrieve an Elder Scroll from Blackreach (deep in the Dwemer ruins of Alftand). Long dungeon dive. Story-locked.
'Cleared' is the auto-label when all enemies in a dungeon are dead. 50 unique dungeons cumulative. Naturally hit by main + faction questlines + radiant quests.
Side quests are journal-tracked (the side-quest category). 10 cumulative. Easy by mid-game with normal exploration.
20 dragons killed cumulative. Random dragons spawn on the world map. Faster: complete the main quest (gives more spawns).
Use a wood-chopping block (Riverwood), an ore vein (any mine), a cooking pot (any town). Do each once. Easy.
Travel into the Soul Cairn with Serana. Recover the Elder Scroll. Iconic Dawnguard quest.
Final Companions quest. Cure Kodlak's lycanthropy in the afterlife. Heroic farewell to the guild master.
Trap a dragon (Odahviing) in Dragonsreach. Negotiate ride to Skuldafn. Story-locked.
Read the first Black Book. Enter Apocrypha. Confront Miraak's lair. Story-locked.
Final boss in Sovngarde. Fight Alduin in the misty afterlife. Use Dragonrend + maxed Voice. Story-locked endgame.
Level 50 takes ~40-80 hours of varied play. Maxing multiple skills helps.
Assassinate Vittoria Vici at her wedding. Sneak past guards. Use poisoned arrows or invisibility. Memorable open-air assassination.
Help Karliah recover her items + confront Mercer Frey. Sneak-heavy questline. Story-locked.
Final Dawnguard quest. Confront Harkon at Castle Volkihar. Multi-phase boss.
Defeat Miraak in Apocrypha. Final DLC boss. Use Bend Will + dragon riding.
After joining a side, civil war quests escalate. Take a fort during the assault missions. Story-locked.
Each plot's house can have 3 wings (West/East/North or similar). Build all 3 via crafting at the drafting table + carpenter's bench. Materials from sawmills + quarries.
End of the civil war. Sacking the enemy capital. Major siege battle. Story-locked.
Final DB quest. Confront the Penitus Oculatus + execute Emperor Titus Mede II. Story-locked finale.
Skill Books give a free skill-up + skill-XP. 50 reads cumulative. Use a skill book checklist + grab them as you explore.
Buy + wear an Amulet of Mara (Riften's Temple of Mara). Talk to any marriageable NPC. Many are unlocked via questline completion. Schedule wedding at the temple.
Galathil the Face Sculptor in Riften's Ratway can re-sculpt your character. Pay 1000g. Achievement on the face change.
20 different shouts. Each just needs 1 word learned (not all 3). Word walls are scattered everywhere — explore aggressively. Wiki maps.
13 unique Standing Stones across Skyrim. Each grants a unique blessing. Discover each via fast-travel + exploration. Wiki has all locations.
Commit a crime, get arrested. In jail, pick the lock on your cell door (lockpicks may be in cell hay). Sneak out. Or use Skyrim's bug: pick the cell door from inside.
Find Katria's journal. Recover four Aetherium Shards from Dwemer ruins. Forge an Aetherial weapon at the forge.
Dragon Aspect words scattered through Dragonborn questline. 3 words + 3 souls. Most powerful late-game shout.
Soul Tear is a Dawnguard-exclusive shout. Words scattered in Dawnguard quest dungeons. Spend 3 dragon souls to unlock.
Complete the Severin family questline in Raven Rock. After the murder mystery resolution, Severin Manor becomes available to you. Property unlocked.
Lockpicking + pickpocketing. 50 of each cumulative. Use Lockpicking + Pickpocket perks. Thieves Guild gives many opportunities.
Solstheim has ~50 discoverable locations. 30 = thorough exploration. Locations are mapped automatically on discovery.
Black Books scattered in Solstheim Dwemer ruins + Apocrypha. Find 5, read each, complete the secret-knowledge minigame inside. Powerful permanent perks.
Complete radiant Guild jobs in every city. Need 5 jobs in each of 4 cities (20 total). Wait for each Guild master quest to unlock.
Legendary Dragons spawn at level 75+. Massive HP + powerful attacks. Use Dragonrend + maxed weapons. Approach Word Walls — Legendary Dragons sometimes guard them.
15,000g total for all 3 plots. Buy each from its respective Jarl steward.
Acquire Auriel's Bow from the Forgotten Vale. Fire a sunhallowed arrow at the sun. The sky darkens. Achievement on use.
Stalhrim is a unique Nordic crystal ore. Mine deposits in Solstheim (after specific quest). Smith into armor/weapon at any forge with Ebony Smithing perk.
Werewolf perk tree (Dawnguard-added). Each perk requires werewolf XP from feeding on hearts. 11 perks total. Long-term werewolf playthrough.
15+ Daedric Princes have artifact quests. Complete all of them. Some require choices (good vs. evil path). Wiki has the full Daedric quest list.
Vampire Lord perk tree (Dawnguard). Perks via Vampire Lord XP from feeding on humans. 11 perks. Become Vampire Lord during Dawnguard story.
Build a complete house on each of the 3 plots. Each needs main hall + wings + amenities. Multi-day construction project.
Learn Bend Will (Dragonborn main quest reward). Use on 5 different dragons. They submit + you ride them. Wild dragons in Solstheim work.
9 holds: Whiterun, Falkreath, Hjaalmarch, The Pale, Eastmarch, Winterhold, The Reach, The Rift, Haafingar. Commit crimes in each until 1000g bounty. Yell-and-flee strategy works.