Skyrim:Lost Knife Hideout

Cave: Lost Knife Hideout (view on map)
# of Zones	2
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	10 days or 30 days
Level	Min: 6
Occupants
Bandits
Console Location Code(s)
LostKnifeHideout01, LostKnifeHideout02
Region
Eastmarch
Location
Northeast of Ivarstead Southwest of Fort Amol
Special Features
# of Tanning Racks	1
# of Grindstones	1
# of Cooking Pots/Spits	1
Ore Veins
# of Corundum	3
# of Gold	1
# of Iron	4

The entrance to Lost Knife Cave

Lost Knife Hideout is a large, leveled cave system that serves as the hideout for the Lost Knife bandits.

The Lost Knife Hideout is fairly easy to miss from a distance, but can be spotted by looking for the small waterfall-fed pond with harvestable slaughterfish eggs. Two impaled corpses mark the entrance into the cave. It consists of two zones: Lost Knife Cave and Lost Knife Hideout.

Related Quests

Radiant Quests

• Amulet of the Moon: Find the Moon Amulet for Kharjo.
• Dungeon Delving (Bandits): Do a favor by retrieving an item from a bandit hideout.
• Dungeon Delving (Caves): Do a favor by retrieving an item from a cave.
• Harsh Master: Take care of a runaway crew member.
• Kill the Bandit Leader: Do a favor by slaying a bandit leader.

NOTE: Some radiant quests have a sizeable list of possible locations. These quests are not placed on individual place pages, and are instead listed at radiant quest locations.

Interior

Zone 1: Lost Knife Cave

The interior is an earthen cave notable for the stream that runs through it. As you follow it down, you can hear two bandits talking about wrestling a sabre cat that they have caged up. They also mention that someone killed a cave bear with their bare hands. If you wait, one will leave and go on patrol; alternatively, you can just attack immediately. The archer holds the cage key they were talking about. A tanning rack is also available in their watch post. As you continue further, the stream will lead into a large multi-level room. The bottom section is a large lake, the middle is the obvious path forward, and the top is linked by walkways that are unreachable at this time. If you're trying to sneak in, be careful of the rattle traps under the lean-to. As you engage the two bandits on the wooden platform, higher tier archers will also engage you from the upper walkways. Depending on your level, you may not be able to kill them with ranged attacks and will have to wait until later to attack them. A copy of the Two-handed skill book Words and Philosophy and a random leveled bow are sitting on the table on the platform.

If you drop into the lake, you can get back up to the middle section and there is some minor exploring to be done. The bandits have apparently set up a diving board. Along the southern wall near the waterfall, there is a path that leads to a hidden alcove containing a chest and an iron ore vein. Also, there is plenty of salmon to catch in the lake. A bandit may sometimes fall from the top region and pursue you while swimming.

Continuing through the middle section, you'll encounter another bandit along the upward leading path. The whole path is lined with traps, including falling rocks and several rattle traps. Eventually, it'll lead to an intersection, and if you head on the downward path it'll lead to a small barrel storeroom containing two more bandits, a chest, a lot of food, and another iron ore vein. The other direction will lead you upwards into a deeper zone of the hideout, the Lost Knife Hideout.

Zone 2: Lost Knife Hideout

The massive cavern of Lost Knife Cave

Entering the next portion of the cave reveals a far different area that has been built into the bottom section of an old fort. A set of three bandits will attack you from different directions if detected and a fourth may shoot at you from a walkway with no direct path up to it. After killing them, move to the right into a large area used as a kitchen, pantry, and dining area with mounted trophies all around. There is a lot of food, potions, and alcohol in this area. Continuing through to the hallway, a chest can be found in the right collapsed section and up the stairs to the left is a sleeping bandit. A copy of the Heavy Armor skill book Orsinium and the Orcs is sitting on the small table near the bandit. The small alcove before the walkway contains some skooma on the table.

The next room is the toughest in the zone and contains some real dangers, but the two largest ones are locked up. The room is used as a battle pit and various cages, tables, and chairs surround it. If you sneak in, you can hear a bandit marauder taunting them to come into the pit. In one cage, is a live sabre cat that is locked up. Releasing the sabre cat is a viable strategy as it will distract many of the bandits after you engage in battle with them. Make sure you don't unleash it on yourself. However, depending on the level of the bandits, the cat may not last long and may not even kill a bandit. There are several archers and tiers of bandits that attack, but the actual battle pit area itself is sealed with a locked cage door. Once you've killed all the surrounding bandits, you can deal with the bandit leader in the fighting pit. Depending on your level this may be a very difficult chore. The easy strategy is to keep him locked in the pit and practice your archery and destruction magic on him.

Exploring around the area will reveal an augmented loot chest up near the cooking pot and grindstone. There is also an area with a small stream behind the sabre cat cage with a master-locked chest and a corundum ore vein. In the battle pit arena itself, you'll find a gold ore vein. Following the stream and continuing past the arena will lead back to Lost Knife Cave area and to the previously unreachable highwayman archer. Turning right from the wooden platform, one can find a small sleeping area with a random leveled weapon and a chest.

Notable Loot

• Words and Philosophy - Lost Knife Cave on a table on the platform in the large flooded room.
• Orsinium and the Orcs - Lost Knife Hideout on a table near the sleeping bandit.
• Leveled greatsword - Found on the floor near the battle arena.
• Two leveled swords - One found next to the two bedrolls near the arena's exit, and below this lies the other sword in the water behind the waterfalls.

Veins

• Iron Ore: Exterior, to the east of the lake by the entrance.
• Iron Ore: First section, located just downstream of the first guard post campfire.
• Iron Ore: First section, located in the hidden alcove in the lake section.
• Iron Ore: First Section, located in the barrel storeroom.
• Corundum Ore: Exterior, west-northwest of the entrance.
• Corundum Ore: Second section, behind the bridge leading up to the arena.
• Corundum Ore: Second section, along the stream in the alcove behind the sabre cat cage
• Gold Ore: Second section, in the battle pit arena.

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