Should You Keep or Sell Dragon Bones in Skyrim? A Comprehensive Guide

The question of whether to keep or sell dragon bones in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a common one, especially for new players. These massive skeletal remnants of felled dragons are both heavy and valuable, presenting a classic inventory management dilemma. The short answer? It depends on your playstyle and goals. However, a good general recommendation, especially early on, is to sell them to amass wealth and get a house. Later, once you are further along the game, you can focus on smithing and building armor.

Initial Considerations: Early Game Strategy

In the early stages of Skyrim, resources can be scarce. Gold is crucial for purchasing basic supplies, training skills, and, most importantly, acquiring your first home. Dragon bones, along with dragon scales, weigh a significant amount, making them cumbersome to carry. The early-game benefits of selling them often outweigh the potential future benefits of crafting.

The Burden of Weight

Let’s be honest, encumbrance is a significant issue in Skyrim. Clunking around with heavy loads slows you down, preventing you from fast-traveling and making you more vulnerable in combat. If you’re not planning on immediately crafting with them, dragon bones and scales essentially become dead weight. Selling them for much-needed gold is often the best course of action.

The Lure of Gold

Gold is a valuable commodity in Skyrim, opening doors to services and acquisitions. You can use gold to:

• Purchase essential items like potions, weapons, and armor.
• Invest in skill training to level up your character.
• Buy a house, providing safe storage and a base of operations.

Late Game Considerations: Smithing and Crafting

As you progress in Skyrim, the landscape changes. You might consider keeping your dragon bones if you choose to focus on heavy armor and smithing. Once you’ve leveled your smithing skill to 100 and unlocked the ability, you can craft incredibly powerful dragonbone armor and weapons.

Crafting Potential

Dragonbone armor and weapons are among the best in the game. Crafting requires both dragon bones and scales, meaning stockpiling them becomes a viable option at that time. However, it’s crucial to note that while dragonbone armor is very powerful, it is not the highest-rated armor in the game. Daedric armor boasts a slightly higher base armor rating.

The “Smithing Grind”

Reaching max smithing level in Skyrim takes a considerable investment of time and resources. Unless you are actively working on your smithing skill, hoarding dragon bones for a far-off crafting goal may not be ideal. You can always acquire more dragon bones from defeating dragons as you play.

Where to Sell: Maximizing Your Profit

If you decide to sell, choosing the right merchant can maximize your profit. Here are a few good options:

• Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun is an accessible early-game option and will buy dragon bones for about 250 gold.
• The trader in the Grey Quarter in Windhelm is also good for selling a large quantity of dragon bones.
• Arcadia’s Cauldron in Whiterun is a good option since they also offer training.

Be aware that shopkeepers have limited gold. If you sell them too many items at once, they may run out of money.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, the decision to keep or sell dragon bones is personal. Here’s a recap:

• Early Game: Sell dragon bones to accumulate gold, purchase items, and get a house. The weight makes them a burden, and there will be more dragons to fight in the future.
• Late Game (Smithing Focused): Keep dragon bones to craft powerful armor and weapons. However, this assumes you have committed to maxing out your smithing skill.
• Never Smithing or Heavy Armor User: Sell or drop them. If you don’t plan on using heavy armor or smithing, their only value is as gold.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions that further address the dilemma of keeping or selling dragon bones in Skyrim:

1. How many dragon bones do I need for a full set of armor?

To craft a full set of dragon armor (including a shield), you’ll need a total of 6 dragon bones and 12 dragon scales. This number increases if you intend to make weapons as well.

2. How many dragon bones are dropped per dragon?

Dragons typically drop 1 to 3 of both dragon bones and dragon scales when they die. It is not a consistent amount and is determined by game mechanics.

3. Is dragonbone armor the best armor in the game?

While dragonbone armor is excellent, it does not have the highest base armor rating. Daedric armor has the highest base armor rating, but dragonbone armor is lighter.

4. Is Daedric gear better than dragonbone?

Daedric armor generally has a slightly higher base armor rating, but dragonbone gear is lighter. However, certain dragonbone weapons can be more powerful than their Daedric counterparts.

5. What weapons can I make from dragon bones?

You can craft a variety of dragonbone weapons, including swords, axes, maces, daggers, bows, and greatswords.

6. How much can I sell dragon bones for?

Dragon bones typically sell for around 250 gold at most general merchants in Skyrim.

7. Where can I sell dragon bones for the most gold?

The trader in the Grey Quarter of Windhelm and Arcadia in Whiterun are good for selling dragon bones and also offer training services.

8. What is the best dragonbone weapon?

The Dragonbone Mace is considered one of the most powerful one-handed weapons in the game.

9. How many dragons are in Skyrim?

There are over 15 named dragons in the world of Skyrim, and many more randomly generated ones, so there are plenty of opportunities to get dragon bones throughout the game.

10. Do I need to keep the Dragonbone Orb?

The Dragonbone Orb is an item from the Genshin Impact game. There is no such item in Skyrim.

11. Are dragon bones heavy?

Yes, dragon bones are quite heavy, making it difficult to carry them in large quantities without being encumbered.

12. What is the “smithing perk” that is referred to?

The smithing perk that unlocks dragonbone crafting is at level 100. You also must have the previous smithing perks on that skill tree.

13. Is there a storage space to keep dragon bones?

Yes, any containers in a home that you own are safe for storage.

14. Is Stalhrim better than Dragonbone?

Stalhrim weapons have a buff to frost damage and are a good alternative if your enchanting skill is not high enough. They are comparable but have different advantages, depending on your build.

15. Are there any better armors than Daedric?

Madness armor from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is stronger than both Daedric and Dragonbone equipment, although heavier. However, this is only available with mods. In vanilla Skyrim, Daedric armor is generally considered the highest base protection.