Skyrim:Yngol Barrow

Nordic Ruin: Yngol Barrow (view on map)
# of Zones	1
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	Never (storage is safe)
Level	Min: 6
Occupants
Draugr, Yngol's Shade
Console Location Code(s)
YngolBarrow01
Region
Winterhold
Location
Northeast of Windhelm

Yngol Barrow

Yngol Barrow is a barrow northeast of Windhelm on the south bank of the White River.

Related Quests

• Dungeon Delving: Do a favor for Jarl Korir by retrieving the Helm of Winterhold. (radiant)
• Yngol's Barrow: Find the treasure unlocked by the Coral Dragon Claw.

NOTE: Some radiant quests have a sizeable list of possible locations. These quests are not placed on individual place pages, and are instead listed at radiant quest locations.

Detailed Walkthrough

The layout of the barrow is pretty linear: there are twists and turns but the main path will not split. Bouncing blue orbs are found throughout the barrow and will follow you around. At no point do these orbs become hostile.

Rotating Pillars:

The puzzle room in Yngol Barrow

The rotating stone puzzle is solved by reading Notes on Yngol Barrow, found on the Dead Scholar in front of the gate. The notes give a translation describing three animals in their habitats. To your right, as you face the locked gate, you will find an alcove with a throne, and an alcove with running water: the pillar in this alcove must be turned to the Whale symbol. On the opposite side, there is an alcove covered in weeds and plants: its pillar must be turned to the Snake symbol. The pillar in the last alcove, with sunlight shining through, must be turned to the Eagle symbol. The throne opposite the sunlit pillar requires no action on the part of the player.

Bridge: You will come across a room with a bridge crossing some shallow water. Underneath the bridge are a chest and a burial urn.

Swinging Gate Trap: Further ahead there is a locked gate with some minor treasure inside. Turning left just before it, you will find a leveled Greatsword next to some Snowberries. Shortly past here is a swinging gate trap, activated by a pressure plate. Past the trap is a chest containing loot. To the right is a wide corridor, at the end of which you will find the Dragon Claw Door.

Dragon Claw Door:

Bouncing glowing orbs at the dragon claw door

Eventually, you will find a circular stone door with the typical 3 circles to be aligned. The combination is found on a Coral Dragon Claw which you may find on a pedestal earlier in the barrow, or by visiting Birna in Winterhold.

Note: Although Birna is a shopkeeper, she will sell the Coral Dragon Claw for 50 gold through a separate dialogue option.

The signs for the Dragon Claw Door are (starting from the outer ring): Snake—Wolf—Moth.

Throne Room:

Yngol's Shade guarding the Helm of Yngol

Behind the Dragon Claw Door is a tomb with a throne. A ghost-like draugr (the bright mist in the room makes him hard to see) will animate and attack you once you step in the room. Depending on whether or not you have the Dungeon Delving quest (see Notes section), this encounter may lead you to obtain the Helm of Yngol or the Helm of Winterhold. Beyond the last foe, there is a gate that unlocks when you push the button next to the door and take the helm, providing a quick shortcut to the outdoors.

Bugs

• If the dragon claw door does not work, check here for possible fixes.
• If you encounter a Draugr Deathlord or Dragon Priest instead of the Yngol Shade, you cannot get out through the gate at the end and have to retrace your steps. This seems to be caused by being sent to the barrow to retrieve the Helm of Winterhold. Another side effect is that the Helm of Yngol and the skeleton it rests upon are completely missing.
  • This bug is fixed by version 1.3.2 of the Unofficial Skyrim Patch.
  • To fix this bug before entering Yngol Barrow, type setstage Favor158 20, which removes the Helm of Winterhold quest, enter and complete Yngol Barrow, which should be unbugged, then returning to Jarl Korir to get the Helm of Winterhold quest again. If the Draugr Death Overlord appears instead of the Yngol Shade, the Helm of Winterhold may be present inside the chest at the base of his throne. You still cannot exit via the gate, but at least you can complete the mission. (In patch 1.9 not working)

If you have this issue and you still wish to retreive the chest on the other side of the gate simply follow these instructions After exiting the Barrow turn right and follow the shoreline north, when you come to 2 logs washed up on shore turn directly right and head towards the cliffs, you will come to a little bay and you will see a large rock formation on your right on this formation you will notice some of the rocks have horizontal lines carved on them, head towards this and there is your back entrance to Yngol Barrow (not shown on map)

• The Coral Dragon Claw may be completely missing from the pedestal, and other items may have wedged themselves into the cave's geometry. ^?
  • Simply go to Winterhold and buy the other claw from Birna if this happens. If you have killed Birna then the quest cannot be completed.