Skyrim Tips and Tricks » Discussions


How to Enter the College WITHOUT Starting the Questline

Tags: #Albino Skyrim Tip  #Tips and Tricks Glitches  #Tips and Tricks Magic  #Tips and Tricks Roleplaying 
  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    Ever needed to buy some Adept or Expert level spells but didn't want to join the College of Winterhold for roleplaying reasons? Or perhaps you didn't mind joining the College but you didn't want to have an unfinished questline stuck in your quest log? Maybe you have no interest in magic at all but just wanted to sell that Elder Scroll or those Unknown Books to Urag? If you've ever been in one of those two situations, then this video, made by CarlosBenDer21413419 on YouTube, is for you. Basically, it shows you how to enter the College of Winterhold without starting the questline by using the exit from the Midden Dark and then working your way up through the Midden.

    While the above is my preferred method, it's worth noting that you can also use the Wooden Plate Glitch to pass through the gate or Klimmek's Sack Glitch to get over the walls. Unfortunately, there are a few limitations of using methods such as these to enter the College. First is that since you never start First Lessons, Faralda will continue guarding the bridge. Second is that since fast travelling to the College of Winterhold places you outside the gate, you can't use fast travel to get into the College once you've discovered it. In other words, you have to glitch your way in every time you want to go there, so I recommend doing this only whenever you need to get in there to buy a spell. Finally, you won't be able to do any of the side quests such as the ritual spell quests. Still, entering the College of Winterhold this way has its advantages for characters who don't want to join it.

  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    Nice, backdooring is always fun. There's an old guide floating around with all the general tricks, but I don't remember if it goes into any specifics like pathing for individual dungeons such as this one. Might be worth mentioning that something like a bear trap or Klimmek's Supplies can be used to easily hop up to the entrance, without needing to spam jump or clip through the rock face.

    Also, it's not really clear whether you made this video or if you're just linking it as a source. A note on that would be nice, giving the original author credit. 

  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    Backdooring with the help of Klimmek's Sack? Dammit, where's Alastor?

  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    I remember Ponty made the Guide to Dungeon Backdooring, but that showed how to get to the word walls in Korvanjund, Labyrinthian, and Snow Veil Sanctum without doing their quests rather than how to get into the College of Winterhold without starting the questline. Anyway, I went ahead and made a note about the video creator as well as the Wooden Plate and Klimmek's Sack glitches.

  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    If you do this and enter the college, the vendors won't actually stock master spells, will they? You'd still have to do the ritual quest, am i right?

  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    Yes, but you should be able to do the ritual spell quests since they don't have any prerequisite quests with the exception of Restoration Ritual Spell.

    EDIT: Actually, scratch that. I forgot that since it seems like the optional College of Winterhold quests aren't offered unless you actually join the College, this likely applies to to the ritual spell quests as well.

  • Member
    April 16, 2015
    Mind if I link to this in my build?
  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    Not at all. It's good to see stuff from T&T getting used in character builds. 

  • Member
    April 16, 2015
    Thanks :D
  • Member
    April 16, 2015

    Oh, well that changes things... I'll test this out and see what I find.