The Ultimate Guide to Conquering the Skyrim: Forgotten Names Quest (Master the Midden Hand Puzzle!)

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Where To Find The Forgotten Names Rings

The Midden Hand Puzzle Solution

Where To Find Velehk Sain's Treasure

When navigating the expansive world of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, players will come across various puzzles that they must solve to progress in quests or gain access to new areas. Identifying these puzzles is usually straightforward, but there are instances where both the puzzle and its solution are not immediately clear.

To successfully finish the "Forgotten Names" side quest in Skyrim, players must determine what to do with the armored hand located beneath the College of Winterhold. Unfortunately, this quest is unmarked, meaning that quest markers cannot be relied upon for guidance. Moreover, the lack of hints provided in this quest adds an extra layer of difficulty to its completion.

How To Start The Forgotten Names Side Quest

To begin the quest "Forgotten Names" connected to The Midden, players must first obtain entry to the College of Winterhold. This can be accomplished by traveling to Winterhold and heading north towards the College. Upon arriving at the College for the first time, players must demonstrate their abilities to Faralda by casting a spell, after which they will be granted unrestricted access. If players do not possess the required spell, they can acquire it from Faralda and instantly gain entry to the College.

To find the hand, head towards the courtyard just outside the entrance of the College of Winterhold. From there, go north and interact with the trapdoor in the corner, which will lead you to The Midden. The hand is located in an area called The Midden Dark, so you'll have to pass through The Midden first. To do this, continue east and go through the doorway at the base of the stairs. Follow the straight path on the left, and you'll soon come across a door that leads to The Midden Dark.

In The Midden Dark, the Dragonborn is required to traverse the slender stone bridge ahead of them, ascend the stairs located on the right in the subsequent section, and persist in proceeding forward. Behind the door, immediately following the Alchemy Lab, lies the enigmatic Midden hand.

To uncover the purpose of this hand, the Dragonborn must head north towards the table in the corner of the room and retrieve the Investigator's Key and the Midden Incident Report. According to the Report, this enigmatic hand is actually a Daedric Artifact, and its presence led to the demise of numerous students at the College. To mitigate further harm, four rings were removed from the hand's fingers and stored in The Arcanaeum within the College of Winterhold. If players wish to unveil the secrets tied to this hand, they must locate the hidden rings and return them to their rightful places.

Where To Find The Forgotten Names Rings

After obtaining the Investigator's Key, players can unlock the chest containing the missing rings. To locate the chest, the Dragonborn must backtrack to the College of Winterhold, enter the Hall of Elements, and proceed through the right doorway to reach The Arcanaeum.

Once inside, the Dragonborn should head northeast into the circular room, turn left, and pass by the three Bookcases. The Investigator's Chest on the floor can then be opened using the Investigator's Key, granting the Dragonborn access to Katarina's Ring, Treoy's Ring, Balwen's Ring, and Pithiken's Ring - the four rings that were previously taken.

The Midden Hand Puzzle Solution

Pithiken's Ring should be placed on the Little Finger.

Balwen's Ring must be placed on the Ring Finger.

Treoy's Ring must be placed on the Middle Finger.

The Index Finger is where Katarina's Ring ought to be placed.

Once all four rings are correctly positioned, the hand will close, and the appearance of a Dremora named Velehk Sain will occur. Velehk Sain will communicate with the Dragonborn. If players opt to negotiate with Velehk and subsequently set him free, the Dragonborn will be rewarded with Velehk Sain's Treasure Map. On the other hand, if players choose not to release Velehk, he will initiate an attack on the Dragonborn and must be overcome.

Defeating Velehk will allow the Dragonborn to loot his body, but since he doesn't carry anything unique or overly useful, releasing him is arguably the better option.

Where To Find Velehk Sain's Treasure

Defeating Velehk in the "Forgotten Names" quest will result in its termination. However, for those who opted to release him, a remarkable opportunity awaits. They can embark on a thrilling adventure, armed with Velehk Sain's Treasure Map, leading them to a stash of exceptionally valuable treasures.

To find the location depicted on the map, travel to the small island located just west of Winterhold. On the southern side of the island, at the base of the statue of Talos, the Dragonborn will discover Velehk Sain's Locker. Alongside the locker, there is a second chest, valuable miscellaneous items, several Coin Purses, and an Imperial Sword of Binding. Although the sword is not particularly impressive, selling it and the nearby treasures can yield a substantial amount of Gold.

Known as "Forgotten Names," this unmarked quest may give players the impression that there is more to Velehk Sain's story. However, unfortunately, once the Dremora's treasure has been collected, the quest will quietly come to an end.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.