How to Find Arvak the Skeleton Horse with Dawnguard in Skyrim

Last Updated: February 10, 2016

Arvak is a horse running in the Soul Cairn endlessly. His master approaches you as you make your way along the path, asking for you to help him. Without your help, Arvak will continue to run in the Soul Cairn forever. Locating Arvak will reward you with the special ability to summon him whenever you would like.

Steps

1
Follow the path upon entering the Soul Cairn. Once you enter the Soul Cairn in the quest “Beyond Death,” you will need to follow the path that lies before you. Follow this dirt path until you come across a soul in the middle of the path yelling, “Arvak, Arvak!” He will immediately talk to you once you are close by.
2
Speak with the frantic soul and hear his plea for you to find Arvak. The frantic soul will explain how he wants you to locate Arvak in the Soul Cairn. He explains how Arvak and he entered the realm but were attacked by monsters. He then told Arvak to run, and the horse has been running ever since. Once the soul informs you of the situation, he will disappear.

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3
Continue following the path until you reach the Boneyard at the end. Once the soul has disappeared, you will need to follow the path you were following before. This will lead you to the Boneyard, which is located at the end of the path.
4
Head east once you reach the Boneyard. The Boneyard is a massive fortress with large stone walls. Once you reach the Boneyard, you will need to head directly east until you see a small altar with stone pillars.
5
Locate the altar where Arvak’s skull is located. As you make your way east, you will come across a structure with four pillars and a roof on top made of stone. In the middle of this altar you will see a pedestal with the skull sitting on top.
6
Approach the altar and defeat the Mistmen. The pedestal will be in the center of the small altar with Arvak’s skull lying on top. A handful of Mistmen will appear when you are close to the altar. Use any weapon you have on you to clear these out before picking up the skull.
7
Retrieve the skull. Once you pick up the skull, the frantic soul from earlier will appear beside the altar.
8
Speak with the frantic soul. The frantic soul will teach you how summon Arvak any time you wish in Skyrim. This is a spell that the soul will teach you (simply by speaking with him) and can be equipped in your Magic inventory.