Skyrim Trophy Guide: How to Unlock All 75 Achievements and Earn Platinum in 2026

Skyrim remains one of the most trophy-hunted RPGs over a decade after launch, and for good reason. With 75 achievements spanning the base game and three major DLCs, Dawnguard, Dragonborn, and Hearthfire, earning that platinum trophy is a commitment that can easily stretch past 100 hours. But unlike some punishing trophy lists, Skyrim’s challenges are largely forgiving. There are a few missables, yes, and some grinds that test patience, but nothing that requires frame-perfect execution or competitive multiplayer.

This guide breaks down every trophy in Skyrim’s Special Edition (available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X

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S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam), organized by category and difficulty. Whether the player is gunning for a single-playthrough platinum or planning multiple characters, this roadmap will cut through the noise and deliver a clear path to 100% completion.

Understanding Skyrim’s Trophy System

Skyrim’s trophy list is refreshingly straightforward compared to modern action RPGs. The Special Edition consolidates all DLC trophies into a single list, meaning players can’t skip expansions if they want the platinum. On PlayStation, that’s 51 base game trophies plus 24 DLC trophies, totaling 75. Xbox mirrors this with achievements.

Trophy Difficulty and Time Requirements

Difficulty: 3/10. Time: 80-120 hours for a careful single playthrough, potentially longer if the player explores at their own pace.

Most trophies are progression-based, unlocking naturally through main quests, faction storylines, and exploration. Combat difficulty doesn’t factor into any trophy requirements, playing on Novice is perfectly valid and won’t lock anyone out of achievements. The hardest parts are organizational: tracking 15 Daedric Artifacts, collecting all Dragon Priest masks, and managing missable quest branches.

The platinum requires no skill checks, no speedruns, and no multiplayer. It’s a test of thoroughness, not reflexes.

Missable Trophies and What to Watch For

Skyrim has four truly missable trophies that can lock players out of platinum on a single save:

• Oblivion Walker – Requires collecting 15 Daedric Artifacts. Several Daedric quests have moral choices where refusing the artifact or making the “wrong” decision forfeits it permanently. The Rueful Axe doesn’t count: players must spare Barbas and take the Masque of Clavicus Vile instead.
• Darkness Returns – Thieves Guild finale. If the player sides with Karliah incorrectly or skips guild quests entirely, this won’t unlock.
• Glory of the Dead – Companions finale. Missable only if the questline is never started.
• The Fallen – Main quest trophy. Can’t be missed if the main story is completed.

The good news? Skyrim’s autosave and manual save systems make it easy to create safety saves before major decisions. Smart trophy hunters save before every Daedric quest and before turning in guild finales.

Main Quest Line Trophies

The main questline awards 9 trophies and is impossible to miss if played to completion. These trophies unlock sequentially and cannot be failed.

Unbound Through Dragonslayer

Unbound kicks things off the moment the player escapes Helgen. From there, the main quest flows naturally:

• Bleak Falls Barrow – Retrieve the Dragonstone.
• The Way of the Voice – Meet the Greybeards at High Hrothgar.
• Dragon Hunter – Absorb 5 dragon souls (easily done before finishing the main quest).
• Elder Knowledge – Recover an Elder Scroll from Blackreach.
• Alduin’s Wall – Discover the secret of Alduin’s defeat.
• The Fallen – Trap a dragon in Dragonsreach (Civil War must be paused or completed first).
• Dragonslayer – Defeat Alduin in Sovngarde.

The main quest takes roughly 15-20 hours if rushed, longer if the player gets sidetracked. Most trophy hunters complete it midway through their playthrough to unlock Legendary Dragons (required for a later DLC trophy).

Choosing Between Imperial and Stormcloak Paths

The Civil War questline awards two mutually exclusive trophies: Taking Sides (join either faction) and War Hero (complete the Civil War for either side). The player only needs to finish the war once for both trophies to unlock.

Important: The Civil War can interfere with Season Unending, a main quest peace treaty. If the war is finished before reaching that quest, Season Unending is skipped entirely. This doesn’t affect trophies, but it does change quest flow. For efficiency, many players complete the main quest first, then mop up the Civil War during post-game cleanup.

Faction and Guild Quest Trophies

Skyrim’s four major guilds each award trophies for completing their storylines. All are missable in the sense that they must be actively pursued, but none have difficult fail states.

Companions Questline

Glory of the Dead unlocks after finishing the Companions’ final quest in Jorrvaskr (Whiterun). The storyline involves becoming a werewolf, which is temporary and can be cured later without affecting trophies. Total time: 4-6 hours.

Key steps:

1. Join the Companions in Jorrvaskr.
2. Complete radiant quests until Kodlak offers the lycanthropy ritual.
3. Finish “Glory of the Dead” to cure Kodlak’s spirit.

The Companions also unlock Werewolf Mastery (perk all werewolf skills), which requires feeding as a werewolf to level up the skill tree. This is grindier than the main questline and best done during radiant quests.

Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood

The Thieves Guild awards One with the Shadows for becoming Guild Master and Darkness Returns for completing the Nightingale questline. Combined time: 8-10 hours.

Critical: To become Guild Master, the player must complete the main Thieves Guild story and restore the guild to its former glory by completing 5 special jobs in each of the four holds (Markarth, Solitude, Whiterun, Windhelm). This means doing 20+ radiant “numbers jobs” until the special quests trigger. It’s the longest faction grind in the game.

The Dark Brotherhood awards With Friends Like These… (join) and Hail Sithis. (complete the storyline). Time: 5-7 hours. To start, the player must trigger the “Innocence Lost” rumor in Windhelm, then sleep in any bed to be kidnapped by Astrid. Refusing Astrid’s offer locks the player out of the Brotherhood permanently.

College of Winterhold

The Eye of Magnus unlocks after completing the College’s main questline. Time: 4-6 hours. This is the shortest guild storyline and has no prerequisites beyond visiting Winterhold and passing a basic magic test (or speech-checking past it).

Bonus: The College questline includes the Revealing the Unseen trophy for completing a specific mid-quest objective. Both trophies unlock naturally if the storyline is finished.

Daedric Artifact Trophies

Oblivion Walker is the most notorious trophy in Skyrim’s base game. It requires collecting 15 Daedric Artifacts in a single playthrough, and several can be permanently missed due to quest choices.

Complete List of All 15 Daedric Artifacts

There are 16 total Daedric Artifacts, but only 15 count toward the trophy. The Rueful Axe does not count. Here’s the full list:

1. Azura’s Star or The Black Star (“The Black Star” quest) – Either version counts.
2. Dawnbreaker (“The Break of Dawn” quest).
3. Ebony Blade (“The Whispering Door” quest in Whiterun).
4. Ebony Mail (“Boethiah’s Calling” quest).
5. Mace of Molag Bal (“The House of Horrors” quest in Markarth).
6. Masque of Clavicus Vile (“A Daedra’s Best Friend” quest) – Do NOT take the Rueful Axe. Spare Barbas.
7. Mehrunes’ Razor (“Pieces of the Past” quest).
8. Oghma Infinium (“Discerning the Transmundane” quest).
9. Ring of Hircine (“Ill Met by Moonlight” quest) – Spare Sinding to get the ring.
10. Ring of Namira (“The Taste of Death” quest in Markarth).
11. Savior’s Hide (“Ill Met by Moonlight” quest) – Kill Sinding to get the hide. Note: Due to a glitch, players can get both the Ring of Hircine and Savior’s Hide in a single playthrough, giving wiggle room for mistakes.
12. Sanguine Rose (“A Night to Remember” quest).
13. Skull of Corruption (“Waking Nightmare” quest in Dawnstar).
14. Spellbreaker (“The Only Cure” quest).
15. Volendrung (“The Cursed Tribe” quest near Largashbur).
16. Wabbajack (“The Mind of Madness” quest in Solitude).

Oblivion Walker Trophy Strategy

The player must obtain 15 in a single playthrough. Here’s the safest route:

• Always save before starting a Daedric quest. Some quests have branching paths that forfeit the artifact.
• Exploit the Hircine glitch (save Sinding, leave the cave, re-enter, kill him) to get both the Ring of Hircine and Savior’s Hide. This provides a buffer in case another artifact is missed.
• Track progress manually. The game doesn’t show a checklist. Many trophy hunters keep a notepad or use an online tracker to mark off each artifact as it’s collected.
• Do NOT complete “A Daedra’s Best Friend” until late in the playthrough. This quest is the most common trap, taking the Rueful Axe instead of the Masque locks players out of Oblivion Walker.

Some Daedric artifact quests involve tough moral choices, but for trophy purposes, the “right” choice is whichever one awards the artifact that counts.

Skill-Based and Progression Trophies

Several trophies track character progression: leveling up, maxing skills, and committing crimes. None are difficult, but some require grinding.

Leveling to 50 and Character Builds

Thu’um Master requires reaching level 50. In Skyrim Special Edition, this is far easier than the original release due to the Legendary Skill system. Once a skill hits 100, the player can reset it to 15 and re-level it, infinitely boosting overall character level.

Fastest methods to hit 50:

• Smithing + Enchanting loop: Craft iron daggers, enchant them, sell them. Repeat. This was nerfed in patch 1.9, but crafting potions remains efficient.
• Illusion grinding: Cast Muffle repeatedly while traveling. Each cast grants XP.
• Sneak grinding: Rubber-band the controller and sneak into a wall near an NPC (Hadvar in the Helgen tutorial is a classic spot).

Character build doesn’t matter for trophies. Stealth archers, two-handed barbarians, and mage builds all unlock the same achievements.

Master Criminal and Bounty Trophies

Wanted requires a 1,000 gold bounty in all nine holds simultaneously. This sounds harder than it is. The trick:

1. Commit a minor crime in each hold (steal something in front of a guard, don’t pay the fine).
2. Once bounties are active in all nine holds, escalate in one hold by assaulting a guard until the bounty crosses 1,000.
3. Trophy unlocks immediately. Pay off bounties or serve jail time afterward, there’s no long-term penalty.

Master Criminal requires escaping jail. Simply get arrested, then pick the cell lock or find the key in the jail’s evidence chest. Exit the jail without being spotted.

Skill Mastery Trophies

Skill Master requires getting any skill to 100. This happens naturally during normal gameplay. Smithing, Enchanting, and Sneak are the easiest to max.

Master requires unlocking a skill tree’s top perk. Again, this is inevitable during a long playthrough. Most players hit this before level 50.

Dragon and Combat-Related Trophies

Dragons are central to Skyrim’s identity, and several trophies track dragon-related accomplishments.

Dragon Souls and Shout Collection

Thu’um Master (learn 20 shouts) is one of the longer grinds. Skyrim has 20+ shouts scattered across Word Walls throughout the world. Players must:

1. Discover Word Walls (marked on the map after progressing the main quest).
2. Absorb dragon souls to unlock the words.
3. Equip and shout at least once to “learn” the shout.

Many Word Walls are locked behind dungeon crawls or faction quests. The Greybeards give several words for free during the main quest, but the rest require exploration. Thankfully, dragon souls are plentiful, random dragon encounters alone provide 15+ souls in a full playthrough.

Dragon Hunter (absorb 5 dragon souls) unlocks early and is unmissable.

Legendary Dragon Trophy

Legend from the Dragonborn DLC requires defeating a Legendary Dragon. These only spawn after the player reaches level 78 and completes the main quest. At level 78, Legendary Dragons begin appearing in random dragon encounters.

This is the single longest grind in Skyrim’s trophy list. Reaching level 78 requires extensive use of Legendary Skills (resetting level 100 skills to 15 and re-leveling them). Expect 40+ hours of grinding beyond normal gameplay unless the player is already heavily invested in crafting loops.

Strategy:

• Focus on Smithing, Enchanting, and Alchemy. These skills level quickly and synergize (craft gear, enchant it, make potions, repeat).
• Use Illusion (spam Muffle) or Alteration (spam Detect Life in crowded areas) for easy XP.
• Once level 78 is reached, fast-travel between dragon lairs (Shearpoint, Eldersblood Peak, etc.) until a Legendary Dragon spawns.

The fight itself isn’t hard, Legendary Dragons hit hard but die to the same tactics as regular dragons. Push Square trophy guides often recommend stocking up on resist potions and abusing terrain to avoid fire breath.

Miscellaneous and Collectible Trophies

Skyrim’s world is packed with miscellaneous trophies tied to life simulation, exploration, and minor side activities.

House Purchases and Property Ownership

Landowner requires purchasing a house. The cheapest option is Breezehome in Whiterun (5,000 gold). To buy it:

1. Complete “Bleak Falls Barrow” for Jarl Balgruuf.
2. Assist the Jarl with the dragon attack on the Western Watchtower.
3. Speak to Proventus Avenicci to purchase Breezehome.

Other homes are available in Solitude, Markarth, Windhelm, and Riften, but all cost more and require faction questlines. Breezehome is the fastest route to the trophy.

Marriage and Adoption Trophies

Married requires wearing an Amulet of Mara (purchased from Maramal in Riften’s Bee and Barb inn) and proposing to any eligible NPC. There are 30+ marriage candidates, many requiring a small favor quest first.

Once married, the spouse provides daily income and a home-cooked meal buff. The trophy unlocks immediately after the wedding ceremony.

Proud Parent (Hearthfire DLC) requires adopting a child. This can only be done after purchasing a home with a child’s bedroom (either a Hearthfire-built home or Proudspire Manor in Solitude with the child’s bedroom upgrade). Orphans can be adopted from Honorhall Orphanage in Riften or found in the wild after certain quests.

Standing Stones and Exploration

Standing Stones requires discovering all 13 Standing Stones. These are scattered across Skyrim and are easy to find with a map guide. No combat is required, simply approach each stone to mark it as discovered.

Explorer (discover 100 locations) and Delver (clear 50 dungeons) unlock naturally during a completionist playthrough. Skyrim has 300+ locations, so hitting 100 is inevitable. Dungeon clearing requires killing the boss and looting the final chest, look for the “Cleared” tag on the map marker.

DLC Trophy Requirements

Skyrim’s three DLCs add 24 trophies to the list. All are required for platinum.

Dawnguard Expansion Trophies

Dawnguard adds 10 trophies. The expansion’s main questline splits into Vampire and Dawnguard paths, but both lead to the same finale trophy: Awakening (complete the Dawnguard main quest).

Key trophies:

• Vampire Mastery – Unlock all perks in the Vampire Lord skill tree (requires feeding as a Vampire Lord to level up).
• Lost to the Ages – Complete the Aetherium Forge sidequest. This is Dawnguard’s longest sidequest and requires collecting four Aetherium Shards from Dwarven ruins across Skyrim.
• Soul Tear – Learn all three words of the Soul Tear shout (granted during the Dawnguard questline).

Dawnguard takes 10-15 hours to complete. The Vampire vs. Dawnguard choice is permanent, but all trophies can be earned on either path except Vampire Mastery (which requires siding with the vampires or becoming a Vampire Lord afterward via Serana).

Dragonborn Expansion Trophies

Dragonborn adds 10 trophies and introduces Solstheim, a new landmass. The expansion’s main quest awards At the Summit of Apocrypha (defeat Miraak).

Key trophies:

• Legend – Defeat a Legendary Dragon (level 78 required, as covered earlier).
• Dragon Aspect – Learn all three words of the Dragon Aspect shout (found during the Dragonborn main quest).
• Stalhrim Crafter – Craft an item from Stalhrim (requires mining Stalhrim deposits on Solstheim and learning the crafting recipe).
• Raven Rock Owner – Purchase a house in Raven Rock (requires completing the “Served Cold” sidequest for the jarl).

Dragonborn takes 8-12 hours. The main quest is linear and difficult to miss. Several hidden collectibles and easter eggs are scattered throughout Solstheim, but they don’t tie to trophies.

Hearthfire Expansion Trophies

Hearthfire adds 4 trophies and focuses on homebuilding. Trophies:

• Land Baron – Purchase all three Hearthfire plots (Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor, Heljarchen Hall). Each costs 5,000 gold and requires completing a favor quest for the hold’s jarl.
• Architect – Build three wings on a Hearthfire home.
• Master Architect – Build three houses (one on each plot).
• Proud Parent – Adopt a child (covered earlier).

Hearthfire takes 3-5 hours and is the easiest DLC to complete. Building houses requires gathering materials (iron, logs, clay, quarried stone), which can be tedious but not difficult. The player can hire a steward to automate some material gathering.

Optimal Trophy Roadmap and Playthrough Strategy

Skyrim’s platinum can be earned in a single playthrough with careful planning, but most players opt for 1.5-2 playthroughs to avoid burnout.

Single vs. Multiple Playthrough Approach

Single Playthrough Platinum is possible but requires:

• Meticulous tracking of Daedric Artifacts.
• Grinding to level 78 for Legendary Dragons.
• Completing all faction questlines without skipping content.

Total time: 100-150 hours.

1.5 Playthrough Strategy is more relaxed:

1. First playthrough: Focus on story, guilds, and Daedric Artifacts. Ignore leveling past 50 unless it happens naturally.
2. Second playthrough (partial): Rush to level 78 using crafting loops and Legendary Skills. Hunt the Legendary Dragon, mop up any missed trophies.

Total time: 90-120 hours across both saves.

Recommended Trophy Order for Efficiency

Here’s an optimized roadmap for a single-playthrough platinum:

1. Start the game and complete Helgen. (Unbound trophy)
2. Join all four guilds early (Companions, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, College). This allows radiant quests to run in parallel.
3. Progress the main quest to “Elder Knowledge.” This unlocks dragon lairs and Word Walls.
4. Hunt Daedric Artifacts between quests. Save before every Daedric quest. Use a checklist.
5. Complete all guild questlines. Thieves Guild takes the longest due to radiant job grinding.
6. Finish the main quest. (Dragonslayer trophy)
7. Complete the Civil War (either side).
8. Start Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs. These can be done in any order.
9. Grind to level 78 using Legendary Skills (Smithing, Enchanting, Illusion).
10. Hunt the Legendary Dragon. Fast-travel between dragon lairs until one spawns.
11. Build Hearthfire homes and adopt a child.
12. Mop up exploration trophies (Standing Stones, 100 locations, 50 dungeons).

This order minimizes backtracking and keeps the player engaged with varied content. Twinfinite and other guide sites recommend batching similar trophies (e.g., doing all Daedric quests in one session) to avoid forgetting objectives.

A few starting tips can help newer players avoid early mistakes: don’t sell quest items, diversify skill leveling to avoid over-specialization, and always keep multiple save files in case a quest bugs out.

Conclusion

Skyrim’s platinum trophy is a marathon, not a sprint. With 75 achievements spanning hundreds of hours, it demands commitment and organization, but it never asks for godlike skill or frustrating RNG grinds. The toughest hurdles are tracking Daedric Artifacts and grinding to level 78, both of which are manageable with a checklist and patience.

For players who’ve already explored Skyrim casually, a focused trophy run reveals hidden corners of the game: obscure Daedric quests, forgotten Word Walls, and the absurd crafting loops that let players hit triple-digit levels. And for newcomers, the trophy list serves as a structured tour of everything Skyrim offers, guilds, dragons, moral dilemmas, and the occasional giant launching someone into orbit.

Whether the goal is bragging rights, completionist satisfaction, or simply an excuse to dive back into Tamriel, this guide provides the roadmap. The dragons are waiting. So are those 75 trophies.