Forbidden Legend - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide - IGN (2024)

This Forbidden Legend Quest walkthrough will guide you through every step of this The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim quest, whether it be investigating the Gauldur Legend or finding the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Folgunthur, Geirmund's Hall, and Saarthal.

Start theForbidden Legend quest by reading the Lost Legends book in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. It can also be found in Whiterun where the court wizard has his books, by following the quest line at the College of Winterhold, or by reading a book during A Cornered Rat.

Another way to start this quest is by reading a book entitled "Lost Legends" found in the first room of Nightcaller Temple during the sidequest Waking Nightmare.

Yet another way to begin the quest is by finding one of the amulet fragments.

Objectives

• Investigate the Gauldur Legend
• Learn the truth from Daynas Valen
• Read Daynas Valen’s notes
• Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Folgunthur
• Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Geirmund’s Hall
• Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Saarthal

Walkthrough

Head to the location on the map, a small campsite just outside Folgunthur, and read Daynas Valen’s journal sitting on the ground. Investigate this further by paying a visit to the journal’s owner, Daynas, inside Folgunthur.

The inside of Folgunthur looks just as uninviting as the outside. If the numerous freshly bloodied bodies aren’t indication enough, the booby traps rigged throughout this small area should deter even the most intrepid adventurers. The first room has familiar-looking animal tiles and an imprint of a claw, which you don’t have yet. Proceed further and fight some draugrs in the next room.

There’s a floor trap at the bottom of the staircase. You can pull the lever or just jump over to the stairs. Daynas Valen can be found at the very edge of the second floor ledge, but isn’t in any condition to give you useful information. However, his notes will do just fine. Take the Ivory Dragon Claw from his robes and leaf through the notes to learn that you’ll need to uncover the Gauldur Amulet Fragment here in Folgunthur and in two other locations.

Set the Ivory Dragon Claw in the slot just above Daynas’ body to lower the bridge and continue in. You will come into a room in which stairs lead down, but a sturdy metal grate blocks your passage. Open the lever on the left throne to enter this room and move some tiles. Facing the tiles, the sequence should be the eagle, whale, and snake symbols all facing outward (to mirror the similar pattern on the other side). Note that if you can not rotate the pillars even though it says activate pillar you need to leave Folgunthur and then return to the dugeon. You should be able to move them then (worked on Xbox 360 version).You should hear the sound of a mechanism being unlocked, and then pull the lever in the previous room to retract the metal grates. Head down and follow it to a corridor, at the end of which is a stone door with rings of special engravings adorning it.

To view the correct pattern, go into your items inventory and examine the Ivory Dragon Claw: the pattern is engraved upon the claw itself. Starting from the outer ring, the correct sequence is: eagle, eagle, dragon, then insert the claw into the slot.

Inside the Folgunthur crypt, draugrs rise from their coffins, including Mikrul Gauldurson, who is stronger than the rest. After slaying him, search the body for the Gauldur Amulet Fragment. You can also loot the Gauldur Blackblade from him.

Use the claw to open the gates behind and you should also find a Word Wall allowing you to learn Frost Breath, Freeze. There's a chest nearby with additional goodies as well.

Geirmund's Hall Puzzle: How to Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Geirmund’s Hall

Geirmund's Hall is located to the east of Ivarstead and south of Lost Knife hideout on a small island between the river.

As soon as you enter you will be greeted by a giant spider and a draugr. Take care of them and drop down from the giant hole into the small pond. While in the pond, go underwater & swim down the hall to a chest with some loot. There is also a common soul gem on the floor. Stock up on hanging moss before you get out.Go through the iron door &take care of2 frost spiders.To yourrightis another iron door, pick the lock & grab the Orcish armor and potion of healing.Be careful as you move on because there is a foot trap in the room. The chest isfire trapped, so stand to theside to open.Fight off a few Draugrs and you will come across a room filledwith water. On an alter there is a black soul gem & a drought of regeneration. Be careful to take the gem as it will activate a trap. Stand beside the table so the trap does not impale you. You have to set a combination of stones so you can open thedoor on the other side.

The Geirmund's Hall puzzle combination answer is: eagle, whale, snake, whale.

After the door is open go through the narrow passage and fight Draugrsand move up the stairs. Immediately to the right you will find ArchmageGeirmund, except he's not what you'd expect. Take the key and the note from him. Go leftand move up the stairs. Kill the draugr.

Next you have to pull a lever to bring the wooden bridge down. There are two levers in the room.

One to the edge to the right side of the room and the second one is behind the first one hidden in a corner opposite the first lever.

The first lever will is a trap and it will bring out the spikes on the wall to the right side ofthe lever. Pull the second lever and bring the bridge down. Move up and again, pull the lever to the left, bring the second bridge down. Kill the draugrs. There is foot trap in the next room which activates the pendulum axes, so watch your step.

Next you will be in a giant room filled with water. Go down and kill the restless draugr. There are two platforms in the middle of the room and one small section to the left and a room to the right. You may want to save your game here.

Go up to the right room and you will be in a boss fight now.

Sigdis Gauldurson, the boss, will disappear and appear with two clones of himself.

Perhaps a safer strategy would be to stick to Archery to kill him and stay in the room where he wakes up as you have enough cover. The clones can be killed with a single arrow. The annoying part is that this boss uses a shout that can send you flying across the room. What's worse is that if your character ends up getting clipped or stuck anywhere in the battlefield as Sigdis will use this opportunity to take free shots at you.

Another strategy if you're focused on melee combat, would be shouting a Fus Ro Dah towards the correct Sigdis (the one who has not a blue shine). This will knock him off the plattform giving you some time to attack him as he recovers. After that, he will teleport somewhere else. Take cover, wait for the shout to recharge, heal yourself if necessary and repeat 2 or 3 more times.

Kill him to retrieve the second Gauldur Amulet Fragment. You can also loot the Gauldur Blackbow from him. Go through the cave to get out of the hall.

Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Saarthal

Careful of the poisonous arrow floor trap as you move down. Beyond this trap are more powerful draugrs: a Restless one and a Draugr Wight.

In the next room, you have to arrange six pillars to open the door ahead. The solution is right behind the rotating hawk, dolphin, and snake. Note: It's easiest to temporarily bump up your brightness in-game as the clues will probably be difficult to see under most standard brightness settings (unless you have it at maximum).

The solution from lever facing back (towards the way you came in):

Left:

• Hawk
• Hawk
• Dolphin

Right:

• Dolphin
• Snake
• Hawk

• Rotate the first pillar on the left once.
• Rotate the second pillar on the left once.
• Rotate the second pillar on the right twice.
• The first one on the right can rotate individually so you can rotate that for the correct pillar.

Make your way out after learning the Dragon Shout in the next room.

Forging the amulet

Note: In order to complete this quest you need to have the Ivory Dragon Claw.

In order to forge the amulet, you need to make your way to the Reachwater Rock, which is south of Sky Haven Temple. The cave is behind a waterfall, so look for that.

On your way up, you will find a dead Nord, the Emerald Dragon Claw and a note warning you to not enter the place.

As you move up, you have to arrange the rings on the doors correctly to open the door. The sequence is there on the Emerald Dragon Claw. Then use the Claw to unlock the door. For the fifth one, you need to have the Ivory Dragon Claw. The solution to the rings on the fifth door is there on the Ivory Dragon Claw. Incorrect arrangement of the fifth door will release poisonous arrows from the wall.

Once inside, you will have to face all three bosses that you faced in the earlier quest of retrieving the amulets individually. Go ahead and place the three amulets on the three plates and the three bosses will appear. They will fight one at a time. First one will summon draugrs to attack you, second one can create clones of himself and shoot arrows from a distance, and the third one will use magic to summon an ice creature.

Defeat them all and you will have created the amulet which will give 30 points of health, Stamina and Magicka.

At the bottom of the pool by the entranceis a locked chest. (Be careful with this chest. Make sure you have some Water-Breathing potions with you, as trying to get back up after you loot the chest, some areas won't let you come up. And the only way up is a ramp, but there are 2 areas to get up. Go to the farther one on the other side to get up again. This doesn't always happen, but it literally shoves you back down, and it's very annoying. Just do what I said, and you can get back up)