Players are still finding secrets and rare occurrences in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, even though the game is over 10 years old. The 2011 title is considered one of the best games ever created. The open-world action RPG puts players in control of the Dragonborn, a hero with dragon blood capable of stopping the resurrection of dragons and the subsequent destruction of the northern region of Tamriel.
Within the game’s massive open world, players can encounter many NPCs and partake in rare occurrences that are only triggered by specific actions or luck. There are many rare things that can happen in Skyrim, especially for players that are going through their first playthrough. Even veteran players with hundreds of hours of gameplay occasionally encounter rare events and items in Bethesda’s popular game.
10 Witness The Flying Mage’s Demise
One of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim is an encounter with an NPC in the Dragonborn expansion. He is simply called Wizard and is treated as a non-essential NPC. He is, in fact, so non-essential, that his demise is almost immediate upon meeting him. Once players encounter Wizard while exploring the Solstheim map, they can interact with him.
Wizard will be eager to show off a new magic spell he created, which allows him to fly. This rare event in Skyrim is quite a disaster because, even though the NPC was able to understand flight, he did not prepare for his trip back to the ground level. Wizard will use his spell and hurl himself into the sky, only to come plummeting down and dying. This event can only be triggered once.
9 M’aiq, The Liar Spreads Fake News
Although it is one of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim, the encounters with M’aiq, The Liar, are one of the most well-known rare occurrences in the game. This spreader of fake news in the northern region of Tamriel can, on occasion, be found wandering the roads of Skyrim.
This is a recurring character in the Elder Scrolls franchise, as the khajiit has been featured in previous titles. There is nothing particularly special about the encounter with M’aiq, The Liar. In all fairness, he just talks and spreads misinformation about several facts in Skyrim. Nevertheless, considering how hard it is to find him, this is easily one of the rarest events in Skyrim.
8 Get Blade Of Woe Without Dark Brotherhood Questline
One of the best daggers in Skyrim for rogues and assassins is the Blade of Woe, normally obtainable by going far into the Dark Brotherhood questline. Nevertheless, it is possible to acquire this legendary weapon without having to go through so many quests – instead, players can simply start it and then acquire it. To obtain the Blade of Woe without going through the necessary questline, thus triggering one of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim, players have to initiate the Dark Brotherhood storyline.
Once they are kidnapped and taken to the cabin far north, they must take action. Instead of killing one of the victims, players can eliminate their kidnapper, Astrid, and loot her body for the weapon early on. This will make it impossible to continue the Dark Brotherhood storyline and will automatically start the quest to destroy the organization, making it one of the rarest occurrences in Skyrim.
7 Duel With The Ebony Warrior
Yet another rare encounter in Skyrim is that with the Ebony Warrior. This fierce knight is only encountered by some players, as it has a very specific prerequisite. Players can only encounter the Ebony Warrior after they reach level 80. This opponent can be found wandering the roads once they complete the prerequisite.
After players encounter and interact with the Ebony Warrior, they will be able to attend a battle challenge with them. This is one of the most challenging fights in the entire game. Being able to unlock, fight, and beat the Ebony Warrior is easily one of the rarest events in Skyrim, especially because of how much playtime and dedication it requires.
6 Obtain The Skeletal Horse Arvak
Players can obtain a very rare mount in Skyrim called Arvak through the Dawnguard expansion. While exploring the Soul Cairn area, players must encounter the horse’s skull and that may be troublesome. It is also worthwhile, as this mount conveniently follows the player around.
In addition to that, it can also be summoned at the player’s will and can be respawned if it is, by any chance, killed off in any encounters. Even though it is not exactly a chance encounter, finding Arvak is a rare occasion in Skyrim.
5 Cow Offering To Giants
On very limited instances, players may stumble upon a farmer accompanying a painted cow when exploring the roads of Skyrim. When this NPC is interacted with, they explain that the cow is an offer to a nearby Giant’s tribe. This can easily be ignored, but if players continue to follow the character and their cow, they can see the result of the encounter.
This specific event in Skyrim can have two different outcomes. The first one is a positive one: the Giants accept the farmer’s offering and will therefore protect their livestock, allowing the NPC to leave in peace. The second outcome sees them not accept it and kill the farmer – luckily, the cow escapes the unfortunate, yet rare occasion in Skyrim.
4 Mage Battles In The Wild
Within the wilds of the frosty northern regions of Tamriel, players may occasionally stumble upon a battle that does not involve them. One of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim is witnessing a battle between rival mages.
These sorcerers have nothing to do with the Dragonborn but will attack them if they interfere. The best approach to this is to wait out their confrontation and then eliminate the remaining one. Of course, leaving the battling mages on their own is also an option. This event may be seen more than once, but it is still one of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim.
3 Follow The Headless Horseman
One of the most popular and well-known rare encounters in Skyrim is the one with the Headless Horseman. This special NPC only spawns at night and cannot be interacted with. While they cannot be interacted with or attacked, they can be followed.
Following the Headless Horseman in the game will lead players to a graveyard called Hamvir’s Rest. This is a small Easter Egg interaction that can be repeated a few times, but given it only happens at night and randomly, it is one of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim.
2 Get Stopped By a Thief & Don’t Get Robbed
Quite frequently, players will encounter thieves while exploring the roads of northern Tamriel. Although this, in itself, is a frequent event, one of the rarest things that can happen in Skyrim is not being robbed by thieves. In fact, players can actually receive money from these thieves depending on how far they progressed.
By joining and evolving within the Thieves’ Guild, players will eventually be found by thieves on the road and will not trigger conflicts. Later on, these thieves will start giving the Dragonborn a few septims for their interactions, making this a rare occasion in Skyrim.
1 Have Argonian Ale
Possibly the rarest event in Skyrim is obtaining and keeping the item known as Argonian Ale. This item is an exclusive quest item that only spawns once per gameplay, more specifically during the Argonian Ale Extraction mission, and it has to be delivered to the NPC requesting it, Brenuin.
This item can only be kept on two occasions: either players never hand in the item and do not complete the quest, or they pickpocket it from Brenuin after completing the mission. Most players should not have this item in their inventory, but if they do, they have accomplished one of the rarest things possible in Skyrim.