Alduin’s Wall Quest Guide: How to Access Karthspire & Sky Haven Temple

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Quick solutions to Sky Haven Temple’s puzzles and other obstacles
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With the hundreds of side missions to get lost in, it’s a miracle anyone gets to Skyrim ’s main questline—but somehow, you’ve done it and are ready to gain entrance to Sky Haven Temple. Kudos! But how are you supposed to get inside? It’s all part of the “Alduin’s Wall” quest in which Esbern reveals that you need to find the location of Alduin’s Wall and learn how to defeat the fearsome dragon known as the World-Eater. This guide will show you how to get through Karthspire, solve its puzzles, and enter Sky Haven Temple in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim .

A Quick Guide to Entering Sky Haven Temple

Get to Sky Haven Temple by entering Karthspire with Delphine and Esbern. Defeat the Forsworn and solve the puzzles before you get to a dead end. Esbern will spot a blood seal and tell you how to use it. Interact with the circular blood seal, and the path to Sky Haven Temple will open up.

Section 1 of 2:

How to Enter Sky Haven Temple in Skyrim

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  1. 1
    Escort Esbern to Riverwood. The journey to Sky Haven Temple begins in the “Alduin’s Wall” quest, which begins directly where “A Cornered Rat” ends: in the Ratway of Riften after finding Esbern. He’ll ask for an escort to Riverwood so he (and you) can meet with Delphine. Bring him there right away, and watch out for a Thalmor ambush as you leave the Ratway. [1]
    • A Thalmor mage (and possibly several soldiers) will attack right after you leave Esbern’s hideout. The mage can summon a Frost Atronach and use lightning spells.
    • Some other denizens of the Ratway may attack you, too—if they notice the fight.
    • Once you leave the Ratway and return to Riften, you can fast-travel straight back to Riverwood (Esbern will appear there with you).
  2. 2
    Speak with Delphine in the Sleeping Giant Inn. In the secret basement area there (where you’ve met with Delphine before at this point in the game), Delphine and Esbern will have a brief reunion. Then, they’ll formulate a new plan: finding Sky Haven Temple to discover the secret to defeating Alduin. The pair will set out for Karthspire, and you can join them or go to Karthspire later. [2]
    • If you want, you can go do other quests before meeting the Blades at Karthspire. You’ll find them waiting near the camp when you arrive!
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  3. If you choose to travel with Delphine and Esbern, you’ll have to run the whole way there. It’ll take longer but be safer since you’ll have two other companions to help you defeat enemies that crop up along the way. Traveling alone is often the faster choice since you’ll only need to fast-travel or take a carriage to Markarth, then follow the road east. [3]
    • Karthspire is where you’ll find the entrance to Sky Haven Temple.
    • Karthspire camp is east of Markarth, in the Karth River valley. It’s also to the west of the Red Eagle Redoubt, across the river.
  4. The Forsworn camp is blocking your way to the Sky Haven Temple. And if that’s not enough trouble, a dragon will also be flying around the camp! Get your weapons, spells, potions, and best gear ready for a fierce fight if you run headlong into the camp. [4]
    • If careful, you can force the dragon and Forsworn to fight each other. Sneak close enough to camp for the dragon to appear; the Forsworn will start shooting arrows at it, and the dragon will attack them, too.
      • As long as neither side notices you, you can just wait for one side to finish the other off, then mop up the survivors after.
    • You could also try picking off a few Forsworn by slowly sneaking up to the camp with your bow, unleashing ranged attacks against the first Forsworn you come across.
    • Luckily, you don’t need to worry about Delphine and Esbern during the fight. They’re marked as “essential” in the game, so they’ll only fall to one knee when they run out of health (but never die).
    • You could even skip a portion of the Forsworn fight by dashing through camp and entering the Karthspire cave, although there’s a chance Delphine and Esbern get stuck in combat mode if some enemies are left alive.
  5. As you enter, you’ll have to face a few more Forsworn and a tougher Forsworn Briarheart—so don’t let your guard down just yet. If you run through the camp outside and straight into Karthspire, you’ll also have to fight any Forsworn that chase you inside (as they’ll eventually enter the cave after you). [5]
    • There are a few bedrolls here, so you can rest up to recover your health once you’ve cleared out all opposition.
  6. Follow the path through Karthspire, and you’ll come to a raised stone bridge you can’t cross, along with three rotating stone pillars. This is the first Sky Haven Temple puzzle! To solve it, rotate the pillars so that the symbol of the Dragonborn (the heart-shaped pattern with a downwards arrow) faces you on all three. The bridge will lower (and lead you to the next puzzle). [6]
    • Esbern will also hint at the correct solution to the puzzle as he talks about the history of Karthspire.
  7. In the next area, you’ll come across a room filled with pressure plates that have symbols on top of them. At the end of the room is a chain level you’ll need to pull to neutralize the traps. To solve the puzzle, cross the room while only stepping on the pressure plates with the Dragonborn symbol on them (identical to the Dragonborn symbol on the last puzzle’s pillars). [7]
    • When you get to the other side of the room, pull the chain level to lower the bridge to the next area—and allow Esbern and Delphine to get across the room, too.
    • You can also just bypass the plates with the Whirlwind Sprint shout or negate the fire damage from them with the Become Ethereal shout.
    • Additionally, the Light Foot perk (from the Sneak skill tree) will let you walk over the trapped plates without triggering them.
  8. You’ll find the gigantic statue of a head that Esbern will say is Reman Cyrodiil, founder of the Reman Dynasty. [8] At first glance, this area will appear to be a dead end, but Esbern will notice a blood seal on the floor. This seal will unlock only with the blood of a Dragonborn. Approach the seal, interact with it, and wait for your character to feed the blood seal by cutting a palm.
    • After your character spills their blood on the seal, the stone head will retract, granting you access to the former Blades headquarters: Sky Haven Temple!
  9. 9
    Enter and explore Sky Haven Temple with Esbern and Delphine. The pair will explore the area before lighting the braziers and examining Alduin’s Wall (with the Akaviri relief). Esbern will talk about the Wall’s history and depiction of Alduin’s defeat, concluding that the ancient Nords used a shout to defeat Alduin—and you need to learn it, too. Congrats: you’ve gained entrance to Sky Haven Temple! [9]
    • This is the end of the Alduin’s Wall quest. Your next step will be visiting the Greybeards at High Hrothgar for “The Throat of the World” quest.
    • However, you can look around Sky Haven Temple before you go! In the armory, which is opposite Alduin’s Wall, you can find the magic sword Dragonbane.
    • Delphine and Esbern will also clean up Sky Haven Temple while you’re gone—so it’ll look less dusty when you return from the Greybeards!
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Section 2 of 2:

Frequently Asked Questions About the Alduin’s Wall Quest

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  1. 1
    Why can’t I gain access to Sky Haven Temple? A bug may be stopping Esbern and Delphine from following them, and you need them to get into the temple! For example, they may stay in combat mode if you don’t defeat all the Forsworn before moving further into Karthspire or fall behind if you run far ahead. It’s always a good idea to save before approaching Karthspire so you can reload if there’s an issue.
  2. 2
    Can you get into Sky Haven Temple before the Alduin’s Wall quest? No—you need Esbern and Delphine to accompany you. You can technically get as far as the blood seal on your own, but you won’t be able to interact with it without Esbern.
  3. 3
    Do you have to fight the Forsworn in Karthspire? No, you don’t—but again, it’s often easier to take them out before going further into Karthspire. Ultimately, though, it’s up to you how you want to deal with the Forsworn!
  4. 4
    How do you learn the secret of Alduin’s Wall? Esbern must examine the wall and then talk to you about his conclusions for you to officially learn the secret of the Wall.
  5. 5
    Why isn’t Esbern examining Alduin’s Wall? There’s a known bug where Esbern and Delphine may get stuck if they don’t get into the tunnel past the statue head before you advance into Sky Haven Temple. If that happens, try loading a save game from before activating the blood seal. You can also try using the Unrelenting Force shout to “shout” them into the Temple’s entrance area! It’s crude, but it works.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Where do I find land and where do I build a city?
    Community Answer
    You cannot build a city in Skyrim, you can settle in a city by buying a house from the king's assistant, but you cannot build a city.
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  • Question
    How do I cut my palm to gain access to this temple?
    Itay Michael
    Community Answer
    Wait for Esbern to arrive. When he arrives, there will be an option to give your blood after he finishes talking.
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  • Question
    What if Esbern isn't there? I can't find him.
    Community Answer
    My best advice would be to restart the mission completely, that should do the trick.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Alduin's_Wall_(Quest)
      2. ↑ https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Alduin's_Wall_(Quest)
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/BGrbiUXVKFc?t=138
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/BGrbiUXVKFc?t=353
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/BGrbiUXVKFc?t=592
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/BGrbiUXVKFc?t=658
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/BGrbiUXVKFc?t=698
      8. ↑ http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Reman_Cyrodiil
      9. ↑ https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Alduin's_Wall

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