Skyrimis a massive RPG that players can invest dozens of hours into as they explore its world and tackle hundreds of quests. Many fans of theElder Scrollsseries spend a lot of their time inSkyrimexploring its large open world.Skyrim’s world is impressively large and filled with small details to find throughout. Not only does every town feature NPCs with routines and relationships, but the world outside those towns is also filled with scenes and details for players to experience.
The map is so big and detailed that many players still discover new areas or details even afterplayingSkyrimfor the past seven years. There are hundreds of dungeons and locations for players to find, each with their own small stories and lore to give players who take the time to explore. This makes exploringSkyrima very big part of the game, and one of the many things that make the game so special and has allowed it to still be popular almost a decade after its release. Of course,Skyrimis also very well known for using some of those hidden locations to hide some really great Easter eggs for players to find as well.
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Skyrim’s 300 Easter Egg
Just south of the Shrine to Peryite and west of Karthwasten, there is a large mountain that players can navigate their way up. About halfway up the mountain, players can come across an Easter egg referencing the popular 2007 movie300. The scene is a recreation of one from the movie where Leonidas has to survive in the mountains and uses a narrow pass to trap a wolf and kill it by stabbing it through the mouth with a spear. InSkyrim, Leonidas apparently died soon after as his skeleton remains and he instead used a sword. Players may want to take the sword, as it is made of glass, which is one of thebest common weapon types inSkyrim.
Skyrim’s Castlevania Easter Egg
Another Easter egg can be found in the grand hall of Volkihar Keep, although many players may just think that it is a weird detail rather than an Easter egg. It comes in the form of a display case filled with a hagraven’s claw, a sabre cat’s eye, a daedra’s heart, a dog’s ribcage, and a simple gold ring. While this may look like little more than some random items thrown together, it is actually a reference toCastlevania 2- where Simon Belmont must destroy Dracula’s nail, eyeball, heart, ring, and ribcage to defeat him. While it is just a small nod to the classic series, it is a nice Easter egg forCastlevaniaplayers waiting for a new entryin the series.
Skyrim’s Minecraft Easter Egg
Shortly before the release ofSkyrim,Bethesda andMinecraftcreator Markus Notch resolved a lawsuit over the name of Mojang’s new game at the time,Scrolls. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court through negotiations withScrollsbeing able to keep its name, and the event was memorialized by Notch’s pickaxe inSkyrim. The pickaxe is called the Notched Pickaxe and can be found by players at the very top of The Throat of the World. This is far from the only time thatMinecraftandSkyrimhave collided online, but it is a cool nod from Bethesda to Notch that there was no hard feelings.
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Skyrim’s Portal 2 Easter Egg
Skyrimalso has a hidden reference to the popular puzzle gamePortal 2. In Skuldafn, eagle-eyed players may notice that one of the fireplaces hides a potato with a boiled creme treat and three pieces of charcoal all carefully placed together in the far back. It can be difficult to see, but it definitely looks similar to the potato battery form of GLaDOS,the antagonist ofPortaland one of the most iconic video game characters in the industry. It is a pretty small Easter egg, but the attention to detail and how difficult it is to find make it much more rewarding for any players who do happen to be digging around in fireplaces.
Skyrim’s Best Lord of the Rings Easter Eggs
Skyrimholds multiple Easter eggs that reference theLord of the Ringsseries. One of these is a chest in Angarvunde that holds a skeleton hand next to the handle of a broken steel sword. This is a pretty clear reference to theLord of the Ringssword Narsil that broke after being used to cut the one ring off Sauron’s hand. Another reference comes in the form of Whiterun’s great tree Gildergreen that is slowly dying. The tree parallels the White Tree inLord of the Rings' Minas Tirith that is similarly important to its people while facing the same fate. Many fans have also pointed towardsSkyrim’s iconic city of Whiterunbeing a reference toLord of the Rings' Edoras because they both are built on a hill with a horse on their banner as well.
Skyrimalso contains various lines of dialogue that referenceLord of the Ringsas well. One of these comes during the quest Battle for Whiterun where the characters Hadvar and Ralof can be seen after the battle mimicking the conversation between Legolas and Gimli where the two debate who got the most kills during the battle of Helm’s Deep. Another comes during the quest A Night to Remember, in which players have to get a wedding ring from a Hagraven named Moira who refers to the ring as “My Precious” as a clear reference toGollumfromLord of the Rings.
Finally, when players joinSkyrim’s faction known as the Companions, the character Kodlak comments on the player’s heart mattering the most while Vilkas says that their arm matters as well. This is in reference toLord of the Rings' Eomer commenting that they are doubtful of the reach of Merry’s arm when he wants to go into battle with the Rohirrim.
Skyrimis available now on PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
