The Forgotten Vale (Dawnguard) is a huge glacial valley tucked away in the Druadach Mountains, walled in by peaks so tall and sheer that nobody wanders in by accident. You reach it through Darkfall Cave and Darkfall Passage, and the whole trip leads toward the Inner Sanctum, one of the last strongholds of the Snow Elves. Come for the main quest, stay for the absurd amount of hidden loot.
What you’ll find
- Two halves joined by a narrow canyon: to the southwest a waterfall beneath a vast frozen lake, to the northeast a snowy forest with its own peculiar plants and wildlife.
- Plenty of Falmer, who have strung walkways and camps along the canyon toward the Inner Sanctum, plus chaurus and the odd chaurus hunter.
- Frost giants, frost trolls, vale sabre cats (often perched up high), frostbite spiders and ice wraiths lurking by the river.
- Rich ore: silver, gold, quicksilver, moonstone around the frozen lake, and orichalcum and malachite along the river banks.
- Wayshrines, the Paragon Platform, and sublocations such as Darkfall Grotto, Glacial Crevice and Sharpslope Cave.
- Two rare shellbugs hidden away; one sits behind a rope-pulled secret door in a Falmer-guarded cave near the entrance.
Quests
During Touching the Sky you cross the Vale on your way to Auriel’s Bow. Fast travel only opens up once you’ve reached the wayshrine inside the Inner Sanctum.
Notable items
- Word Wall for Drain Vitality on a stone outcrop in the middle of the frozen lake, south of the Wayshrine of Resolution.
- Five Paragons carried by frost giants; four are out in the Vale, the Ruby one is in the Inner Sanctum.
- Unknown Book, Vols. I to IV, scattered through the valley, Falmer huts and the Forgotten Vale Overlook.
- Auriel’s Shield, carried by a Falmer Warmonger in the Forgotten Vale Forest.
- A Gold Sapphire Ring held by a skeleton with a snowberry bush growing through its ribs, above the Emerald Paragon giant.
- Below the Inner Sanctum bridge: a miner’s skeleton beside a gold vein, diamonds, a gold ruby necklace, powdered mammoth tusk and lots of rock warbler eggs in the nests nearby.
Tips
The frozen lake is where the named dragons Voslaarum and Naaslaarum smash up through the ice, but only once Dragon Rising has been started. Players report that summons can fail during that fight, so get your minions out before you step onto the lake. After the fight, the holes they leave lead to three underwater chests, one of them pinning a skeleton. The current under the ice is strong, so water breathing is your friend unless you fancy a frosty surprise ending. The platform below the bridge can be reached by jumping, but the drop may kill you; the west side is the safer bet. Arvak refuses to come here, so walk or use the wayshrines.
Good to know
Everything in the Vale respawns except the Inner Sanctum, so it makes a decent repeat stop for ore and gems.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim/Dawnguard game files, summarised in our own words.
