Oblivion talk:Clavicus Vile

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Archive 1: June 2006 – January 2010

Fame point[edit]

Sorry if I missed this in the article, but I wanted to know if the player still gets a FAME point if he completes the quest by keeping the Umbra sword (and incurring Clavicus Vile's animosity) instead of gaining the reward of the Mask artifact. I know the Umbra sword doesn't count toward the "artifacts" total, but I wasn't sure about the fame point.71.224.13.163 04:57, 29 January 2010 (UTC)Marcus

nope you don't. I've tested it and now added it to the page, so any doubt should be cleared now — Unsigned comment by 83.89.0.240 (talk) at 23:52 on 1 May 2010

Has anyone had their console freeze after completion of the Clavicus Vile Daedric Quest?[edit]

I'm one of those players who does alot of free forming cave exploring and apparently I found Umbra before I actually got the quest. I killed her and took the Umbra ebony armour which included the quest sword for the daedric quest "Clavicus Vile". I'd just been holding on to it because it was cool and didn't even realize it was a quest item until I decided to go down the daedric quest list and do them all. Well when I got to the Clavicus Vile quest I thought, "oh cool easy, i already have the sword." Turns out that regardless of how i answer the daedric shrine statue, about 5 seconds after I get a journal entry saying the quest is complete, the game completely freezes and I am forced to manually turn off my xbox 360 console. I have tried everything I can think of but it still freezes. I have fast traveled to another city, started a conversation with one of the daedric worshippers, saved the game, paused the game ect. It still always freezes and I figure its a glitch that has something to do with me taking down umbra too early. Unfortunately it was way back far enough in the game that I can't go back to before it happend. I'm really dissapointed because as it stands I therefore cannot complete all the daedric quests and get the last daedric quest. =(


Has this happend to anyone else? Is there a solution? — Unsigned comment by 75.87.122.202 (talk) on 4 February 2010

This is a known bug, it is covered at the bugs section of this article. Downloading the patch will resolve the issue. --Timenn-<talk> 11:23, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

moved from page[edit]

Quickly fast-travel to Chedinhal East Gate. There is a much better chance the game will not crash, Right when you there make a NEW game save.

i just moved this from the article because it dosn't seem very likely(mabye some in-game testing?)--GUM!!! 17:07, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Reflect Damage[edit]

(moved from the article)
  • By reflecting her own damage. If you have got some enchanted armor, rings or other apparel with the Reflect Damage effects, you can use those to make Umbra damage herself, eventually leading to her own death. Fight with her a little, so she would make some blows which would get reflected onto herself, then jump on the pillar, heal yourself, jump back and continue. This tactic may be more efficient than the ranged attacks in case your ranged weapon isn't powerful enough — Umbra's sword is always quite deadly to herself.
This section was getting out of hand again. We already have melee, ranged and magic sections for dealing with Umbra and I really, really don't think we need any more. Apart from anything else, you need a very high level to get the items to make this tactic work and by that point you can kill her easily. rpeh •TCE 17:10, 10 June 2010 (UTC)
Rpeh you're not quite right about high level. You can always brew up a dozen of Reflect damage potions.--ZLOJ 20:35, 3 June 2012 (UTC)

Sword drops through the floor[edit]

I'd like to contribute two things, but don't want to corrupt this nice article. So, dear people who created this nice wiki: feel free to add this info to the article or just delete my text. :)

  • I just spent one hour whacking this girl until she finally collapsed. Unfortunately the sword was neither in her inventory nor on the floor. I dragged her body, just to find that the quest pointer was still locked to her, but the sword was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, I remembered that there was a noclip cheat, and finally found the sword some 50 m below the level.

So, I would recommend adding this bug (and the solution) to the article. Of course, this could happen with any quest, where you need to find an object, that is somewhere in the level, and not just in some container. But in this case, the preceding fight is LONG. You cannot just load, if you can't find the sword. This is really messy.

  • Well, the reason the sword dropped through the floor... it might have something to do with a small exploit. :) At some point, Umbra ran into this little hole (behind the square stone) on the left-hand side of the heap of debris at the southern wall, and she got stuck there. In fact, I think, enemies get stuck all the time in this particular building block of Ayleid ruins. So this is a really nice spot to kill her. — Unsigned comment by 158.64.77.118 (talk) at 22:08 on 22 August 2010
This happens frequently if you kill someone while they are paralyzed, more specifically when they are getting up from being knocked down by a powerful attack. When NPCs are getting up from being knocked down, their animation makes it so the weapon they are holding is actually clipping through the floor. If they are then killed in this position (most easily achieved with a paralyze spell/effect), the weapon they are holding will drop through the floor. — Unsigned comment by 121.222.26.129 (talk) at 02:32 on 16 December 2010

Safest way of killing Umbra[edit]

You can easily kill Umbra by getting this 2880 seceonds 100% Chameleon effect from the Mages Guild Bruma Recommendation quest. The 2880 duration is more than enough for you to travel to Vindasel and finish her off. You can chose to attack her in sneak mode and she won't be able to detect you.

I'm new to the UESPWiki and noticed no one had mentioned this method, so I added it to the Oblivion:Clavicus_Vile main page. But it seems like I have missed something, because my first edit was reverted back, and I'm afraid my second edit may be reverted back anytime as well. Can someone direct me to any rules concerning editing an article?

Pipgrandpa 11:31, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I removed it because I agreed with your first edit that said it was cheating, and because we already have far too many tips for dealing with her. I'll see what other people think. rpeh •TCE 12:02, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
Thanks for the clarification, Rpeh:D
In fact I myself don't think it's cheating, since you are not using any third-party tools, codes or bugs, or meddling with the game engine. It's just too effortless for people to believe that they are not cheating using this method. <- Rationalization? :b
But i have to admit an average mage NPC can cast such powerful spell is somewhat unusual. Pipgrandpa 12:57, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
Hey,be bold when editing, right? :D Pipgrandpa 13:11, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
While I agree that this method is probably the safest way to kill her, which might make this worthy of inclusion, I still consider this cheating. We could list this method anywhere, which I think is not a good idea since it somewhat spoils the game. The fact that Umbra is otherwise difficult to kill doesn't change that. Talk Wolok gro-Barok Contributions 20:02, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
Yes, it does spoil the game if your character's level is high enough to take her out in a fair manner. But the point here it to kill her at *level 1*. It may not be the most ingenious or the most interesting, but surely one of the most viable as well as within-the-game-limit way of killing Umbra, AT LEVLE 1. :D Pipgrandpa 21:03, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
And. I'm not sure if I am right about this, but I always think the purpose of an encyclopedia is to supply readers with quality information on a certain subject. It's up to the readers to decide whether to take advantage of that information or not. Personally, I do think this method is a quality piece of information under the topic "Killing her at level 1". At worst, if anyone thinks it's kind of cheating, one can always chose not to use it, can't one? :) Pipgrandpa 21:50, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
I don't consider it cheating per se, but As it's already included at 100% Chameleon, I don't see any special need to have it here as well. Robin Hoodtalk 22:11, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
Hmm... How about for the need of reader convenience? For those who are not so familiar with the game or the wiki and having trouble finding their way around? : ) Pipgrandpa 22:31, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Keep Umbra alive?[edit]

I haven't tried this myself, because I don't have the necessary skills on any character. However, I was wondering if you could disarm Umbra and pick up the sword off of the ground, keeping the person Umbra alive. -- /\/\oses 23:51, 11 September 2010 (UTC)

Just tested it, after 200+ side power attacks she didn't drop the sword, moreover after the long fight the sword broke and she kept it in her inventory unequiped--Wizy 06:00, 12 September 2010 (UTC)
If it's in her inventory unequipped, could you steal it? -- /\/\oses 06:22, 12 September 2010 (UTC)
INDEED, went deeper with the testing and after several attemps I have pickpocketd it O.O ,I haven't tried to complete the quest this way yet but since all you need is the sword it should be possible--Wizy 06:35, 12 September 2010 (UTC)
Awesome, we've found something new! I would check if she has any new dialogue after the quest is done. I doubt it, but still. -- /\/\oses 07:04, 12 September 2010 (UTC)
I would definitely add that info to the page, provided it checks out in a full run-through of the quest. We keep getting people trying to add creative (or sometimes not so creative) new ways to kill Umbra...it would be interesting if you don't actually have to! Robin Hoodtalk 07:33, 12 September 2010 (UTC)
I went through and verified this to the best of my current abilities. I found that you can indeed take the sword to Clavicus Vile without killing Umbra. Here's what I did:
  1. Traveled to Vindasel.
  2. Disintegrated her weapon.
  3. Realized I didn't have a Chameleon spell like I thought I did -_-
  4. Led Umbra ALL THE WAY to Frostcrag Spire, made Drain Speed 100 pts for 1 sec on Touch + Absorb Speed 100 pts for 1 sec on Touch spell, used it to stop Umbra from attacking me.
  5. Stole Umbra Sword.
  6. Returned Sword to Clavicus.
If there's any of those details that someone else finds important to mention (Disintegrate weapon, or the drain/absorb speed spell), feel free to add them.   -- Moses 23:02, 17 September 2010 (UTC)
Great work! Thanks for the follow-up. Robin Hoodtalk 23:41, 17 September 2010 (UTC)

() I've tried pickpocketing the sword from her...over and over, even fortifying sneak over 100 but I'm always caught by her. What gives? ~___~; TVthePunisher 02:48, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

It is easier just to paralyze her and take the sword, after it was desintegrated, isn't it?--ZLOJ 20:39, 3 June 2012 (UTC)
I think that as an essential item, Umbra sword cannot be pickpocketed. I tried many times, even with sneak over 90 and luck at 108. Didn`t work. Previously, I used Volanaro's spell he casts on J'skar and disintegrated the sword. I suppose the point "It is possible to complete this quest without killing Umbra by disintegrating the sword and then pickpocketing it." should be removed. — Unsigned comment by 142.137.227.103 (talk) at 21:40 on 3 January 2013
I am reliably and easily obtaining the Umbra sword by running in and hitting her with the Akaviri Sunderblade until she is disarmed, then casting paralysis on her, and taking the broken sword from her inventory while she is paralyzed. I use the Jone's Shadow spell to flee invisibly. Afterward, Umbra is non-aggressive, and engages in some limited dialogue.73.6.183.171 00:17, 23 October 2022 (UTC)

Redguard?[edit]

(moved from the article)

Barbas can be seen in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard when the player visits Clavicus Vile's realm. Clavicus Vile makes note on how his pet dog is not always a dog; sometimes it likes to be other things as well. On particular days, he likes to change into certain forms. During the dialog, the camera cuts to Barbas and shoes him shifting form from a dog into other animals including a bull and even a four-legged beast with the head of the player. This is worth noting, on account of Barbas' remark that he was not always a dog; he appears to switch forms actually pretty consistently.

This appears to be nonsense, since you don't visit Clavicus Vile's realm in Redguard. rpeh •TCE 08:18, 25 September 2010 (UTC)
After a quick think, to me it seems that Barbas refers to being the protagonist from Redguard, or it could just be coincidence, although the latter seems less likely. AcE x EPiiCzZ (talk) 20:25, 19 November 2012 (GMT)

Failed to verify newly added bug[edit]

    • the other occuring bug is that if you previously have the sword and return the game may freze you in place by the statue. the way around that is to load a previous save and return to the statue save and load the new save wait for the journal update and continue with the quest.

Though it is poorly written and I may of misunderstood what the IP said I read it to mean that if you start the quest with Umbra already and you try to return it will crash the game. I tried it and it would not allow me to attempt to return the sword until after my journal updated with the notice that I had the sword. I don't want to remove it though because it seems like it may of been caused by an earlier version of the game. Any thoughts on what to do? Alpha Kenny Buddy 06:40, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

If you read the bugs, you'll see that it says that the game will crash when you take Umbra to Clavicus Vile if you are playing an unpatched version. I'll remove the bug. --Rigas Papadopoulos • TalkDeeds 08:44, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Way to complete the quest without getting Clavicus mad, and making the umbra a non-quest item?[edit]

Moved note[edit]

  • Barbas is the name of a demon described in the Ars Goetia, the first section of a 17th century book on demonology attributed to the Biblical King Solomon. It is also the word for "beard" in Latin and several Romance languages.

We decided to move the etymologies to the talk pages right? --AKB Talk 04:58, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

Permanent quest item?[edit]

If you complete the quest by going back to Clavicus Vile without Umbra and then went back to Vindasel, kill Umbra and take the sword would it still be the 0 weight quest item version or would it become the 45 weight version?
I am unable to test this as my character is only level 16 so cannot start the quest, but if anyone who can start the quest would test it I would be greatly interested in the result.
Thanks in advance. — Unsigned comment by 82.69.32.151 (talk) on 1 March 2011

You can't complete the quest if you return without the sword. If you hand it over, it disappears, and if you elect to keep it, it becomes the heavy version. The only way for it to stay a quest item is to take it from Umbra then not head back to the shrine. rpeh •TCE 04:47, 2 March 2011 (UTC)


Oh its just that on the main page it says:

  • You don't have the sword. If you chose not to fight Umbra, and return to the shrine without the sword, the quest is complete. You don't get any reward,

but you also aren't penalized. Clavicus will say: You would break our bargain? You dare to trifle with me? Take care, mortal. Clavicus Vile watches you now. And waits.
I interpretted this as meaning that you could complete the quest without the sword. — Unsigned comment by 82.69.32.151 (talk) on 1 March 2011

My mistake - you're quite right. It'll be the heavy version though. rpeh •TCE 17:13, 2 March 2011 (UTC)
Actually, the original assumption is correct. I just tested this on the PS3 version. I elected to "leave in peace" and return to Clavicus to finish the quest. Afterward, I immediately returned to Umbra and killed her and now have a zero weight quest item version of the sword. 20:30, 28 August 2011 (EST)

Removal of the tips section?[edit]

Looking through the tips has convinced me that the vast majority of these are useless, or apply for most enemies. Yes Umbra is a tough NPC, but this page treats her like she is an Invincible Amazonian Warrior who has trained her entire life just to kill you. I honestly can't see a single one that I would consider to be useful that doesn't apply to every other NPC in the game. --AKB Talk Cont Mail 13:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

I'm inclined to agree with you. rpeh •TCE 13:18, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
I'll jump on the bandwagon here. Only quest specifics should be included on pages, with isn't really the case here. --DKong27 Talk Cont 15:18, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
Yup, me too. Like AKB said, Umbra is treated like she is the strongest monster in the game and our coverage is a bit comical. --Krusty 15:31, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
I agree as well. In game she is hard , but there are harder people out there. JackTurbo95 15:37, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

() Normally I'd wait a day so everyone who cares can voice their opinion but since we already have had four more people support this I'll do it now.

  • Umbra will not initiate an attack unless you are on the associated quest or you attack her first.

I removed this because the above text explains dialogue is possible, therefore this is a pointless note.

  • She will be attacking you with the sword Umbra, therefore her attacks will consist solely of melee damage. Because Umbra is enchanted, Resist Normal Weapons effects provide no advantage. The only way to improve your defense is to increase your armor rating or use Reflect Damage.

Can't we assume this since the quest is for the sword?

  • Umbra does not eat or sleep; she cannot be killed with poisoned apples or be ambushed in her sleep.

This is one of the things that should only be noted if this does happen. Therefore this should be removed.

  • She doesn't have any resistances of any kind; therefore, this can be used in advantage to poison her or make your spells more powerful with Weakness to Magic effects.

See above

  • Her health isn't leveled, therefore it's easier to kill her at higher levels.

See above

  • Although there are two traps in Vindasel, they don't offer a really good method to kill her once she's attacking you. One can, however, push her into the poison trap and kill her without ever starting a fight. This is a bit tedious, however, and very difficult for a non-Argonian. If you have the ability, you can paralyze her continuously on the spike trap causing her to ride the falling block down multiple times into the spikes.

This seems really diffucult to pull off but if anyone else sees this as good I might change my mind.

  • Try not to run. Being a master in Athletics and having 100 points of Speed, she can catch up with most characters easily. Instead, cast a Demoralize, Calm or Invisibility spell to stop her from attacking. A spell or apparel fully enchanted with 100% Chameleon will also work.
  • Reflect Damage can be very useful, especially if you can get it to 100%.

Generic advice is generic.

  • With melee. If you have a high Blade or Blunt skill you can kill Umbra easily; just keep attacking her without giving her a chance to fight back. Using an enchanted weapon with health-damaging effects can make the fight easier. You can also couple your attacks with poisons that can damage her health or paralyze her to gain the advantage. Another way is to use a disintegrate weapon spell. This way, Umbra is forced to use hand to hand, and is much easier to kill.
  • With magic. If you don't wear armor or have a very low health, you can use a Shield spell to protect you more. Enchanted items and spells with Fortify Health can also help you last more against her. Use long range Destruction spells; keeping your distance is a must if have little or no armor rating. Another magic tactic that also prevents her from healing and attacking is to simply knock her out with a drain fatigue spell. You will have to use the spell making altar to make a powerful enough spell; but draining her of enough fatigue triggers the effect that will make her lie down on the ground; an easy stationary target for conjuration or destruction spells.
  • Out of her range. The best spot out of her range is provided by climbing onto one of the two pillars nearby the tables where she is located. To do this, place the bucket nearby face-down onto one of the tables (try to place it as close to one of the pillars as possible). Once you have placed it, jump on the bucket and then to the pillar, this can take be a little tricky but it can be done. Once you're on the pillar wait for a clear shot, when it hits her she will charge at you. If you are in the correct spot she will never hit you, allowing you to keep attacking her with arrows or targeted spells. For someone with low marksman/destruction, you can also stand on the corner of the pillar and use a 2 handed claymore aimed down at her. You will be able to hit her but her attacks cannot reach you. (You must remain at the very top of the little slope on the pillar, if you slip down too much or use a power attack she will be able to hit you, knocking you down. Once you are on the pillar try not to move too much. If you move it is possible to slip down the pillar and you will need to climb again.
  • Killing her at level 1. If you want to kill her at level 1, your best option is to get a special Chameleon effect from one of the Mages Guild recommendation quests Bruma Recommendation. The 2880 seconds duration is more than enough for you to travel to Vindasel and finish her off. Under this effect, remember you can attack her in sneak mode without ever being detected; note also that once you start attacking her, she will run towards the exit of Vindasel but won't actually leave the dungeon, which means she will end up stepping around cluelessly at the exit while getting killed by your character. You also have the choice of getting the staff Apotheosis which is one of the most powerful staves in the game. It is quite expensive, though, so you may want to earn some money to buy it before facing Umbra. Once you have the staff, head to Vindasel to deal with Umbra. Keep your distance and play your offense smart. Be aware that Apotheosis has only a few charges so try not to waste too many of them.

A lot of this is generic advice or common sense. For example the advice to get Apotheosis boils down to "Use a good weapon". The rest I turned into notes. Besides the notes I left none of this is really useful, besides Umbra being a tough opponent she really isn't all that special. I think that really all that needs to be said for Umbra's combat abilities is Umbra is a very tough adversary and you had better be prepared for a hard fight. --AKB Talk Cont Mail 16:58, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Hey, I'm the anon who tried to post the tip about using the gas trap. I've got two comments on the tips sections:
  • How unusual is it that she never eats or sleeps? If it's not that common then it's worth mentioning I think. Also I haven't been back to test this yet, but I'm not sure she can drown either; she followed me for a very long time under water and didn't seem any worse for the wear.
  • Killing her at level 1 is a viable topic as well; isn't this one of the only ways to complete the main quest line at level 1? If so tips on how to do that seem appropriate as she pretty much kills a level 1 in one shot. -- Specter 02:11, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
Hello Specter, if you need more convincing here are a few more reasons off the top of my head.
The first note that you are arguing for about her not sleeping is actually quite common for many NPCs, especially for bandits or generic NPCs who serve little in-game purpose besides being killed. Umbra serves little purpose besides being killed and therefore this is reasonable behavior.
The second note about her level is slightly more useful I will admit. However it fails notability on this page due to redundancy. Oblivion:Under Leveling an article dedicated to beating the game at low levels already mentions it, and it isn't really that important to have that here as well as people are more likely to go there for advice on under-leveling, not here. --AKB Talk Cont Mail 02:41, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
I personally wanted to chime in on this one. This is in regard to Specter's second bullet (the lvl 1 details). I'm not sure I follow you on this statement. What I mean is, you can't even begin Clavicus Vile's quest at level one (you must be at least level 20) so this has no relevance. As another point, when you say "complete the main questline at level one" I assume you are referring to the Blood of the Daedra quest. If so, then again the statement has no relevance as, yet again, you must be level 20 to complete this. Perhaps I misunderstood? Kalis Agea 02:47, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
There is a glitch which allows you to complete the quest as long as you get the sword, which is available even at the start of the game. --AKB Talk Cont Mail 02:51, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
(Edit conflict)If you read the page you linked to :"This quest can be completed at level 1 by exploiting a loophole in the conditions for retrieving the Masque of Clavicus Vile. For more information, see this page."
And on the page here: "You can complete the quest well before level 20, and avoid paying the 500 gold offering. If you approach the Shrine at any time with Umbra already in your possession, you can trigger the entire end-of-quest dialogue and the quest will be marked as done. Just be sure to talk to Ma'Raska first to make sure the quest updates properly." --DKong27 Talk Cont 02:53, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
Oh... Well, then, nevermind. :D Kalis Agea 02:54, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
Ok, I understand if most NPC's behave that way; I'd never given it much thought before now. I'm trying to complete the game with 0 kills recorded (yes, I know it's been done before) and suddenly topics like this are much more important to me than they used to be! ;)
Also I tested the no drowning thing; she actually surfaces for air periodically, I just didn't notice before. --Specter 02:57, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

For the record: Using the Poison Trap[edit]

I know we're not interested in overloading the tips section, but I did finish my research on using the poison trap and for posterity's sake here's what I found:

  • Use the Poison Trap. If you have sufficiently high (or fortified) Acrobatics, it's possible to use the poison trap to kill Umbra. Umbra will follow you into the poison room if you attack her but if you're low level you may want to give yourself a head start and attack her with a ranged spell. One of the hallways above her is a good place to start depending on your speed. (Don't get too far ahead of her though; she will stop following you if you get too far away.) Once you enter the poison room, immediately run to the low wall on the right linking one of the pillars to the right hand wall. Jump on top of this wall and from there onto sloped part of the pillar to which it is attached. From there it is possible to jump on top of the nearby pillar holding a Welkynd Stone stone. Continue jumping until you're standing at the very top of the pillar (you'll need to take or knock down the Welkynd stone). Umbra will circle the base of the pillar, repeatedly activating the poison trap, and eventually die. So long as you're standing in place of the Welkynd stone, however, the poison gas will not reach you. (Note: you must be on the very top, any lower and you will take gas damage.)
* Works at any level.
* Requires Acrobatics 77 to get on the wall, but Acrobatics must be at least 80 to realistically get on top of the pillar holding the Welkynd stone.
* Does count as an Assault; does not count as murder.

--Specter 12:03, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

Easy method of killing Umbra[edit]

I'm not much of an oblivion player but I used a common trick in which you utilize allied town guards to slay tough opponents; works fine and they're great items for level 1 :)


P.S., It took 8 Imperial City guards (3 of whom died in the process) to kill Umbra.

We have removed the tips section of this page , so it is not really needed. JackTurbo95 11:16, 13 April 2011 (UTC)

I realize the Tips section has been removed, but to anyone who's reading this looking for a way to beat Umbra, here's a quick and painless method that guarantees zero health loss, which should be great news for lower level/health characters. Turn the difficulty down to the minimum, then jump up onto the broken pillar and continually blast magic at her from there. Not only is the broken pillar an easy platform to reach, but (most importantly) Umbra can't reach you from here. Moreover, Umbra has a tendency to run in one place against the pillar for a while, giving you ample time to rapidly blast shots at her. Using a regular shock spell, I killed her in a few minutes max and left without a scratch. She made no attempt to heal during the battle: I'm not sure if this was due to the lowered difficulty level or something else. Feel free to make a save file when her health is very low so you can reload in case she drops her sword through the floor after dying. --82.31.164.172 10:32, 19 May 2011 (UTC)

Delete note?[edit]

"Clavicus Vile's followers do not like you."

I feel this should be removed, and I did but then it got reverted, although it appears to have been reverted on pure opinion. It isnt notable that 3 unessential, no unique dialogue, and uninvolved in any quests (outside of the one you just completed at this point) do not like you anymore. Can I please get at least one yay so I have something to fall back on if it gets reverted again?--Catmaniac66 00:52, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps not that much of a disadvantage, I think it should be noted though (or at least in between the notes if it isn't considered a disadvantage). However, it should instead say how much of a disposition loss there is, and not a vague "they don't like you anymore" ~ Dwarfmp 01:18, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

Console work-around for the Barbas removal freeze, and it isn't murder.[edit]

After trying the Fast-Travel work around, and not quite getting it to work, I reloaded an earlier save where the Quest was in my Journal, but Barbas had not yet been added to my inventory, and continued on to Vindasel.

Upon meeting Umbra in the final room, I cast a Corrode Armour on Touch spell on her, causing her to become hostile and attacking me. I hoofed it out of Vindasel and ran all the way to Pell's Gate, with Umbra following. Once there, Schlera Sestius began attacking Umbra, (eventhough I had initiated the combat by casting the spell, Umbra was somehow seen as the aggressor), and Schlera kept pumping Daedric Arrows into Umbra relentlessly while I ran in circles around Pell's Gate. After Umbra died, I had no infamy, bounty, or murders added to my stats. Just a simple matter of looting her corpse and returning to Clavicus Vile's shrine to complete the quest.

Fittingly, Umbra's naked corpse now lies in Pell's Gate, slain by one of the townsfolk where her murder spree began. 76.11.83.251 00:08, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Work around of the quest finish glitch[edit]

If you download the patch and then wait for the removal of the statue from your inventory you can save the game then go into your system cache and clear the cache. This will delete the patch and allow you to move on on the game without the crash. This is of course on the Xbox version and for those who do not want the patch installed for what ever reason ( you know the arrow inventory glitch)

Using umbra to get the mask of clavicus vile for blood of the daedra[edit]

I got Umbra from umbra, and then I went to the shrine of clavicus vile, talked with the Khajiit, but it wont let me start the "end-quest" dialogue to trade umbra for the mask.It will just say that "Clavicus Vile demands a more powerful champion to begin this quest". I want to have the mask of clavicus vile for blood of the daedra becuase I am not gonna use azura's star, but apparently the section saying you could do this even at level one is false, because its not letting me talk to clavicus vile. Was there a patch? If not, what am I doing wrong? I am at level 3 right now.--76.14.238.170 00:34, 27 October 2012 (GMT)

I just completed the quest at level 4. I spoke to Ma'Raska with Umbra in my inventory, got the first update, approached the shrine, activated it, got the message :"Clavicus Vile demnds a more powerful Champion to begin this quest". Then, while trying to find a reason online why it didn't complete as expected, after a bit of a wait, :I got a message to the effect of "You've retrieved the sword of Umbra" as a quest update, after which I activated the shrine again, was prompted to either give the sword :up, or keep it, and the quest completed as expected 75.110.149.5 20:30, 1 July 2013 (GMT)

Region[edit]

I looked at both the West Weald map and the Daedric Shrines map, and I am absolutely certain the lays in the Great Forest. I reckon it should be changed. — Unsigned comment by Kharwog (talkcontribs) at 22:32 on 15 June 2013

You think that the shrine is in the Great Forest? Because the shrine location is based on game data, and shouldn't be changed at all. Jeancey (talk) 22:38, 15 June 2013 (GMT)

Umbra and the Masque of Clavicus Vile[edit]

I was looking at some bugs involving horses and weapons and I realized,if you were to ride a horse with umbra equiped and opt to give Vile the blade,would it stay in your inventory and still get the Masque,just like rockshatter in the Quest,when the vow breaks? 184.107.48.37 17:16, 18 August 2013 (GMT) Dunehelm

Clavicus Demands a More Powerful Champion...[edit]

I'm currently playing a level 12 Bosmer and I'm not leveled high enough to trigger the quest normally. I'm using a few mods (mostly weapons) but nothing that should interfere with this. I've already killed Umbra and I have the sword, so Clavicus should just accept it when I activate the Shrine. However, the game just shows the standard message for not being high level enough to start a quest. Is there any way around this? I could just wait until I've leveled up some more and try again, but this should have worked at any level, right?

I jumped on this quest early because I want to give the mask to Martin (since I seldom ever use it anyway). If this doesn't work out I'll just keep the sword and use some other artifact that is ill-suited for my character's build. — Unsigned comment by 74.180.105.157 (talk) at 15:17 on 15 September 2015 (UTC)

Edit: Ok, this is weird. I fast-traveled to the Anvil stables and I got a notification to return to the shrine, and this time Clavicus accepted it. — Unsigned comment by 74.180.105.157 (talk) at 15:22 on 15 September 2015 (UTC)

Quest must have just not triggered properly. Expect to run into a couple bugs if you're using glitches in a modded game. —Legoless (talk) 15:55, 15 September 2015 (UTC)