The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Hints

World Encounters

• There are many spots on the world map where you can have an encounter that's randomly chosen from a large list of possible encounters. Many of the encounters involve combat, sometimes with leveled enemies, and many of them don't. Most of them don't involve anything really special, though there are a few noteworthy ones.
  • Which world encounters are special?
  
  
  To reach one of the encounter spots in the list below, fast-travel to the given location (assuming you've already discovered it), then follow the directions. The city that the location is closest to is given in parenthesis. Note that encounters don't always happen right at their trigger spots, and some of them involve a lot of movement (like a courier running along the road). If you reach an encounter spot and don't see anything right away, look around nearby. Another thing to note is that you can get more random encounters from each spot by visiting it again awhile after your first visit.
  • Is there any way to make an encounter spot respawn sooner?
  
  
  
  * Red Road Pass (Dawnstar): Head south down the paved path.
  * Silverdrift Lair (Dawnstar): Move around near the path split.
  * Windward Ruins (Dawnstar): Head west down the paved path until it turns south.
  
  * Anise's Cabin (Falkreath): Go NE to the mountainside.
  * Fort Sungard (Falkreath): Go south and carefully drop down to the paved path, then turn left and go to an intersection. For another encounter, go back along the path until you reach a spot that's NE of Gloomreach.
  * Glenmoril Coven (Falkreath): Go east and drop down the rocks to lower ground, then turn right.
  * Haemar's Shame (Falkreath): Go down the path that leads NE.
  * Halldir's Cairn (Falkreath): Go east down the paved path. For another encounter, keep going down the path, ignoring side branches.
  * Helgen (Falkreath): Go down the paved path that leads north from the town's north gate until you reach a path split.
  * North Shriekwind Bastion (Falkreath): Go north to the paved path, then NE to the lakeshore. For another encounter, return to the paved path and go east.
  * Pinewatch (Falkreath): Go east to the paved path and turn left.
  * Southfringe Sanctum (Falkreath): Go west until you reach a paved path, then go west along it.
  * Twilight Sepulcher (Falkreath): Go east down the path.
  
  * Broken Tower Redoubt (Markarth): Go east down the path until you're in a spot that's directly east of Rebel's Cairn.
  * Dushnikh Yal (Markarth): Go south down the dirt path until it turns east, then move on to a path split.
  * Gloomreach (Markarth): Go down the path that leads west. For another encounter, keep going down that path until you pass a small forsworn camp.
  * Harmugstahl (Markarth): Go west down the path to a path split. For another encounter, go left at the path split and on to a spot west of Dragontooth Crater. For a third encounter, keep going along that path until you come near another path split.
  * Karthwasten (Markarth): Go down the paved path to an intersection, then turn left and go to a bridge. For another encounter, go back to the intersection and down the other way.
  * The Lover Stone (Markarth): Go west until you can turn north. When you reach a dragon mound, go NE. For another encounter, go SW from the dragon mound until you reach a path, then turn left and follow it to some ruins.
  * Mor Khazgur (Markarth): Go east down the winding path. For another encounter, go south from the first one and across the rough terrain to find a small ring of standing stones.
  * Reachwater Rock (Markarth): Go north to a paved path, then turn right and go on past a bridge. For another encounter, turn around and go the other way on the path until you reach a path split. For a third encounter, take the left path at the split. Go along it until you reach a dirt path on your left, then go down it to a bridge.
  * Rebel's Cairn (Markarth): Go east until you can turn north and go over a grassy hill.
  
  * Dead Men's Respite (Morthal): Follow the dirt path down to where it passes close to the river SE of here.
  * Fort Snowhawk (Morthal): Go east down the paved path until you're south of Morthal. For another encounter, keep going east down the path until you're south of the Kjenstag Ruins.
  * Gjukar's Monument (Morthal): Go south until you reach a paved path. For another encounter, go NW along that path.
  * The Lord Stone (Morthal): Go down the path that leads east.
  * Rannveig's Fast (Morthal): Follow the dirt path south until it ends, then go east.
  * Robber's Gorge (Morthal): Go NE from the fortification's east wall to find a narrow upsloping path that goes between some rocks. Move on past it to reach a dragon mound, then look NE of it for an encounter. For another one, head west from the dragon mound and into a large lower-ground area.
  * Rorikstead (Morthal): Go east until you're directly south of Talking Stone Camp.
  * Swindler's Den (Morthal): Go east to some water, then cross it to find a dragon mound.
  * Talking Stone Camp (Morthal): Go north from the camp.
  
  * Broken Helm Hollow (Riften): Follow the dirt path down to the paved path.
  * Darklight Tower (Riften): Go north to a paved path, then turn left.
  * Fallowstone Cave (Riften): Go west down the path. For another encounter, continue along the path until you can turn right and go up a steep and rocky slope.
  * Fort Greenwall (Riften): Go NE to a dirt path, then continue NE.
  * Heartwood Mill (Riften): Go west to reach a paved path, then turn left. For another encounter, turn around and follow the path along to where it curves west.
  * Ruins of Bthalft (Riften): Go directly SE from the round stone basin at the SE end of the ruins.
  * Sarethi Farm (Riften): Go directly east from the farm. For another encounter, go west from the farm until you reach a stone bridge. For a third encounter, go north down the path from the bridge.
  * The Shadow Stone (Riften): Go south to a dirt path intersection. For another encounter, go east and past the dragon mound.
  * Snapleg Cave (Riften): Go NE down the paved path until you come to an intersection, then go east.
  * Snow-Shod Farm (Riften): Go west to find a dirt path, then turn left.
  
  * Bruca's Leap Redoubt (Solitude): Follow the path west until you reach a dragon mound, then go SW.
  * Clearpine Pond (Solitude): From the SW corner of the pond, go SW until you reach a small mountain, then turn left and head south down a dirt path, watching for an encounter on your right. For another encounter, go NW from the pond's west side until you find a path, then go north down it.
  * Meeko's Shack (Solitude): Go south to a paved path, then turn right and go to a path split. For another encounter, go down the left branch at the path split and follow the path past a bridge and a wagon.
  * Pinemoon Cave (Solitude): Go SW to some rocks, then go around them on their left side and get up onto the higher ground. If nothing is there, look to the SE.
  * Rimerock Burrow (Solitude): Go up the path to a path split. If there's nothing nearby, go down the east path a short way, then turn around and return to the path split.
  * Shadowgreen Cavern (Solitude): Go north to the paved path, then turn left and go to where it curves around to the SW. For another encounter, continue down the path until it turns west just south of Ravenscar Hollow.
  * Statue to Meridia (Solitude): Go south down the stone-archway path to reach a paved path, then turn left and go down to the path split. For another encounter, go NW down the path from the path split and on past the stone-archway path that leads to Meridia's statue.
  * Wolfskull Cave (Solitude): Go down the paved path that goes east until it starts curving NE.
  
  * Battle-Born Farm (Whiterun): Go north up the paved path.
  * Blizzard Rest (Whiterun): Go behind the rocks that are just west of the camp, then head NW.
  * Broken Fang Cave (Whiterun): Go south to a paved path, then turn left.
  * Fellglow Keep (Whiterun): Go NW to snowy ground.
  * Fort Greymoor (Whiterun): Go south down the paved path until you're at a spot directly south of the fort.  For another encounter, keep going down the path. For yet another encounter, go west from the fort until you reach a spot directly south of the snow-capped mountain shown on the world map.
  * Halted Stream Camp (Whiterun): Go up the slope NW of the fortifications.
  * Hillgrund's Tomb (Whiterun): Go east down the slope to reach a paved path, then turn left.
  * Honeystrand Cave (Whiterun): Go south down the paved path to an intersection, then follow the east path. For another encounter, continue east down the path to another intersection, then turn right.
  * Honningbrew Meadery (Whiterun): Go down the path that leads south from the nearby two-bridge path intersection.
  * Redoran's Retreat (Whiterun): Go east to a paved path, then turn right.
  * Volunruud (Whiterun): Go NW until you're directly south of the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon.
  * Western Watchtower (Whiterun): Go north to the paved path, then turn left. For another encounter, go directly south from the tower.
  * White River Watch (Whiterun): Go north to the paved path, then turn right.
  * Whitewatch Tower (Whiterun): Go directly west from the tower.
  
  * The Atronach Stone (Windhelm): Go straight north.
  * Darkwater Crossing (Windhelm): Go a short way east from the mine.
  * Forsaken Cave (Windhelm): Go east down the paved path to a path split.
  * Fort Amol (Windhelm): Go west to a paved path, then go right for one encounter, and left (and past a bridge) for another encounter.
  * Fort Kastav (Windhelm): Go east down the paved path until you come to the start of a dirt path on your right. For another encounter, go down the dirt path and follow it east.
  * Mixwater Mill (Windhelm): Go SW down the paved path.
  * Nightgate Inn (Windhelm): Go north to a paved path, then turn right and go down to where you can go up a dirt path on your left.
  * Snow Veil Sanctum (Windhelm): Head SW down the path.
  * Steamcrag Camp (Windhelm): Go SE until you reach a paved path.
  * Traitor's Post (Windhelm): Go east down the paved path until you come to a side path on your right, then go up it.
  * Windhelm Stables (Windhelm): Go east down the paved path and across a bridge. At the path split, go one way for one encounter, and the other way for another encounter.
  * Witchmist Grove (Windhelm): Go NE from the shack until you reach a paved path.
  * Yngol Barrow (Windhelm): Look a bit east of the barrow for one encounter, then cross the river to the west of the barrow to find another one. For a third one, go NE up the coast from the second one to a spot that's directly north of the barrow.
  
  * Saarthal (Winterhold): Go up the wide SW passage and turn left at the path split. For another encounter, go up to the top of Saarthal's wooden walkways, then follow the paved path.
  * Wayward Pass (Winterhold): Go down the path that leads north. For another encounter, continue north to a path split, then turn left and follow the winding path along.
  * Whistling Mine (Winterhold): Go down the paved path that leads NW. For another encounter, go down the paved path that leads south until you reach a split, then turn left.

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