Steepfall Burrow is a cave high in the northern peaks far west of Solitude, just east of Northwatch Keep. It has two separate entrances – an upper and a lower one, each marked on the map – and travellers use the link between them to get through some very unfriendly mountains. Bring warm clothes and something that hurts trolls.
What you’ll find
- Lower cave: three ice wolves, a dead hunter with a corundum ore vein beside him, a chest near the hunter and another chest at the bottom of the natural lake to the left of the entrance.
- Upper cave: a path that rounds a corner into a cavern with a bridge over a deep chasm, with a frost troll waiting on the far side.
- A second frost troll in the ice cave behind the first.
- A skeleton with some loot, including a skill book, further along the path.
- A chest and a coin purse at the end of the upper route.
Quests
- Noster’s Helmet – the helmet Noster Eagle-Eye of Solitude lost can end up in the final chest of the upper cave.
- Totems of Hircine – for Aela the Huntress; if this is the totem’s location, it is in the same chest.
- Animal Extermination – also from Aela.
- A possible spot for The Legendary Scourge, a book wanted by Urag gro-Shub, and for Meridia’s Beacon.
Notable items
- Mystery of Talara, Book III – skill book next to the skeleton in the upper cave.
- Corundum ore vein in the lower cave.
Tips
The chasm bridge is your best friend: a well-aimed Unrelenting Force can send a frost troll tumbling into the depths and save you a long, painful fight. Just be aware that if you plan to dive into the water for the chest down there, a surviving troll may follow you in and keep swinging. Fire works wonders on trolls if you prefer a straight fight. The lower lake chest is easy to miss, so take a quick swim before leaving.
Good to know
Because the upper and lower entrances appear as separate map markers, it is easy to clear one half and assume you are done. Check both if you are hunting for a quest item.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Lost Echo Cave, Northwatch Keep, Orphan’s Tear, Fort Hraggstad, Rimerock Burrow.
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.