How to Gain Entrance to the Sky Haven Temple in Skyrim

Last Updated: January 1, 2023 References

Once you escort Esbern back to Riverwood in the quest “Alduin’s Wall,” he will reveal that you need to find the location of Alduin’s Wall in order to learn how to defeat Alduin the World-Eater. He goes to say that the Wall can be found within the ancient Akaviri ruins and former Blades headquarters of Sky Haven Temple. Actually, getting into Sky Haven Temple, however, is not as easy as it first appears.^{[1]
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Steps

1
Choose to travel alone or in a group. You will be given the choice to travel alone or travel with Delphine and Esbern to Sky Haven Temple. Traveling alone can be the faster choice, as you need only fast travel or take a carriage to Markarth, and then follow the road east. Traveling with Delphine and Esbern will take longer but will prove safer, as you will have two other companions to assist you in fending off any hostiles along the way.
2
Force your way through the Karthspire Camp. A camp filled with Forsworn will block your way to Sky Haven Temple. If that’s not bad enough, you’ll also have to deal with a dragon that is flying around the camp. Prepare your weapons, spells, potions, and armor for a fierce fight if you choose to run head-long into the camp.^{[2]
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- If you position yourself well, you can actually set things up so that the dragon and Forsworn will fight each other. Creep close enough to the camp, and the Forsworn will start shooting arrows at the dragon, which will obligingly begin chewing up the Forsworn for you. You can then walk in and mop up the survivors after one side finishes the other off.
- You can also pick off a few Forsworn by slowly advancing upon the camp, bringing out a bow and unleashing ranged sneak attacks against the Forsworn that you first come across. This also gives you the added benefit of pulling only a few Forsworn at a time, giving you a series of easy fights instead of one big rumble against the entire camp.
- You don’t need to worry about Esbern and Delphine dying during the fight in the camp. They are marked as “essential” in the game, meaning they will only fall down to one knee when they run out of health but will never actually die—even when a dragon is breathing spouts of fire down their throats.^{[3]
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- You can actually skip a large portion of the fight by dashing through the camp and entering Karthspire itself. Most of the Forsworn will be busy fighting the dragon; giving you the chance to run past them and enter Karthspire itself.
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3
Clear out the opposition in Karthspire. Don’t let your guard down once you enter the cave, as you will still have to face a few Forsworn as well as a tougher Forsworn Briarheart inside. If you ran through the camp and rushed straight to Karthspire, you will also have to neutralize the Forsworn that are chasing you as they will eventually enter the cave after you do.
- There are a few bedrolls here, so you can rest up to recover health once you have cleared out all opposition.
4
Solve the first puzzle. Make your way through Karthspire and you will eventually encounter the first puzzle. It involves three rotating stone pillars that you will need to rotate so that the symbol of the Dragonborn (the heart-shaped pattern) is facing you. Doing so will lower the bridge leading to the next puzzle.
5
Solve the second puzzle. You will come across a room filled with pressure plates with symbols on top of them. At the end of the room is a chain lever, which you need to pull to lower the raised bridge and neutralize the traps. Examine the pressure plates and make your way to the chain lever by stepping only on the plates with the symbol of the Dragonborn on top of them. The Dragonborn symbols on these will be identical to the Dragonborn symbols on the pillars you encountered earlier. Pull the chain lever to lower the bridge to the next area.
- This segment will be a lot easier if you use the Whirlwind Sprint Shout to bypass the plates. The Become Ethereal Shout will also negate the damage from the flames, while the Light Foot perk from the Sneak skill tree will allow you to walk over the plates without triggering them.^{[4]
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6
Use your blood to unlock Sky Haven Temple. You will find the gigantic statue of a head that Esbern will remark is in the image of Reman Cyrodiil, the Worldly God and founder of the Reman Dynasty.^{[5]
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Research source} This area will, at first glance, 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. The gigantic stone head will then retract; granting you access to the former blades headquarters of Sky Haven Temple.

Community Q&A

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.
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.
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.