Download Hints

Get quick and convenient access to just the hints you need for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, without staying on our website. Just download a free trial version of our UHS Reader software and a copy of these hints. You will get the same gradual hints you see here -- unlike ordinary cheats or a walkthrough that can spoil your game.

You can also buy the full version of the UHS Reader for Windows or macOS. For just $14.95, you get full access to hints for hundreds of games and 1 year of free updates. You can also search, decode, or print an entire game's worth of hints at once.

Ask the Author

If you have questions about a puzzle that aren't answered anywhere in these hints, you may contact the author.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Hints

The Forlorn Watchman

  • 1 of 20: You can ask around Bravil for rumors to learn of this quest, or you can go to the Bawnwatch Camp (location 6 on the Nibenay map) and see the ghostly watchman for yourself (if it's night).
  • 2 of 20: NOTE: If you learn about it via rumor, you can ask Gilgondorin at Silverhome on the Water (NE corner of town) about the Forlorn Watchman to learn his schedule and to get Bawnwatch Camp marked on the game's world map.
  • 3 of 20: Go to the Bawnwatch Camp at night (after 8 pm) to find the ghostly watchman there.
  • 4 of 20: Trying to talk to him does no good at first, so wait around a bit and see what he does.
  • 5 of 20: Before long, he'll cross the nearby bridge and walk all the way to Fort Irony.
  • 6 of 20: Follow him, and he'll speak you to when you arrive at a point just south of the fort.
  • 7 of 20: NOTE: If you arrive at Bawnwatch Camp too late to find him there, you can go to Fort Irony to find him.
  • 8 of 20: He'll stand and look almost directly east.
  • 9 of 20: You can either go back to Bravil and ask Gilgondorin about "Mouth of the Panther" to get it marked on your world map, or you can just head east from the watchman to see if you can find it on your own.
  • 10 of 20: When you get to the Mouth of the Panther area, you'll find the wreck of a ship called the Emma May.
  • 11 of 20: Use the large break in its hull to enter the upper deck area.
  • 12 of 20: After killing off a couple of ethereal undead, take the ladder up to the captain's cabin for more combat and loot if you want.
  • 13 of 20: Then return to the upper deck and find the ship's log on a table behind an openable wooden door.
  • 14 of 20: When you're done with that, find the trap door that leads down to the mid deck, and then the lower deck.
  • 15 of 20: Kill Gable the Traitor's spirit, then take the key from its remains and open the nearby locked door.
  • 16 of 20: Click on the shackled skeleton past the door to release it.
  • 17 of 20: It was the forlorn watchman's body, so he shows up and thanks you, pointing you to a map on the floor nearby for your reward.
  • 18 of 20: Take the map and leave the ship, then head east toward where there's a green arrow on your world map.
  • 19 of 20: It points to an underwater treasure chest that's a little bit south of a small dock structure with a boat tied to it.
  • 20 of 20: It's very hard to see underwater, but you should fairly easily be able to find the chest and get the final journal entry.