100% Skyrim Walkthrough

Master every quest, achievement, and collectible on your journey through Tamriel

Key Takeaways

Comprehensive Quest Completion: Tackle all main storylines, faction, and side quests.
DLC Integration: Ensure you cover content from Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.
Achievements and Exploration: Leave no stone unturned by completing achievements, clearing dungeons, and exploring every location.

Detailed Guide to a 100% Walkthrough in Skyrim

Achieving a 100% completion in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim demands a structured, methodical approach to fulfilling every aspect of the game. This guide outlines a comprehensive strategy to complete all quests, achievements, collectibles, and explorations that Skyrim has to offer. Whether you are a new Dragonborn or a seasoned adventurer, this walkthrough will help you systematically navigate the vast world of Tamriel.

1. Main Questline Completion

Start Your Journey as Dragonborn

The main storyline of Skyrim begins with your awakening as a prisoner and quickly escalates into a journey to defeat the world-threatening dragon Alduin. With 18 principal quests forming the backbone of the narrative, you will learn invaluable skills, acquire powerful shouts, and develop your character’s abilities over time. As you progress, it is crucial to keep multiple save files and, if possible, create a manual backup before making irreversible decisions. The main storyline not only unlocks new regions and major plot developments but also provides the necessary context for many side quests and faction missions.

2. Civil War and Faction Campaigns

Choose Your Allegiance Wisely

One of the defining features of Skyrim is the Civil War, where you can choose between the loyal Stormcloaks or Imperial forces. It is highly recommended that you generate separate save files or revert points before taking sides. This decision is not trivial: the civil war questline influences many in-game events and resource opportunities, such as political changes and territorial control. After choosing a faction, complete all corresponding quests to ensure immersive gameplay that fits within the framework of a full 100% walk.

Join the Major Factions

Beyond the civil war, Skyrim boasts several guilds and organizations that offer their own dedicated questlines. Completing these not only enhances your immersion in the game’s lore but also provides unique rewards, skills, and equipment. The principal factions include:

Companions: Engage in a series of six quests that lead you on a heroic journey of camaraderie and physical prowess. Completing this questline signals your evolution from a mere wanderer to a revered warrior.
College of Winterhold: Immerse yourself in arcane studies through eight challenging quests. Mastery of magic is rewarded with access to extensive knowledge and potent spells.
Thieves' Guild: Experience the underbelly of Skyrim by completing 14 stealth-based tasks. Not only will you sharpen your skills in stealth and lockpicking, but you will also uncover hidden treasures scattered across Skyrim.
Dark Brotherhood: Embark on a dramatic and deadly journey by fulfilling 18 assassination missions. This storyline involves intricate plots with twists and turns that enrich the narrative fabric of your playthrough.

3. Side and Daedric Quests

Explore the Rich Tapestry of Side Missions

Beyond the central missions, Skyrim offers a wealth of side quests that delve into the lives, histories, and secrets of its diverse population. These side quests often involve haunted ruins, mysterious letters, and local legends that are deeply interwoven with the game’s lore. Completing these quests not only contributes to the overall completion percentage but also deepens your understanding of the world around you.

The Allure of Daedric Quests

Daedric quests are the most intriguing of all, offering encounters with the dark and enigmatic Daedra. There are 15 Daedric quests in total, each bestowing a unique artifact upon completion. These quests are often morally ambiguous and require the Dragonborn to make choices that can affect the gameplay and lore significantly. Ensure that you tackle these quests, as they are an essential component of achieving a true 100% complete game.

4. DLC Content Integration

Embrace the Expanded Universe

The DLC expansions for Skyrim—Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn—further enrich the gameplay with fresh quests, locations, and game mechanics. To truly attain 100% completion, you must install and complete the quests from these DLCs. Here is a breakdown:

Dawnguard: Engage with vampire hunters and their dark adversaries in a storyline that pits humanity against the undead menace.
Hearthfire: Experience domestic bliss by constructing and customizing your own home, adopting children, and participating in family life.
Dragonborn: Journey to the island of Solstheim and confront a new threat with challenges that differ from the traditional settings of Skyrim.

Each DLC offers its own set of achievements, unlocking new skills and areas that integrate seamlessly into the campaign of overall accomplishment.

5. Achievements and Miscellaneous Tasks

Achievement Completion Strategy

Skyrim’s achievement system comprises 75 achievements that serve as benchmarks to measure your progress and dedication to the game. These achievements include defeating powerful foes, discovering hidden locations, mastering skills, and fulfilling unique challenges. A systematic approach to achieving these can include:

Prioritizing quests known for unique achievement triggers.
Cross-checking your in-game log with online achievement guides.
Utilizing step-by-step walkthroughs to avoid missing any special requirements.

Collectibles and Exploration

A fundamental aspect of 100% completion is ensuring that not a single collectible or point of interest is left unexplored. This includes:

Collecting Books and Artifacts: Delve into the rich lore by gathering all rare and unique books, artifacts, and collectibles that Skyrim has to offer. Every journal, note, and piece of lore can unlock secrets that enhance your narrative experience.
Clearing Dungeons: Challenge yourself by exploring at least 50 dungeons, caves, and ruins across Skyrim. The journey through these locations will reveal hidden loot and the coveted “Delver” achievement.
Completing Miscellaneous Objectives: Take on tasks such as purchasing homes, becoming Thane in each hold, and engaging in random encounters. Ensuring that you complete these tasks boosts your overall completion percentage and enriches your playstyle.

6. Tips and Strategies for a Smooth 100% Walkthrough

Save Often and Strategize

Managing your game saves is key to preserving your accomplishments in Skyrim. Given the possibility of glitches or unfavorable outcomes, it is crucial to save your progress frequently. Consider creating multiple manual save files, especially before making critical decisions or engaging in high-risk activities. A well-maintained save system will allow you to backtrack and retry challenging segments without compromising overall achievement.

Use External Resources and Guides

Relying on community-curated walkthroughs, guides, and reference materials can significantly streamline your completion efforts. Numerous online communities and websites are devoted to Skyrim’s lore and detailed walkthroughs, providing insights into the intricacies of each quest. These include guides on the ideal quest orders, detailed maps highlighting every location, and step-by-step advice for obtaining even the most obscure collectibles.

Maintain an Organized Checklist

Given the extensive scope of tasks required for a 100% walkthrough, keeping an organized record of your progress is invaluable. Create a personal checklist or use in-game mods that assist with tracking achievements, quests, and collectibles. By systematically marking off completed objectives, you can focus on what remains and avoid redundant efforts.

HTML Table: Overview of Quests and Content for 100% Completion

Category	Key Components	Notes
Main Quests	18 Primordial Quests	Includes learning shouts, character development, and pivotal story moments.
Civil War	Faction-based Missions	Requires careful save management before choosing a side.
Guild Quests	Companions, College of Winterhold, Thieves' Guild, Dark Brotherhood	Completing each guild’s questline unlocks specific rewards and skills.
Side and Daedric Quests	Over 30 Diverse Quests	Includes morally challenging decisions and lore-rich tasks.
DLC Content	Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn	Each expansion introduces new storylines and achievements.
Collectibles & Exploration	Books, Artifacts, Dungeons	Completing these contributes significantly to the overall achievement percentage.
Achievements & Miscellaneous	75 Achievements, Houses, Thane Titles	Requires careful planning and checklist management.

Additional Strategies and Resources

Research and Community Engagement

A critical component of your 100% walkthrough is staying informed and engaged with the Skyrim community. Numerous forums, discussion boards, and walkthrough repositories offer invaluable tips and updates that can guide you through complicated quest chains or obscure collectible locations. By interacting with other players who have completed 100% of the game, you can exchange tips, share your own experiences, and even pick up insights on handling challenging in-game dilemmas.

In-Game Tools and Mod Support

Consider leveraging in-game mods and third-party tools that assist in tracking your achievements and progress. Numerous mods are available to help enhance the experience:

Quest Tracker Mods: Mods that overlay objectives directly onto your game can help you maintain focus on missing quests and side quests.
Map Enhancements: Enhanced maps with additional markers for collectibles and hidden areas can be invaluable during exploration.
Performance and Stability Mods: Since achieving 100% completion can be time-consuming, utilizing mods that enhance game stability can prevent progress loss due to glitches.

Keep a Personal Log

Beyond in-game tracking, maintaining a written log of your quests, discoveries, and achievements can be beneficial. A personal log allows you to record your strategies, memorable moments, and even potential spoilers for later reference. It serves as both a progress tracker and a memory keepsake of your extensive journey across Skyrim’s diverse environments.