Backpath (with spoilers)

Contributed by DagothChicken

If you've killed an essential NPC, you won't be able to complete the main quest normally.

MAJOR SPOILERS MAJOR SPOILERS MAJOR SPOILERS MAJOR SPOILERS MAJOR SPOILERS

No matter who you kill, as long as you don't kill Yagrum Bagarn, the last dwarf, you can still finish the main quest. To do so, you will need to kill Vivec, the demi-diety reigning over the city built in his name. The city is on the south shore of Vvardenfell, down the road from Pelagiad. In the city, you need to pick the lock to enter Vivec's private chamber, and then attempt to kill him. He\'s got some nasty spells, but if you kill him you should be able to loot a Dwemer artifact from his corpse. This is the unactivated Wraithguard, an artifact you need to wear to be able to equip Keening and Sunder without dying.

Basically, the main quest requires you to kill Dagoth Ur, also a demi-diety risen to power by the same means as Vivec. The source of their power is the Heart of Lorkan, hidden deep within the citadel also named Dagoth Ur, in the center of the active volcano Red Mountain. To destroy the Heart, and thus end Dagoth Ur's power and stop the blight, you need to strike the Heart with the hammer Sunder to destroy its shielding, and then finish it with Keening.

Anyways, take the Dwemer artifact to Yagrum Bagarn in the Corprusarium, below the Telvanni tower of Tel Fyr. He will ask you to bring him some books, do everything he says and he'll activate Wraithguard, making it something you can equip; however, this Wraithguard is described as "jury-rigged." It wasn't turned on the way it was supposed to be. When you equip it, you will permanently lose up to 250 of your maximum hit points, so be careful and make sure you can survive equipping it.

Now that you have Wraithguard, you can explore the other citadels within the Ghostgate, find Keening and Sunder, and equip them without suffering several hundred damage per second. Take them and engage in the final battle with Dagoth Ur.

Back to Questions