Skyrim: Dragon Priest Mask Locations

So Dragon Priest...What are they?

Well let me spit some simplified lore at you.

*ahem*

Dragons thought they were superior to men, so they ruled over them with an iron fist...eh claw. They granted a select few men with some power in exchange for absolute obedience. These men became known as Dragon Priest. The Dragon Priest ruled over men as kings, laying down laws to help men and dragons live in peace. Eventually men rebelled and the Priest were all killed. The average adventurer sees them now as powerful liches, killing said adventurer with a staff in one hand while blasting magic in the other.

So why should I bother killing Dragon Priest in the first place?

Although not all Dragon Priest have them, SOME of them sport one of nine magical mask, obtainable once you slay said Priest. These mask are either light or heavy armor and have a variety of magical effects, a lot of which are actually useful. Only eight of these mask are obtained by killing its owner, with the ninth mask being unlocked after you have the other eight and put them all on the Dragon Priest shrine.

Dragon Priest shrine? What effects do these mask have? Where can I kill them?

Silence, young padawan. All (or at least most) of your questions will be answered in this guide. Here is how it'll be broken up.

• Dragon Priest Killing
  
• The Eight Masks
  
• Dragon Priest Shrine
  

Well, here we go!

Now that I whetted your whistle for some Dragon Priest killing, let's discuss some methods for killing these things.

Melee

Although probably not the ideal method, if you crafted some impressive weapons using our smithing and enchanting guide (shameless plug), it certainly is possible. Since priest don't have melee attacks, I would recommend dual wielding. Run up, and use the dual wield power attack (hold both weapon attack buttons at the same time) to hit it hard and fast. Again, I wouldn't recommend meleeing for the average player because Priest tend to throw up a cloak spell to deal continuous damage to warriors and they often wield a "wall staff" which sprays the ground with fire, frost, or electric to also deal continuous damage.

Archery

Since Dragon Priest are less deadly far away,archery is a good method to taking one down. Just keep your distance, use obstacles to dodge attacks and load your bow, and hide when you land a hit. Dragon Priest don't move too fast, so you shouldn't have a problem hitting them. If you find yourself missing a lot, investing a perk in Steady Hand may be beneficial to you.

Mage

As I said, range attacks are ideal when killing Dragon Priest. That being said, maging Dragon Priest is just as effective as archery. You'll want to use similar hit and hide tactics, casting a spell and hiding behind various obstacles to protect from its attacks. Since Dragon Priest are considered as undead, fire attacks will be the most effective. Alternatively, one could use lighting attacks since they drain mage, rendering the Priest powerless to whatever you decide to cast at it. Unless its staff is also a range attack, in which case, just stick with fire spells.

General Tips

Here are some tips worth noting for any attack style

• As I said, these Priest are weak to fire. Enchanting your weapons with a fire enchantment can make the fight a lot easier.
  
• If you are fighting one on a mountain or a high ledge, using the full powered Unrelenting Force shout can deal considerable fall damage. Just don't lose the body or you may have trouble looting the mask.
  
• If you have the Slow Time shout, then use it! With all three words of Slow Time, you can easily melee a Priest in a couple of power attacks.
  
• Poisons or enchantments that drain mage is especially useful. After a Priest runs out of magic, he'll have to depend on his staff, which may or may not be useful, considering the situation. The Staff of Magnus is especially useful for draining mage, though you'll have to kill a Dragon Priest to get this staff.
  
• Taking a follower to help divert the attention is always useful, no matter what you fight. Dragon Priest are able to take control of most of your summons, except the Master Conjuration summons, such as the fire thrall.
  
• Staggering Priest is also very useful. If meleeing, use shield bashes or power attacks. If using archery, those who invested a perk in Power Shot will help. And for maging, those with a perk in Impact will also benefit from the staggering.
  

Now that you are a Priest killing machine, let's get to the meat of the guide. The mask.

Lets just hop to it. For each of the eight mask, I'll give you it's location, a short section to getting there, any special information on the particular Priest, and the mask itself.

Hevnoraak

Location: Valthume-South West of Rorikstead

Notes: You'll start the quest Evil In Waiting when visiting these ruins. This quest involves killing Hevnoraak.

Mask: Heavy Armor. Makes the wearer immune to disease and poison.

Krosis

Location: Shearpoint-It's a Dragon Altar, so it'll show up has a Dragon head on your compass. Cross the river in front of Windhelm and travel west. It's up on a mountain.

Notes: Both the Priest and a dragon will be here. I recommend waking the dragon up with a subtle arrow, spell, or shout, kill the dragon, then take on the Priest. Krosis will use wards, has a fireball staff, and uses a frost cloak.

Mask: Light Armor. Alchemy, Archery, and Lockpicking are 20% better.

Morokei

Location: Labyrinthian-you have to start The Staff of Magnus (one of the last quest in the College of Winterhold quest line) to be able to get the mask, so you'll be able to find it when you start it.

Notes: Upon arriving into its room, you'll see the priest contained by two ghost mages. After killing them, the Priest will attack. Use the higher platforms for cover while ranging it. The Priest uses Lighting Runes and Thunderbolt while casting Lighting Cloak when being melee'd. Obviously, he has the Staff of Magnus, which drains your magic. If you run out of magic, it drains health instead.

Mask: Light Armor. Magika regenerates 100% faster.

So many undead priest, why don't you all just die already!

Nahkriin

Location: Skuldafn-Only accessible ONE TIME at the end of the main quest, so kill and loot it while you are there.

Notes: He is near TWO ELDER DRAGONS, so unless you are a god among men, I recommend luring it away from the sleeping behemoths. Nahriin uses all three types of spells while using a Lighting Wall staff to combat melee'ers.

Mask: Heavy Armor. Adds 50 Magika and Destruction and Restoration spells cost 20% less.

Otar

Location: Ragnvald-just north of Markarth.

Notes: Uses a shock spell and a Lighting Wall staff.

Mask: Heavy Armor. Fire, Shock, and Frost resistance are increased by 30%

Rahgot

Location: Forelhost-southeast of Riften.

Notes: Upon arrival to the ruins, you'll see either an Imperial or Stormcloak officer who ask you to retrieve the powerful mask within the dungeon. This starts the quest Siege on the Dragon Cult. Rahgot has a Flame Wall staff and uses a Flame Cloak spell.

Mask: Heavy Armor. Increases Stamina by 70 points.

Volsung

Location: A hill at the end of Volskygge-far west of Solitude

Notes: You can either go through Volskygge to reach the hill or continuously hop up the mountain to get to him. Volskygge uses frost spells.

Mask : Lig ht Armor. Prices are 20% better, carry weight is raised by 20, and wearer can breathe underwater.

Vokun

Location: High Gate Ruins-far west of Dawnstar

Notes: Upon arriving at the ruins, you'll meet a Dark Elf named Anska, who'll ask for your help to get a scroll. This will start A Scroll for Anska. Vokun himself uses a Fire Cloak Spell and a Fireball staff. Vokun will also use some Dragon shouts and wards. Anska is skilled with Destruction magic and will be a huge asset in the fight.

Mask: Heavy Armor. Conjuration, Illusion, and Alteration spells cost 20% less

Now that you have eight beautiful mask, the fun is over, right? WRONG. There is still the ninth, and final mask you can now claim.

All these mask will make you one happy camper

With all the mask in your inventory, take a stroll down memory lane and head back to Labryinthian. To the east of Labryinthian, south of the stairs, you'll see a snow covered building. Inside you'll see a Wooden Mask near some skeletal remains. Grab the mask and equip it to go back in time. You'll see the dragon priest shrine, still intact.

Put the eight Dragon Priest masks on the appropriate statues to unlock the dragon head in the center, which contains your final mask, Konahrik. This mask sports some interesting effects.

Konahrik

Mask: Heavy Armor. When wearing this and low on health, there is a chance that the mask will instantly heal you and any allies, knock back any enemies around you, and grant you a fire cloak for a short period of time. On a very rare occasion, the mask will summon a spectral Dragon Priest to help you fight. It should also be worth noting that if you improve the mask with a Gold Ingot, it has the highest armor rating of any helmet.

Well, my faithful reader, the dust has settled and you now obtain all nine mask. I guess the only logical thing to do is to use said mask to decorate your boring home. No amount of drapes can quite spruce up a house like a handful of mask.