There are several quests in Skyrim that are epic and unique. If you’re looking for the coolest ones, then look no further. Here are the Top 8 Best Skyrim Side Quests.
1. The Affairs of Hagravens
The quest starts after entering the Blind Cliff Cave in the Reach, which is home to the hagravens since forever. Blind Cliff Cave may look ordinary with no further excitement aside from clearing the place, but this should not stop you in your exploration because there’s much in store.
As you travel further in this underground chamber, you will stumble upon an unlocked cage and find the hagraven Melka imprisoned. She will beg for her release and explain her predicament. It is when you will discover the feud between her and the hagraven Petra. In this gruesome place, two factions have been clashing for ages, adding more dread to the already dreadful chamber. Petra is weaker compared to her other non-human counterpart.
The reason why she was captured easily with all her property plundered by the other hagraven. This quest’s objective is simple: defeat Petra and end the long-term rivalry once and for all. But the decision is yours to make, Valiant Dragonborn. Should you decide to aid Melka, the two of you will traverse through the deepest part of the cave while you get to listen to Melka’s comical monologues against the other hagraven.
Melka would make a great guide in this insidious underground chamber, considering that this is her home. Finally, you will reach the lair of the treacherous Petra, and the battle will begin. The two of you will fight together to defeat Petra.
You will ensure that Petra will be defeated and trust that Melka will not attack you at any point. She will even be grateful for your alliance and will reward you generously after Petra is vanquished. The quest then complete, and Melka will then reward you with the Eye of Melka. It is a special staff of fireballs that would need only a few soul gems to recharge.
2. Rise in the East
The East Empire Company leader, Orthus Endario, seeks the help of the Dragonborn to put an end to the pestering of the Blood Horkers. As a Dragonborn, your initial objective is to pickpocket a key to open the locked entrance in the house of Clan Shatter-Shield in Windhelm.
In the house, you will steal a logbook and then discover that the clan paid the Blood Horkers pirates to reduce their rival’s presence and rule the trade. You will then be instructed to track down the pirates and slay their magician. Haldyn will not be easily defeated because he is equipped with Lightning Bolts and Fast Healing.
The Staff of Magnus will be extremely helpful because it can drain the magician’s Magicka to the point that he will become harmless. The vicious raid in the pirate’s lair and their magician’s death will mark the end of this harassment. You will then be rewarded will gold and sent back to Skyrim to conclude the quest.
3. Served Cold
The Dragonborn is summoned to Raven Rock as the Councilor Morvayn is in danger of assassination. You will meet Adril Arano, who will explain the prospect that the Ulen family members could be plotting revenge against the Morvayns.
The next task is to identify the conspirators by spying in the Ulen ancestral tomb. There you will find Tilisu Severin and reports the information back to Arano. To continue the quest, you will need to open the Severin family safe in their manor and bring back its content to Arano.
You will then be instructed to meet the guards at Ashfallow Citadel in Sun Stone, where you will meet and fight a couple of Morag Tong assassins. In the deepest corridor of the citadel, you will Vendil Severin and kill him to stop his vengeful plans. To complete the quest, you will face Councilor Morvayn, who will reward your courage with gold and a new house.
4. Repentance
In this quest, you will climb the Darklight Tower to help Illia kill her mother, Silvia. Illia is an Imperial Mage, and she will serve as your powerful ally in completing this quest. The Darklight Tower is an evil place inhabited by spiders and Hagravens.
Your ally deals heavy damage to these creatures by casting her strong ice spikes. Silvia rules this place, and you will have to trick her into thinking that you are the human sacrifice obtained by Illia.
The real battle begins as Silvia starts the ritual. Illia will try to attack while she’s distracted, but her power would be too weak to defeat her mother. You will then finish the job by vanquishing her mother for good. As the hero of The Rift, Illia will then offer her mother’s Staff of Hag’s Wrath to reward your bravery.
5. Blood on The Ice
While the Windhelm forces are occupied in the civil war, a shadow killer strikes to butcher its young women left alone in the night. It is a well-known quest that kicks off after your fourth visit to this Eastmarch capital. As a Dragonborn, you will investigate these murders with the help of the guards. The investigation will lead you to the Hall of the Dead, where you will meet Helgird.
It will be discovered that curved blades cause the wounds in the victim. If you follow the blood trail, you will find that it leads to a manor located northwest of the city. Your first progress will be in Hjerim, where you will find the Butcher Journal 1 inside a chest in an abandoned property.
Upon investigating further, you will find the remaining journal hidden in a secret room. It is a tricky quest, and it’s almost sure that you will make wrong arrests. Eventually, you will catch the real butcher striking in broad daylight.
6. Lights Out
The quest begins as you approach Jaree-Ra in Solitude, who will make you an offer that you can not refuse. You will conspire with him in looting an Imperial ship with all its treasures.
To achieve this, you first need to put the fire out in the Solitude Lighthouse then return to Jaree-Ra. After the shipwreck, he will instruct you to collect your share of the loot from his sister Deeja only to find out that you were trapped.
Once you have defeated Deeja, you will then hunt Jaree-Ra in Broken Oar Grotto to kill him and conclude the quest. Although there are no treasures, there is still more than enough to loot in Broken Oar Grotto, and you will also acquire a random spellbook.
7. Laid to Rest
There was a peculiar fire in Hroggar’s home in Morthal, and its Jarl employs the Dragonborn to investigate. Everyone is suspicious because Hroggar took a lover a day following the death of his wife and child. This curiosity will lead the Dragonborn to a more horrendous revelation. Your adventure begins as you investigate the burned house and find Helgi’s ghost after dark.
There, you will discover that Helgi turned into a vampire before she died in the fire. You will also learn that it is Hroggar’s lover who had burned the house down. After reporting everything to the Jarl, he will reward you with gold but will seek further help. As it turns out, the city of Morthal is being infested by the undead, and the only way to safeguard it is to kill Movarth, the Master Vampire.
It will not be easy as Movarth or the other thralls can resurrect the undead and make them fight again. To counter this, you may use Revenant, a conjuration spell that allows the Dragonborn to resurrect the dead and make them fight on their behalf. After defeating Movarth, you will then report to the Jarl, where you will receive shrouds of gold and honored the title “Thane of Hjaalmarch.”
8. The Forsworn Conspiracy
As the Dragonborn arrives in Markarth, he will be greeted with a surprising incident. A man named Weylin will attempt to kill Margret, a Nordic spy of the Imperial Legion. Her life will depend on your interference, as the Dragonborn.
If you decide to save her, she will reward you with a silver emerald necklace that values at 830. As it turned out, this is not a random event because it connects to a conspiracy in Markarth.
The quest begins as the man named Eltrys hands you a note requesting that you meet him in the Shrine of Talos. This will lead to your investigation of Margret, Weylin, Thonar, and Nepos. When you return to the Shrine of Talos to meet Eltrys, you will find him dead and realize that the guards of Markath are holding you responsible. Indeed, there is a conspiracy in Markarth, and you are trapped in an unfortunate situation.
The guards will banish you to “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine,” and that’s where the quest gets interesting. In the mine, you have an option to either free your cellmate, Madanach, or to slay him on behalf of the Forsworn. Once the quest is completed, you will acquire the Armor of the Old Gods if you chose to free Madanach. If you decided to become a Forsworn, you would be rewarded with the Silver-Blood Family Ring. Ultimately, the Dragonborn will not leave empty handed in this quest.
