The College of Winterhold is a huge school of magicians that is located in the northeastern part of Skyrim, near the border with Morrowind. It is in this place that the various secret arts of Skyrim are studied. Wizards of the College of Winterhold spend entire days practicing spells and reading library books. The residents of Winterhold themselves, to put it mildly, are not too fond of the local academy of magicians, and there are reasons for this - fifty years ago, half of the city was washed away by a huge wave, but the College of Winterhold was somehow miraculously able to survive.

You don’t have to study any complex magic to become an Archmage - just the initial spells are enough. Based on this, the road to the College of Magicians is accessible to any beginner and foreigner.

First lessons

In order to become not just a good magician, but a magnificent magician, you need to go to the College of Mages, which is located in Winterhold. As the inhabitants of the province of Skyrim themselves say: “There is a lot of magic here.” But before you begin your training at this prestigious institution, you need to master a couple of simple spells.

Advice: It's best to visit the Winterhold College of Mages as soon as possible - if you visit later, then the "entrance" tests that Faralda requires you to take may require much more mana than originally required, so you will have nothing left to do except pump up your current mana supply.

So, let's get to the point. To begin your training with the coolest magicians of Skyrim, you must first get to Winterhold, and then go to the large stone bridge, which leads directly to the College of Mages. Immediately near the bridge you will meet a girl named Faralda - she is accepting new students.

When you ask Faralda, let you through, she will ask you to take a short magic test, or if you have developed eloquence, then you can convince her that you will be extremely useful for the College of Mages. If everything is clear with the persuader, then nothing is yet unknown with the test. The essence of this exam is that you will need to show your magical abilities - that is, show several spells. As soon as you do what she tells you, then she will take you inside the College of Magicians all the way to Mirabella Erwin. Mirabella, in turn, will give you a short tour of this place, after which she will send you to listen to a speech for beginners from Tolfdir.

Once you listen to the old magician speak, the students will require practice. At this point, Tolfdir will ask whether it is worth carrying out the practice or not. But why not? Let's support the rest of the students of the College of Magicians. First, old Tolfdir will test your ability to use protective magic. You will need to stand in the indicated place, then activate the spell and hold it for some time. You can use a spell called "Small Amulet". As soon as you put up your barrier, Tolfdir will throw a fire spell at you once, after which the practice will be over.

The note: It is best to save before training begins, since a bug is possible if during training you do not catch the fireball, the task may simply “get stuck”.

Next, Tolfdir informs all students that it will be necessary to gather near a place called Saarthal, where the College of Mages is engaged in excavations. At this stage, joining the College of Mages of Winterhold is over and it’s time for you to go to the indicated place.

In the depths of Saarthal

Traveling to a place called Saarthal, you eventually meet old Tolfdir near the entrance to this mysterious place. After waiting for the rest of the students (if necessary), go inside this tomb. Tolfdir gives the order for everyone to start searching for artifacts that could be of some use to the College of Mages, but during these searches he still doesn’t say something. If you ask Tolfdir what you should do, then he will send you to Arnel Gein, who could use some help in finding some magical artifacts. Well, let's now go to Arnel Gein. Upon arrival at this NPC, he tells you that you need to examine the rooms in the northern part of the tomb. There you will have to find the four indicated items.

The note: In this task, when you find yourself in Saarthal, never close the doors behind you, since Tolfdir is so old that he sometimes forgets that he knows how to open them.

On the left side of Arnel there will be a locked passage on which a strange and apparently ancient amulet will be attached. So, take off this little thing and you will have Saarthal's amulet in your inventory. At some point, the grate will close behind you and, as a result, you find yourself in a kind of trap. Soon Tolfdir comes running up to you - talk to him. He tells you that in order to get out of the trap, you will need to somehow use the amulet you found. Put this amulet on yourself and the once closed door begins to emit an incomprehensible magic.

At this stage, Tolfdir again continues to instruct you with his tips. This time he tells you that you may have acquired some new abilities. Now it's time to use your Flame spell on the locked door. In the end, under the onslaught of this magic, the wall collapses and the passage becomes open. Go further and move forward along the tunnel. Tolfdir will follow you. As soon as you find yourself in the hall, an unknown person named Nerien soon appears in front of you. At the same moment, everything around you changes to black and white colors. At this moment, an unknown person named Nerien visits you and says that he is from the very ancient Psijic Order and that everyone is in great danger, but his entire order believes in you, that you can protect everyone from a future threat . In the end, this unknown person disappears. Your vision, despite the long duration, in reality was completely invisible, so old Tolfdir could not see anything, much less hear, so he will need to tell him about what just happened.

Of course, after such news, Tolfdir is very surprised, because no one has heard anything about the Psijic Order for quite a long time. Once you've shared your knowledge, move on. At some point, you stumble upon a hall with tombs, where the undead attack you. You'll have to stretch their old bones a little, so give them a beating. As soon as they are finished, a passage opens for you - go through it. You will find yourself in a round room in which draugr will attack you from all sides. As soon as you fight them off, on the opposite side of the hall, activate the two chain levers that are located on the sides of the grate and then go into the passage that has opened for you. Now the doors to the “heart” of Saarthal are finally open, so quickly move deeper. At the same moment, Tolfdir goes somewhere on his “important” business.

The further path is constantly interrupted by draugr, who constantly attack you, but they are not as strong as you, so they should not give you problems. Move to the iron doors that are located near the chest. Ahead you will soon be able to see a passage that is blocked by a grate and a nearby lever. There will also be columns on which animals will be depicted. There are clues on these columns that can help you. If you look at the lever on the left side, then set the following hieroglyphs: bird, snake and fish. On the right side there will be: fish, bird and bird. Now you can pull the lever and move on. Finally, go through the iron doors and kill another pack of draugr, then go up the log stairs. There will be doors here - enter. Next, turn to the right and here be extremely careful, as there are magical and very dangerous traps on the floor here!

At some point you will come across a new grate with a secret. This time everything will be a little more complicated, since when you rotate some columns, other columns will also rotate, but still, as usual, everything works according to a special principle: the column that is located on the left side will rotate the columns on the right side; another column on the left side will rotate the other three columns; the column on the right side (the first one) - one will rotate, that is, it will not cling to the others in any way; second column on the right side - will rotate the first column on the right side. Now it's time to make all the columns rotate in correct sequence. The order looks like this: first place the fish on the left side in the desired position, then the snake on the left side, then the bird on the right side and finally place the fish on the right side in the correct position.

Now you can finally pull the lever. After the grate opens, move on and at some point old Tolfdir catches up with you. There will be iron doors ahead - open them. As soon as you pass through them, you see an unusual sight: a huge rotating sphere, which is guarded by a very strong drurg named Yurik Goldurson. You will have to defeat this Boss. At first everything will not be so simple, since ordinary weapons do not damage him, but at some point Tolfdir casts a strange spell on this huge sphere, after which this strong draugr becomes vulnerable to weapons, so now you can easily defeat his. As soon as you kill the draugr, take the Gauldur amulet from its body along with the sealing document. If you read this letter, then you will activate additional task called "Forbidden Legend".

Finally, you can get out of this gloomy dungeon. Near this huge sphere there are doors that will lead you out of here. In addition, there will also be a word of power on the wall, so don’t forget to study it. Exit through the doors on the left side. At some point, you will need to open the next grate by first pressing the handle on the left side. Eventually, you find yourself at the very beginning of this tomb. Go back to Fresh air and quickly move back to the College of Mages of Winterhold. Upon arrival back at the College, move to the chambers of the local Archmage and tell him about what happened in Saarthal. As soon as Savos Aren listens to you carefully, he will send you to Urag gro-Shub. At this point the task is completed and the next task begins.

Library books

It's time to go see Urag gro-Shub, so go down to the Arcaneum. After talking with this orc, he will tell you that he cannot help you in any way, since the books that contained the necessary information were stolen by one of the students named Orthorn. He will also tell you that this thief fled to a fortress called Fellgolow.

Well, it’s time to find this thief and at the same time return the stolen books. Right at the exit you are stopped by a character named Ancano - he is a very arrogant and self-confident elf, moreover, he is also an adviser to the Archmage. In general, he begins to ask you very suspicious questions about what happened in Saarthal.

Anyway, head to Fellglow Keep. Outside you will notice a couple of very chatty sorcerers. Kill these renegades and make your way inside the dungeon. There will also be magicians and sorcerers inside, so be careful. Along the way, you can also free the vampire who was locked in one of the cells, and after being freed, she will fight with you against the magicians.

In the end, in the circular hall you can find Orthorn, who will be locked in one of the cells. You can open this cage using the nearby lever. As soon as you free this thief, find out from him about the stolen books. He will tell you that they were stolen from him. After this news, you can either order the thief to escape, or order him to help you in your future business. To be honest, Orthorn is no fighter at all, and magical abilities also don’t provide any benefit.

Continue moving further through this dungeon and along the way kill various evil spirits along with the magicians. Eventually you will reach the doors to Fellgolow Fortress. Go inside and quickly kill everyone you see here. In one of the rooms there will be a Berenziah stone (it is also an Unusual stone). Overall, keep moving forward. Soon you reach the local ritual hall. Here you will meet a certain “Caller” - talk to her. If your eloquence is well enough developed, then you will be able to negotiate to give you the books, thereby avoiding a fight, but you can also, in the old fashioned way, kill everyone who is here. The most important thing: take the key to the ritual hall from the corpse of the Caller.

On the pedestal there will be the following books that need to be picked up: “Night of Tears”, “The Last King of the Ayleids” and a fragment “About Artaeum”. As soon as you take these items, you can say goodbye to the thief Orthorn, if you have not previously ordered him to save himself. Using the previously taken key, you can open the locked doors and get out of this place using the hatch. Then all you have to do is lift the bolt on the doors and go to the doors, which in turn lead back to Skyrim.

After getting out of this place, return back to the College of Mages of Winterhold to Urag gro-Shab. Return the books to this orc and he, in turn, will very generously reward you for a job well done. Since the task is completed, return back to Tolfdir, who will give you a new task.

Good intentions

Go to the old town of Tolfdir. You will find him studying the previously found sphere. He is trying to figure out the symbols that are drawn on it. He says that these symbols are not familiar to him, since the language does not belong to any of the languages ​​he knows. At some point Ancano barges into your conversation. This arrogant elf very rudely interrupts Tolfdir and tells him in a commanding tone to follow him. Ancano is interested in the Psijic Order, since one of their representatives came to the College of Mages. Go with Ancano to the Archmage's chambers and talk there with a Psijic named Quarnir. At some point the world pale again and Ancano and the Archmage simply freeze together.

In general, Quarnir tells you that you have found a very powerful and no less powerful sphere. The name of this sphere is the Eye of Magnus. And the most important thing is that as long as this ball is in the College of Magicians, it will pose a huge threat and danger, since someone can use it for evil. In order to get more information about this ball, you will need to go to a certain Augur of Daylensky, who was also once a member of the College of Magicians.

For the others who were present in this room, the conversation never began. Ancano, in turn, is completely furious, because he does not know what is happening. Psijic only tells him that he has the wrong address and calmly leaves from here. Now it’s time to ask Archmage Arena about the Augur. He will tell you that these were supposedly stories that Tolfdir composed. Now it's time to go to Tolfdir and find out about your goal from him. Ask him the same questions. The old man goes to a place called Midden, which is located directly below the College of Mages. Tolfdir will tell you that Augur's pursuit of a very powerful artifact did not lead to anything good.

You can get to a place called Midden through a hatch, which is located right in the courtyard of the College of Magicians. Finding your target will not be difficult, but keep in mind that along the way you will still come across a couple creepy monsters. Once you find the Augur in a place called Midden Darkness, you will see something incredible. All that remains of the Augur is the energetic part, after talking with it, it becomes clear that Ancano’s plans are not destined to come true and that all his ideas are doomed to failure. The Augur also tells you that you need to find the Staff of Magnus. The Augur sends you to chat with Savos about this topic.

Archmage Aren sends you to find out all the details from Mirabella Erwin, and he also gives you a magician’s hoop. This ends the current quest and begins another new quest called “Discovering the Unseen.”

Discovery of the invisible

Now go to Lady Mirabella and talk to her about the Staff of Magnus. It turns out that she was already somehow interested in this subject, and the magicians from the Synod were interested. The most interesting thing is that they mentioned a certain Mzulft, where they were going to start searching for the Staff of Magnus. Based on this, it’s time for you to go to this place. Mzulft is a Dwemer ruin. Going inside, you find a certain Gavros Pliny, who is a member of the society of magicians of the Synod. More importantly, he is already dying, but still manages to tell you about Parata, which is located in the Oculatory. Take the notes and the key to Mzulft from the dying magician, and then move deeper into these Dwemer ruins.

Open the doors using the key you received and move deeper into this place. In the future, you will have to go through many different rooms, doors and halls, simultaneously killing local residents such as Dwemer spiders. Eventually, you will reach a mine with coruses, behind which there will be other ruins. You will need to get to the section called Mzulft-Steam Engines. It is in this place that you will have to fight the Falmer. Move through caves and halls that are separated by doors. In any case, you will reach Mzulft. Here, try to be extremely careful, since one of the killed Falmers has a focusing crystal, which you will have to return for if you do not immediately take it with you.

In the large hall, move to the left door, but it will soon turn out that it is locked, so we go through the doors on the opposite side. Eventually, you find yourself in the room where the Dwemer centurion is located. After killing him, examine the chest that is located here. Inside this chest is the key to the Mzulft Oculatory. Taking this key, you can return back to the forbidden doors, and you can open them using the previously found key. Having opened the doors, climb to the top, where you come across new doors. Trying to open these doors is futile. A voice is suddenly heard behind the doors. It turns out that this is Parat Decimius. Having opened the doors for you, he mistakes you for the deceased Gavros. After a short dialogue, tell him that Gavros died and if you took the focusing crystal, then you should immediately tell Parat about it. As soon as you talk to him, you go together to the Oculatory room.

The previously found crystal must be placed in the Dwemer sphere. After that. Once you insert it, the crystal will also have to be focused. It is necessary to obtain an effect in which rays of light will fall into the green circles that are located on the large dome. The “Flame” spells along with “Frostbite” will help you in this matter. If you still don’t know these spells, then near the control buttons there will be two volumes with the necessary spells. You will need to use flame and frostbite alternately, and you will have to influence the sphere until the rays point exactly to the middle of the three rings that are located on the dome. As soon as you do this, you will need to rotate the rings using the buttons, thereby adjusting the green circles to your rays. Eventually the rays will be reflected.

At some point, Parat begins to talk about how the light is not going as expected. He notices that some interference is happening and even finds out where it comes from - Winterhold. Parath claims that the College of Mages of Winterhold is hiding something powerful. Soon Decimius informs you that you can find the Staff of Magnus in a dungeon called “Labyrinthian”. He also threatens that he will come to the College for the Council. By the way, you can remove him so that he doesn’t say anything unnecessary to anyone.

Now it's time to talk with Archmage Aren, so leave this place quickly. In the corridor to the Oculatory, turn to the right towards the doors. At some point, you are unexpectedly visited by one of the Psijic Order. He tells you a couple of very mysterious things and then disappears no less mysteriously. Now go back to the expanses of Skyrim and quickly return back to the College of Mages. As soon as you enter the Hall of Elements, you see very scary and unknown things. The room will be filled with magicians, and Archmage Aren himself is located near the arch along with Mirabella.

Savos orders Mirabella to remove this enchantment, which she assumes was cast by Ancano himself. After talking with Archmage Savos, he tells you that he is unable to explain what is happening now and urgently asks for your help. At the same moment, Mirabella lifts the spell and you can again enter the Hall of Elements. It turns out that this is true - Ancano is actually trying to do something with this ball, but with the help of unknown magic. At one point, Archmage Aren tries to prevent what Ancano is doing and approaches him, after which a huge outbreak occurs, after which Mirabella remains wounded, and Savos disappears without a trace. This ends the current task and begins a new one called “Elimination of Consequences”.

Elimination of consequences

On behalf of the wounded Mirabella, it is time to begin the search for the lost Archmage Arena. Go outside. All the magicians gather at College Square. Immediately you need to talk to Tolfdir and tell him about what Ancano is doing. The old man tells you that you don’t have to look for Savos, since he died and despite all efforts, Winterhold is in danger. It's time for you to go to protect what's left of this town. On the way to the village you meet Faralda, who, if you wish, can join you and help clean up the village.

The note: Sometimes it happens that one of the creatures that attacked the village is lost, so in this case you need to leave the territory of Winterhold and then return back using fast travel, or try to find this creature using the cheat command "tcl" .

You have to destroy more than a dozen magical creatures that attacked this place. After you kill everyone, go back to Mirabella and talk to her. She will tell you that you need to find the Staff of Magnus as soon as possible. Answer and go to a place called "Labyrinthian". In addition, the wounded girl will also tell you that Archmage Aren was aware that someday he would have to go there and for this he left a couple of things that will undoubtedly be useful during the search. The wounded Mirabella gives you the Door Ring along with the amulet of Archmage Arena himself. At this stage, the current quest ends and a new quest called “The Staff of Magnus” begins.

Staff of Magnus

Leave the College of Magicians and quickly go to the indicated place. Near the entrance you will meet the ghost of Archmage Arena. Judging by the fact that no one sees you and the current Savos has a beard, these are ghosts of days gone by. In general, they all go inside the dungeon and use the Door Ring that Mirabella gave you earlier.

As soon as you go inside, you will see ghosts inside, and from their conversation it becomes clear that they came here for one artifact, besides this, the magicians think that there is nothing dangerous inside. Well, move on. Eventually, you reach a passage that is blocked by bars. You can open the passage using the ring on the wall on the left side.

Advice: If you find it extremely difficult to defeat the bone dragon, then you can return back to the narrow passage. In this case, the dragon will not be able to pass, and you will be able to attack this monster without any problems.

Go further into the large hall, where you are already greeted by a huge bone dragon along with a company of low-level undead. After killing all the enemies, move further through this dungeon and at some point you will need to go down. Soon you see ghosts again, of which there are already noticeably fewer. There is a carved tablet right there on the pedestal - read it. The found tablet glorifies a certain city called "Bromunar". After this, turn to the right, go a little further and find yourself in the abyss. Immediately you hear a very strange voice. At some point you will be attacked by a frost spirit, so be careful. On the opening from which the frosty spirit came out, use a spell called “Flame,” but if you don’t know it, then you can find the volume with it on the pedestal on the right side.

Eventually, a passage further opens for you. Now go lower and soon you will hear a strange voice again. Immediately the draugr will suddenly attack you. After the massacre, a strange voice is heard again in a language unknown to you. Move on and kill all the draugr along the way. At some point, a voice addresses you calling you Aren. Upon entering the Gallery, open the gate in the form of a lattice and move on. In the end, you find yourself near a huge arch, where there will also be an extended grate. Immediately the voice understands that you are not Aren. You can open the grill using the lever on the left side. Having opened the gate, you have to fight with evil spirits. As soon as you reach a closed passage, a fiery spirit comes out at you, and a voice at that moment tells you of imminent death. After killing the spirit, go to the passage and use the Frostbite spell on it. If you don’t know this spell, then there will be a volume with it lying nearby - use it.

Continue on and go through the bars on the left side. Here you again meet projections of ghosts, of which there are already three, however, they still have not stopped their search, despite the fact that they have already lost a bunch of their friends. Having gone a little further, you meet a bunch more evil spirits that will attack you. At the same time, the voice threatens you with death even more. Once you reach the hall where the grate is located in the floor, turn to the right and go through the doors to the local Grandstand.

As soon as you find yourself inside, move through a very narrow cave, still killing the draugr along the way. Opening the wooden doors, you will find yourself in a corridor that is shot through with magical pillars. Here you need to get to the stairs on the left side, which will be located in the stone tower. Eventually, you will find yourself near a cave descent. Get down and move to the right. Here you will come across an iron gate. Open them and study the new word of power that will be located on the wall here.

Continuing to move forward, you soon find yourself in a new room, where you again see projections of ghosts. Turn left and open the iron doors. After passing through these doors, you find yourself in a huge cave, in which you will see how two magicians are somehow still influencing the magical barrier, inside of which there is a certain Morokei. Since he is protected by a barrier, there is no way to reach him. Therefore, you will need to kill the wizards whom he enslaved, since it is they who hold this barrier. As soon as the magicians die, you can kill Morokei. From the corpse of this monster you can take the same Staff of Magnus along with Morokei's mask.

Advice: If the battle with Morokei has become too difficult for you, then we recommend that you use the same tactics with him that you once did with the bone dragon: hide in some corridor and attack him from there without leaving your shelter.

Now it's time to go back to the College of Magicians and Tolfrid. You can leave here through the iron doors, which are located immediately on the right side of the waterfall. Climb up the steps and turn to the left side of the stairs, then go down the adjacent stairs. In addition, along the way you will also find a chest with all sorts of things. Passing through the doors you meet a projection of Savos, who is left completely alone. On wooden doors, lift the bolt and move on, then use the lever to lift the grate in front.

At some point, Estorma, who is the girlfriend of the scoundrel Ancano, unexpectedly comes out. She came here on his instructions to take the Staff of Magnus from you. Well, you can finally finish off a couple of Thalmors, so kill her. After a little carnage, go higher up the stairs. Having stumbled upon the next doors, remove the bolt on them and move on. If you finally get out into the fresh air, go quickly to the College of Magicians. When you arrive there, talk to Tolfird. From him you learn that Mirabella fell in the fight with Ancano, but now, having taken out the Staff of Magnus, you can return to Ancano and put an end to all his actions.

Eye of Magnus

The road to the College of Magicians will be blocked by an unknown barrier, but since you have a powerful anti-weapon, it will not be difficult for you to dispel it! Once the barrier is destroyed, go to the Hall of Elements and defeat Ancano. The self-confident elf thinks that you cannot defeat him. At this point, Tolfdir recommends that you use the staff on the Eye of Magnus. Take the Staff of Magnus in one hand, and a sword in the other hand, and direct the energy of the staff to the Eye of Magnus. As a result of your actions, Ancano is left without protection, so kill him quickly.

After you kill this scoundrel, talk to Tolfdir, who tells you that he doesn’t know what to do next. At some point, you are visited by one of the Psijic Order, who says that he is taking the Eye of Magnus, since the world, as well as the College of Mages, are not ready for such power.

Tolfdir at the same moment gives you the Archmage’s clothes and the key to his chambers. You now stand as the head of the College of Mages of Winterhold. This ends the chain of tasks and adventure for the magicians of Skyrim.

The College of Mages rises as a gloomy stronghold in the northeast of Tamriel, and is the territory of the province of Winterhold. As the inhabitants of the stronghold say, the glory of Winterhold is a thing of the past, but the College is still alive.

Background

The College of Winterhold has long been a powerful group of hermit magicians who have devoted their lives to studying the mysteries of the universe. As the main attraction of the capital of Skyrim, the College rarely attracted knowledge hunters. Not every guest dared to visit the guild due to the innate hostility of the peoples of the north towards everything magical.

The reputation of the College was also spoiled by a mysterious storm that raged off the coast of Winterhold. Giant waves tore rocks to pieces, and part of the town’s buildings disappeared into the abyss of the Phantom Sea. In addition to the surviving street, the College also remained intact, which gave rise to a number of rumors and discontent against the magicians. However, they do not confirm their involvement in the cataclysm that began with the eruption of Red Mountain, but they do not refute the rumors.

Nevertheless, stories quickly cross all of Skyrim, the College of Winterhold is entwined with gossip, like a thick web. Only lonely magicians who meet along the way by chance can say a kind word about the Academy.

Walkthrough

Fans of the game Skyrim will remember the College of Winterhold for a number of ornate quests that send the player to various interesting locations populated by mysterious creatures, dangerous opponents and unexpected turns of events.

And yet, how to get into the College of Winterhold? To gain access to the chain of quests related to this location, you must show your own interest in magic anywhere in Skyrim. The closest suitable character is the court mage in Dragonsreach, royal castle Whiterun city. The sorcerer will advise Dovahkiin to contact the most suitable organization to realize his witchcraft potential. The Winterhold College of Mages is just the right option.

After receiving the desired task to visit the College of Winterhold, all that remains is to get to the northeastern part of the continent, overcoming the delights of the harsh Nordic nature, such as constant snow storms, wolves seeking to attack, forest robbers lurking behind every bush and, of course, dragons.

The adventure begins

The quests of the College of Winterhold are interesting and varied, but there is no need to rush to step onto the threshold of the majestic Academy. Dovahkiin has the opportunity to talk with local residents, find out what the guests of the Frozen Hearth eatery are gossiping about, look at Birna's goods in the store named after her, explore the surviving buildings of Winterhold and visit the local jarl.

In this location there is a possibility of a dragon attack, so Dovahkiin is strongly recommended to look at the sky and observe the behavior of the local guards. The latter may not be numerous, but from the guards running back and forth it is easy to understand that somewhere in the frosty fog of the northern night a giant winged monster is flying towards the city. In a battle with this, all means are good: from the available weapons to dragon screams.

Walking forward along the only street, the hero will come across the Dunmer Faralda, meeting with whom will mark the end of the first task offered by the College of Winterhold quests.

Lesson one - prove that you are worthy

The guard is standing there for a reason; her task is to guard the entrance. She will only let in when the person entering demonstrates the presence of his own magical skills. The player needs to use one of the spells of any school of magic or one of them to make the elf understand that this is Dovahkiin himself.

Faralda will guide the hero across a long, narrow bridge hanging over an abyss, at the bottom of which the waters of the Phantom Sea wash the remains of collapsed supports. Without them, the bridge is held together by magic. Let him be free - welcome.

The College's courtyard is notable for the presence of a statue of a woman greeting a student with wide open arms. Next to the statue there is a well, emitting upward streams of shining magical energy as a symbol of the bright essence of a true magician, striving upward for enlightenment, knowledge and the stars. The entrance to the main hall of the fortress is crowned by the Eye as a symbol of wisdom and hidden knowledge.

Mirabella Erwin stands at the door, the dialogue with whom will boil down to a verbal blitz tour of the College, as well as a story about some of the guests of the fortress. She will direct the Dragonborn to the Hall of Elements for Tolfdir's lecture. Here you can also meet the meticulous Thalmor Ancano, always pestering you with various questions. Sometimes the archmage himself walks in the courtyard, greeting new students. The sorcerer teaches a lesson with several more students, who every now and then offer the master to move from boring theory to entertaining practice. After several variations of learning and casting spells, the quest will be completed.

Dungeons await!

Old man Tolfdir offers an unusual adventure in the form of a foray into excavations ancient city Saarthal, where the storyline of the next quest takes place. You will have to explore the ruins of an ancient Nordic settlement not alone, but together with students and the master himself, who will immediately tell the history of this place.

It turns out that Saarthal was once one of the settlements of the Nords, until the snow elves carried out a bloody massacre, killing almost all the inhabitants except Ysgramor and his children. Ysgramor is known as the renowned hero of Skyrim, the leader of the Nordic ancestors who once landed on the northern shores of Tamriel. It is assumed that they were looking for some powerful artifact, knowledge of which has been lost. The robbery remained in the memory of generations under the name “Night of Tears”; it is described in a book with the same name.

Dovahkiin is tasked with helping one of the researchers from the College collect valuable things. On the way you will come across several rings and a unique amulet, designated as the Amulet of Saarthal, touching which will cause the distortion of a piece of the wall located near the player. Using the master's hint, Dovahkiin needs to cast a spell that can bring down the wall.

Suddenly, time stops, and a mysterious figure in a robe appears to the Dragonborn. She introduces herself as Nerien. An unknown guest will warn the player about an impending global catastrophe, the mechanism of which was set in motion by the magicians of the College of Winterhold. When the obsession disappears, the dialogue with Tolfdir will shed some light on the mysterious guest. In particular, the teacher will ask in detail about the vision and tell a short story about the Psijic Order - a group of sorcerers from the island of Artaeum who chose hermithood to follow the "old ways" of ancient magic - forgotten mystical treatises, intentionally or accidentally hidden from the eyes of mere mortals.

While master Tolfdir is narrating, the sarcophagi located nearby suddenly open up, revealing their unpleasant insides - two draugr (the walking dead) attack the main character. One of the sarcophagi, as it turns out later, is a door behind which lies the path along which Dovahkiin and Tolfdir will follow. Further exploration of the abandoned ruins of the Nords, inhabited by the same walking dead, will lead the magicians to a large room, the center of which is occupied by a large rotating sphere, surrounded by a mystical glow.

The slightest approach to the artifact awakens the guard - a draugr named Yurik Goldurson - a dead man who, during his lifetime, was the son of the Archmage in the service of King Harold. The battle with the boss is not so simple, because the dead man uses the Dragon Cry, which can throw the enemy a long distance, and he is also protected by the sphere itself. Suddenly Tolfdir attempts to attack the sphere, the draugr loses contact with the object and becomes vulnerable. Part of the amulet will drop from the killed boss, the remaining pieces are stored in the tombs of his brothers, and their souls guard the tomb of their father.

Master Tolfdir has neither the slightest idea about the nature of the find, and further conversation with the archmage at the College will lead Dovahkiin to a librarian named Urag gro-Shub.

Arcaneum

This is the name of the library where the protagonist will go to complete the next quest in the game Skyrim. The College of Winterhold, according to the librarian, does not have the necessary literature to identify the find. Therefore, Urag will invite Dovahkiin to get into the necromancers’ fortress, located nearby, to return the books stolen from Arcaneum.

The fight with a small group of sorcerers of the Fellglow fortress will not cause any particular difficulties, except for the summoning of ice atronachs by one of the magicians.

You need to take the following volumes from the shelf:

• Night of Tears;
• The Last King of the Ayleids;
• Fragment: About Artaeum.

Find Augur

Tolfdir never ceases to admire the unique find; he works day and night trying to read the unknown symbols cutting the sphere lengthwise and crosswise. The dialogue with the master is interrupted by the elf Ancano, who reports about a stranger demanding an audience with Dovahkiin in the chambers of the archmage. A hooded stranger waits in the room, looking like a strange visitor to the ruins of Saarthal. The Psijic stops time to tell the hero important information about the Eye of Magnus (this is the name of the artifact) and the danger of putting it into action. The guest suggests finding a certain Augur of Dunlane at the College to get answers to a lot of questions. When the spell wears off, Quaranir tells Ancano that he made a mistake and leaves. The Thalmor is suspicious of everything and vows to follow Dovahkiin’s every move.

The search for the mentioned master leads the hero to the Midden location, located in the dungeons under the College, which can be accessed through a hatch at the main entrance. The underground passages are inhabited by ice spiders, snow trolls and several ghosts. Separately, mention should be made of a unique place - the Atronach Forge, which is capable of creating a special item - the Staff of the Atronachs. Not far from the forge, in the “Darkness” location, the protagonist finds a huge beam of light, which is the goal of the Dragonborn’s search.

The Augur of Dunlane was once one of the best magicians of the College of Winterhold, but a failed experiment led to his disincarnation. Deprived of a corporeal shell, the master exists in the form of a beam of light in the Midden. The sorcerer reports that before many people came who wanted to know the secret of the Eye of Magnus, and now Dovahkiin must stop one of the Academy members who is going to put the artifact into action. The Augur advises you to find the Staff of Magnus and talk to the archmage. After which the quest is considered completed, and the interlocutor disappears.

Hidden

Questions about the staff among his colleagues will lead Dovahkiin to Mirabella, and the girl will direct the player to the ruins of the city of Mzulft, located not far from the stronghold of the Stormcloaks, the city of Windhelm, to complete the next quest offered by the College of Winterhold. The key to the ruins is located nearby: in the hands of a dying researcher, who mentions his colleague and a certain structure underground.

Wanderings through the gloomy dungeon are complicated by the Falmer - local inhabitants who periodically annoy Dovahkiin either with a poisoned arrow fired from the darkness or with a sudden attack from around the corner. One of the Falmers encountered has the necessary quest item - a Focusing Crystal. As a result, the player ends up in Oculatoria - an old Dwemer building, the mystery of which is unsuccessfully tried to unravel by another researcher, who agrees to help only after learning about the Crystal.

By installing the crystal and manipulating the directions of the rays using elemental magic - fire and flame - the beam is divided into three beams and projects an image on the wall - a map of Tamriel. But the researcher is dissatisfied with the result, he reports that the image should not be so small, and declares that a certain powerful object is located on the territory of the College of Winterhold. However, upon completion of the quest, he reveals the location of the Staff of Magnus - the ruin of Labyrinthian.

Leaving Mzulft, Dovahkiin again encounters Nerien, who will talk about the need to return to the College.

There is panic in the hall of the College of Elements, Mirabella and the archmage are at a loss: the doors of the hall are blocked by a magical barrier, streams of energy throw away anyone who dares to approach. Through the whitish veil emitted by the rotating Eye, the already familiar outlines of a tall figure located next to the artifact are visible - Ancano.

Attempts to destroy the barrier lead to a fight between Archmage Savos and Ancano, but the elf, using the power of the Eye of Magnus, turns the situation to his advantage. The next moment, the hero will wake up not far from the College together with Mirabella, which will mark the end of the quest and the beginning of the next one, which involves eliminating the consequences of a large-scale energy release due to the activation of the Eye of Magnus.

In the courtyard, Tolfdir reports the death of the archmage and the emergence of a threat to the town, and not just the College of Winterhold. The quest continues with the guard Faralda and Anriel. Dovahkiin is sent to the settlement to destroy ten small magical anomalies that look like ghosts. After eliminating them, the hero will receive the Savos amulet and the master key to the Labyrinthian doors from Mirabella.

Magnus' Legacy

Wandering through the long tunnels of the ruins will shed some light on the personality of the archmage: from time to time the Dragonborn will come across the ghosts of Savos Arena and his magician friends who were researching the ruins. In the depths of the catacombs, the dragon priest Morokea is imprisoned, who periodically tries to speak to the hero in an incomprehensible language. Each attempt leads to the depletion of mana and the awakening of crowds of draugr, capable of using Dragon Cry, magic, and also shooting from a bow.

The path to the goal is paved with a number of traps. There are opponents of varying difficulty, as well as the aforementioned voice of Morokea. Closer to the target, ghosts appear again. It turns out that Savos Aren, not without regret, sacrificed the lives of two comrades, imprisoning them in a dungeon so that they could be held with the help of the magic of an ominous dragon priest.

To fight the boss you must first kill the souls of the mages. Morokei himself is the owner of the quest goal - the Staff of Magnus. The Mask of Morokea is also of particular value. At the exit from the Labyrinthian, the hero is ambushed in the form of a Thalmor magician and ally of Ancano, which indicates a well-thought-out conspiracy.

Eye of Magnus

A growing anomaly, generated by a powerful artifact, seems to erase the College from the world map. Now you can only get there on foot. On the spot, Dovahkiin will be informed that the magical barrier is growing. With the help of the Staff of Magnus, the protagonist manages to break through the barrier and enter the Hall of Elements. Passionate about his occupation, Ancano claims that in his hands is power capable of bringing the entire world into oblivion. The use of magic does not give any result, and the elf remains under the protection of the artifact. All that remains is to use the power of the Staff of Magnus on the sphere itself, then the traitor becomes vulnerable to attacks, but periodically the Eye’s protection is restored.

Ancano's defeat triggers the final scene: the appearance of Quaranir and his comrades who decide to place the Eye in a safe place, away from human eyes, where no one can find it. After this, the Eye disappears, and Quaranir informs the Dragonborn about the assignment of the post of head of the College of Mages - archmage. This is exactly the reward that the College of Winterhold presents to the hero for saving the province of Skyrim. The quest chain ends here. Everything turned out to be not so difficult.

College of Winterhold: bugs and notes

• Attacks of dragons of different levels on the College happen quite often - as the player’s level increases. The fight takes place in the courtyard, the magicians are put on combat readiness, but not everyone takes part in the fight, since they still won’t cope without the help of Dovahkiin. Some magicians may come under friendly fire, whose death will make it impossible to receive tasks from the quest chain.
• Even after assigning the position of archmage to the main character, the court magician of Whiterun, along with some of the mages encountered, will not stop offering to join the College of Winterhold.
• The guard Faralda sometimes does not allow the hero to pass even after demonstrating the ability to use magic. There is only one way out - to use the underground passage through Midden.
• While giving a tour of the fortress, Mirabella sometimes simply stops and becomes silent. This quest is a side quest, so it’s better to go straight to Tolfdir for a lesson.
• There are also a number of common bugs that occur throughout the entire Skyrim game. Completing the College of Winterhold is no exception. These include all kinds of mercenaries accompanying the hero getting stuck in doorways, gaps in textures, and periodic disappearance of partners in an unknown direction.

Some mods for the College of Winterhold

A number of author's modifications that transformed the game "Skyrim" (the "College of Winterhold" mod) are available for download on the Internet. Various additions imply change appearance characters (both the inhabitants of the College and the entire game world), as well as replacing standard textures with more picturesque and colorful ones.

A number of mods available to search by keywords“expansion of the College of Winterhold” involves fixing some bugs, reworking the College’s textures, upgrading the behavior model of characters in a given situation, redesigning the appearance according to the character’s level, adding side quests and expanding the set of spells both for sale and for study.

The tendency to “wrap” favorite games with all sorts of mods is far from new, which is why the number of artists exhibiting their creations is incalculable. In addition to the listed mods, there are many others: from introducing characters from various animated universes to completely reworking the game's storyline. Everyone will find something of their own, and connoisseurs of the original game will always remain faithful to the classic version of it.