The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Hints

Ghosts of Vitharn

  • 1 of 20: Travel to Vitharn (location 16 on the world map) and go around to the north end of the ruins to find a way to get inside the walls.
  • 2 of 20: Explore around and watch the ghosts fight each other until you get a journal entry.
  • 3 of 20: The big wooden door that leads to the Vitharn Bailey area is magically sealed, so look around for a secret entrance.
  • 4 of 20: In the Sump area, make your way along the passage, fighting ghost fanatics as you go, until you reach the flooded room at the SE end.
  • 5 of 20: Dive down and swim east until you find the underwater door leading to the Reservoir area.
  • 6 of 20: Surface in the first Reservoir room and go down the east passage to find another sealed door to the Bailey area.
  • 7 of 20: Move on past it, and you'll eventually come to a door to the Keep area.
  • 8 of 20: When the ghost of Count Cirion talks to you, you can learn about the current situation from him by politely saying that you meant no offense. If you instead say you came to cleanse the place, he'll get mad and lock the door leading back to the Reservoir. (But you can still do this quest normally.)
  • 9 of 20: Explore around the Keep area until you find all three of the doors that lead to the Bailey area. None of them are sealed, and only one of them is locked.
  • 10 of 20: Enter the Bailey through any door and look around the place.
  • 11 of 20: What's going on is this: the ghosts of the people involved in the battle out here keep respawning and playing out the battle over and over.
  • 12 of 20: What you need to do is find four named ghosts and talk to them about how you can help them break this vicious cycle.
  • 13 of 20: Below are the hints for dealing with each of the three special ghosts that you can help out initially.
  • 14 of 20: After you finish with those three guys, you'll get a journal entry referring you back to Count Cirion.
  • 15 of 20: Go find him on his throne in the big dining hall at the center of the Keep area.
  • 16 of 20: When you talk to him about the curse, he'll give you his helm and force you to wear it until the curse is lifted.
  • 17 of 20: Return to the Bailey area and wait at the Reservoir door for a devoted ghost fanatic to appear and attack you.
  • 18 of 20: He'll be tough, but you need to defeat him before the curse can be lifted.
  • 19 of 20: After he goes down, grab his sword and shield, then wait for Count Cirion to appear and congratulate you.
  • 20 of 20: His cursed helmet will be replaced with a superior non-cursed version, and all the sealed doors will be unsealed, allowing for a quick exit.