Dragons are those frightening creatures in Skyrim that can make their presence known with their terrifying roar. Where other mortals flee when they encounter such a foe, you, the Dragonborn, can defeat them and harvest their souls.
Their souls are a vital resource you’ll need to unlock Words of Power or even reset all your perks from a skill tree.
Unlike other creatures, dragons are not a very common type of enemy. You might’ve encountered them randomly a few times, but these encounters are very rare, especially if you’re still in the game’s early stages.
If you want to encounter dragons consistently, you must hunt them down at their lairs. There’s also a Word Wall in every Dragon lair, so this is also a great way to unlock words of a shout.
Skyrim Dragon Locations
Except for towns and dungeons, Dragon encounters often occur while you’re exploring the wilderness of Skyrim.
Although these encounters are entirely random most of the time, you’ll have a guaranteed dragon spawn after three in-game days have passed since your last encounter.
However, there are specific areas in the game where dragons spawn after a set interval of time, i.e., Dragon lairs. There are eleven Dragon Lairs located in Skyrim, including Solstehim.
You can visit these locations traveling by foot or by using fast-travel.
Autumnwatch Tower
This tower is located on the western side of Froki’s shack and the south side of Ruin of Bthalft. You’ll find a dragon resting on top of the Autumn Watchtower.
There’s also a Word Wall having Marked for Death shout besides the top of the tower.
Eldersblood Peak
On the southern side of Morthal, you’ll find a mountain. You’ll find a dragon flying around on the mountain’s peak.
You can learn words of Disarm shout from the Word Wall.
Mount Anthor
On the left side of the Shrine of Azura and south of Saarthal, there’s Mount Anthor. Here, you’ll find a dragon flying around.
Get the Ice form shout from the Word Wall.
Shearpoint
Perhaps one of the most accessible dragon lairs is Shearpoint, which is located west of Irkngthand.
You’ll find a dragon perching on the Throw Voice Word Wall.
Skyborn Altar
Skyborn Altar is located near the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. It’s on the southwest side of the shrine. Here, a dragon will be resting on top of the Word Wall.
You’ll also get the Frost Breath from the Word Wall.
Ancient’s Ascent
Ancient’s Ascent is located towards the southern side of The Guardian Stone. You’ll need to pass through the Bone Chill passage to get to this location. Then, you can find a dragon sitting on top of the Animal Allegiance Word Wall.
Bonestrewn Crest
Located north of the Atronach Stone and south of Witchmist Groove is the Bonestrewn Crest. You’ll find a dragon circling in the sky when you reach the location.
Here, you’ll also find the second word of the Frost Breath shout.
Dragontooth Crater
Towards the west of Harmugsthal and the northeast side of the Shine of Peryite lies the Dragontooth Crater.
You’ll find a dragon resting in front of the word wall along with the word from the Elemental Fury shout.
Lost Tongue Overlook
The lost Tongue Overlook is located on the southern side of the Nightingale Stone and west of Gromm’s Pass.
You can find a dragon perching on top of the Dismay Word Wall.
Northwind Summit
To reach Northwind Summit, you’ll need to go through the Northwind mine. The mine’s located at the east of Mistwatch.
You can learn the Aura’s Whisper from the Word Wall.
Saering’s Watch
Saering’s Watch is located in the northern part of Solstheim. More specifically, the northwest side of Benkongerike cave.
Here, you’ll also get a word from Bend Will shout that you’ll need to ride dragons.
Other Unique Dragon Locations
Besides the commonly found dragons mentioned above, there are also 16 unique dragons in the game. Nine are from the base game, three from the Dawngaurd DLC, and the rest are from the Dragonborn DLC expansion.
Some of the dragons in the list are tied to a quest line. So, you can only encounter them after progression through the campaign. They also have a unique name and appearance and can also occasionally speak in dragon tongue.
Unlike other ordinary dragons, these named dragons will not spawn after they are defeated.
| Dragons | Location |
| Mirmulnir | Western Watchtower in Whiterun |
| Paarthurnax | Throat of the World |
| Alduin | Sovngarde |
| Nahagliiv | Rorikstead |
| Sahloknir | Kynesgrove |
| Vuljotnaak | Near the Fort Sungard |
| Viinturuth | Anga’s Mill in Windhelm |
| Odahviing | Dragonsreach, can be found later at Throat of the World |
| Vulthuryol | Blackreach |
| Durnehviir | Soul Cairn |
| Naaslaarum | Forgotton Vale during the ‘Touching the Sky’ questline |
| Voslaarum | Forgotton Vale during the ‘Touching the Sky’ questline |
| Krosulhah | Nchardak in Solstheim |
| Kruziikrel | In the Black Book: Waking Dreams |
| Relonikiv | Can be found in the Apocrypha realm |
| Sahrotaar | In Apocrypha |
| Skeletal Dragon | Labyrinthian |
When Do Dragons Start Spawning?
Dragons will not start appearing in your game after escaping Helgen after the opening sequence. To make them appear, you’ll have to progress through the main campaign and complete the Dragon Rising quest from Farengar Secret-Fire.
You’ll find him in Dragonsreach in Whiterun. During this quest, you’ll have to defeat Mirmulnir, the dragon. Completing this quest is a trigger point to spawn more dragons in your game.
Initially, the frequency of dragon spawns is quite low. However, their appearances become more prominent after progressing through the campaign.
Fun fact: You can also abandon the Dragon Rising quest to prevent dragons from ever appearing in your game.
Types of Dragons
The game has nine different types of standard dragons. If you’re looking to farm some Dragon Souls, then we’ve listed all types of dragons you can face based on your character’s level.
| Level Of Difficulty | Dragons |
| Easy (Level 10 – 30) | Dragon, Blood Dragon, Frost Dragon |
| Moderate (Level 30 – 50) | Elder Dragon, Ancient Dragon |
| Difficult (Level 70 + ) | Revered Dragon, Serpentine Dragon, Legendary Dragon |
