Winterhold | Gamer Guides: Your ultimate source for all g... (2024)

Located in the far Northeastern reaches of Skyrim, Winterhold is a mere shell of the city it used to be, as a | great disaster caused most of the city to fall into the sea. Today, its most notable feature is the famed College of Winterhold where mages gather to train. The city itself is the hold capital of Winterhold and is run by Jarl Korir.

Major City? Yes (Hold Capital of Winterhold, no loading required)

House? No

Major Shops:

o Birna’s Oddments (General Goods Store)

o The Frozen Hearth (Inn)

Major Quests:

o First Lessons (Attempt to go to the College of Winterhold to start this; begins the College of Winterhold questline).

CRAFTING STATIONS

o Cooking Pot (Inside Birna’s Oddments)

o Wood Chopping Block (Behind The Frozen Hearth)

FOLLOWERS/TRAINERS

FOLLOWERS:

N/A

TRAINERS:

N/A

INTERESTING ITEMS

o Coral Claw (You can buy this dragonclaw item from the general goods store by talking to the owner about bad deals and paying 50 gold. It unlocks a door in Yngol Barrow, to the southeast).

MARRIAGE PARTNERS

o N/A

MISCELLANEOUS QUESTS

Assist the people of Winterhold (0/3)

You get this quest from Jarl Korir after finding the Helm of Winterhold. Basically you get to become his Thane if you help the people; three of them to be exact. Keep doing these miscellaneous quests to accomplish this. Quests from the College of Winterhold count as well (and I have listed a LOT of quests under the miscellaneous quest section of the College of Winterhold questline). Once you’re done, return to Jarl Korir for “The Blade of Winterhold”, a one handed sword with a fire enchantment on it. You are now a Thane of this hold as well.

Find Helm of Winterhold inside Fort Fellhammer

You can get this quest from the Jarl himself! Go ask Jarl Korir about the towns history to be told about the helm. Offer to retrieve it for him to start this quest. Fort Fellhammer is located south of Dawnstar, so make your way over there. It’ll be guarded by bandits on the outside, and is more ruin than fort. Take them out and head into the garrison door. Inside is a bandit chief. Take him out and loot the chest for the Helm. Head back to the Jarl for a 1000 Gold reward.

Finding Isabelle Rolaine

Ok, truth time: this quest does NOT EVEN SHOW UP. You basically have to be a self-starter here. Talk to the Frozen Hearth innkeeper Dagur and ask him if there is anything that needs done. He’ll tell you how Ranmir, one of the regulars, used to be a different man until a woman named Isabelle Rolaine left him. After that you need to talk to Dagur’s wife Haran for more info (Ranmir just tells you to shut up). Apparently she left and went to Riften to talk to Vex. Yes, Thieves Guild Vex. Go talk to Vex about Isabelle and she’ll say she pointed her to Hob’s Fall Cave (a cave on the coastline between Dawnstar and Winterhold) and she hasn’t heard from her since!

Head over to Hob’s Fall Cave now. Isabelle will be dead, right at the entrance. If you want to, go through the cave as well. It’s jam-packed with necromancers though, just FYI. Items of note are an ENCHANTING SKILLBOOK (“Enchanter’s Primer”) on an enchanting table, a RESTORATION SKILLBOOK (“Exodus”) near an alchemy lab, and a stone of Barenziah near the same alchemy lab.

Return to Ranmir and give him the note. No reward no nothing. No quest even accepted, so no quest done either. You just did a good deed, plain and simple.

Kill the bandit leader located at Snowpoint Beacon

I got this quest by talking to the innkeeper, Dagur. I suspect you can get it by talking to Malur Seloth as well. Snowpoint Beacon is located just south of Dawnstar, just east of Fort Fellhammer. Head on over there and do your bandit-slaying thing. Hell, there’s only two bandits here! Return and talk to Malur for your 100 Gold reward.

Kill the bandit leader located at Winter War

To get this quest, ask local resident Malur Seloth if there’s any work to be done. He’ll tell you about the bounty the Jarl has put out (I would also imagine the inn-keeper or the steward would tell you this too). Winter War is located to the east and is a shipwreck. Head over there and wipe everyone out and be sure to loot the place (you can find the “Surfeit of Thieves”, a LOCKPICKING SKILLBOOK on the boat, on top of a box). Once you are done, go collect the bounty from Malur for 100 Gold.

Steal the Staff of Arcane Authority for Malur Seloth

Local Resident Malur Seloth (who hangs around the Frozen Hearth) has the Jarl convinced he’s a wizard or some nonsense and wants to keep up appearances. He’ll ask you to steal this staff for him. Head into the Frozen Hearth during nighttime and find where the staff it (it’ll be marked) and steal it. Return to Malur who will thank you and reward you with one free SPEECH SKILL LEVEL.

Talk to Ranmir about Haran

You get this quest by talking to Haran in the Frozen Hearth Inn about Ranmir, who owes a ton of coin to the place. Say you’ll talk to him. Go talk to Ranmir and either persuade/bribe/intimidate him into paying (I was able to persuade at 39 speech). Go tell Haran the good news to gain a reward of some hide armor and a long bow. Yuck! Oh well, another quest done.