Skyrim: How to Solve The Puzzle in Bleak Falls Barrow
The puzzle at the end of Bleak Falls Barrow in Skyrim may be tricky for some players, but it can easily be solved by "inspecting" certain details.
Early in Skyrim's main questline, the Dragonborn is tasked with retrieving the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow, the first major dungeon in the game. Bleak Falls Barrow is an ancient Nordic tomb used as a temple by ancient Nords to worship the dragons. Now long abandoned, bandits reside within the location's underground tunnels and outside in its snowy exterior. Skyrim players will need to fight these brigands to venture further into the crypt's depths.
The Dragonborn must first get through Bleak Falls Temple, the first section of the underground dungeon. After battling rogue bandits and vicious Skeevers, the player will enter Bleak Falls Sanctum, the inner part of the tomb overrun with undead Draugr. Deeper within the crypt, The player will reach a web-tangled area, the nest of deadly giant Frostbite Spiders. Once the overgrown arachnids have been dealt with, Elder Scrolls fans will confront Arvel, a bandit who possesses a unique item known as the Golden Claw. This claw acts as the solution to a door puzzle that Skyrim players will encounter at the end of Bleak Falls Barrow.
To solve the cryptic door puzzle in Bleak Falls Barrow, Skyrim players will need to open their inventory and press the button/key to "inspect" the Golden Claw. This action allows the object to be turned and spun in any direction, granting a better aspect of its details. Carved on the claw are three animals: a bear, a moth, and an owl. These are the same three creatures engraved into the large door at the end of the sanctum. Players will notice three rings on the door that can be individually turned. Turn each ring until it matches the order of the animals on Golden Claw from top to bottom. After this is done, activate the mechanism by inserting the claw in the door's center. Once the door is open, the dungeon's boss arena entrance in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is accessible.
After solving the puzzle of Bleak Falls Barrow, players will enter a large brightly-lit cavern with a Word Wall and a treasure chest. After players learn the first word of the Dragon Shout Unrelenting Force, a powerful Draugr will emerge from a sarcophagus nearby. Depending on the game's toggled difficulty, this boss may be challenging to fight, as it can "shout" and disarm the player's equipped weapon. However, players geared as melee fighters can use a stagger-kite combination of attacks by using heavy stamina attacks to stagger the Draugr and flee momentarily to avoid the Disarm Shout.
On the other hand, magic casters and Skyrim players using ranged bow attacks can find one of the areas within the cave where the Draugr boss cannot reach them. One such place is the right side of the cavern, far west of the bridge, where the player can find great spots to snipe the boss from afar.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.