Skyrim:Shalidor's Maze

Nordic Ruin: Shalidor's Maze (view on map)
# of Zones	1
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	10 days
Occupants
Skeevers, Dremora, Atronachs
Console Location Code(s)
MazeEntrance, MazeStart
Region
Hjaalmarch
Special Features
Word Wall	Dismay

Shalidor's Maze

Shalidor's Maze is a section of Labyrinthian. Its entrance is on the east side of Labyrinthian's outdoor ruin, on the ground level, just east of the mound-like structure containing the ruined dragon priest monument.

Detailed Walkthrough

It contains a maze in the center, a word of power in the rear and various minor treasures. Upon entering through the main entrance and proceeding forward, there can be seen four circular patterns on the ground which will then project four staves through a hole in the center of each of them. These are the staves of Magelight, Fear, Repulsion and Firebolts, each representing a spell from the schools of Alteration, Illusion, Restoration and Destruction respectively. Collecting the staves, one must enter the labyrinth through the front door, using the staff of Magelight on the Alteration Sigil. A gate will lower to your right allowing you to proceed. Do not worry about getting lost as this "Maze" is linear. Watch out for Skeevers in this part. Along the maze, there will be devices called "shutters" built into the corners which may contain treasure or other items. There will be a Destruction sigil at the end of the maze. Use the Staff of Firebolts (or another Destruction spell) on the sigil and the floor beneath will open. Drop down to the bottom.

Head straight and turn right at this corridor and proceed down the hallway. A wall will lower revealing a staircase. Head up and it will lead out of the maze to the side. Turn left and head down the side of the maze and there will be a wall with a word of power for the dismay shout on it (turning right will lead you to the starting point). There is another entrance to the maze on this side. Enter and use the Staff of Fear on the Sigil of Illusion. Proceed through this maze as before. Beware of Ice Wraiths, they can be deadly for low-level characters. At one point in the maze, you will run into a nook with a skeleton lying on the floor. Next to it is a copy of the Conjuration skill book Liminal Bridges. At the end of the maze, once followed to the end, use the Staff of Repulsion on the Restoration Sigil and drop down. At the bottom, directly ahead will be a sphere of magical energy blocking the way. Approach the sphere.

Once close enough to the sphere, you will be teleported to a small magical sphere with a leveled Dremora. Fight the Dremora and once he loses a certain amount of health, the player will be teleported again to the entrance to Shalidor's Maze, as if you entered the entire area again. The Dremora may or may not appear (depending on if you kill him in the magical sphere or not) in front of the character, but there will always be two atronachs which will engage the player. If the Dremora appears as well, killing him will reveal a Diadem of the Savant, which reduces the magicka cost of all spells by 5%. If you want this item, it is recommended not to kill him in the magical sphere.

Notes

• If for whatever reason you do not wish to use the staves, it is possible to jump into the maze from the parapets on the sides; alternatively, simply casting the corresponding spells (if you have learned them) will suffice.
• For a more indepth guide on Shalidor's Maze, read the book A Minor Maze.
• The Diadem of the Savant can also be found on the wood chopping block outside Froki's Shack.
• If you are interested only in the Word of Power you can access it by going around the maze (either left or right).
• This location cannot be independently cleared. It is only shown as cleared because it is considered to be part of Labyrinthian, when the boss Draugr there has been killed. It never adds to your count of cleared locations, and therefore does not contribute to the Delver achievement.
• There are two Nordic style alcoves toward the rear high up on the West & East walls, each of which has a walkway that wraps around in a "U" shape, converging at the Word Wall. On the West side walkway is a chest with random loot, on the East side walkway a Skeleton and leveled weapon. The easiest way to get to them is climb the stairs near the entrance to the West. Use Whirlwind Sprint to get on the West wall (or, to make it even easier, you can simply jump through the small gap behind the stone wall; if, when facing the wall that's blocking your progress to the walkway, you move left, you'll notice a hole between the stone wall and the mountainside which you can clear with a quick jump). Follow that to the chest then keep going climbing over the roof above the Word Wall to get to the Skeleton. The East wall has a blockage that is traversable but a bit tricky. If, while climbing the roof you get caught in the peak, jump toward the North (rear) and you'll come out of it.

Bugs

• In the French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Russian, Polish and Japanese versions of the game, a bug prevents you from finishing the maze. Even if you cast the right spell on the right sigil, nothing happens. Change the game's language to English to bypass that bug.
  • This bug is fixed by version 1.4 of the Official Skyrim Patch.
• If the Dremora gets killed by the player's first hit (like with Devastating Blow perk), the Dremora won't teleport back to the maze entrance and player will get stuck in the Trial of Conjuration zone. ^?
  • Try attacking the Dremora corpse with a melee weapon. This can sometimes allow the player to progress through the quest.
• Sometimes a sigil will not activate, or the Trial of Conjuration zone may not trigger; if this happens, try walking the maze again. ^?
• Your follower may refuse to leave the area after completing the maze. If you dismiss them, they may not return home. This is an issue with all followers that has yet to be patched. Try fast traveling to a nearby location, and your follower should reappear when the game loads. If this doesn't work, PC players may move outside the labyrinth and use the console to move your follower to you (prid [follower's refID] followed by moveto player). They should then follow you around like normal. ^?
• Followers may also remain stuck in the maze before completing it. ^?