At the beginning of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the Dragonborn is forced to escape the town of Helgen during a dragon attack. Once they reach Whiterun and complete the "Dragon Rising" main quest, dragons will begin randomly spawning across the map.
While exploring the vast world of Skyrim, players will encounter a variety of different dragons who mean to do the Dragonborn harm. As the Dragonborn grows more powerful, so do some variations of these dragons, but none are powerful as the Legendary Dragon. Legendary Dragons are available as part of the Dawnguard DLC, but finding one can take a great deal of time and effort.
How To Unlock Legendary Dragons In Skyrim
Legendary Dragons were added to Skyrim as part of the Dawnguard DLC, so players should make sure they have access to the Dawnguard questline before looking for one. This can be done by listening to rumors provided by guards in major cities; if players have heard the line, "Heard they're reforming the Dawnguard," at some point during their playthrough, they will be able to find and fight a Legendary Dragon at some point in the game.
On top of this, the Dragonborn will also need to reach Level 78 in order to make a Legendary Dragon spawn in the world. This can take a great deal of time, depending on what skills players choose to level, but there are ways to speed the process up; The Lover's Stone, located northeast of Markarth, grants a 15% leveling boost for all Skills, so players should be sure to interact with it if they are finding the leveling process a little slow.
If players find that one specific Skill is easier to level up than the others, they can make said Skill "Legendary" upon reaching Level 100 and repeat the leveling process from the beginning.
Where To Find Legendary Dragons In Skyrim
Upon reaching Level 78, players will be able to encounter Legendary Dragons randomly by exploring Skyrim. Like with other dragons, these foes will appear overhead in a variety of different locations, but there is no guarantee that every dragon the player encounters will be a Legendary one.
Those hoping to come across a Legendary Dragon naturally need only keep traveling around Skyrim until one appears, but players hoping to find one quickly can travel to a few different spots to get a guaranteed spawn. Arcwind Point, located south-southeast of High Hrothgar, is a good one, as, aside from the Dragon Priest in the coffin, the enemies there are pretty easy to deal with.
Upon arriving at Arcwind Point, the Legendary Dragon can be seen perched atop the stone structure in the center of the area and will become active if approached; defeating the beast will reward players with the "Legend" trophy/achievement.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.