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In Skyrim I have a quest to retrieve a mammoth tusk to help someone set up as a merchant. Of course, mammoths are generally being shepherded by giants. I do want to kill a giant at some stage but my character isn't quite ready for that yet. Is there any way to obtain a mammoth tusk without taking on a giant?

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If you pull the mammoth by engaging it at long range, you can often avoid aggravating any nearby giants, while it will come toward you so you can finally engage it far away from the giants. – Joren Nov 23 '11 at 1:12

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up vote 15 down vote accepted

An easy place to find several mammoth tusks is in the Halted Stream Camp. You get a miscellaneous objective from Ahmren in Whiterun to retrieve his family sword, which may be located in the cave at the camp. In the same area as the sword, there is a shelf with 5-6 Mammoth Tusks just laying there, ripe for the taking. It's slightly North-Northwest from Whiterun's main gate. The symbol on the map looks like two sticks forming an X.

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I think that quest location changes depending on the character - I've done it twice, and the sword was at different landmarks. – Artless Nov 22 '11 at 22:31
@Artless I don't believe so. There have been a large number of mentions of people being sent to Halted Stream right at the beginning of the game (people remember because of the Transmute book) so I think that is a static quest. – agf Nov 22 '11 at 23:26
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I retrieved his sword from Redoran's Retreat, so the location must change for different games. – jwaddell Nov 23 '11 at 0:55
Just to confirm I did this quest 2 days ago and it was in here, steamcommunity.com/id/neon1024/screenshot/… – DavidYell Nov 23 '11 at 14:56
There were actually a few tusks right inside the entrance, so you don't even need to kill the bandit chief if you don't want to (although I did, of course). – jwaddell Nov 23 '11 at 21:46
up vote 14 down vote

The probably easiest place to find the Mammoth Tusk is right outside Whiterun, at the Khajiit camp next to the stables or in Dawnstar.
Their caravan moves frequently, so you might have to wait for them to reappear, if they happen to be "on the move".

Ri'saad the merchant who sits in front of his tent has one.

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Unfortunately they're caravan merchants, they weren't there when I left Whiterun. – jwaddell Nov 23 '11 at 12:14
I saw them leave now and then too, but they returned soon (the next day or the other) – Bora Nov 23 '11 at 13:14
up vote 6 down vote

Yes, you can purchase them from some vendors, and find them laying about in other places.

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up vote 6 down vote

There is a tusk on the shelf behind the innkeeper of the whiterun inn, you can easily steal it to complete the mission in the whiterun marketplace.

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up vote 4 down vote

There is a mammoth tusk in Phinis Gestor's quarters inside the Hall of Countenance in the College of Winterhold.

Wait until nighttime, when he's sleeping, and sneak in and take it.

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And pilfer all of the soul gems while you're there too! :) – Jagd Apr 1 at 20:49
up vote 2 down vote

If you want something tuned a bit more to exploration, there's a few dead mammoths in the swamps to the northwest of the continent, a bit off the beaten path to Riften. I'm not sure if their spawn location is constant, but on the characters I've run through there, I've always found at least one with a tusk.

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up vote 2 down vote

Also don't forget to find the Transmutation book in Halted Stream Camp if your going there, its a useful spell to have around for making easy money.

You don't always have to fight giants to kill a mammoth, sometimes you can find one separated from the pack in the wilds, just roam around a bit, or buy a tusk from a merchant, or find one yet again in the wilds.

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up vote 1 down vote

I found my tusk while roaming around in Dragonsreach.

Once you become a friend of the Jarl (basically, killing the dragon is enough) you can go around taking some of his items. I did that and voilà, made me not have to go through trying to kill a mammoth. Like c'mon, freakin' unbeatable giants.

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Please stop making your entire posts bold. – lunboks Apr 2 '12 at 21:20
Ooops. I didn't know that I couldn't. Sorry – xFaLLeN_Eternity Apr 2 '12 at 21:25
up vote 0 down vote

Go to Jorrvaskr (where the Companions are) in Whiterun. Go in the front door and make a right. Go up the steps and make another right before the staircase going down. The railing preventing you from falling down the stairs leading to the lower level is on your left and there is a chest to your right. Open the chest and there should be a mammoth tusk in there. If you join the Companions you can take it for free.

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up vote 0 down vote

In Tigre there's one in the meadary, in the far room upstairs, on a shelf.

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Where in Skyrim is Tigre? – One-One Nov 7 '12 at 8:22

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