Bloodmoon:Hircine's Hunt

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You are now irrevocably involved in the Bloodmoon Prophecy and it's a fight for survival. Quest Giver: Korst Wind-Eye in the Skaal Village and/or Hircine while you are asleep Location(s): Skaal Village, Mortrag Glacier Prerequisite Quest: The Castle Karstaag or Siege of Castle Karstaag Reward: One of the following: Spear of the Hunter (guile), the Hunter's Amulet of Strength (strength), the Hunter's Amulet of Speed (speed) ID: BM_WildHunt Suggested Items: Healing Potions, Heal Companion spell, a spare weapon or several armorer hammers (as equipment will be very degraded by the end of the quest) Suggested Level: 40 Difficulty: Hard

The Bloodmoon rises

Quick Walkthrough

1. Speak to Korst Wind-Eye to learn about the Bloodmoon Prophecy (if you aren't a werewolf).
2. Rest somewhere for a while to be taken by the Hunter, Hircine. Be ready, you can not return to town until the end.
3. Enter the Outer Circle of the Mortrag Glacier and find Captain Carius. Team up with him to kill werewolves and find the key to the center gate in a chest (just kill him if you're a werewolf).
4. Leave Carius behind and enter the Inner Circle to find Tharsten Heart-Fang inside.
5. Team up with Tharsten and explore the area. Eventually he will turn into a werewolf and attack you. Kill him and get the key from his corpse (he will turn into a werewolf immediately if you are also a werewolf).
6. Continue onto the Huntsman's Hall where you'll meet, and kill, the frost giant Karstaag.
7. Move to the portal in the north where you'll meet Hircine once again.
8. Select one of the three aspects that you wish to fight. Defeat it in battle.
9. Loot the key from the corpse and exit via the portal.
10. Watch a short cut-scene. Return to Korst and Fort Frostmoth to finish the main quest.

Detailed Walkthrough

This last quest is mostly the same whether you became a werewolf or not during the main quest. The minor differences will be mentioned in the walkthrough below.

Return to Skaal Village

If you are not a werewolf, talk to shaman Korst Wind-Eye in the Skaal Village and he'll tell you about the Bloodmoon Prophecy. The prophecy speaks of a time that occurs once an era where a demon god, the Hunter, will walk the land in company of his Hounds, presumably these werewolves. This time is preceded by three signs. The first sign tells of Fire from the Eye of Glass, which most likely relates to the plume of fire emanating from Lake Fjalding. Second is the Tide of Woe which probably is manifest by the many corpses of horkers found lately along the shore. The third, and final sign, is the Bloodmoon, which is when the moon turns red from the blood of the Hunter's Prey. Just recently, the moon(s) of Tamriel have indeed turned red in color.

After the three signs is something called the Hunter's Game which seems to vary from era to era. The game might involve the hunting of an entire tribe, or just one man. After the hunt, the demon returns to his realm for another era. All that can be done is to await until the Hunter lets it be known who the Prey is to be this time.

If you are a werewolf, skip this step and simply wait for Hircine to contact you.

The Hunter's Game

Hircine's first appearance in person

Since things are quiet for the moment, perhaps now would be a good time to have a nap. You go to sleep in your house in the village (or anywhere else for that matter) but are awakened suddenly by several werewolves surrounding your bed. You are then teleported to Mortrag Glacier into the presence of a Daedra Lord named Hircine (the Hunter) who explains what is happening. You, along with the three people who have disappeared recently (Captain Carius, Tharsten Heart-Fang, and Karstaag), are to be the Prey in the Hunter's Game. Only one of the four will survive the way through the glacier to face the Hunter in battle at the end of the game. Hircine disappears and tells you to find the other three who have already gone ahead of you.

Mortrag Glacier Maze

Proceed forward through the Daedric door to the Outer Ring area. Your objective is to find the way to the center of the maze and the key that opens the gate at the center. Right inside, you'll talk to Captain Carius who suggests that you work together. Agree to travel together, as you could certainly use any help. If you are in your werewolf form, Carius will just attack you on sight so simply kill him. The maze is populated with a number of powerful werewolves, who are much stronger than those you've encountered previously (on 100 difficulty they can hit for 300 damage, shred your shield in no time, and they have several hundred more hit points). The werewolf statues you find can also instantly turn into werewolves (if you have the key in your possession) so be careful as you approach them. Note that levitation is disabled while in the maze. However Jump spells work, allowing the player to reach the top of many ledges.

From the entrance, take the right-hand passage and, after the first werewolf, you will find a chest with a glowing key that will open the gate in the center. The maze is small enough that it won't take too long to find the exit, although you'll have to deal with at least 20 werewolves while making your way there. Once you reach the center, Captain Carius will volunteer to stay behind, while you face the Hunter. Step through the portal to the Inner Circle.

The Inner Circle

As you enter the Inner Circle you will be greeted by Tharsten Heart-Fang, who again suggests that you band together. You will have to fight him in the end, so you can choose to do that now without the presence of other werewolves, or choose to take him on later, trying to get him weakened (or outright killed) by attacks of other werewolves. If you are a werewolf yourself he will transform and attack you on sight. Just around the corner, be careful because as soon as you attack any of the werewolves you see, you will be swarmed by as many as seven werewolves at once. A very difficult fight if you are not ready for it. The werewolves are not very resistant to paralysis, which makes Paralyze a good spell to use.

Continue on until you reach an area with a chest. The chest is empty, but at this point Tharsten exposes his true self as a werewolf and attacks you. Once he dies Hircine's Ring appears in your inventory. Don't forget to loot his corpse and get the key to the next area. Continue on, being careful of werewolves, until you reach another portal to Huntsman's Hall.

Karstaag

Huntsman's Hall

You enter the final area cautiously, not knowing what to expect. The foyer here is the last safe place you'll have to rest until the end of the quest. In the middle of the large hall you'll find the frost giant Karstaag awaiting the Hunter. When he sees you, however, he will attack so be prepared to defend yourself and kill him. You can sneak up on him and land the first, critical blow. The giant is tough, hardy and has 50% Reflect, but is not more difficult than some of the beasts you've already encountered (fire damage will stop his Regenerate Health).

Hircine

After defeating Karstaag, approach the portal and Hircine will once again appear and go into a speech about you becoming his Prey. You are asked to choose the Hunter's most important attribute: strength, speed, or guile. Depending on the choice, Hircine may or may not transform into another creature. The strength form is powerful but slow, the speed form is very fast, and the guile form uses a spear and casts paralyze and burden. As soon as you select one, Hircine will disappear and the Hunter will appear in his place... be ready.

The fight is relatively easy compared to some of the other fights, mostly due to the large space in which to run around. Use ranged attacks or the hit-and-run technique to your advantage. When the Hunter falls, don't forget to loot the corpse. Exit the area from the portal in the northern end and view a nice cut-scene.

Hunter's Reward

The item you are rewarded with is determined by what choice you made with the Hunter before the fight: the Spear of the Hunter (guile), the Hunter's Amulet of Strength (strength), the Hunter's Amulet of Speed (speed).

Return to Korst and Fort Frostmoth

Return to Korst in the Skaal Village to tell him the good news of victory, and of the death of Tharsten. You can also return to Fort Frostmoth, since you have finally found the Captain, who has miraculously survived the ordeal and is back at the fort (assuming that you left him alive in the Outer Circle).

This is the end of the main quest of the expansion, but if you are a werewolf, you may wish to undertake the Rite of the Wolf Giver quest to end your affliction.

Notes

• The werewolves are humanoids so you can use Calm Humanoid for crowd control. A weapon with 1 pt. Calm in 50 ft on Strike can be surprisingly helpful. Silver weapons do double damage.
• With high Acrobatics or a Jump effect, you can jump up to various ledges and platforms to either recover or engage the enemy with ranged weapons or spells and summoned creatures from safety.
• Invisibility, Chameleon and Sneak do not work once a werewolf has become aware of you.
• Karstaag is a creature and susceptible to Calm Creature, if you need a breather or want to land another sneak attack. He also has very high Reflect, be careful what you hit him with.
• After this quest, Blue Dev's Ring of Viewing appears in the main hall of the Skaal Village, inside the mouth of the only Cliff Racer on Solstheim.
• The teleportation into the glacier that occurs during this quest is scripted, and will happen no matter where you happen to be the next time you rest at this point in the quest, even in locations where other forms of teleportation are disabled. One example of a way to use this to your advantage is the Magas Volar shrine that you are transported to by the amulet found in Tel Fyr. Killing the Dremora there will automatically transport you back to Tel Fyr with a brand new Daedric Crescent. But if you cast a Mark spell there before, you can Recall yourself back in and get a second Crescent for free. Only problem is getting out - Intervention spells won't work, and you've already used your only Mark to get in. Well, if you time this quest right, all you need to do is take a little nap, and you'll wake up in the glacier (with a nice new weapon to boot).
• Normal teleportation does not work; if you happen to have finished the Tribunal expansion and possess Barilzar's Mazed Band, one of the Vampire clan amulets, or the Daedric Sanctuary amulet from Tel Fyr, you can equip them and choose to be transported away, but they break this quest because you have no way to get back in.
• If you are a werewolf, but don't want to kill Carius for whatever reason, you can rest until transforming back into a human before entering the glacier and do this quest as such. This might be a good idea if you rely on restore health or silver weapons/calm spells to deal with werewolves as well. It is also possible to spare his life if you simply run from him and reach the gate before the other werewolves kill him.

Bugs

• After defeating Karstaag, you may encounter a glitch where Hircine doesn't appear. You will need to reload a previous save. ^?
• If you don't take Tharsten Heart-Fang with you until you open the empty chest, then return to Tharsten and take him with you, his conversation and his ensuing transformation into a werewolf may not be triggered. ^?
• It is possible to miss Hircine's Ring completely by not taking Tharsten with you
  • This can be fixed by proceeding to the exit in human form, waiting until 9pm, turning into a werewolf and proceeding to the next area (the door will allow you to pass if you are a werewolf, you do not need Tharsten's key). Even if you cannot turn into a werewolf, because you cured the disease before (or due to being a vampire), you can simply pickpocket the key from Tharsten, in which case you will miss the ring as well.

Quest Stages

These Codes can be used along with the Journal Console Command and Quest ID given within the chart to update the quest to a certain point.

Hircine's Hunt (BM_WildHunt)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		Korst Wind-Eye has told me more about the Bloodmoon Prophecy, and the signs that are foretold within. The fire from the lake of ice, the tide of dead horkers. Now the moon itself has turned blood red. He tells me that all that remains is the Hunter's Game.
15		According to legend, the Hunter chooses his Prey from the ranks of Man. Who and how many he chooses varies by the era. Wind-Eye does not know what will happen in the coming days, but he fears the worst.
20		I awoke from my sleep to see werewolves surrounding me, and then blacked out. When I came to my senses, I found myself in a chamber deep in the heart of the Mortrag Glacier, the Daedra Lord Hircine before me.
25		I received a dream from Hircine calling me to join him for his Hunt. When I awoke, I was in the Mortrag Glacier.
30		Hircine spoke to me, telling me that I was to be a part of his hunt. He has gathered the champions of Solstheim--Falx Carius from Fort Frostmoth, Tharsten Heart-Fang from the Skaal, and the frost giant Karstaag--to participate. All of us are to find our way through this glacier, though the others have gone ahead already. Only one of us will survive to face the Hunter in battle. I should continue ahead and see what awaits me.
40		I've encountered Captain Falx Carius, who was brought here after the attack on Fort Frostmoth. He suggests we work together to escape Hircine's prison.
42		I have chosen to work with Carius to escape this place.
44		I have told Carius that only one of us can survive this test, and it must be me. I will have to fight the captain.
49		Carius has died in the Mortrag Glacier.
50		I have found the key that will allow me to proceed through the gate in the center of this maze.
55		As we approached the gate, Carius told me that he can go no further. If I am to finish this fight, I will have to do so alone. He warned me to beware the giant Karstaag, as well as Heart-Fang, whom he does not trust. If I succeed, perhaps Carius will be able to find a way out of this place himself.
60		In the next ring of the glacier, I was greeted by Tharsten Heart-Fang, who has also been brought here by the Daedra Lord Hircine. He believes we should work together to fight Hircine.
62		I have chosen to work with Heart-Fang to defeat Hircine.
64		I told Heart-Fang that, as there could only be one survivor in this deadly game, I could not work with him. He responded that he alone would survive this Hunt, and that it was his birthright to do so. Apparenty, Heart-Fang has the Ring of Hircine, and has used its magic to prolong his life and rule the Skaal for generations. Now, he claims I will have to face him in his "true form."
65		After finding the chest empty, Heart-Fang spoke to me. He told me that he has the key to continue on in the Hunt, and he will do so alone. He also claims to have the Ring of Hircine, and to have had it for many generations. Heart-Fang seems ready to kill me, and claims I must now fight him in his "true form."
66		As I entered the next ring of the glacier, I found Tharsten Heart-Fang. He told me that he alone will continue on in the Hunt, and that this is what he was born to do. He also claims to have the Ring of Hircine, and to have had it for many generations. Heart-Fang seems ready to kill me, and claims I must now fight him in his "true form."
69		Heart-Fang is dead. As he died, the Ring of Hircine disappeared from his finger and appeared in my inventory.
70		On the corpse of Heart-Fang, I have found the second key to allow me to proceed through this maze.
80		I have entered what appears to be the center of the Mortrag Glacier. In it is the frost giant Karstaag, the final participant in Hircine's Hunt.
82		The frost giant Karstaag is dead. I am now the only one that has made it to the final stage of Hircine's Hunt.
85		Hircine has appeared and spoken to me. He says I have proven myself to be a worthy hunter, and that I now will receive the greatest honor he can bestow--to be his Prey. Hircine has also questioned me as to what the greatest strength of a hunter is: strength, speed, or guile. He says that I must choose one of these three.
87		I have chosen Strength as a hunter's greatest asset.
88		I have chosen Speed as a hunter's greatest asset.
89		I have chosen Guile as a hunter's greatest asset.
90		Hircine has accepted my choice, and tells me that for me to face the Daedra Lord himself in battle would not be sporting. Instead, I am to face one of Hircine's Aspects.
92		I have defeated Hircine's Aspect of Strength. I should now try to leave the glacier through the gate.
93		I have defeated Hircine's Aspect of Speed. I should now try to leave the glacier through the gate.
94		I have defeated Hircine's Aspect of Guile. I should now try to leave the glacier through the gate.
100		As I left the glacier, I heard a loud rumbling sound, as if the entire structure were coming down around me. I found myself outside the fallen ice mountain, with Hircine's message echoing in my thoughts. The Hunter has been defeated, but he will return one day to hunt again.

Prev: The Castle Karstaag (human) or Siege of Castle Karstaag (werewolf)

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