How to Beat Alduin: Skyrim Main Quest Walkthrough Part 3 (Sovngarde Ending)

The final part of our Skyrim main quest walkthrough. Alduin has fled and you need to follow him. You'll trap a dragon inside Dragonsreach, ride it to Alduin's ancient fortress, travel to the Nordic afterlife of Sovngarde and finish the World-Eater for good. Here's how to beat Alduin, step by step.

Skyrim main quest walkthrough: ← Part 2

The whole walkthrough

Quests in this part

1. Season Unending (only if the civil war is still going)
2. The Fallen
3. Paarthurnax (optional)
4. The World-Eater's Eyrie
5. Sovngarde
6. Dragonslayer

1. The Fallen: a plan to trap a dragon

Paarthurnax explains that Alduin has gone somewhere only a dragon can reach. You need one to tell you, and that means catching one. The best place is Dragonsreach in Whiterun, which was built long ago to hold a captive dragon.

Ask Jarl Balgruuf for help. If you haven't finished the civil war, he refuses: he won't leave Whiterun open to attack while the Imperials and Stormcloaks are at war.

2. Season Unending: the peace council (if needed)

If the civil war is still going, Arngeir agrees to host a peace council at High Hrothgar. Both sides, General Tullius for the Empire and Ulfric Stormcloak for the rebels, come to negotiate a truce, with the Thalmor and the Blades sitting in.

The talks are about swapping a few cities and holds between the two sides. Whatever you agree, the important result for the main quest is a truce, and the Jarl agrees to help. If you've already finished the civil war, you skip this quest.

3. Trapping Odahviing

Go to the Great Porch at the top of Dragonsreach and shout the name of the dragon Paarthurnax gave you: Odahviing. He arrives with a roar. Fight him using Dragonrend to keep him grounded and lure him into the porch. When he's weakened, the guards drop a huge yoke on his neck.

Talk to Odahviing. He tells you where Alduin went: to Skuldafn, an ancient temple in the mountains. You can only get there by air, so free Odahviing and he'll fly you there himself.

4. Paarthurnax: an optional choice

Around this point, the Blades ask you to kill Paarthurnax. They say he committed terrible crimes in Alduin's service long ago. It's an optional quest, and the main story continues either way. If you refuse, Delphine and Esbern won't work with you anymore until you change your mind. Many players spare him. It's your call.

5. The World-Eater's Eyrie: Skuldafn

Odahviing drops you at Skuldafn. Fight your way up through the temple: it's full of draugr and a couple of dragons, so stock up on potions first. There's no way back until you're done.

At the top, the dragon priest Nahkriin guards the portal Alduin used. Defeat him and take his staff, then place it in the portal's mechanism to open the way. Step through to Sovngarde.

6. Sovngarde: the final fight

Sovngarde, the land of the honoured Nord dead, is covered in a soul-eating mist that Alduin uses to feed on the dead. Use Clear Skies to push it back as you walk to the Hall of Valor.

At the Whalebone Bridge, the guardian Tsun tests you before letting you cross. Inside the Hall, three ancient heroes are ready to fight Alduin with you: Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Hakon One-Eye and Felldir the Old. They're the same three you saw in the vision at the Time-Wound.

Go back outside and use Clear Skies together with the heroes to clear the mist and force Alduin to fight. Then it's the same pattern as before: Dragonrend whenever he flies, and everything you've got when he lands. When he finally falls, his soul can't be absorbed: he's destroyed for good.

7. Dragonslayer: the end

Back in Skyrim, you return to the Throat of the World, where dragons gather to see the new Dragonborn. Talk to Paarthurnax (if he's still alive) and the main quest is complete. Congratulations: you've beaten Skyrim.

Tips for the final fight

• Use Dragonrend every time. Without it, Alduin stays in the air and you can barely hurt him.
• Stock up before Skuldafn. You can't fast travel out until it's over.
• Let the heroes tank. Gormlaith, Hakon and Felldir draw Alduin's attention, so stay at range if you're a mage or archer.

What to do after the main quest

Beating Alduin isn't the end of Skyrim. The game keeps going, and there's plenty left:

• The big guilds: the Companions, the College of Winterhold, the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood each have their own long questline.
• The civil war: pick a side and finish it, if you haven't already.
• The expansions: Dawnguard (vampires and a new crossbow), Hearthfire (build your own house) and Dragonborn (the island of Solstheim and the first Dragonborn, Miraak).

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Playing on console or picking it up again? The Skyrim Anniversary Edition includes the three expansions and all the extra Creation Club content, and it's often on sale.

Want the world map on your wall? A Skyrim map poster is a great way to plan your next adventure.

My take

Sovngarde is one of my favourite endings in any RPG: walking through the mist into the Hall of Valor, then fighting Alduin side by side with heroes from thousands of years ago. If this walkthrough helped you get there, the rest of Skyrim is now yours to explore. Who did you take to the end, Lydia or someone else?

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