You're standing in the middle of a frozen wasteland, shivering because the wind chill in the Pale is no joke, and you realize you have absolutely no idea where you're going. It happens to the best of us. You need that specific piece of ancient parchment to stop Alduin from eating the world, but the quest marker is being cryptic. If you’re asking yourself skyrim where is the elder scroll, you aren't just looking for a single item. You're actually looking for three, depending on which DLCs you have installed, but the main one—the Dragon Scroll—is buried deeper than most players expect.
Honestly, Bethesda doesn't make it easy. They send you to Septimus Signus, a guy living in a hollowed-out iceberg who has clearly spent a bit too much time staring into the abyss. He tells you to go to Blackreach. That’s where the real headache begins.
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The Long Walk to Alftand
To find the primary Elder Scroll (Dragon), you have to commit to a massive dungeon crawl. We’re talking about Alftand. It’s an ancient Dwemer ruin located southwest of Winterhold. You can't just walk in and grab the scroll; you have to descend through the Glacial Ruins, the Animonculory, and the Cathedral. It’s a slog. You'll fight Dwarven Spiders, Spheres, and eventually a Centurion that will probably one-shot you if you're playing on Legendary difficulty without decent armor.
Why did they put it there? Lore-wise, the Dwemer were obsessed with reading the scrolls without going blind or insane, so they built massive machines to "transcribe" the information. Once you reach the end of Alftand, you'll find a crank that opens a floor gate. This leads to Blackreach.
Blackreach: The Neon Underground
Blackreach is huge. It’s a massive subterranean cavern filled with giant glowing mushrooms and Falmer who want to eat your face. If you’re wondering skyrim where is the elder scroll inside this mess, you need to head toward the Tower of Mzark. It’s located in the southwest portion of the cavern.
Don't get distracted by the Crimson Nirnroot quest unless you hate yourself. Just head for the tower. Inside, you’ll find a massive brass contraption called the Oghma Infinium—wait, no, that's the book. You'll find the Lexicon receptacle and the Dwemer Lockbox.
Solving the Mzark Puzzle
This is where people usually get stuck. There are four buttons. You have to place the Blank Lexicon (the square thing Septimus gave you) into the pedestal on the right.
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- Hit the second button from the right four times. The Lexicon will start to glow.
- The third button will now uncover its blue lens. Hit that twice.
- The fourth button (the one on the far left) will open up. Hit it once.
The overhead machine will descend, and there it is. The Elder Scroll (Dragon). Pick it up. Don't forget to grab the Lexicon back, too, or Septimus will be annoyed later.
The Other Two Scrolls: Dawnguard Edition
If you're playing the Dawnguard expansion, the question of skyrim where is the elder scroll gets twice as complicated because you need the "Sun" and "Blood" scrolls too.
The Elder Scroll (Blood) is held by Serana’s mother, Valerica. You have to travel to the Soul Cairn—a purple, depressing purgatory for trapped souls. You get there through a portal in the secret laboratory under Castle Volkihar. After fighting a dragon named Durnehviir, Valerica will give you the scroll. It’s pretty straightforward compared to the Dwemer puzzle, but the Soul Cairn is easy to get lost in. Keep your eyes on the horizon for the massive Boneyard structure.
Then there’s the Elder Scroll (Sun). This one is actually held by a Moth Priest named Dexion Evicus. Depending on whether you joined the Dawnguard or the Vampires, you’ll either rescue him from a cave (Forebears' Holdout) or capture him. He has the scroll on his person. You don't have to go through a hundred-hour dungeon for this one, thankfully.
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Why You Can't Just Drop Them
One of the most annoying things about finding these scrolls is that they weigh 20 units each. They are quest items. You can't put them in a chest in Breezehome. They just sit there, taking up space in your inventory while you try to loot iron daggers.
There is a fix, though. Once you've finished the main questline, go to the College of Winterhold. Talk to Urag gro-Shub, the Orc librarian. He will actually buy the Dragon scroll from you for 2,000 gold. If you finished the Dawnguard questline, you can sell the other two to Dexion (if you're Dawnguard) or they might just stay stuck in your inventory forever if you're a Vampire lord, unless you use console commands.
Common Myths and Errors
Some people think you can find an Elder Scroll by just wandering into random ruins. You can't. They are hard-locked behind the "Elder Knowledge" quest or the Dawnguard main line. Also, a common mistake is thinking you need the scroll to learn Dragonrend immediately. You actually have to take the scroll to the Throat of the World and stand in the "Time Wound." If you try to read it anywhere else, your screen just goes blurry for a second and nothing happens.
Basically, the scrolls aren't just items; they are plot keys.
Actionable Steps for the Lost Dragonborn
If you are currently stuck, follow these specific steps to get the scroll and get out:
- Check your quest log. If you don't see "Elder Knowledge" or "Discerning the Transmundane," you aren't ready to find the scroll yet. Go talk to Paarthurnax or Esbern first.
- Bring plenty of health potions to Alftand. The Dwarven Centurion at the end is a gear check. If you can't beat him, you aren't getting into Blackreach.
- Use the "Wait" command. If the buttons in the Tower of Mzark aren't responding, wait for one hour in-game. Sometimes the scripts for the Dwemer machinery hang up.
- Look for the "Great Lift." Once you are in Blackreach, there are several lifts that lead back to the surface of Skyrim. Unlock these. They act as fast-travel points so you never have to walk through Alftand ever again.
- Sell the scrolls to Urag. Seriously. 2,000 gold is better than 20 carry weight being wasted on a piece of paper you’ll never read again.
Finding the scroll is the peak of the Skyrim experience for many because it forces you into the deepest, weirdest parts of the map. Just keep heading down. Eventually, you’ll hit metal, then you’ll hit mushrooms, and then you’ll find the Elder Scroll.