Sovngarde Guide - Scrolls Guided

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At the bright young age of nine years old, Eoin played his first-ever video game. Despite investing serious time into Esports, Eoin always found himself returning to narrative-driven games, vowing to one day make it as a narrative designer himself.His love for the Elder Scrolls have been a constant inspiration, and if he can come up with a world half as rich and expansive, he will consider it a successful venture.

Key Details Up Front

Related Characters: Tsun, Shor, Ysgramor, Alduin.
Related Quests: The World-Eater’s Eyrie, Sovngarde, Dragonslayer.
Notable Loot: Roasted Ox Head, Roasted Ox Leg.
Related Abilities: Call of Valor shout.

Lore

Sovngarde is one of the many afterlives of The Elder Scrolls universe. It’s also one of the few that we actually get to visit in any of the games. Despite this, we actually don’t know too much about it. It is the chosen resting place of Nords in Aetherius.

Sovngarde is ruled by Shor and shares a lot of similarities with Valhalla. Its main feature is the Hall of Valor, a mead hall where Nords deemed worthy by Shor feast eternally.

It’s worth noting that entry to Sovngarde is not based on personality or political beliefs. Instead, all those who show courage and bravery can enter. This is evident by the fact that both Imperial and Stormcloak soldiers can be found in Sovngarde.

Before anyone is granted entry to the Hall of Valor, they must reach it by traversing the Valley of Mist. The valley is decorated with large stone statues and mammoth tusks.

A Whalebone Bridge connects the valley to the hall. The bridge is guarded by Tsun, the Nord god of trials against adversity, and Shor’s Shield-Thane. Proving oneself worthy in combat against Tsun will grant one entry to the Hall of Valor.

Key Features

Hall of Valor

The main attraction of Sovngarde is the Hall of Valor. This is a massive mead hall that lies beyond the Valley of Mist and is guarded by Tsun. The Dragonborn must defeat Tsun in combat in order to gain entry to the hall.

Inside the hall, the Dragonborn can encounter a number of different important historical figures including Ysgramor, High King Torygg, Jurgen Windcaller, amongst others. The hall is also home to two unique consumables that can’t be found anywhere else in the game, so be sure to take them with you as a souvenir before you leave.

Make Your Way to the Whalebone Bridge and Defeat Tsun

After you get to Sovngarde by completing The World-Eater’s Eyrie, you’ll need to make your way through a field of mist. The entire area has become a hunting ground for Alduin as he claims the souls that have not yet reached the Hall of Valor.

Sovngarde has one of the best tracks in the entire game, and the area is absolutely beautiful. It’s also the climax of Skyrim’s main questline, so slow down and take it all in. Alduin may be flying around in the mist, dive-bombing lost souls, but he will not come for you.

You’ll be approached by a Stormcloak Soldier when you enter Sovngarde. He will explain the mist to you and ask for your help to navigate the path ahead. You can choose to leave him or help him. If you help him, he will be devoured by Alduin.

Along the path to the Hall of Valor, if you’ve completed the Civil War questline, you’ll run into some familiar faces depending on which side of the war you fought for.

If the Imperials won, you will find Ulfric and Galmar Stone-Fist. If the Stormcloaks won, you will be able to find Legate Rikke. You can interact with them for some dialogue, but you won’t be able to have a conversation with them.

Eventually, you will reach a massive bone bridge connecting the land of Sovngarde to the Hall of Valor. Tsun, the Nordic god of trials, is guarding the bridge. When you try to pass, he will approach you and ask what your purpose is. He will then ask by what right you request entry to the hall.

Here, you have a few dialogue options depending on what you’ve done in the game. Mainly, depending on which of the four factions you’ve become the leader of.

While Tsun will speak admirably of you if you claim right by being Master of the College of Winterhold or Harbinger of the Companions, he will not be so courteous if you claim right by Listener of the Dark Brotherhood or as a Nightingale of Nocturnal.

Alternatively, you can claim entry by right of blood as a Dragonborn. This is a default option that is present regardless of what quests you can complete.

What answer you give Tsun, ultimately, does not matter. He will subject you to a test. Or, in layman’s terms, will rush at you with an Ancient Nord Battle Axe. You’ll need to defeat him in combat to pass, although you don’t need to fully deplete his health bar. You just need him to yield.

On higher difficulties, this is an incredibly tough boss fight. Tsun, being a god, does a whole lot of damage and can take one hell of a beating.

You can cheese him if you’re creative enough with the surrounding environment and your ranged attacks, but do not try to skip the fight. If you attempt to enter the hall without defeating Tsun, you will instantly be killed before you can reach the door.

After beating Tsun, he will find you worthy and allow you passage to the Hall of Valor.

Speak with the Dragonborns of Old

When you enter the hall, you’ll be greeted by Ysgramor himself. He’ll tell you that while Shor has forbidden any of the hall’s occupants from traversing the mist outside, there are three heroes of old waiting to take up arms and assist you in defeating Alduin.

These three heroes are actually the same group of Nords you saw at the Throat of the World when you read the Elder Scroll there.

Before you speak with them, though, take a second to look around the hall. You’ll be able to find a large number of incredibly historically important characters here, including Torygg, the old High King of Skryim, and Jurgen Windcaller, the founder of the Grey Beards.

The hall is also home to two unique consumables. On the table, you can find a Roasted Ox Head and two Roasted Ox Legs. These are the only items of this kind in the game, and you won’t be able to return to the hall after you leave, so make sure to grab them now.

Once you’re ready, speak with the heroes to complete the Sovngarde quest and trigger Dragonslayer, the final quest in Skyrim’s main questline.

Dragonslayer

Clear the Mist

You will leave the Hall of Valor with the three ancient heroes and cross the Whalebone Bridge. Before you can face Alduin, you’ll first need to dispel the mist that shrouds the valley. To do this, you need to use the Clear Skies shout. When you do, the three heroes will use it as well. You will need to use the shout three times to clear the mist.

Slay Alduin

After you clear the mist, Alduin will appear for your final battle. You will need to use the Dragonrend shout in order to force him to land. Once Dragonrend has been used, you will be able to attack him along with the three heroes.

Keep in mind that for this fight, the three heroes are as essential, but they can be defeated and effectively stun-locked. If this happens, all of Alduin’s attention will be on you, and that’s a bit of a problem. You don’t need me to spell out just how hard this fight is. It’s the final boss fight in the entire game, and you even get three additional NPCs to help you out with it.

The fight isn’t too dissimilar to your battle with Alduin at the Throat of the World, and the strategy you used there should work here, as well. However, you will be taking much more damage, and need to deal more damage, in order to kill Alduin this time around.

If you’re using melee attacks, try to use your Unrelenting Force shout to interrupt his fire breath attack, and make sure you’re using Dragonrend to keep him grounded. Heal up when you need to, keep him from using his fire, and you should be able to grind him down.

Alternatively, if you play a ranged character, you can keep your distance from him and let the three heroes tank all of the damage. You’ll need to be quick on the trigger with this strategy, though, as Alduin will b-line for you once the heroes have been dealt with.

Regardless of how you deal with Alduin, you will need to kill him. Afterward, Tsun will speak to you and give you the Call of Valor shout as a gift from Shor. This shout can be used to summon one of the three heroes you just fought with, with the summon depending on how many words of the shout you use.

He will then use a shout of his own to return you to the Throat of the World. Dragonslayer will complete, and you will have finished Skyrim’s main questline.

Call of Valor

After completing Dragonslayer, Tsun will give you the Call of Valor shout before he sends you back to Skyrim. You get all three words instantly, with the shout having the same recharge time regardless of how many words you use.

The shout acts as a summon. Depending on how many words you use, you’ll summon one of the three different heroes from Sovngarde to assist you in combat for 60 seconds. The summons are:

1 Word – Gormlaith Golden-Hilt
2 Words – Felldir the Old
3 Words – Hakon One-Eye

How to Get There

Complete The World-Eater’s Eyrie

To get to Sovngarde, a Nord would typically need to, well, die. You don’t have that luxury, though. So, you’re going to have to go the long way. This means taking a portal to Sovngarde that’s located in Skuldafn Temple. To reach this temple, you’ll need to ride on the back of Odahviing, and to do that you need to progress to The World-Eater’s Eyrie quest.

This is the third last quest in Skyrim’s main questline, so you won’t have any issues whatsoever in triggering it. However, Skuldafn Temple is home to a particularly powerful Dragon Priest called Nahkriin. Nahkriin is guarding the portal and, when approached, will take his staff from the portal, closing it.

If this happens, you will have to defeat him. However, it is possible to enter Sovngarde without doing this fight if you’re fast enough to get to the portal before he takes his staff from it.

Residents and Unique Items

Tsun

Tsun is the Nord god of trials against adversity. He is represented by a bear totem and is a Shield-Thane of Shor. Tsun watches over Sovngarde, ensuring only the worthy enter the Hall of Valor. He is also capable of returning the living to the Throat of the World from Sovngarde by using a shout unique to him, Shor’s Might.

Tsun himself died defending Shor during the Ehlnofey wars of the Dawn Era.

Various Important NPCs

High King Torygg

Torygg is the former High King of Skyrim. He was killed in a duel by Ulfric Stormcloak prior to the events of the game. It was his death that triggered Skyrim’s Civil War. Torygg can be found in the Hall of Valor.

Jurgen Windcaller

Jurgen Windcaller is a master of the way of the voice and the founding father of the Greybeards. He can be found in the Hall of Valor.

Ysgramor

Ysgramor is the ancient Atmoran warrior and the leader of the original 500 companions. It was he that led the ascendancy of humans in Tamriel during the Merethic Era. He greets the Dragonborn upon their entry into the Hall of Valor.

Sovngarde Guide: FAQs

Question: Is there Anything in Sovngarde in Skyrim?

Answer: Your journey through Sovngarde in Skyrim is linear. As such, there are only two missable unique items in the form of a Roasted Ox Head, and two Roasted Ox Legs. Both of these items are consumables and can be found on the table in the Hall of Valor.

Question: Can You Revisit Sovngarde in Skyrim?

Answer: No, you can’t revisit Sovngarde in Skyrim. Once you finish Dragonslayer and are sent back to the Throat of the World, it is no longer possible to enter Sovngarde without console commands or mods.

Question: Can You Loot Alduin in Sovngarde?

Answer: No, you cannot loot Alduin’s body after you kill him. He will disintegrate, making obtaining anything from his corpse impossible.

Conclusion

That’s it for this Sovngarde guide. I’ve stuck to the facts as we know them in Skyrim, but there are a few other Sovngarde related stories in TES mythos that I haven’t touched on. For example, there was a necromancer called Azaran the Cruel that tried to bind the souls in Sovngarde to the mortal plane.

However, failed points in history like this are nothing compared to the events that transpired between the Dragonborn and Alduin.

It’s a gorgeous part of Skyrim that I wish we got to explore a little bit more. It’s essentially Valhalla, so it’s a shame we didn’t have a little bit more to do there. Although, I suppose that maintains the mystery associated with it as one of The Elder Scrolls’ afterlives.

Anyway, I hope you found this guide helpful. Whether you were just looking for an overview of what Sovngarde is, or a walkthrough of the Sovngarde quest, I’ve done my best to make sure you click away from this article with the information you needed.