The Ultimate Skyrim Looting Hack You Never Knew Existed
Discover the hidden gem in Skyrim: Shadowmarks Unleash your inner thief with this underrated feature that revolutionizes looting and evading capture
Highlights
Joining the Thieves Guild in Skyrim allows players to gain access to features that make them more skilled thieves.
The Thieves Guild possesses a collection of Shadowmarks, symbols etched onto structures that serve as a means of communication among its members. These markings convey significant details regarding businesses and their valuable possessions.
Even individuals who are not affiliated with the Thieves Guild can still make use of the Shadowmarks to their advantage. However, being part of the guild grants additional benefits such as enhanced abilities in lockpicking and stealth, making looting and evading capture a simpler task.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is renowned for its core gameplay mechanics, such as shouts, the sneak system, and spells. However, players can also unlock and discover other beneficial features as they complete quests or join factions. By joining guilds like the Companions or The Dark Brotherhood, players can earn a steady income by completing radiant quests after completing the faction's main questline. The Thieves Guild, in particular, offers an additional intriguing feature that greatly facilitates the finding and acquiring of loot.
As one of the oldest joinable factions in Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls series as a whole, the Thieves Guild has managed to endure despite its criminal nature. This is primarily due to local authorities acknowledging its role as a regulator of crime. Moreover, the guild enforces a code of conduct that prohibits its members from robbing one another, killing during thefts, and targeting the less fortunate. Rule violators are promptly expelled and must make reparations if they wish to rejoin the guild.
Skyrim’s Shadowmarks are an Overlooked Feature That Makes Thieving a Breeze
Loyal and dedicated members also receive exclusive benefits that enhance their thieving skills, such as the coveted blessing from Nocturnal, the patron deity of the Thieves Guild, and knowledge of Shadowmarks. Shadowmarks are symbols that members of the guild carve onto buildings to convey messages to one another. To learn the meaning of these marks, players can consult a book compiled by fellow guild member Delvin Mallory.
Copies of the book containing the Shadowmarks can only be obtained by those who have progressed sufficiently in the Thieves Guild questline to gain access to The Ragged Flagon’s Cistern in Skyrim. Within this area, players can locate multiple copies of the book near their designated sleeping quarters. In total, there are nine different marks, with varying levels of usefulness.
Useful Shadowmarks Players Should Look Out for in Skyrim
The primary symbol used is "Safe," indicating that the location is secure for guild members to loot due to previous members finding alternate routes or disabling traps. However, these locations are rare and do not provide sanctuary for players who are being pursued by guards.
A more practical and frequently encountered symbol is "Guild." This symbol informs players that the establishment is owned by the guild or that the nearby NPC is affiliated with the friendly faction. Typically, players come across this symbol at the alternate entrance/exit to the guild's cistern near the Hall of the Dead in Riften.
Look out for the "Loot" mark, indicated by a striped square within a circle, as it signifies the presence of valuable items inside or near a location. Conversely, the "Danger" mark warns players that the building might not be worth looting due to the presence of a hostile individual constantly patrolling the area. Robbing such establishments and successfully escaping unharmed can be seen as a challenging task.
Players who find themselves imprisoned can seek freedom by locating the "Escape" mark, typically represented by a triangle pointing towards an escape route. These marked locations feature novice locks that can be easily opened using the one lockpick given to them upon imprisonment. Opting for this method is considerably more efficient than attempting to pick the main lock or serving time for their crimes.
Content can now be utilized by players who are not members of the guild by understanding the meaning behind each Shadowmark in Skyrim. However, being a part of the guild grants significant advantages to individuals, as they have access to specialized items and trainers that greatly enhance their lockpicking and sneaking abilities. Consequently, guild members will find it easier to successfully loot and evade capture. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is currently available on various platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
