Dead Dragons R Us

[dedawen]

I recently hit 50 in game, but for the past couple of levels or so I've frequently "quick traveled" into areas where there is a dead dragon - including my own home, Lakeview Manor. These dragons are fully-fleshed and unlooted for the most part, but I'm finding at least one per game day. Last night I found three, one being in the center of Whiterun. These corpses often stick around for quite a while, the one in front of my house stayed there for almost a week in real time game play.

Is this common? My guess is that the dragons attack while I'm not around and the guards (or my otherwise useless house steward) kill them and their corpses remain when I arrive. However, if this is the case, its only with dragons.

[spin]

I've had dead looted dragons appear at random places. usually at or near where I previously killed one, so I'm guessing the game got confused and brought it back for some reason. sometimes they have skin, sometimes it's just bones. yesterday I had a weird experience though. a dragon was flying overhead, when it suddenly died on its own. I hadn't hit with anything yet, and I was in the wilderness and didn't see anyone else there to kill it. it just fell out of the sky, I absorbed its soul and looted the dragon bones and scales from it.

[dedawen]

That would have been pretty awesome to see. I'm wondering if when I "quick travel" I accidentally take a corpse with me. I have had NPCs and for a while my horse travel with me simply from being in the vicinity when I do it. Maybe I had killed a dragon in that area and its stuck in the matrix or something so when I travel a corpse comes with me. They're usually unlooted - for the most part, they usually only have scales and bones, nothing else on them.

[Dark Spark]

I've had dead looted dragons appear at random places. usually at or near where I previously killed one, so I'm guessing the game got confused and brought it back for some reason. sometimes they have skin, sometimes it's just bones. yesterday I had a weird experience though. a dragon was flying overhead, when it suddenly died on its own. I hadn't hit with anything yet, and I was in the wilderness and didn't see anyone else there to kill it. it just fell out of the sky, I absorbed its soul and looted the dragon bones and scales from it.

After paying one visit to Bonestrewn Crest, I returned recently to find what I thought was yet another dragon flying around the mud flats and being a noise nuisance for everyone in the area. I trudge back up to the hill to confront Grumpy. I shoot at him, Shout at him, even tried Dragonrend. Nothing affected him but, then again, he wasn't attacking anything either.

I get up to the tallest rock I can reach in order to try a melee attack as Grumpy flies on past. Soon as he swept by, bits of flame start dripping off his skin. I didn't even touch him. He was already "dead", it appears.

One soul absorption later, I then found myself standing on this rock watching a skeletal dragon who was still flying around the hill. Weird.

Best part is, I have a screenshot. One that is so ridiculously over-the-top with the dragon flying out of the sun and streams of soul energy passing between him and my character.

I'd like to think this painting was given to Casandra by the people of Skyrim and she's forced to hang it up in her home against her better judgement.

[dedawen]

I would love to see a skeletal dragon flying, that would be beyond cool.

I have "zoned" (or whatever the Skyrim term is) into a city or region and had a dead dragon "drop" just as the screen loaded. Usually its fully fleshed though and usually looted but for the scales and bones, which is spiffy since I use both.

[Chadonraz]

I used to have at least one stalker dragon (whose fully-fleshed corpse would randomly fall from the skies) per character, but haven't had once since updating one of my dragon mods.

One time I loaded a save standing on the bridge between Salvius Farm and Left Hand Mine, only to have three dragon corpses fall from the skies. All three of them were stalkers, however this time only one of them had proper textures.

I used to have Larry the Legendary Dragon stalking me on Solstheim. Fun times.

I never use fast-travel, by the way. The dragons usually show up when I'm wandering the wilderness, although Mirmulnir did love to litter the streets of Whiterun - both fully-fleshed and skeletal (it was random).

[Varyag]

I've nearly been flattened by dragon skeletons falling off the sky, I've seen dragon skeleton slide across the ground, I've have dead dragon drop in front of me and give me a soul...I've have dragon break up to skeleton and give me his sould while flying around with full health-meter. And now I apparently have dead giant falling from the sky...I never seen mammoth fall off sky yet.

[Dark Spark]

I've seen a dead giant fall from the sky, but it was hardly a mystery: I stood by to watch a Giant vs. Frost Dragon fight on the plains of Whiterun. The dragon won the fight with the "grab and drop" kill move they do to soldiers and the like. I'd never seen it happen to a giant until then. As the giant sailed through the air, it took me a moment to realize it was sailing towards me.

Oh, crap. Back up, back up, back— *plop* The giant lands right on the spot I used to be standing. The dragon hand-delivered the corpse for me to loot.

Next time I call Odahviing, I'm going to ask if he can bring something along when he shows up. Fresh venison or the like.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

The most common dead dragon glitch I've encountered is the one in which the Dragon dies but yields no soul. This is especially irritating when I'm purposely farming for souls to unlock a Shout I want. Seems more common with "respawned" Dragons in set locations than random attacks.

[Blackhawk Vegal]

The most common dead dragon glitch I've encountered is the one in which the Dragon dies but yields no soul. This is especially irritating when I'm purposely farming for souls to unlock a Shout I want. Seems more common with "respawned" Dragons in set locations than random attacks.

I think I remember reading somewhere, that there are some places where you can kill a re-spawned dragon and no awards are offered, one time only.