Skyrim:Throat of the World

Landmark: Throat of the World (view on map) (lore page)
Clearable	No
Respawn Time	10 days
Important Treasure
Notched Pickaxe
Console Location Code(s)
ThroatOfTheWorld01
Region
Whiterun Hold
Location
Southeast of Whiterun
Ore Veins
# of Ebony	2
# of Malachite	2

The Throat of the World, with High Hrothgar top-left

The Throat of the World is the highest mountain in Tamriel, located southeast of Whiterun. It is a major landmark and home to the reclusive Greybeards, who are masters of The Voice.

The famous Seven Thousand Steps lead up the mountain to High Hrothgar, where the Greybeards live their lives in absolute silence. As part of the Main Quest, you journey to High Hrothgar to learn how to use Dragon Shouts. Later, you're required to continue up the mountain to the summit, home to Paarthurnax, the leader of the Greybeards.

For historical information about the mountain, see the lore article.

Related Quests

• The Throat of the World: Receive a lesson from Paarthurnax.
• Elder Knowledge: Recover an Elder Scroll to learn an Ancient Secret.
• Alduin's Bane: Exploit the Time-Wound to learn Dragonrend and defeat Alduin at the Throat of the World.
• Dragonslayer: Put an end to the World-Eater.
• Repairing the Phial: Acquire the materials necessary to repair the White Phial.
• Paarthurnax: Deal with a potential threat.

Notes

• Despite supposedly being the tallest mountain in all of Tamriel, the summit of Throat of the World is actually only 766.5 meters above sea level in the game, according to the Creation Kit.
• Although the path up is said to be 7,000 steps long, there are only 732 visible. The Creation Kit indicates that there are 1,828 step objects, though many of these are adjacent to each other so can only be counted as one step.
• It is possible to reach the Throat of the World before the quest The Throat of the World by scaling up the side of the mountain adjacent to High Hrothgar (or, though more difficult, from the lower sections of the path to High Hrothgar) using a zig-zag technique. Using a horse will make it easier to scale steeper slopes. If you ascend this way before the quest The Throat of the World is active, Paarthurnax will not be there (as he is quest dependent) though the ore veins and the Notched Pickaxe will still be.
• The quest Repairing the Phial will not begin (you will not get the courier's letter) until you have access to this location.
• At the very peak of the mountain, above the ledge where the Throat of the World is located, are two malachite and two ebony ore veins (map). The unique Notched Pickaxe, an enchanted pickaxe, can be found nearby (map).
• In the Nintendo Switch version, a Zelda-themed chest can be found here containing a Champion's Tunic, a Hylian Shield, and the Master Sword.
• It is not possible to pass through the freezing winds that block the way up without using the Clear Skies Shout; even with maxed Magic Resistance and/or Frost Resistance, attempting to pass through will leave you heavily staggered.
• Along the way up to the top of the mountain (where the ore veins are), there are pockets of heavy mist that cause your character to yell in pain when passing through them. If you open the Active Effects menu just as passing through one, you will see: "Oppressive Fog" with the effect description of "The fog slows your progress and dulls your senses" with an active effect time of 4 seconds. Despite the description, it doesn't appear to do anything otherwise. The Clear Skies Shout will dispel the mists for a time.

Gallery

• 

  The summit of the Throat of the World, with a snow-covered dragon wall at left

• 

  The broken Word Wall at the Throat of the World

• 

  The Time Wound

• 

  The Notched Pickaxe located at the very top of the mountain

• 

  The Throat of the World during a vision of the Dragon War

• 

  The chest from the Switch version of the game

• 

  The summit of the Throat of the World, with the cities of Solitude, Whiterun, Dawnstar, Winterhold and Windhelm behind