Fix for CTD(Crashes) when approaching certain areas.

Simple fix for crashes when approaching places like: Karthspire, Shimmermist Cave, Liar's Retreat and many more.
Still works as of 2025! (and on multiple versions IF this is the issue that is plaguing you. Its never been patched in many of the versions.)

Why is this happening?

From what I found, the CTD's (Crash to desktop) have been happening consistently for me regardless of what mods I had installed or if I was running vanilla. Some playthroughs they'd happen, some they wouldn't.

They have to do with dragon mounds in these areas. The dragon mounds are supposed to spawn a dragon which you then fight, but sometimes these mounds get stuck in a loop, and the game crashes.

How to solve the issue.

The only way to solve this issue is to disable the dragon mound in question. It can then be re-enabled in some cases and dealt with, which I will cover here.

WARNING: YOU ARE PERMANENTLY DISABLING WHICHEVER DRAGON MOUNDS YOU CHOOSE USING THIS METHOD. GO ONE BY ONE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS.
It may be time consuming, but if you only want to find the one in THAT area that's causing you stress, go one mound at a time, using the same step as 4 but enable rather than disable. Keep track of which ones you try. So in other words, go near the area that crashes you, but not close enough to crash. Save. Try one, step forward, if you crash, come back and undo what you did before. Do it again with another one.

• Step one.
  Find out the area in which the crash is happening. Does it also happen if you warp to an area nearby? What kind of radius is this crash happening in?
  
  
• Step two.
  Look up a map of all dragon mounds, and confirm that there is one near (And near can be vague based on map location it might seem further than it actually is) the locations you are trying to warp to. If there is none, this guide will not help you.
  
  
• Step three.
  Check this list for a mound that might be in your area. If you are trying to get to Karthspire, yours is Reach02, use that one in the next step. (Thanks to user "Pointy Elf Ears" for posting this list in a thread a long time ago)
  
  DragonMoundFallForest01Marker FDAD7
  DragonMoundFallForest02Marker FDB32
  DragonMoundFallForest03Marker FDADC
  DragonMoundPineForest01Marker FDB05
  DragonMoundPineForest02Marker FDAF1
  DragonMoundPineForest03Marker FDB02
  DragonMoundReach01Marker FDB1D
  DragonMoundReach02Marker FDAE6
  DragonMoundReach03Marker FDB23
  DragonMoundSnowy01Marker FDB0E
  DragonMoundTundra02Marker FDB11
  DragonMoundTundra04Marker FDAF8
  DragonMoundTundraMarsh01Marker FDAC1
  DragonMoundTundraMarsh02Marker FDAD4
  DragonMoundTundraMarsh03Marker FDB2E
  DragonMoundVolcanicTundra01Marker FDB35
  DragonMoundVolcanicTundra02Marker FDB37
  DragonMoundVolcanicTundra03Marker FDB3A
  
  
• Step four.
  When you think you know which one it might be, press your ` key, or console key to bring up the console in game. The next few steps will go best if you are close enough to test the validity of your console command and not just fast travel. (As in you know the exact or near exact place this dragon mound is, even though you can't look at it without crashing)
  
  Type: prid 000xxxxxx
  where xxxxxx are the letters and numbers from the list above from the mound you think it is.
  Type: disable
  
  Now, if you can travel to the area and walk around in it, you have successfully solved the issue and disabled the right mound.
  For anyone who still wants to attempt to kill the dragon and keep the mound in world, go to the next step. If you are fine with the mound ceasing to exist, congratulations, you're done here! Enjoy your game.
  
  
• Step five. (Optional, may not work for all users)
  Type: Enable
  The mound will reappear, and if you're standing now where it is nearby, you'll see that there might be a static dragon sitting above it, not moving. You can kill the dragon, and it will stay there. Once its healthbar is depleted and the healthbar disappears, do the following.
  Click on the dragon, and make sure it is the dragon you are clicking. If you're not sure, click on something near the dragon, like a rock or the mound. If the number that appears in the middle of the console near the top disappears, you weren't clicking the dragon. Once you know you've clicked on the dragon and there is a number in the top of your console,
  Type: recycleactor
  Close the console. The dragon should reload, dead, and allow you to collect the soul and items. You will no longer have problems in this area and there's nothing missing from your game!

[man door hand hook car door]

@Chaosian Wow I'm so glad this is still helping people! Believe me it took a long time for me to figure it all out. Back in 2016 when I made this, it was a fluke that I saw the mound map aligned with where I would crash if I so much as looked at it. I believe that it gets stuck when spawning the dragon since it uses the static object as a spawner and the holder for the code. Apparently not anymore in the new versions (unconfirmed), but, in some versions it's still, and will always be the case that you roll the dice on some mounds deciding to crash the whole game.

[Chaosian]

Disabling a static object? There's now way this will w-... mother of god.
Nice work, good find.

[man door hand hook car door]

@tiger8u2 I'm glad that this is still occasionally helping people, and that it works for newer versions too! I've long since stopped playing or interacting with Skyrim but I'll look into cross posting this elsewhere if I find the time. Thanks for the comment!

[tiger8u2]

Exited Shimmermist Cave finally with no CTD after days of endless troubleshooting with absolutely no joy until I stumbled upon this wonderful solve. Highly recommend a Nexus mod entry which others may find quickly to help them with this issue. My trouble mound was the one by Shimmermist Cave west of Fellglow Keep. Never had an issue in that area before until after the Skyrim AE Update so, not sure if that has anything to do with it. FYI - The only script attached to the actual mound activator itself was deleted in the Skyrim ESM. Not sure why or if that was what caused the problem to begin with.

[zuook]

the problem solved in Skyrim SE. Thanks.

[Chronocoa]

step 3 nexus modders extra step

run skyrim through the FNIS system to fix T pose skeletons from not moving


step 3 or 4 depends if ur a nexus modder

for everyone this is crucial or you (WILL NEED TO REPEAT THIS PROCESS) go to load save file and DELETE all save files or the mod that broke the game will still be in your game but incomplete making it worse start a new game afterwards (( wait for all you nmm mods like OSA ect to load for your skeleton if you have quick start mod)) next go to consol command and type in tmm 1 this will reveal all locations for fast travel on the map.

Step 4 or 5 u get the gist m8

Fast travel to the area that had the confliction overwrite error aka the place your skyrim decided to quit and say F*#! you and crash if this works that Congrats it wasent as bad as my situation :3

if this didnt help sorry m8 this is the best i can do