Quick Links

  • Prerequisites To Consummate
  • Accepting 'Hard Answers'
  • Meeting Calcelmo In Markarth
  • Inside Calcelmo's Museum
  • Leaving Calcelmo's Museum
  • Speaking With Enthir
  • Rewards For Completing 'Difficult Answers'

After completing the 'Speaking With Silence' quest in Skyrim, information technology's fourth dimension to brainstorm 'Hard Answers'. During this quest, you will uncover the subconscious bulletin inside Gallus' journal, and learn the truth well-nigh Mercer Frey. This quest will accept y'all to Markarth and Calcelmo's Museum, where many dangers await.

In this guide, we are going to go over everything you need to know virtually the Difficult Answers quest, in improver to the Nightingale Blade, which serves as a reward for the quest. First, let's take a wait at all the previous quests you will need to complete earlier starting Difficult Answers. These quests are too part of the Thieves Guild questline, so if you are progressing through the guild's story in order, should be able to start Hard Answers right away.

Prerequisites To Complete

gallus' journal open

Beneath, you can discover every quest you will need to consummate before starting 'Hard Answers'.

Quest Name

NPC To Speak With

A Take chances Arrangement

Brynjolf

  • Located in Riften
    • in the town square

Taking Care of Business organization

Brynjolf

  • Located in Riften
    • in The Ragged Flagon

Loud and Clear

Brynjolf

  • Located in Riften
    • in The Ragged Flagon

Dampening Spirits

Maven Black-Briar

  • Located in Riften
    • in The Bee and Barb or Black-Briar Meadery

Scoundrel'south Folly

Mercer Frey

  • Located in Riften
    • in The Ratway

Speaking With Silence

Mercer Frey

  • Snow Viel Sanctum
    • southeast of Winterhold

Accepting 'Hard Answers'

enthir standing in bedroom

Subsequently completing 'Speaking With Silence', yous will automatically exist given the 'Hard Answers' quest when speaking with Karliah. At this point, you will exist exterior of the Snowfall Veil Sanctum, located to the southeast of Winterhold.

Upon receiving this quest, y'all will be instructed to speak with Enthir, who can exist found in the following locations within Winterhold.

  • The Frozen Hearth
  • Higher of Winterhold

Once you find Enthir, testify him Gallus' journal; Enthir volition tell you the periodical is written in Falmer and needs to be translated. You will then be instructed to travel to Calcelmo in Markarth.

Meeting Calcelmo In Markarth

player speaking with calcelmo

Markarth is a city found on the western edge of Skyrim. You can find Calcelmo at Understone Keep, where Jarl Igmund resides. Calcelmo holds the primal to the museum that y'all need to enter, simply he refuses to give you the primal. To go this key, you lot will either need to use persuasion, bribery, or intimidation. With one of these methods, Calcelmo volition mitt the primal over.

Other Methods Of Obtaining The Key

In addition to the methods listed above to think the key, you can also complete the following two sidequests.

  • The Volume Of Beloved
  • Nimhe, The Poisoned 1

You tin also steal the fundamental off a tabular array near Calcelmo. If you successfully obtain the key this way, guards volition become hostile.

Lastly, Calcelmo's Museum tin also be broken into, allowing you to skip the chat with him. Be cautious though; if you interruption into the museum, you will need to avoid existence caught past the guards.

Inside Calcelmo'south Museum

inside view of calcelmo's museum

Now that yous have the key, it'south fourth dimension to enter the museum. Guards will be nearby, but if you legally obtained the primal, you can ignore them.

Note: Guards in the primary role of the museum will remain passive, only any baby-sit within the laboratory is hostile.

Enter into the museum and head to Calcelmo's Laboratory. There will be hostile personal mercenaries of Calcelmo in the laboratory; defeat these enemies and proceed farther inside the lab.

Inside, you will find a table with a Spider Command Rod nearby. This rod controls a mechanical spider that volition assist yous defeat guards in the laboratory. Alternatively, yous tin sneak by all the guards and continue to the dorsum of the laboratory.

The laboratory will contain several valves that, when turned, activate traps. Use these valves to your advantage and set off traps to distract nearby guards if you want to avert fighting them. Activating the valves is completely optional; there is no correct mode to go through this expanse, then just do what feels easiest to you. With enough brute strength, you lot can plough through all the guards that stand in your fashion.

Once you accomplish the dorsum, proceed through the adjacent corridor. Here, you will encounter highly poisonous gas that will quickly drain your health. Run through the hall every bit quickly as you can and step on the button that disables the poison.

Tip: The Go Ethereal shout will nullify whatever damage, but y'all may alert nearby hostile guards while performing the shout.

player looking at aicanter, dead at his study table

The corridor will lead to the end of the laboratory, where you can observe Aicantar, (Calcelmo'south nephew) in his study. You lot have a few options at this signal, which are listed below.

  1. Sneak by Aicantar and his guards.
  2. Impale Aicantar and his guards.
  3. Activate the nearby trap, causing the guards to die and Aicantar to flee.
dwemer puzzle cube on table to steal

Inside Aicantar's study, you lot will likewise discover the Dwemer Puzzle Cube, which tin be sold to Delvin for The Litany of Larceny quest. Grab this cube before heading to the balcony.

From the balcony, head up Calcelmo'south Tower, enter, and proceed into a room on the left side. Here, y'all will find charcoal and a scroll of newspaper, assuasive you to create a copy of Calcelmo's Stone, which is a Falmer translation guide.

Now, yous but need to return back to Enthir.

Leaving Calcelmo's Museum

player standing in front of calcelmo's stone

To leave the area, you can either leap from the tower or head back through the museum. If you choose to jump, exist conscientious; one wrong stride can lead to instant death. This is the quickest manner to leave the museum, but it comes at the run a risk of dying.

If you chose to kill Aicanter earlier, the declension will be articulate and you lot can leave. If you didn't kill him, he will appear in the tower with guards at his side. To bargain with this, y'all tin approach and kill the group, or keep at a distance and sneak out.

Later fugitive guards and leaving the museum, head dorsum to Enthir in Winterhold.

Speaking With Enthir

exterior of frozen hearth in winterhold

Enthir can be found in the cellar of the Frozen Heart, speaking with Karliah. Approach the pair, handing over the copy of Calcelmo's Stone, and listen every bit Enthir translates Gallus' journal. From this, you will acquire about the true intentions of Mercer, and his expose of the Thieves Lodge.

In addition to killing Gallus, Mercer Frey defiled the Twilight Sepulcher, a sacred temple build in honor of Nocturnal, the patron of thieves. With this information, Karliah will instruct you to return to the Ragged Flagon, speaking with both her and Brynjolf.

Rewards For Completing 'Hard Answers'

nightingale blade informational panel

Upon completion, Karliah will advantage y'all with the Nightingale Blade. This is a powerful sword with absorbing enchantments. Below, yous tin can check out the stats of the Nightingale Blade depending on your current level.

Personal Current Level

Nightingale Blade Stats

1-18

Absorb 5 health and stamina

nineteen-26

Absorb 10 health and stamina

27-35

Blot xv health and stamina

36-45

Blot 20 wellness and stamina

46+

Absorb 25 health and stamina

At present that 'Hard Answers' is consummate, information technology's time to head to the Ragged Flagon in Rifen and outset the adjacent quest, titled 'The Pursuit'.

Side by side: Skyrim: Trinity Restored Quest Walkthrough