Skyrim Quicksilver Guide - Scrolls Guided (2024)

In Skyrim, I found out that the best way to walk around without dying immediately from a sudden attack by a dragon, a bear, or a band of thieves would be to wear great armor that can protect me and wield powerful weapons that can do immense damage to my opponent.

As someone who finds himself suddenly in a battle between Stormcloaks and Imperials, a bloody good sword would be nice to have.

No matter how powerful your sword may be, as long as the enemy can kill you in an instant, it becomes useless because your lifeless body cannot wield it (unless you hang out with a necromancer who can use your corpse as his bodyguard). At the same time, no matter how sturdy your armor is, if your weapon is too weak, then you would eventually die from battle or boredom, whichever comes first.

Yet what makes great armor and weapons? I may not be a certified blacksmith approved by the Jarl, but I know that the secret lies within its material. Skyrim has plenty of great materials to choose from, but you can never go wrong with quicksilver.

Whether your armor and weapons are Elven or Nordic, it does not matter; quicksilver can improve on both. This guide will help you find quicksilver and how to use it.

Bottom Line Up Front

Quicksilver ore is material within the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. You can smelt it using a smelter to turn it into a quicksilver ingot.

You can use quicksilver ingots to smith a lot of weapons and armors. Quicksilver is highly regarded as a rare material in the world. You can find open ore veins in mines such as the Quicksilver Mine in Dawnstar, the Blind Cliff Cave in The Reach, and many more.

What is quicksilver in Skyrim?

Quicksilver is a mineral in Skyrim used to smith different kinds of weapons and armor. It forms naturally within the ground as quicksilver ores, which can then be smelted into quicksilver ingots. Many players consider this mineral a rare material because shopkeepers usually do not sell them. In my many playthroughs, I would stash them in my inventory until they would eventually slow my butt down.

You may also find it hard to find them in chests or loots if you are still at a low level, so you might need to slay a couple more giants without flying around the map. Quicksilver ore veins can be hard to find, but luckily this guide will show you where to find them. Even NPCs think that quicksilver is a rare mineral, like Edith, a Nord miner in Dawnstar, who says that it is worth digging.

In real life, quicksilver used to be the colloquial name for Mercury. However, Mercury ingots are, on paper, impossible to make, according to fans. It is unknown if the quicksilver in Skyrim has similar properties to Mercury.

What Does Quicksilver Look Like in Skyrim?

In general, quicksilver has a dark gray metallic appearance with some hints of green textures within. Quicksilver takes shape in two forms: ores and ingots. Quicksilver ore is its most natural form, freshly dug up from the ground. They appear as large lumps of dark minerals, and the green textures are much clearer. These green textures may be impurities within the metal.

Quicksilver ingot has a much more refined look than its ore counterpart. It is a long bar of dark gray metal, and the green textures are barely visible. It could possibly be in its purest form, as all the impurities from the soil got removed during the smelting process. The ingot has a low reflective quality, and you can notice some nicks and tears on the sides of the ingot.

Where to Find Quicksilver Ore in Skyrim

There are mainly three ways to get quicksilver ore in Skyrim: (1) mine for them from quicksilver ore veins, (2) buy one from a Blacksmith merchant, or (3) find or steal one in the open world. I usually play as a rogue, so I would often go with the illegal course of action. In this section, I will explain further these three methods of obtaining quicksilver ore.

Method one: Where to Find Quicksilver ore Veins in Skyrim

Scattered all over the map are quicksilver ore veins, but they are not easy to discover. Some of them are relatively effortless to go to, like several mines located in various settlements like Dawnstar and Blackreach. However, you would have to fight your way through some of these veins to get this precious material. Below is a list of possible locations to find quicksilver ore veins.

You need a pickaxe to mine the quicksilver ore vein. Pickaxes are fairly common, as you can buy one from blacksmiths without much hassle.

However, you can also find one within caves and mines. It has a weight value of five and costs five Gold. You can mine the ore vein by equipping the pickaxe as a weapon and striking at it like how one would strike an enemy with a sword.

I think that Quicksilver Mine is the easiest one to go to if you are into mining as a hobby. All the other veins are relatively dangerous, so if you do not want a couple of draugrs laying their undead fingers on your body, be sure to equip yourself with the best gear you have.

Method two: Where to Buy Quicksilver ore in Skyrim

You can buy quicksilver ore from blacksmith merchants all across the map, although you need to be on a high level for the option to become available. At early levels like 10 to 15, it is incredibly hard to find someone who is willing to sell you quicksilver ores.

The developers designed the system to behave this way so that the players cannot abuse the merchants. Plus, why buy quicksilver ore when you can just steal one from their pockets? (Note: ignore my thieving Khajiit from persuading you to follow my antics.)

Method three: Where to Get Quicksilver ore in Skyrim

Quicksilver ore also makes an appearance in the open world of Skyrim. Some of them are hidden from plain sight, while others are visible right away.

Some of them belong to an NPC, so getting them would count as stealing, while others do not belong to anyone, and you can freely take them without any consequences. Below is a list of possible locations where you can find quicksilver ore in Skyrim.

You may also find quicksilver ores inside chests and loot, although like buying them from merchants, you need to be of high level for higher chances. Other than the level, you can increase the odds of finding them from merchants and chests by being more proficient in Smithing. Again, Quicksilver Mine has two of them, and the area is not dangerous at all, so I would pick that mine.

Where to Find Quicksilver Ingot in Skyrim

Quicksilver ingots are the refined material extracted from their respective ores, and you use them to craft a lot of things like armor and weapons. Much like quicksilver ores, there are three main methods to get them. Firstly, you can smelt the quicksilver ores you have in your possession to obtain an ingot. Secondly, you can buy from merchants, and thirdly, you can find them in the open world.

Method one: How to Smelt Quicksilver ore in Skyrim

If you have quicksilver ores, you can smelt them to make quicksilver ingots. The first step is to find a smelter, a large dome-shaped stone structure with stone bricks on its base. Attached at the front is a large pot-like instrument where the ores go in to be heated up. The ore becomes liquified from the high temperature, which goes down to a basin below the instrument and forms ingots.

You need two quicksilver ores to make one quicksilver ingot. You can usually find smelters in large settlements like Whiterun and Solitude as well as in front of mines like Quicksilver Mine in Dawnstar, The Pale. Personally, I am not a fan of smelting stuff because I usually just steal gear from others! (Again, ignore my thieving Khajiit.)

Method two: Where to Buy Quicksilver Ingot in Skyrim

Like quicksilver ore, you can only buy quicksilver ingots from merchants when you are at a high level. Having a higher proficiency in Smithing also helps in improving the chances for the item to be on sale. The price for each ingot may vary depending on some factors like the player’s speech skill level, perks, and more, but the base value of a quicksilver ingot is 60 Gold.

I think that buying them is the safest way possible to get quicksilver ingots, but it can surely burn a hole in your pocket. If you want to go this route and you need a ton of them, then prepare your wallet by selling all those potions you have been hoarding since the start of the game.

Method three: Where to get quicksilver ingot in Skyrim

Quicksilver ingots appear in the overworld of Skyrim from time to time. However, there are only a few places where they appear. Below is a list of locations where you can find quicksilver ingots lying around. Be careful, though, because some of them might belong to someone, and getting them might be considered stealing. Bards College would be a no-brainer in terms of picking the safest way to get them.

What is Quicksilver Used for in Skyrim?

You can use quicksilver ingots to make different kinds of armor and weapons. The products that use such material are generally great in terms of performance like durability, damage resistance, and power.

However, your smithing proficiency may need to be high to make them. Below are the weapons and armor you can make with quicksilver ingot, as well as the requirements like smithing skill level and perk.

Skyrim Quicksilver Weapons

You can use quicksilver to make Elven and Nordic weapons, both two-handed and one-handed types. You would need refined Moonstone, iron ingot, and leather strips to make Elven weapons alongside the quicksilver ingot, while you would need steel ingot and leather strips to make Nordic weapons alongside the quicksilver ingot.

As a Khajiit rogue whose dexterity is his strength, I love playing with bows. So, if you have a nimble and sly Dragonborn like me, I would suggest making an Elven Bow. Why? Well, the Nordic Bow relatively does the same damage, and frankly, it does not suit my light armor aesthetics.

Daggers are also super nice to have as a rogue, and with quicksilver, you can make them as fast as you can stab Ulfric’s back.

Skyrim Quicksilver Armor

You can use quicksilver to make Elven gilded and Nordic armor. Elven Gilded Armor is light armor, while Nordic armor is heavy armor. You can also use quicksilver to make Stalhrim armor, though you would need the Dragonborn DLC to make them. For Elven gilded armor, you would need leather strips, iron ingot, and refined Moonstone alongside the quicksilver ingot.

Meanwhile, you would need an ebony ingot, steel ingot, and leather strips to make Nordic carved armor alongside the quicksilver ingot. Finally, Stalhrim armor requires Stalhrim and leather strips alongside the quicksilver ingot. Stalhrim is only available when you have the Dragonborn DLC. Sadly, my Khajiit cries over the lack of full Elven light armor, even though cats cannot shed tears from emotional damage.

Other Uses for Quicksilver in Skyrim

Aside from making weapons and armor, you can use quicksilver ingot for other uses. Listed here are the other ways how you can use quicksilver ingot.

• You can use quicksilver ingots to improve Nordic carved armor and weapons.
• You can use quicksilver ingots to improve Elven gilded armor at workbenches.
• You can use quicksilver ingots to improve Bolar’s Oathblade, a one-handed sword resembling a katana with enchantment effects towards its target.
• You can use quicksilver ingots to improve Dragonbane, a one-handed sword resembling a katana that does additional damage against dragons.
• You could use quicksilver ingots to build an alchemy lab table if you chose the North Wing addition for the Hearthfire DLC add-on home.

Skyrim Quicksilver Guide: FAQs

Conclusion: Is quicksilver in Skyrim good?

Quicksilver is an incredibly rare yet useful material. If you use Elven or Nordic weapons and armor, you can use quicksilver ingots to improve them and make them stronger and more durable.

For example, I decided to switch my playstyle from being a Khajiit rogue to a two-handed wielding murderer, and having a ton of quicksilver gives me the flexibility to make some heavy Nordic armor and weapons.

It is wise to keep some quicksilver ores and ingots because they can give an incredible boost to your fighting capabilities. Be sure not to lag behind on your smithing proficiency. Quicksilver is a good resource to come by, so do not be intimidated to hoard it like I do (though my brain defaults to hoarding anything I encounter, so maybe it has become a habit).