Driftshade Refuge is a Silver Hand stronghold in the cold north, southeast of Dawnstar and southwest of Frostflow Lighthouse. The werewolf hunters have filled it with fighters and, more importantly, with the stolen Fragments of Wuuthrad. If you run with the Companions, you are going to pay them a very angry visit.
What you’ll find
- Silver Hand members in every major chamber, usually two or three at a time.
- A corridor on the left that leads into Driftshade Cellar, which you normally have to pass through to reach the final room.
- The last chamber, guarded by four Silver Hand, with the Fragments of Wuuthrad, a chest, a workbench, a grindstone and an anvil.
- An adept-locked chest with leveled loot, four more chests with random loot, and a kitchen that holds a rare pre-cooked mammoth steak.
- A healthy crop of snowberries – twenty or more – growing around the refuge.
Quests
- Purity of Revenge – the Companions storm the refuge to avenge a fallen friend and recover the Fragments of Wuuthrad. It follows Blood’s Honor.
- Find the Helm of Winterhold – the refuge is one of the places where the lost helm can turn up.
Notable items
- The Rear Guard (Light Armor) in Driftshade Cellar.
- Warrior (Block) and 2920, vol 01 – Morning Star (One-Handed) in the final room.
- Vernaccus and Bourlor, plus a copy of The Lusty Argonian Maid for light reading between fights.
Tips
Want to skip most of the dungeon? Make some noise at the barred door: a curious Silver Hand may open it to check, giving you a direct route to the final chamber. If nobody bites, the long way through the cellar works fine and nets you an extra skill book.
One warning worth a line: if you kill anyone inside Driftshade before finishing Blood’s Honor, Purity of Revenge may fail to start. Either leave the refuge alone until then, or wait around a month of game time before wrapping up Blood’s Honor.
Good to know
Breaking through the left wall of the first room, just before the passage to the barred door, reveals a hidden room. It is dark and completely empty – Silver Hand interior design at its finest.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Snowpoint Beacon, Frostflow Lighthouse, Fort Fellhammer, Winterhold Imperial Camp, Hob’s Fall Cave.
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.