Castle Volkihar Home

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CastleVolkihar is a location in The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard.It is a large castle that rests on a secluded island in the Sea of Ghosts. The castle serves as the primary base for the Volkihar Clan. If the Dragonborn joins the Volkihar Vampires, the castle can be used as a home.

Castle Volkihar is located in a previously inaccessible region in the far northwest corner of Skyrim, near the sea border with High Rock. The entrance can initially be accessed via Icewater Jetty, northwest of Northwatch Keep. The castle can also be reached by Ferrymen, or by swimming across the channel.

Upon entering the castle, the spacious main dining area is the most prominent sight. Two dining tables loaded with platters of human flesh and bones flank the long decorative rug that lines the center of the hall. A vampire cattle is laid out on each table and fed upon by members of the court throughout the day. All the silver plates and goblets found here are smeared with blood.

An Alchemy Lab and a display case with various alchemy ingredients can be found in the bottom floor. In addition, a dead Dunmer alchemist alongside a skeleton can be found lying on the main table. Near the main table is a bookshelf with an assortment of books. This room is also where Ronthil sleeps, usually behind the bookshelf as he is still considered a new recruit and not worthy of sleeping in the coffins that the other vampires sleep in.

A set of stairs leads up to a balcony overlooking the laboratory where an arcane enchanter and a display case with various soul gems can be found. Following the balcony leads to another section with a table and chair that overlooks the balcony. Garan Marethi and Vingalmo can usually be found here.

This small blood spattered room is attached to the main dining area. The central feature is the small stone pedestal that the Bloodstone Chalice sits on, once it is returned to the castle. This chalice grants Blood of the Ancients which allows Vampiric Drain to absorb magicka and stamina in addition to health.

From the balcony area, the sleeping quarters can be accessed. This room contains eight coffins that are used by most of the vampires in the court. Sleeping in a coffin grants the Vampiric Blood Rested effect.

At the back of the room is a small unit that contains an assortment of vampire armors, two pairs of vampire boots and a display case holding a bone hawk amulet. A weapons rack with a leveled weapon can be found near the entrance to the room.

The Castle's blacksmith can be found off of the main dining area where Hestla can be found tending to the forge. This area contains most crafting stations: a forge, tanning rack, grindstone and a workbench, although it lacks a smelter. The upper walkway holds a weapon rack and a training dummy that Fura Bloodmouth frequently practices against. Off to the side is a combat training area complete with ranged targets and additional weapon racks.

Next, there is an area that Harkon and Serana often visit, as it has their thrones and a giant locked cage used for keeping Vampire Cattle in. Harkon and Serana can be found sitting in front of the fireplace watching the flames from their chairs. There is a torture table in the middle of the room, with a vast array of torture instruments ranging from ladles to irons. A unique werewolf pelt can be found in a display case. There is also a knife that can be picked up and used as a weapon, even though it resembles a common silverware knife.

Before the "The Bloodstone Chalice" quest, the room is empty and abandoned, but after the quest is completed the room is fully furnished. There is an arcane enchanter and an alchemy lab in the southwest corner, as well as a few potions and soul gems around them. In the northwest part of the room there is a small closet containing a wardrobe and two locked glass cases: one with two unenchanted necklaces, the other with an enchanted dagger and an unenchanted ring. Also scattered around the room are various planters and pots containing different types of assorted flora, as well a minor loot around the two nightstands flanking the bed.

After passing through a small corridor with kegs of dripping blood in it is the kitchen. There are few things worth noting here aside from minor items and a bleeding rack, as well as a coffin usually used by Rargal Thrallmaster.

The cathedral of the castle is mostly in ruins. Dark and dank, the most prominent feature is the large altar of Molag Bal in the center that perpetually flows with blood. Around the sides of the room are stairs that lead to a small balcony above the main door and an empty chest can be found near the entrance. The Cathedral is the location where the Dragonborn and Serana confront Harkon in the quest "Kindred Judgment."

The dungeon part of the castle is distinctly separate from the living quarters of the castle and are host to enemies. The Volkihar Dungeons include Volkihar Undercroft, Volkihar East Tower, Volkihar North Tower, and Volkihar Ruins.

This watchtower is located across the castle on the other side of the bridge, next to the small wooden dock. It provides a high, safe place from which a guard can watch anyone attempting to approach the island.

This is the main entrance to the castle. Stone statues of gargoyles line the pathway to the main gate and bone hawks typically circle above. Along the rocky shore, several clams can be found and harvested for clam meat. Washed up crates, pieces of old wood, and debris are scattered around the castle's shoreline.

On the north side of the island is an unused dock with a few sunken ships and some minor loot nearby. The inlet was used by the previous owners to bring supplies into the castle. Clams and a few barnacles can be found and harvested. Several hostile skeletons patrol nearby.

The balcony is attached to Valerica's Study, where the Soul Cairn portal is located. The balcony is a fast travel location for Valerica's Study. The only loot that is out on the balcony is a bloody tankard and two dead salmon.

Not sure about Fort Dawnguard, but Volkihar Castle has a forge, workbench, grind stone, tanning rack, alchemy lab, and enchanting table. It can also can be upgraded for quick access to the courtyard which has many alchemy ingredients if alchemy is your thing. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the vampire cattle if you need a quick way to feed.

If your character is evil, side with Volkihar. If you're the good hero type, join the Dawnguard. In my opinion, I like much more Volkihar because I'm the bad type, you get a cool mage-ring (really, if you're a mage you must join Volkihar), and a bunch of amulets if you're vampire. If you're a mage type, Volkihar seems better to me, for warrior type I think Dawnguard may do a better job. If you're stealthy, I think it depends only in the lore thing of your character (bad for Volkihar, good for dawnguard) because the crossbows are a LOUDLY version of a semi-automatic bow (really, it break your stealth), and the items from Volkihar are more mage-bassed.

I usually join Volkihar, even if it is more bugged (you cannot get rid of the elder scrolls ever, with the dawnguard you can, and the end of the main quest with Volkihar seems so... unfinished), but I can tell you: The ring you get with Volkihar beats up everything you get with the Dawnguard, specially if you love spellcasting like I do.

The Dawnguard gets you followers, but you don't get to be the leader. They also give you the option to cure Serana, and have some epic huskies and trolls. But they don't give you much perks besides having vampire resistance if wearing a full set of their armor.

As you might expect, this home is a lot less useful for vampires. Most of the bonus from this home are from the followers and the merchants. If you are a vampire, these people will refuse to interact with you.

As of right now I'm running a Vampire Lord character, and more or less castle Colkihar offers: Vampire Cattle, Blood Potions, some sick looking Vampire Armor (one variation you can get in Chasing Echoes or towards the end has a cape), CuSith- one of those death hounds you see everywhere except you can recruit him to aid you in battle- plenty of sleeping space, quests to upgrade your powers, a pretty decent influx of bolts for a crossbow, if you kept yours. Dawnguard will usually attack the Castle, and if you kill them you can get around twenty bolts each time. It's not the same as the upgrades from Dawnguard, but the Crossbow is still a useful tool, especially if you happen to have been an archer anyway.

Nothing, you get the same stuff for both sides. Castle Volkihar has only one upgrade, which isn't unique. As for Fort Dawnguard it is upgraded as you go along the DLC quest line, but in the end it's all the same thing.

I say Dawnguard - it has all the stuff like the forge, workbench, grindstone and it has a smelter which Castle Volkihar doesn't. You can get armored trolls and huskies (which look better than death hounds to me) and you can get the enhanced dwarven crossbow and exploding bolts.

The answer of Searth isn't correct. Castle Volkihar has an enchanting table, alchemy lab and every blacksmith item like grindstones, a workbench, a forge, ect. plus the beautiful sites of the courtyard and every alchemy item at the soul cairn portal. Also, you can feed off the cattle and recruit death hounds and shoot bonehawks out of the sky to make jewellery.

Speaking of jewellery: There's plenty of it at castle Volkihar and there are also 2 Dawnguard soldiers that respawn so you can get 40 crossbow bolts every time they come plus (best part) you can become a vampire lord whenever you want and as many times as you want, and you can upgrade your new vampire perk tree. There is only one downside: Health, Magicka and stamina don't recover in the sunlight, only if you're outside. But to fix that you can wear stuff to make them regenerate faster, so I personally prefer the vampires.

After finishing the Dawnguard questline I am kind of annoyed with the fate of the castle and Serana. I believe there should be an option after killing Harkon and his sycophants for Serana to return to her home. Isran is an extremely annoying character, even after helping the order, killing all those vampires, retrieving Auriel's bow, vanquishing Harkon and pretty much saving the world as we know it he will refuse to talk me if I am a vampire - even though Serana did half the job too. It irks me that she remains with that murderous bigot after the conclusion of the questline. I want to have nothing to do with the Dawnguard if I want to have Serana as a follower.

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