Heljarchen Hall (Hearthfire) is a homestead you can build on a rocky mountainside in the snowy tundra north of Whiterun, a short walk from Loreius Farm. On a clear day you can see Whiterun and the Throat of the World to the south, with forest stretching away to the east and north. Up the slopes to the west sit the giant camp Stonehill Bluff and the Dwemer Tower of Mzark.
What you’ll find
- An anvil and storage chest ready from day one, so you can forge nails, hinges and other building parts without a trip to town.
- Clay and quarried stone deposits right in front of the carpenter’s workbench, plus a pickaxe and three quarried stone lying nearby.
- A corundum ore vein northeast of the workbench, between two cliffs.
- A grain mill for making flour – unique among the homesteads and useful with the Kitchen wing.
- The clearest sightlines of any homestead, so you spot trouble coming long before it arrives.
Buying the land
Complete Waking Nightmare and the radiant bounty Kill the Giant (available from level 22), then buy the plot from Skald the Elder in Dawnstar. If you’ve sided with the Imperial Legion in the civil war, Brina Merilis offers it instead. Either way it costs 5,000 gold.
Residents
- Gregor – housecarl assigned by the Jarl.
- Oriella – bard, hired through the steward.
- Markus – carriage driver, also hired through the steward.
Tips
The neighbours are big: Blizzard Rest is close by, and a wandering giant – or a bandit raid – can wipe out your livestock. Look on the bright side: nearby giant camps are a steady source of giant’s toes, charred skeever hides and mammoth cheese bowls. The Tower of Mzark makes this the most convenient base for Blackreach runs, though the tower only appears on your map after you first exit it from below. If the workbench lists things you’ve already built, back out of the menu and open it again rather than paying twice.
Good to know
Adopted children have opinions about the climate: boys grumble that it’s too cold to play outside, while girls say how nice it is.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Blizzard Rest, Tower of Mzark, Loreius Farm, Weynon Stones, Stonehill Bluff.
Location data (hold, map position, editor ID) read from the Skyrim game files; details checked against community wiki articles and summarised in our own words.