The world of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been around for nearly ten years. Part of the game's longevity may be due to its enormous open-world, which is full of secrets some players are just now finding. In fact, the game harbors some locations so secretive and hard-to-find that even longtime players may miss them completely.

Covering fifteen square miles of in-game terrain, the Skyrim map is home to over 400 locations. The difficulty of accessing a location can be attributed to a number of factors. It could be the remote nature of a place lying on the outskirts of the continent, the fact that the location is unmarked on the map, or that it can only be accessed through character specific dialogue and quests.

Related: Skyrim Quests You Probably Haven't Done Yet

Because of Skyrim's large world, it can be difficult to find and fully explore every location in the game. Even the most diehard fans may end up missing some of the harder-to-reach areas. For those looking to broaden their horizons, here are some Skyrim locations that a lot of players miss.

The Pilgrim's Trench In Skyrim Is A Well-Kept Secret

Once in the city of Winterhold, players can head due northwest on the map to the Sea of Ghosts and prepare for a swim. A Shrine to Talos, an abandoned camp belonging to the late Trius, and a capsized rowboat can all be found on the icy seas, marking where players can find Pilgrim’s Trench. Deep beneath the surface is a series of four shipwrecks, all of them fully explorable and containing loot and spells as a reward. The difficulty of this location lies not just in its remoteness, but how far underwater it is. Without the use of a helm or potion of waterbreathing, or simply choosing to be an Argonian at the beginning of the game, it will be impossible to dive to the necessary depths and treasure hunt without running out of oxygen.

The Chill Is A Skyrim Location A Lot Of Players Miss

If players don’t fancy committing crimes against Skyrim and her people, they otherwise might never be able to find The Chill, a prison located north of the Skytemple Ruins that is reserved for offenders of the Winterhold area. The Chill is one of Skyrim’s sneakier secrets, being a totally unmarked and entirely missable location on the map. The entrance is an inconspicuous pile of ice and rock, blending in with the surrounding landscape. Once inside, the Dragonborn will need to fight their way through an adept Frost Atronach in order to pillage the gold ore and other goods located on decaying bodies throughout the prison.

Finding The Giant's Grove In Skyrim Takes Some Work

The orc tribes of Skyrim harbor secrets that players will have to fight and prove themselves to reveal. The Giant’s Grove is a long-term, quest-specific Skyrim location, but yields some powerful and rare loot for determined players. The Dragonborn must first choose to investigate the occurrences at the orcish stronghold Largashbur, where they will find the clan of orcs fending off a giant. The fate of one particular orc, named Ugor, will decide how difficult the coming quest is for players. If she lives, players will be able to enter the stronghold, but if she dies in combat with the giant, players must loot her body to unlock a new quest they need to take in order to gain the orcs’ trust.

Related: Skyrim’s Most Underwhelming Quests

Once inside Largashbur, players will meet chief Yamarz, who beseeches the Dragonborn’s help in regaining his strength through a Daedric prince's ritual to fend off the giants overrunning the orcs’ territory. After gathering ingredients and completing the ritual, the player will then join chief Yamarz on a treacherous dungeon crawl through Fallowstone Cave, leading eventually to The Giant’s Grove. Here, Shagrol’s Warhammer can be obtained and eventually turned into Volendrung as a reward.

Not only are these hidden locations a challenge to find, but the loot is plentiful, and the scenic designs are a sight to behold. Completionists will need to completely scour the world map to find all the hidden secrets that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has to hide.

Next: Skyrim's Most Disturbing Khajiit Lore: The Fur Trader

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About The Author

Marley King

(21 Articles Published)

Marley Snow King is a writer, actor, artist, and professional nerd from New York City. When they aren't donning their wizard hat and slaying a dragon, they are writing gaming features (and that comes with the oh-so-tedious research process of playing a copious amount of video games). They have been freelancing for a little over four years, and have worked in entertainment for nearly a decade.

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