UESP Forums

The flamin' skill books!

I found a copy of "Surfeit of Thieves" which can only be found in random loot according to the Wiki.

I stupidly failed to do a regular save and the game crashed. I had to back pedal and tried to go through what I had done, but the book didn't surface in the same place the next time around.

Why is that?

Looking down the list, there are now only a few skill books I am short of. Some of them are in defined locations that I have yet to visit, but some of them are randomly distributed around the game. Am I ever likely to find these?

I am currently working on getting my acrobatics up so I can hang on to my "Boots of Spring Heel Jak". So there's a couple of books that may surface when I do the Ultimate Heist.

I wish I wasn't such a completionist!

Obtaining those random skill books is very hard to do. The only thing you can really gain from this is yet another reason to save as often as possible.

Only thing I can tell you for the Random Skill Books is find a chest with a chance of containing one that is close to a Cell Door (a door that causes a loading screen)

-save outside the door
-enter
-loot the chest
-if it doesn't have the book you want, reset and try again.

This technique is called "Save Scumming".

According to UESP.net:
Bandit and Vampire Boss Chests may contain Stealth Skill Books.

Marauder and Undead Boss Chests may contain Combat Skill Books.

Conjuror and Necromancer Boss Chests may contain Magic Skill Books.

The best Bandit Boss Chests to save scum are in:
-The tent in Rockmilk Cave (just save outside the)
-Bleak Mine (after the Malacath's Daedric quest the chests inside will be completely unguarded)
-The North Tunnel (two boss chests very close to the door)

The only Conjuror Boss Chest I've found that's easy to save scum:
-Ceyatatar (save outside the trap door out in the woods)

The only Necromancer Boss Chest I've found that's easy to save scum:
-Fort Linchal (Head right as you enter the Fort and save outside the Hall of Knights, the Boss Chest is
just laying straight ahead)

The only Undead Boss Chest I've found that's east to save scum:
-Pikuanda (save outside the door to Pikuanda Ceyede, the chest is only a short walk away)