Summary
WhileSkyrimis one of the most highly regarded RPGs ever released, it is also infamous for the sheer number of bugs and glitches that remain, even over ten years after its release. Players can clip through the world, get stuck in level geometry, not be able to complete quests, or even have their horses fly through the air. While many ofSkyrim’sglitchesand bugs can be frustrating for players to deal with, others can also be extremely useful.
Of course, using these bugs is not recommended for first-time players, as most of them do take away large portions ofSkyrim’s beginner experience. Instead, they are best reserved for players who either want to tackle the game on its highest difficulty or see just how far they can push its systems on subsequent playthroughs.
Updated on July 11, 2025, by Gerardo Molina:Bethesda games are known for providing players with a great experience, but also for suffering from various bugs that can range from something funny to a game-breaking issue. Ever since Skyrim was first released back in 2011, players have found various ways to exploit said glitches and bugs, and take advantage of them to make their playthrough simpler.Some of the glitches below are a one-time thing, but others can be used indefinitely, until players either get tired of exploiting them or have reached their goals. In any case, players who want a different experience and a challenge in some aspects should definitely try a few of them.
1Whiterun Chest Glitch
A Set Of Complex Steps Will Put Players Beneath The Map And Close To A Great Treasure
Once players escape the chaos of Helgen, one of the first major cities that they’ll visit, or at least should visit, is Whiterun. Not only does visiting Whiterun first get an important fight out of the way, but it also allows players to start interacting with a friendly environment that includes merchants, a mission in Bleak Falls Barrow, and other elements early on.
If players want to get some valuable items and a lot of gold at the beginning of the game, they should try this glitch, as it will place them beneath the map and lead them to a hidden chest under Whiterun. Inside it, players will find a considerable amount of gold and other interesting items. That said, performing this glitch successfully is rather difficult, and it requires precise movements that will take some time and patience to get right.
2Oghma Infinium Glitch
Limitless Skill Increases
TheOghma Infiniumis one of the most valuable and rarest books in the land of Skyrim. This book is Daedric in nature and used to belong to the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. When players read it, they will be given a chance to add five skill levels to six different skills, depending on what they choose. The available choices are:
Alteration
Enchanting
Normally players would only be able to use the Oghma Infinium once. However, with this glitch, they can read it repeatedly and keep reaping the rewards of doing so indefinitely. The glitch is very useful, but it also requires several steps to perform it successfully, so players who want to take advantage of it should get ready for an hour or two of hard work.
3Get Infinite Arrows
Get Archers To Shoot Their Arrows, Dodge, And Collect Them From The Ground
With so many flying dragons and dangerous enemies throughout the land ofSkyrim, being able to take on them from a distance and shoot them down from the sky can be a great advantage. Unfortunately, though, arrows, especially early in the game, are very hard to come by, and players can run out before they even notice.
By getting guards to attack the Dragonborn with a bow and arrow and dodging the incoming projectiles, players can gather an infinite amount of arrows as they go into the ground. It’s also possible to give special arrow types to companions who are practicing on a target and wait for them to shoot them. After a while, there will be dozens of arrows of that special type available for collection.
4Reset Vendors' Inventory
No More Waiting 48 Hours For Vendors To Reset
Few things are as frustrating inSkyrimas having to wait 48 hours for vendors to restock and get more gold to trade with. In the early days of the game, players would have no choice but to leave the vendors' shops, wait manually for two whole days, and then come back to repeat the purchasing process.
Luckily, this is no longer the case, as players have discovered a way to reset vendors' inventories much faster. Here’s what the process looks like:
If done right, the vendor’s inventory should be reset, and they should have more items and a full gold purse again.
5Get Unlimited Carrying Weight
Companions Have No Carrying Limit, So Giving Them As Many Items As Possible Is A Great Idea
Skyrimis full of interesting trinkets to pick up and weapons to steal from the deepest Norse tombs. However, as great as the Dragonborn is, they don’t possess inhuman strength and will eventually need to drop some things to avoid being over-encumbered. That is, unless they’re traveling with one of their trusted companions.
AI Companions inSkyrimaren’t the smartest, and can sometimes even be an obstacle; however, they have unlimited carry weight capacity, which can be used as an advantage. If players suddenly find themselves carrying too much weight, they can simply drop any items they do not wish to carry and tell their companions to pick them up. This way, the Dragonborn can collect as many items and weapons as they want without ever having to worry about exceeding their limit or having to decide what to drop for good.
6Pickpocket Essential NPCs
Use A Mind Control Spider Scroll To Dupe The Game Into Thinking The Player Is Accessing A Follower’s Inventory
Pickpocketing isn’t as easy as most people would assume, with the consequences of getting caught in the act being extremely annoying. So, it’s easy to see why some players would prefer to figure out a way that lets them pickpocket valuable items from certain NPCs without the law breathing down their neck. Thankfully, there is a way to do this as long as players have access to a Mind Control Spider scroll.
This scroll is mainly used to turn enemies into allies for thirty seconds. However, if used on regular NPCs, there’s a split-second window where said NPC is treated as a follower the moment this scroll is used on them, allowing players to exchange equipment and gain access to powerful weapons and armor with no issues whatsoever. It takes a fair bit of timing to nail this glitch, so players shouldn’t shy away from save-scumming until they have this ability down pat.
7Level Enchanting Indefinitely
Disenchant Items Regardless Of Whether The Enchantment Is Known Or Not
Most players ignore Enchanting, preferring to level up other aspects of the Dragonborn’s character instead. While this is an understandable course of action to take, players who do decide to give this stat a shot will love the control they have over their equipment, letting them employ the enchantments they want.
However, simply disenchanting weapons and armor to learn these enchantments isn’t themost optimal way to level up this skill. Instead, what players can do is select the equipment with an enchantment the Dragonborn doesn’t know yet and move up or down to an enchanted item the player already knows of while simultaneously trying to open the confirmation menu for disenchanting said item. If done correctly, then players can disenchant items they already know the enchantment for, giving them a few extra levels in a skill that is pretty useful if the Dragonborn decides to level it up to the max.
8Reach 100 Speech In Half An Hour
Exploit A Dark Brotherhood Quest, “Recipe For Disaster”
Speech is one of the most important skills players can level up inSkyrim, especially if they want their version of the Dragonborn to convince everyone without any problems. Most people would want to level this skill up to 100 as soon as possible, which is why it’s important to figure out the best course of action that can be taken to facilitate the same. Thankfully, there’s an exploit that players can make the most of in one of the Dark Brotherhood quests to achieve this.
During the “Recipe for Disaster” quest, players must head to Markarth and question Anton Virane. There’s an option to intimidate him that nets some speech experience. After doing the same, just back out of the conversation and re-initiate it to intimidate him and gain some valuable experience in the process. It’s a simple way to slowly but surely level up Speech to 100 for players who want to get done with this task as soon as possible.
9Quicksave Duplication
Pick Up Items And Quicksave At The Same Time To Duplicate Them
PC players will become quite accustomed to quicksaving inSkyrim, given how much fun it is to take risks in this game that can potentially lead to the Dragonborn’s doom. While quicksaving is considered downright necessary for players who don’t want to rely on the game’s autosaves, there’s a way this mechanic can be used to replicate a glitch.
If players pick up an item the moment they quicksave, then they can potentially duplicate said item in their inventory.
Mashing the pickup item button during quicksaves can lead to more duplicates arising, and this effect can be multiplied even more if players stack items too. This is a great glitch to abuse if players want more copies of rare weapons or just want to duplicate something valuable that they can sell later on to earn a lot of gold.
10Clipping
Phase Through Walls By Walking Into A Grabbed Object Pressed Against The Wall
Clipping is a term that many players are quite familiar with. It refers to the act of phasing through solid objects, walls, and the like that shouldn’t be possible in most instances. Given how unstableSkyrim’s engine is, players shouldn’t be surprised that there’s a way to clip through walls in this game.
Players need to grab an object, place it flat against a wall, and continue to walk into it. With enough luck, players should be able to clip into areas where they have no business, letting them either access areas before it’s possible or gain access to hidden loot.
