First, sorry if this is a repost but I searched and didn't find answers to my questions...so...

Why couldn't they make a separate map? Is it really that hard? The way they have it set up with the local map thing svcks for a couple reasons, a. you can't zoom out and see the entire area of the soul cairn and b. its all blacked out so you literally have to walk everywhere to uncover whats on the map. Besides that there are areas I have already been to that remain blacked out for some stupid reason. I have been walking in circles around this giant area that all pretty much looks the same and its f**king confusing as hell! I must have been to evey chest and giant soul gem thing 5 times and can't find the last soul gem fragment GRRR! Now, I know that you don't get anything spectacular for killing The Reaper but I'm somewhat of a completionist so I want to do it anyway...WHAT AM I MISSING? Where haven't I been yet? I know about the telaporty pad things and I may be missing one...

Does anyone else hate the way the map is set up?

PS. This is off my main topic but where can I fing a dragonbone sword? Do I HAVE to craft it or can it be bought/found somewhere? Say off a legendary dragon? Cause I dont have any smithing perks say for the first one and improving enchanted items, although my smiting skill is at 100...

PPS. My xbox freezes WAY more often when I'm in the Soul Cairn, sometimes after my console has only been on for 5 minutes so I know its not a heat issue, needless to say this impedes my progress and should be fixed.

You're not alone here, I hate the way the Soul Cairns laid out aswell. They make every bit of it look the same and the make it so my quest marker won't work so I don't have a clue where I'm going...

I find it easy enough to navigate for heading to the main objective but exploring the place just gave me a headache. Everything while not looking exactly the same was dull and boring after the initial wow wore off in a minute.

It was pretty ridiculous that there wasn't a separate map. Something that had to be brought up in beta so guess they didn't take that too seriously.

A separate map wouldn't help. The same incompetent who made the Oblivion Realms HAD to make Carin as well. Both feel like the same cut and paste and no inspiration whatsoever.

Even though I love the Dawnguard DLC, I will have to agree with this. Soul Cairn can be confusing for exploring. I'm still in it to locate some other odds and ends. I agree the Soul Cairn should have it's own map that looks like the Skyrim map with areas that can be discovered. When I go through a "fort" in the Soul Cairn, I have to tae a moment to know which way I was heading to explore after coming out of it lol.

About the Dragonbone weapons question, yes you craft it. You can find Dragonbone weapons through random looting though (I have), but I think you need to be a high level character and it's rare even then.

Loved the DLC... HATED Soul cairn and couldnt get out of there fast enough. Everything looked the same and for some reason they didnt bother to include quest markers. Finding that damn horses skull has a nightmare, and if they thought I was gonna wander around aimlessly looking for gem fragments or book pages, they are out their damn minds. Otherwise, pretty damn good expansion!

Out Definitely agree I feel very lost wandering through here and its difficult to figure out where you are supposed to go without the quest marker. I can't even figure out which direction to go. I enjoy the challenge and puzzles but I think it could have been done better.

agree much rather prefered the forgotten vale that place was beautiful and really cool with differing enemies and bosses

I spent like 3 hours in the soul cairn, worst 3 hours of my life

The soul cairn was so boring, it all looked the same. It reminded me of dragon age origins dream realm, which I always hated.

Always hated that place in DA but that's where you got wayne (not sure about her name anymore) the mother of the group.

i spent four hours in there today...i finally realized after 3.5 hours that you can use the soul fountains that dont glow, for teleporters...still didnt help navigation but i found more chests

Ha my thoughts exactly.

I'm surprised someone found it. It was too big of a wander for me to even try and set off for the skull. Took me long enough to find 25 soul husks. Was I ever disappointed at what I received...

Agree with the general consensus here. Absolutely love the DLC overall but soul cairn gets annoying fast. I gave up looking for those pages after 4...

I stumbled upon it by accident... Didn't even know some ghost was actually looking for it. You get to keep the skull. lol

I hated the soul cairn, it was so dull I could hardly stand it.

I spent hours in there last night and was happy enough with the map when I eventually gave up and used it, by that time I had been everywhere, I was just trying to work out where I was. Was a shock the first time I jumped in one of the inactive fountains and found myself whizzed off. I then had to trudge back and try all the others. I got confused with the soul gem fragments, and am still not sure I was not meant to get more, and that grill on the inactive fountain was not meant to open, but gave up in the end. I was happy enough to finally get out of the place, there was nothing of worth left behind that I know of. Unless the main quest gets Braggen to go back he will probably not be returning. Will have to see how that moth eaten dragon goes though when Braggen calls him. I have not tried the new horse yet, stuck that horrid skull in a sack.

Edit
And I must have collected about 200 of those Soul Husk things. Most I used to barter but I brought a fair few home for future home decorating projects. Morven's items were not that interesting.

The same here. I stumbled upon it trying to do the nessecary quests to get the hell out. I know for damn sure I won't go back again.

I also find it odd that I picked it up and then the journal told me who to take it too even though I never met the person to get the quest. Kind of stupid if you ask me.

- Yeah that place was just evil, it gave me headaches everytime, same with the soul cairn...so much purple and black made my head hurt to the point where playing was impossible.

They could have done what they did with the shivering isles for the Soul cairn but it probably would have cost too much

It was boring, everything looked the same which made me run around in circles for side quests, and the areas I went through on the local map fogged up again.

Off topic: Could anybody direct me to a thread or link for the location of Jiub's pages? I tried the wiki for two i'm missing but I only get frustrated from the directions.

So many negative points in the Soul Cairn for me as well. Thankfully the Vale was so great I had forgotten about the nasty purple boredom. Four hours looking for stuff and no clue what I was supposed to do for side quests. The horse skull was a nightmare. Wandered around for least 2 of the 4 hours and then only realized that the skull was just about 100 feet east of the questgiver. Found only 4 pages of Jiub (these I woulnt mind if they were not quest marked but still). Only found the porters in the last hour and only realized how to open the barred doors in the last 30 minutes before I decided I was done with this and finished the main quest. Very bad map design and quest marker location. I too am a completionist but I may just have to write this one off as lost cause.

For some reason it reminded me of playing one of the Mortal Kombat games... can't remember which one... but it involved running around a similar looking world, with much frustration.

Anyway, I don't think I found it boring. I wanted to move the main quest on, and didn't know at that point you could go back, so I think on a second visit I might pay more attention to it.

Im a archer with almost no spell capabilities. So how does one make the teleporters work. I agree this place is nuts. I found someone to sell husks to but now I will probably never see them again.