The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim Trophy/Achievement Guide

Honestly, I’ll say this much; if you’re playing this game looking for easy achievements or trophies, you’re really doing it wrong. This game has nearly infinite depth to it, and there is plenty everywhere for gamers of just about any type. That having been said, if you are a Trophy hunter, or you’re like me who just likes to get Platinum’s for games that you’ve really enjoyed just for fun, here is a simplistic guide on the Trophies and Achievements for Skyrim, as I honestly couldn’t find another one around, granted this is probably because they are mostly straightforward, but nonetheless, the lack of a devoted guide is a bit astounding. Also, at the end of the guide I’m going to list some other things you can don’t involve trophies, but are fun all the same.

These are, in a way, the easiest to get as you’ll more than likely be getting through the main quest at some point in time, but here they are:

Unbound: Bronze/10g

Description: Complete 'Unbound'

First mission in the Main Questline: This is the first Trophy you’ll get while playing the game. Just finish the opening sequence and get to Riverwood. I can’t really go into too much depth other than that to be honest. It’s literally the first thing you do, right before you start getting overwhelmed by the open world, and the constant bombardment of side quests.

Bleak Falls Barrow: Bronze/10g

Description: Complete’ Bleak Falls Barrow’

Third mission in the Main Quest Line; Another really early one, depending on how you go about your questing after your escape. In Riverwood, you’ll be asked to go to Whiterun and inform the Jarl about the dragon attack. After you do that, you can talk to Farengar Secret-Fire to start this quest. I actually completed the dungeon before I reached Whiterun, and this causes no problems with the quest whatsoever, just turn in the item while talking to him, and you’ll be good to go. You’ll encounter some bandits, and a Frostbite Spider as the boss. I recommend a low level fire spell such as flames, or a weapon enchanted with fire damage. Otherwise, fight as you would and you should be fine, just try to have a few potions on hand, as this can be an arduous fight right at the beginning.

The Way Of The Voice: Bronze/20g

Description: Complete ‘The Way Of The Voice’

Fifth mission in the Main Quest Line:This one is pretty easy, and will trigger after completing ‘Dragon Rising’, which will occur directly after the previous quest. The only enemies you’ll come across (aside from whatever you may encounter in your travels) are some wolves along the 7,000 steps, but they can still be pretty tough if they attack in small packs, or get some lucky hits. I recommend saving between packs, or having a shield and decent weapon ready. If you’re a mage, or a dual wielder, you shouldn’t have problems either, but I still recommend saving after fights, because they can get lucky sometimes.

Diplomatic Immunity: Bronze/20g

Description: Complete ‘Diplomatic Immunity’

Eighth mission in the Main Quest Line: A story mission that is really quite good, so I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that it isn’t particularly difficult, and if you do it right, you won’t be force into any direct fights.

Alduin’s Wall: Bronze/20g

Description: Complete ‘Alduin’s Wall’

Tenth mission in the Main Quest Line:Strangely enough, I have not actually done this mission yet. I’m kind of procrastinating my main quest line a little at the moment, so I can’t give you much information, I’ll update this section later if necessary, but obviously, just continue with the main line.

Elder Knowledge: Bronze/20g

Description: Complete ‘Elder Knowledge’

Twelfth mission in the Main Quest Line:

See: Above

The Fallen: Bronze/20g

Description: Complete ‘The Fallen’

Fifteenth mission in the Main Quest Line:

See: Alduin’s Wall

Dragonslayer: Gold/50g

Description: Complete ‘Dragonslayer’

Eighteenth mission in the Main Quest Line:

See: Alduin’s Wall

With those out of the way, let’s get to the faction trophies!

These are the trophies for the various factions scattered across Skyrim. There are six different factions in Skyrim that have trophies, with two sharing a line of trophies. They are as follows:

The Companions

Take Up Arms: Bronze/10g

Description: Join the Companions

Easy enough, just go to Jorrvaskr in Whiterun and speak to Kodlak Whitemane to join the Companions.

Blood Oath: Bronze/10g

Description: Become a member of The Circle

The third mission in the Companion's Quest line: After Proving HOnor, speak to Skjor, wait for night and follow him. I don't want to give too much away for any quest, but suffice it to say you'll get a new power and you'll have to fight some moderately difficult enemies. You will have a follower with you that can't die however.

Glory of the Dead: Silver/30g

Description: Complete 'Glory of the Dead'

Sixth mission in the Companion's Quest Line: This is actually easier than it seems. You'll come across some old, familiar enemies in The Silver Hand, as well as some Frostbite Spiders, in addition you fight a rather unique boss, but he is pretty easy to beat.

College of Winterhold

Gatekeeper: Bronze/10g

Description: Join the College of Winterhold:

Once you arrive in Winterhold, go towards the bridge near the end of the city, and speak to the mage that is acting as Gatekeeper. You will be asked to cast a spell, (it varies by level). If you do not have the spell, they will offer to sell you the spellbook. SImply cast it, and you're in.

Revealing the Unseen: Bronze/10g

Description: Complete 'Revealing the Unseen'

Fifth mission for the College of Winterhold Quest line: This can be a difficult mission, you are going to fight Falmer as well as various Dwarven mechanisms throughout a fairly large ruin, with three zones. In addition, at the end you can choose to kill the guy that you're looking for, if you go for it fair warning: He actually is pretty tough.

The Eye of Magnus: Silver/30g

Description: Complete 'The Eye of Magnus'

Eighth mission for The College of Winterhold Quest line: This quest is actually really easy. It's the prerequisite quest that is a total pain. I suggest you do all the research you possible can on that quest, 'The Staff of Magnus'. It's a real doozy, but you can rest assured that once your past that it's pretty smooth sailing. You get some awesome gear to boot, especially if your character is actually a mage build.

Thieve's Guild

Taking Care of Business: Bronze/10g

Description: Join the Thieves Guild

Upon entering Riften, find a man named Brynjolf and complete the following quest to start your venture through the Thieves Guild.

Darkness Returns: Bronze/10g

Complete 'Darkness Returns'

Eleventh Quest for the Thieves Guild Questline: This one is a bit odd, as it's the middle trophy for the Guild, but it's the last quest for the Guild. This makes it a bit difficult to describe, as spoilers become difficult to avoid. I suggest independent reading after clearing the previous missions, otherwise just follow the line until you get here.

One With The Shadows: Silver/30g

Description: Return the Thieves Guild to it's former glory.

After completing the Quest line for the Guild, and after performing so many of the small improvement jobs for Delvin and Vex, you'll eventually be given a special 'reputation' job. These jobs will give you control of the corresponding target hold. You need to perform five jobs in each hold before getting the corresponding reputation job. You'll need to do 5 jobs in each of the following: Haafingar (Solitude is the capital), The Reach (Markarth is the capital), Whiterun (the capital is obvious), and Eastmarch (Windhelm). You can accept and quit jobs as much as you want until you get a job with a target in the desired hold. It will probably be a lengthy venture, but a rewarding one.

Dark Brotherhood

With Friends Like These...: Bronze/10g

Description: Join the Dark Brotherhood

To join the Dark Brotherhood, constantly ask any bartender about rumors. Eventually you will hear that a kid in Windhelm named Aventus Aretino who is trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood. Go to Windhelm, find the kid, and complete his quest. Afterwards, sleep in any bed.When you wake up, follow your instructions to join the Dark Brotherhood.

Bound Until Death: Bronze/10g

Description: Complete 'Bound Until Death'

Seventh quest in the Dark Brotherhood Quest line: Awesome quest, so much fun. I recommend asking around the Brotherhood for advice. They really do give some helpful hints that'll make this quest as easy as it is fun.

Hail Sithis!: Silver/30g

Description: Complete 'Hail Sithis!'

Thirteenth mission in the Dark Brotherhood Quest line: Pretty cut and dry, and actually fairly simple. Not much I can say without spilling too much. Just carry on the Quest line, and... you'll see.

Stormcloaks or Imperial Army

Taking Sides: Bronze/10g

Description: Join the Stormcloaks or the Imperial Army

Either go to Windhelm (Stormcloaks), or Solitude (Imperial Legion) and speak with the respective commanders to join the army of your choosing. Either way, the quest lines are similar, and there really is no right or wrong whichever way you choose. It comes down to whatever you feel is better.

War Hero: Bronze/10g

Description: Capture Fort Sungard or Fort Greenwall

It'll be Sungard for Stormcloaks and Greenwall for the Imperial Army. Just follow through the line.

Hero of Skyrim: Silver/30g

Description: Capture Solitude or Windhelm

This will be the last mission you do for the Civil War. You will be capturing Solitude if you joined the Stormcloaks, and Windhelm if you joined the Imperial Army.

Sideways: Bronze/20g

Description: Complete 10 sidequests

The game is pretty unclear about what exactly counts as a sidequest for this trophy, but it seems to be nothing connected to any faction, and not any miscellaneous objectives.Best I can say is to do things quest that you get from people in cities. It's worth noting that if you just run around and play the game naturally, and don't strictly follow any specific path every now and then, that you will get this eventually.

Hero of the People: Bronze/30g

Description: Complete 50 misc. objectives

It sounds like a lot, but it's not at all. This counts any and everything that goes under the miscellaneous category. Including, extra Thieves Guild missions, the couriers that bring you locations of Words of Power, this is actually one of the first few trophies you'll get, believe it or not.

Delver: Silver/40g

Description: Clear 50 Dungeons

Easily achieved throughout the course of the game. You'll get this no problem just by playing through the various factions.

Explorer: Silver/40g

Description: Discover 100 locations

This is another one that will come with time, but you can speed the process by just running around in the open world of Skyrim, and whenever you see a black icon on your compass at the top of the screen, run towards it until a notice pops up saying "X Discovered" you don't need to enter the location, just get close enough for that to pop up and the icon will turn white on your compass.

Daedric Influence: Bronze/10g

Description: Collect a Daedric Artifact

I've got all the artifacts and mission for those artifacts listed below, so read on for more details.

Oblivion Walker: Silver/30g

Description: Collect 15 Daedric Artifacts

Details below

Words of Power: Bronze/10g

Description: Learn all three words of a shout

This one is under quests, not because you have to do a quest to get it, but because it's really easy to get it pretty early among the main quest line. After you learn the first word to Unrelenting Force "Fus", continue on the main quest line and eventually you will kill a dragon and absorb it's soul. Use this soul to unlock 'Fus'. Continue further along the quest and you will eventually be given 'Ro' and 'Dah', along with the knowledge to unlock them automatically, (no souls are required) It doesn't take long at all to get to that point, and you'll be done.

Dragon Soul: Bronze/10g

Description: Absorb a Dragon Soul

As said above, you'll kill a dragon fairly early in the main story line, and you'll absorb it's soul then. In fact, there are no other dragons in the world of Skyrim until you kill this first one, so it's always the first soul you get.

Blessed: Bronze/10g

Description: Select a standing stone blessing

You'll actually find 3 standing stones while escaping Helgen. You can choose to get a +20% growth bonus for either magic, shadow, or combat skills. Very useful early in the game, and there's no reason to not pick one when you come across them.

Here are the details of the things you need for the Oblivion Walker trophy.

Azura's Star: At any time, visit Azura's shrine, it's south of Winterhold, on the peak of a mountain.

Ebony Mail: At level 30 or higher, east/southeast of Windhelm you'll find a Boethiah cultist to start this quest

Masque of Clavicus Vile: At level 11 or higher, go to Falkreath and a guard will approach, saying Lod was looking for a dog. Talk to Lod to start the quest. Make sure you pick the mask, as the Rueful Axe doesn't count towards the trophy.

Oghma Infinium: At level 15 or higher, go to Septimus Signus's Outpost, far north of Winterhold, this quest runs very closely with a main story line quest, so it's recommended to do both at the same time.

Savior's Hide or Ring of Hircine: At any time, Speak to Mathies in Falkreath about the death of his daughter or to Sinding in Falkreath Jail. You can choose either and still get the trophy.

Volendrung: At level 9 or higher, go to Largashbur, and orc camp to the far west, and a tad south of Riften.

Mehrunes' Razor: At level 20 or higher visit the Museum in Dawnstar to start the quest.

Dawnbreaker: At level 12 or higher, find Meridia's Shrine, West of Solitude to start the quest.

Mace of Molag Bal: At any time, go to Markarth and find the Abandoned House, talk to the guy standing outside of it to begin the quest.

Ring of Namira: At any time, investigate the Hall of the Dead in Markarth

Spellbreaker: At level 10 or higher, go to Peryite's shrine, Northeast of Markarth to start the quest.

Sanguine Rose: At level 14 or higher, go to any tavern and take part in a drinking contest with Sam Guenvere to start the quest.

Wabbajack: At any time, go to solitude and find the crazy man wandering around and talk to him to start the quest.

Skull of Corruption: At any time, go to Dawnstar and speak to Erandur. Make sure you get the Skull of Corruption, as you need it for the trophy.

ll of the et cetera trophies, so to speak. Ones that don't fit into any particular category listed above.

Hard Worker: Bronze/10g

Description: Chop Wood, Mine Ore, and Cook Food

This can be done early. For chop wood, most cities have a giant mill, and somewhere around that mill will be a little tree stump, usually with a Woodcutter's Axe right near. Pick up the axe and click on the tree stump. You will see your character put a log on the stump and cut it. A message will then pop up saying you added 2 wood to your inventory, you can sell these. You only need to do it once. For mine ore, go to any mine and find a pickaxe, click on one of the ore veins until you get a message saying you added that ore to your inventory. For cooking, grab all the food you see early in the game, or buy some and go to any cooking pot anywhere, it'll be over an open flame. You can find them in dungeons, and houses everywhere. Make one item.

Thief: Silver/30g

Description: Pick 50 locks and 50 pockets

More of an eventuality than anything, especially if you play as a stealth/thief character. The locks will definitely come naturally, the pickpocketing might not. Just wait in shops or houses until night, and try to steal something from them while their sleeping. Pretty easy, just might take a while.

Snake Tongue: Bronze/10g

Description: Successfully Persuade, Bribe, and Intimidate

Another early one. Just pick a different option each time these pop up. It may take a couple tries for persuade and intimidate when you're early on, as you're speech skill may not be too developed yet, but just keep trying, you'll get it.

Standing Stones: Silver/30g

Description: Find 13 Standing Stones

For whatever reason, bug or not, this does not have to be different standing stones. If you visit one standing stone five times, it counts as finding five standing stones. You could simply just select one of the beginning stones thirteen times to get this one.

Citizen: Bronze/10g

Description: Buy a House

An easy one, if you continue along the Main Quest, very early in it you'll be given the option to buy Breezehome for 5,000 gold in Whiterun. Just do some random quests until you have the money. A little trick: If you catch the guy on the top floor of the jarl's house, you can tell him you want to buy the house, (as long as you have 5,000 gold in your inventory) and exit the conversation after confirmation, run to one of the nearby containers, drop all your gold, and go back to speak with him. After you receive the key and decoration book, retrieve your gold. You just got a free house. You can also do the same with all the upgrades if you wish.

Wanted: Bronze/10g

Description: Escape from jail

Have a decent lock picking skill, commit a crime, and select to get sent to jail. Lockpick your way out, grab your belongings, and bail.

Married: Bronze/10g

Description: Get Married

Go to the Temple of Mara in Riften. Speak to Maramal and ask about marriage. Buy an Amulet of Mara from Maramal for 200 gold. Speak to a few NPC's until you find one that says something about your amulet and liking you. Say you like them to, and get married. Note: Some NPC's require you to complete a mission for them before they'll consent to marriage.

Artificer: Bronze/10g

Description: Make a smithed item, an enchanted item, and a potion.

Easy, for a smithed item, just find any forge, there is one each in Whiterun and Riverwood, right by where you enter, can't miss them. For early items you'll need leather strips, leather, maybe some iron, all easily obtained, or you can purchase them from a blacksmith, make at least one item. To enchant an item, you first need to find an item with an enchantment. Then take it to an arcane enchanter and 'disenchant' it. This will destroy the item, but you'll now be able to enchant new items with whatever property it had. Then you need another item and a Soul Gem, select one of each within the enchanter then hit square to enchant the item. For potions, find any alchemy lab and randomly mix any ingredients you have until you get a combination that works.

Master Criminal: Bronze/20g

Description: Get a bounty of 1,000 Gold in all nine holds.

Get a good weapon, bows work wonders. Save your game. Go to each city. (Whiterun, Winterhold, Riften, Solitude, Windhelm, Falkreath, Dawnstar, Markarth, and Morthal) kill any random person, and run away until you can fast travel to the next city. Reload your previous save after the trophy pops.

Golden Touch: Silver/30g

Description: Have 100,000 gold

All in due time, hold off on any major purchases and loot as much as you can to make it happen quicker.

Skill Master: Silver/40g

Description: Get a skill to 100

Smithing grows pretty easily by just constantly making Iron Daggers, if you enchant these daggers you raise your enchanting skill quickly, other than that you can raise your speech skill quickly by talking to Ungrien in Riften (Black-Briar Meadery) and continually selecting Persuade (it never goes away). Or you can increase your Illusion easily by repeatedly casting muffle, you get experience every time it's cast regardless of your environment. Otherwise, you can pick a skill you like and train it 5 times every level, for a cost, or just use it as much as possible.

Reader: Bronze/20g

Description: Read 50 skill books

Just read every unique book you find, which you should be doing anyway because some of them trigger quests. Skill books are the ones that are worth more than 50 gold, usually.

Dragon Hunter: Bronze/20g

Description: Absorb 20 Dragon Souls

Dragons appear as random enemies, so you'll have no problem getting this if you venture around a lot. There are also dragon dens on your map, marked by a symbol where dragons respawn.

Thu'um Master: Silver/40g

Description: Learn 20 shouts

I believe you just have to unlock the first word for 20 different shouts, so you'll get it in time along with the above trophy. You may have to actively seek out Word Walls, either through Couriers and/or the Greybeard that gives you locations.

Apprentice: Bronze/5g

Description: Reach Level 5

Adept: Bronze/10g

Description: Reach Level 10

Expert: Bronze/25g

Description: Reach Level 25

Master: Silver/50g

Description: Reach Level 50

You'll most likely hit all of these levels if you're going through all the faction quests, and main line.

Platinum Trophy: Platinum/N/A

Description: Get all other 50 trophies for this Trophy

You know what this one is, that's why you're reading this, right?

A couple things for you to do aside from trophies.

Dragon Priests: There are eight of these bad boys in the world, you'll recognize them as they'll be named and each one you defeat will drop a mask of the same name. These masks are pretty powerful, and it's a bit of a journey to collect them all.

Unusual Gems: if you find one of these, pick it up and talk to Vex in the Thieves Guild, it may take some time and research to find all 24, but if you manage to do it you get an awesome hidden perk!

Become the thane of every city. This is a useful thing to do, and you may even get a few cities along the way, but try to become the thane of every city, and buy all the houses.

There's plenty more, but I'm not going to list something like, 'Finish every side quest', that's near impossible, but look out for more hubs in the future!