Four mysterious Aetherium Shards are hidden in the bowels of the Dawnguard of Skyrim. Collect them all to access the Aetherium Forge and forge yourself a brand-new artifact.
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Along the way you'll also get to explore several Dwemer ruins, smash up the dusty robots guarding each place, and run off with their goodies.
How To Begin Lost to the Ages
The Aetherium Shards are part of a new quest in Dawnguard:Lost to the Ages. However, you can snag the shards at any point after you've installed the DLC.
If you pick up an Aetherium Shard before starting Lost to the Ages, a new Identify the Crystal Shard quest will appear in your journal. Clearing this miscellaneous quest—or starting the actual quest, for that matter—just requires reading a copy of The Aetherium Wars.
This book is pretty widely available throughout Skyrim. After reading it, the location of a Dwemer ruin in The Reach, Arkngthamz, is added to your map. Your quest has begun!
Meeting Katria initiates the quest, even if you haven't read The Aetherium Wars. So even if a degree in Elder Scrolls Lore doesn't interest you, just trot over to the dungeon to get started.
Finding each Aetherium Shard requires delving into Dwemer ruins across Skyrim. In addition to Arkngthamz, you'll visit Deep Folk Crossing in The Reach, Raldbthar in The Pale, and Mzulft in Eastmarch before your search is over.
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First Shard: Arkngthamz
After reading The Aetherium Wars, you'll get a waypoint for Arkngthamz and a quest update to visit it and learn more. Once inside, you're threatened—and then welcomed—by the ghost of Katria, a woman who was researching the Aetherium Shards before her untimely demise.
To find Arkngthamz on your own, head southeast from Markarth . If you see the orc stronghold of Dushnikh Yal, you're on the right track—the ruin icon will show up if you keep heading southeast.
Katria's ghost gives tips and advice while you're exploring Arkngthamz. In particular, make sure you snag Katria's Journal when you find her body. Read the journal to add the other shards' locations to your map.
Another gift from Katria is her bow, Zephyr, which is enchanted to fire 30% faster. You'll find it on a log bridge while climbing up the dungeon. It's some of the best loot in the whole quest, so make sure to grab it along the way.
At the end of Arkngthamz, you'll find a puzzle-locked treasure vault. The gate has five tonal resonators that must be hit with arrows or projectile spells.
The resonators are arranged in two horizontal rows. The top row has two resonators, while the bottom row has three.
To open the gate, strike the resonators in the following order:
- Bottom left
- Bottom right
- Top left
- Top right
- Bottom middle
If you get it wrong, Dwemer constructs are released and attack. Even if you're itching to smash more robots, the gate doesn't spawn them forever—eventually it just keeps firing arrows at you for failing.
The chamber inside is filled with treasure, including your first Aetherium Shard! Just three more to go.
Once you've claimed Arkngthamz's Aetherium Shard, you can collect the other shards in any order. Katria's ghost will appear at each location and help you out.
Second Shard: Deep Folk Crossing
Deep Folk Crossing is a landmark northeast of Markarth. This shard's definitely the easiest, since there's no dungeon interior to fuss over.
To retrieve the Aetherium Shard, cross to the north side of the bridge and head up the slope. You'll see the second shard sitting atop the nearby plinth.
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Third Shard: Raldbthar
This Dwemer ruin is one of three entrances to the Blackreach beneath Skyrim. Despite being located in The Pale, the easiest way to reach Raldbthar is to head west along the river from Windhelm.
Once you pass Anga's Mill, head southwest into the mountains. You'll see waypoints for two Dwemer ruins: one is Irkngthand, and the other is Raldbthar.
If you're playing the classic stealth archery build, you might already be familiar with Raldbthar. This ruin is also the location of Alain Dufont for the Dark Brotherhood's quest, Mourning Never Comes, so Friendly Neighborhood Assassins may know it well.
Inside the dungeon, you'll need to fight past bandits and Dwarven constructs. Keep left while you explore, and eventually, you'll climb a stairway that ends in a lift.
This lift takes you to the dungeon's second main area: Raldbthar Deep Market. Keep pushing forward through the traps and constructs, and you'll reach a large chamber with a raised bridge.
Lowering the bridge requires unjamming its gears before pressing the button, which activates the mechanism. The first three are easily visible, but the fourth can be tricky—it's a piece of Dwemer Scrap Metal stuck in a gear underwater.
Hold your breath, dive in, and the bridge will come down. Defeat the Dwarven Centurion, which tries to block your way, and loot the place clean.
The door on the right-hand side of the treasure chamber has your goal: the third Aetherium Shard. Make sure you grab it before taking the lift back to the surface!
Want to visit Blackreach from here? A mechanism in the final room reveals the stairway down, but only if you're carrying an Attunement Sphere.
Fourth Shard: Mzulft
Three down, one to go! One last ruin to visit: Mzulft in the Eastmarch.
Well, actually, you're going into the Dwarven Storeroom next to Mzulft. While part of the same complex, you can't enter Mzulft itself until you've started the quest Revealing the Unseen for the College of Winterhold.
The easiest route to Mzulft is to start at Windhelm, and head due south to Steamcrag Camp. After avoiding the giants, climb east into the mountains, and a Dwemer ruin waypoint will appear before long.
Once inside the Dwarven Storeroom, Katria's ghost helpfully points out the door you'll need to pick open. Inside, the last Aetherium Shard is lying atop a podium.
Using the Aetherium Shards
After collecting the fourth shard, they'll be replaced by the Aetherium Crest in your inventory. Head to the Ruins of Bthalft in The Rift and join Katria on her final quest to reach the Aetherium Forge.
At the end of the dungeon, you'll be rewarded with your choice of artifact
Artifact | Ability |
|---|---|
Aetherial Crown | You can attune two Standing Stone abilities while wearing the crown. |
Aetherial Shield | Give your foes a shield bash and they'll turn ethereal for 15 seconds. |
Aetherial Staff | Use it to summon a Dwarven construct—at high levels, you may get two. |
The best choice will vary depending on your play style. Although turning foes ethereal may seem like a downside, the Aetherium Shield's ability is actually quite strong since the baddies also can't hurt you—use this to mitigate damage from dangerous foes (like giants), or while you're outnumbered.
You can only forge one quest reward, so choose wisely!
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Skyrim
10/ 10
RPG
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:81/100 Critics Recommend:83%
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS3 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox One X , Xbox Series S , PS4 , PS5 , Switch
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Creation
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Enhanced
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 29 GB (December 2023)
- Metascore
- 73
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
