Skyrim:Darkfall Grotto

Cave: Darkfall Grotto
Added by	Dawnguard
# of Zones	1
Respawn Time	10 days
Level	Min: 18
Occupants
Chaurus, Chaurus Hunter, Feral Falmer
Console Location Code(s)
DLC1zFalmerValley01
Region
Haafingar
Location
Forgotten Vale

Darkfall Grotto

Darkfall Grotto is a small cave in the Forgotten Vale.

Walkthrough

Exterior

The exterior to this cave is the Forgotten Vale. It can be accessed by using the paragon platform with the amethyst paragon, or by following the icy river south, past the Wayshrine of Learning, and jumping down the waterfall at the end. Jumping down the waterfall causes you to fall a very great height and land in the river below. You will need to surface quickly and swim to shore; otherwise, you'll be swept away by the powerful current. When you fall in, Serana will exclaim: "Ugh, I told you! Next time I say to please not go over a waterfall, maybe you'll listen to me."

Darkfall Grotto

The paragon portal teleports you to the top of a rock pillar near the west wall of the dimly lit main chamber. The broken stone arch forming the portal allows you to return directly to the paragon platform. Ahead on the pillar is an unlocked stone chest holding quality loot under a glowing mushroom, with a random potion beside it. You may reach the floor of the chamber either by dropping into the water and quickly swimming to shore, or by using the Become Ethereal dragon shout and dropping directly onto the ground below.

At the bottom of the chamber, a path runs along the west and south walls near the waterfall cascading from above. Proceeding northeast along the south wall, you'll find the corpse of a Falmer on the ground. To the east is a small Falmer settlement consisting of a pair of Falmer tents. In front of each tent is a Falmer corpse, with a Falmer chest inside both tents. The area is occupied by feral Falmer, which don't wear armor and generally don't use weapons other than their claws. To the left of the second tent, against the north wall by a glowing mushroom that may be difficult to interact with, is a ramp ascending to one of several ledges. The ledges ultimately lead to the southeast corner of the chamber, where another Falmer corpse lies next to a Falmer chest between two more glowing mushrooms. Returning to the lower level, beyond the first two tents to the north is a third tent, with yet another Falmer corpse in front and a Falmer chest beside it. Three feral Falmer and a chaurus hunter roam the area to the north below the third tent. Returning to the second tent, a ramp descending to the north along the shore features another Falmer corpse. Proceeding to the north wall, two empty tents are against the wall, with three dead chaurus between them. It is possible to reach several additional ledges in this area, but all are empty.

To exit the cave, you must jump into the river and let it sweep you away to the northwest. You will drop down several waterfalls before ultimately falling into the cloudy lake in the final chamber in Darkfall Passage. Return to the wayshrine, which will now include portals to all other wayshrines you've raised in addition to the initial portal to the Forgotten Vale.

Notes

• Be careful when you jump down the waterfall, as it is possible to strike the rock wall behind the falls and die.
• Be careful near the river, as your follower can fall in and be swept away into Darkfall Passage.

Bugs

• It is possible to become stuck near the walls in the river when attempting to leave. ^?
  • Conjuring a frost atronach, attacking it, and having it knock you free may resolve this issue.
  • Using "bats" as a Vampire Lord may also resolve this issue.

Maps

Darkfall Grotto