Skyrim: Here’s Why Alduin Is Not Taking Damage (& How To Fix It)

Alduin, The World Eater in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, is known to be a formidable enemy and a difficult encounter if you’re not prepared enough. The encounter with the legendary dragon is further made difficult by the bug that renders him completely immune to any type of damage dealt by the players. Many players have been barred from advancing through the main storyline and wrapping it up fully due to their inability to defeat Alduin and not because of their lack of skills. Due to that, we’ve decided to put together this guide to clear up why Alduin is not taking damage and, ultimately, how to fix this issue. 

Why is Alduin immune to your damage? 

Before we answer this question, we should clear up some basics related to Alduin encounters. Alduin is the first aggressive NPC you will encounter in Skyrim, he will be the cause of Helgen’s destruction, and naturally, most players will not even attempt to damage him. They will be distracted by running away. You will occasionally come across Alduin, as he is trying to resurrect various dead dragons across the land of Skyrim, and if you try to challenge him to a fight, he will remain completely unphased and completely immune to your attempts.

Further, you will meet Alduin at the top of the world during “Alduin’s Bane quest,” and this is the first time you will be able to damage him to some extent, but you will not be able to kill him, as you will soon learn no matter what mystical shouts and weapons you have at your disposal, Alduin can only be slain in Sovngarde. This means that however you look at it, Alduin is immune to death while he’s manifesting on Nirn, and even when you manage to decrease his health, you will never be able to deliver the final blow. But, some players are not even able to decrease his damage, as he seems to be impervious to all the damage dealt by the players. Let’s see why.

Alduin is not taking damage because you’re not using Dragonrend on him 

Alduin has the so-called “AbAlduinInvulnerability” passive ability, which means that as long as he is not affected by the Dragonrend shout, you will not be able to damage him. This is the reason why he is able to escape rather easily from you when you attempt to attack him. He simply flies away and refuses to descend to the ground and face you with the respect you deserve.

The solution: Acquiring Dragonrend is part of a lengthy quest that involves acquiring the Elder Scroll and reading it at the time wound. The game will purposely not give you the opportunity to get Dragonrend earlier because it’s part of the main story, the most vital part. As soon as you learn Dragonrend during Alduin’s Bane quest, you should have no trouble forcing Alduin to descend and using the shout on him. As long as he is under the effect of the shout, you will be able to damage him.

Alduin is not taking damage because you’re not in Sovngarde 

During the quest Alduin’s Bane, you will be able to damage Alduin to some extent, but you will not be able to defeat him fully. This is because Alduin is completely immortal while manifesting in Skyrim. He is at his most vulnerable while he is feasting upon the souls of the dead in Sovngarde. This is something that Paarthurnax will explain to you as soon as Alduin flies away. 

The solution: You need to follow the main storyline further and gain access to Sovngarde. This will be done via a portal at Skuldafn, the seat of Alduin’s power in Skyrim. Be patient, as the quest is quite lengthy and involves a fight with hordes of draugr and a few dragons. 

Alduin is not taking damage due to a bug 

Most of the time, the fact that Alduin seems to be immune to damage is not because of the player’s mistake. It’s due to a bug that occurs during the quests Alduin’s Bane and Dragonslayer. The bug can occur both in Sovngarde and on the Throat of the World. Luckily for us, it’s fairly easy to go around it.  

The solution: there are several approaches to fixing the bug. The first and most straightforward solution is to reload the previous save. Some players, however, might not be able to do that, as their last save is perhaps even a few hours outdated when compared to the current state of the playthrough. 

If this is the case for you, you can always use console commands if you are able to. To fix the problem of Alduin not taking damage, follow these steps: 

1. Open the console by pressing”~.”
2. Click on the Alduin. His referenceID should appear in quotation marks. 
3. Type “disable” and exit the console. You should see Alduin disappear completely. 
4. Open the console once again type “enable,” press enter, and close the console. Alduin should re-appear, and you should be able to deal damage to him. 

And that’s pretty much it. If you follow the advice from this guide, you should wrap up the main story quite fast. If you’re interested in more Skyrim-related guides, check out our guide on paying bounties in Skyrim. 

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