Bleak Falls Barrow puzzle: pillars, Golden Claw door and traps
The Bleak Falls Barrow puzzle stops more new players than any draugr. There are actually two: a room with three rotating stone pillars and a lever, and later a round door with three rings that needs the Golden Claw. Both have fixed answers, so you can set them straight from this page.
Solutions first, then how the game hints at them, and the traps that sit between the pillars and the word wall.
Bleak Falls Barrow puzzles and traps in order
| Obstacle | Where | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Dart trap on the first gate | Bleak Falls Temple, lever room | Do not pull the lever until the pillars are set; the bandit ahead usually dies demonstrating it |
| Rotating pillar puzzle | Bleak Falls Temple, lever room | Snake, Snake, Whale, starting with the pillar farthest from the gate, then pull the lever |
| Wounded frostbite spider | Web-filled chamber before Arvel | Fight from the archway; the spider cannot leave the room |
| Pressure plate and spike wall | Corridor after the draugr crypt | Step around the plate; it usually kills Arvel for you |
| Swinging blades | Temple and again in the Sanctum | Time a sprint through, then pull the chain on the far side to stop them |
| Oil slicks | Winding passages and the Sanctum's grate room | Do not use fire while standing in the shiny patch |
| Golden Claw door | Bleak Falls Sanctum | Outer ring Bear, middle ring Moth, inner ring Owl, then activate the keyhole |
| Draugr overlord | Word wall chamber | Wakes after you read the wall; hit hard, use fire, retreat across the river to snipe |
Puzzle 1: the rotating pillars (Snake, Snake, Whale)
Deep in Bleak Falls Temple, the first zone of the barrow, the corridor opens into a room with a locked gate ahead, a lever in front of it, and three tall pillars on the left that turn when you activate them. If the gate is opened with the pillars wrong, poison darts fire at whoever pulled the lever. A bandit normally runs in ahead of you and shows you exactly that.
The answer is carved on the wall. Two stone plaques sit high above the gate showing a snake and a whale; the third, which belongs between them, has fallen to the floor beside the lever and shows a snake. Set the pillars to match that order. Starting with the pillar farthest from the gate: Snake, Snake, Whale. Pull the lever and the gate rises.
On the table in the next room is a copy of Thief, a Pickpocket skill book, so grab it on your way to the spiral stairs.
Getting the Golden Claw from Arvel
Past the skeevers you hear Arvel the Swift shouting for help. He is stuck in webs in the spider chamber, and a large wounded frostbite spider drops in as you enter. Kill it, cut Arvel down, and he runs. You can attack him before he escapes; otherwise the draugr in the next crypt, or a pressure plate that triggers a spike wall, finish him. Loot his body for the Golden Claw and read his journal, which says the answer to the door is in the palm of your hand.
The claw was stolen from Lucan Valerius at the Riverwood Trader. Returning it after the barrow completes The Golden Claw for a leveled gold reward.
Puzzle 2: the Golden Claw door (Bear, Moth, Owl)
In Bleak Falls Sanctum, after the second swinging blade trap and a bridge on the upper level, an iron door leads to a passage blocked by a round puzzle door with three rings of animal symbols. Each ring rotates when activated, and the keyhole in the centre takes the claw.
Open your inventory, select the Golden Claw and look at its palm: the three symbols are the combination, top to bottom, matching outer to inner ring. The default angle is hard to read, so zoom in and rotate the model. The answer is Bear on the outer ring, Moth on the middle ring, Owl on the inner ring. Set all three, then activate the keyhole. If the door still does not open, back away, reset the rings and try again; UESP lists console fixes for the rare stuck door.
The word wall, the boss and the way out
Beyond the door is a cavern with a bridge, a waterfall and the word wall. Loot the chests behind the waterfall on both sides first. Walking up to the wall teaches Fus, the first word of Unrelenting Force, and the sarcophagus opens to release a draugr overlord, far tougher than anything earlier in the barrow. Fire, potions and the far side of the river are your friends. Its body carries the Dragonstone that Farengar wants in Dragonsreach.
Up the western passage the way looks blocked. Pull the handle on the pedestal to lower the rock wall, take the last chest, and step out onto the far side of the mountain, a short way from the Guardian Stones and Riverwood. Followers may not follow you out this exit, so wait for them.
Finding the barrow from Riverwood
Bleak Falls Barrow is on the mountain northwest of Riverwood in Falkreath Hold. Cross the bridge north of the village and take the trail up the mountainside. Three bandits hold a small tower on the path and three more guard the barrow entrance. The barrow's enemies scale between level 6 and 20, and the ones you meet are fixed when you first enter.
On the map: 4 locations
Falkreath Hold 1
Whiterun Hold 3
Bleak Falls Barrow puzzle: pillars, Golden Claw door and traps: FAQ
What is the Bleak Falls Barrow pillar puzzle solution?
Snake, Snake, Whale, starting from the pillar farthest from the gate. The order is shown by the two plaques above the gate and the fallen plaque next to the lever.
What is the Golden Claw door combination in Bleak Falls Barrow?
Bear on the outer ring, Moth on the middle ring, Owl on the inner ring. Then activate the keyhole with the Golden Claw.
Where do you see the answer to the Golden Claw door?
In your inventory. Select the Golden Claw, zoom in and rotate it, and the three animals on its palm give the combination from outer to inner ring.
What happens if you get the pillar puzzle wrong?
Pulling the lever fires poison darts at you and the gate stays shut. Reset the pillars and try again.
What shout do you learn in Bleak Falls Barrow?
Fus, the first word of Unrelenting Force, from the word wall in the final chamber. Reading it wakes the draugr overlord.
Why won't the pillars in Bleak Falls Barrow turn?
UESP records a confirmed bug on some Xbox saves where the pillars refuse to rotate. Reloading an earlier save is the only fix without console commands.