Summary
Gold is essential to survival inSkyrim. Players need gold to buy vital equipment such as spells, potions, and crafting materials, and it is also used to purchase player homes, hire certain followers, and get past speech checks with a bribe. So, having a vast hoard of gold is important if players want to have a ton of fun in this game and not worry about any monetary constraints.
Getting rich can be difficult, especially in the early stages of aSkyrimplaythrough, but it can be done quite easily enoughby exploiting glitches. However, those who don’t enjoy using glitches (or who use mods to remove them) will need to find otherways to make money inSkyrim. Fortunately, there are plenty of things players can do to start raking in a decent income.
Updated August 05, 2025, by Gerardo Molina:Although it was released 14 years ago at the time of writing this article, Skyrim remains one of the greatest fantasy RPGs out there. It offers players tons of options regarding how they want to play, the builds they can create, the weapons they can use, and the spells they can take advantage of to decimate their enemies and blow them to bits. However, one of the greatest issues newcomers to the game will encounter is that their character will be flat out broke when they start their journey. And since money is required to purchase armament, goods and trinkets, getting as much as possible in the least amount of time is key. Luckily, there are many ways to get rich quickly in Skyrim that are not a scheme and can make players a small fortune within a short time frame.
1Hunt And Sell Rare Animals
Some Items Are Worth A Small Fortune
Although the hunting mechanics inSkyrimare not as thought out or entertaining as in other games, such asRed Dead Redemption 2, hunting down animals is still fun and can be very profitable. There are various kinds of pelts inSkyrimthat players can obtain by hunting animals and selling them to the right merchants. The available pelts are: Bear Pelt, Cave Bear Pelt, Deer Pelt, Fox Pelt, Ice Wolf Pelt, Sabre Cat Pelt, Sabre Cat Snow Pelt, Snow Bear Pelt, Snow Fox Pelt, and Wolf Pelt.
Naturally, the bigger the prey, the bigger the challenge. However, the effort is justly rewarded, as pelts, such as the Snow Bear Pelt, can go for about 60 Gold. Maybe even more if players can haggle and have good skills invested in speech and others of the like. Although this isn’t the quickest way to get rich in Skyrim without using glitches, it can be a great way for players to make some money and also practice their hunting skills with a bow and arrow or any other weapon of their choice.
2Raid Orc Camps
They Contain Valuable Items To Sell
TheSkyrimexperience is greatly about exploration, as players can find several valuable items hidden away in ancient tombs or in the lairs of dangerous animals. Raiding camps can also be a great choice regardless of who inhabits them, as they’re typically a lot of valuables and money hidden away in chests. By doing this, players can come by different types of ingots to upgrade their weapons and armor and even powerful weapons that are jealously kept under lock and key.
Naturally, this is no easy task, as camps are usually full of challenging enemies that will not give up their belongings without putting up a fight. However, if players already have a high enough level, this should not be too difficult. While Orcish weapons are not among the most powerful in the game, if players raid enough Orc camps, they might come across a few valuable ones that can help them in their journey. Especially if they’re in the early-to-mid stages of the game. Many items are randomized, so finding an enchanted weapon in the early stages is like winning the lottery.
3Take On Dark Brotherhood Contracts
Each One Pays A Tidy Sum
Joining the Dark Brotherhood inSkyrimis one of the most morally questionable decisions in the game, as this evil organization of assassins does not discriminate against their targets and will take on almost any contract that is laid on its doorstep.
Naturally, the more morally ambiguous an action is, the higher the financial reward for performing it. So if players don’t mind joining an evil organization of highly skilled assassins to make an extra buck, taking on a few Dark Brotherhood contracts is a great idea that will help make them rich rather quickly.
4Explore Dwemer Ruins
They’re Awfully Dangerous, But The Risk is Worth It
There are multiple Dwemer ruins spread across the vastness of Skyrim, and they’re famous for being extremely dangerous to explore. Not only because players can often encounter various Falmer villages inside them, but also due to the deadly Centurions that this ancient civilization left behind to protect its treasures.
InSkyrim, where there’s a risk, there’s often a reward. So, if players are looking to make a quick buck, either by finding locked chests with small fortunes inside them or valuable items and weapons that they can sell to the highest bidder, Dwemer ruins are the way to go.
5Clear Giant Camps
Mammoth Tusks Can Be Sold For 150 Gold
There are few times inSkyrimwhen a gargantuan effort isn’t rewarded with great loot or an amazing skill, which is why raiding and clearing giant camps is one great way to both get rich and level up quickly. Typically, giant camps have a few mammoth tusks and pelts that are not only very useful, but can also be sold for considerable amounts of gold.
To put this into numbers, a single mammoth tusk can be sold for 150 gold, which is great considering it’s just one item. That said, clearing giant camps is a very difficult task, so players should be ready to take on a challenge before disrupting the peace ofSkyrim’s largest humanoids.
6Loot Nordic Tombs
A Dangerous Endeavor, But It’s Justly Rewarded
Most Nordic tombs spread throughoutSkyrimare not only enormous and creepy, but also filled with invaluable treasure waiting to be discovered and looted. Inside these Draugr-infested places, players can find lots of gold, gems, and enchanted items, including weapons with additional elemental damage.
Tombs like Ustengrav and Bleak Falls Barrow are great starting points, as the enemies there aren’t as tough and players will have an easier time progressing through the area. Raiding other tombs from the get-go is also an option, but players are likely to encounter much tougher enemies that will kill them with a single hit.
7Become A Bard
Make A Living Singing In Taverns
For players who’ve always dreamed of making a living from their music, this is their chance to make that dream come true—at least in-game. By completing the Bard’s College questline in Solitude and graduating from the prestigious institution, players will unlock the ability to approach innkeepers and tell them they want to perform for their patrons.
Now, cards on the table, the tips players will receive for entertaining audiences will be minimal, ranging from 15-25 gold coins depending on several factors, including their performance. While this isn’t exactly a get-rich-quick method, it’s a great way to make money while enjoying the various epic musical pieces inSkyrim.
8Grow And Sell Blisterwort Fungus
One Of The More Valuable Herbs In The Game
Most people would consider the act of growing herbs to be a complete waste of time, especially if they have better things to do. While this is an understandable train of thought, some ingredients sell for a great sum and net players a lot of gold with minimal effort. Blisterwort Fungus is one such plant that’s relatively slow to grow and nets a lot of gold as long as players have a good thing going with a merchant.
Of course, to grow plants, players must amass enough money to own a home in the first place. Once players achieve this milestone, they can build a greenhouse that they can use to grow whatever herbs they want. With enough Blisterwort Fungus growing in numerous greenhouses, players can enjoy a great and pain-free way to earn cash in no time.
9Complete As Many Quests As Possible
A Nice, Immersive Way To Earn Money
While this may seem like an obvious point to bring up, there’s no denying thatSkyrimis jam-packed with quests that give players a reward upon completion. It’s impossible to go from point A to point B without accepting a ton of quests on the way, with most of the conditions for completion being as easy as they come. Given how much fun it is to engage in questing, it’s easy to see why players won’t even be averse to this mode of earning money.
To make things better, some quests send players to locations that can be looted for gold and valuables that can be sold for a tidy sum. This is essentially killing two birds with one stone and is a great way to ensure that players can enjoySkyrim’s strengths while also getting loaded in the process.
10Join The Thieves Guild
The Fences And Valuable Quests Let Players Earn A Lot Of Money
The Thieves Guild is one of the many guilds that players can join to initiate a series of quests that starts with players being a lowly member of said guild before ascending the ranks and becoming one of the most respected members in the faction. The Thieves Guild is present all across the world ofSkyrim, giving players access to quests with a high payout and unlocking the services of fences.
Given how much players can steal in the game, it’s important to find a fence that can take these goods from a Dragonborn who is on the verge of being encumbered. To make things even better, most fences come with impressive piles of gold, meaning that players can enjoy an excellent haul with just one trip across a city where they steal everything in sight that isn’t bolted to a surface.
