There are some quests in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered that are straightforward to follow, while there are some that require some effort to complete. You can be fighting some fish for their on one side quest, 🍸and doing a complex puzzle to go through some ruins on another quest.🤡

One of the more challenging quests in the game is Vahtacen's Secret becaus🐽e it throws a puzzle at you. This can be jarring since the previous quests in the chain were all simple and easy to go through, like killing necromancers𝓰 or delivering a book. Good thing the puzzle isn't so complex!

How To Start The Vahtacen's Secret Quest

To get to the Vahtacen's Secret quest, you'll need to go through the Mage's Guild quest line. This includes obtaining all the commendations for each guild hall in Cyrodill and finally joining the Arcane University. This quest is after the 'Ulterior Motives' quest, where you meet the Count of Skingrad.

The quest starts by talking to Raminus Polus after finishing the 'Ulterior Motives' quest. You will then need to talk to Irlav Jarol, who is at the Arcane University, the same as Raminus. He will send you to the ruins o🥂f Vahtacen, which is where the majority of the quest takes place.

How To Get To Vahtacen

The ruins of Vahtacen can be found south of the city of Cheydinhal, which is to the east of the Imperial City. It's located at the end of the Reed River if you're following it to the northeast.

How To Complete The Vahtacen's Secret Quest

When you enter Vahtacen, you will go through a tunnel first before entering the ruins proper. Talk to Skaleel, a mage in the first room of the ruins, to continue the quest. She will talk about a pillar further down the ruins and will give you a key to access that area.

How To Solve The Vahtacen Pillar Puzzle

Going further into the ruins, locate and talk to the mage Denel about the pillar that they've been trying to solve. Go to the room with the pillar and read the four tablets on the walls in each corner of the room, then talk to Denel about a book to translate them.

He will explain that Skaleel has a book that can translate the tablets around the pillar. Talk to her again to get the book and give it to Denel. He will then have new dialogue options to translate each tablet.

If you don't have the spells needed for the puzzle, there are spell scrolls inside the chest near Denel. If you've used them up, you can either ღbuy them from the Mage's Guilds or go outside the ruins and wait for 𝐆four to five days for the chest to reset.

You will need to cast target or touch spells on the pillar in the right order and with the right effects to open i🌳t. He🃏re are all the tablets and their translation:

1. 'Av Molag Anyammis' means 'From Fire, Life': Cast a fire spell.
2. 'Av Mafre Nagaia' means 'From Frost, Death': Cast a frost spell.
3. 'Magicka Loria' Means 'Magicka Darkens': Cast a damage Magicka spell.
4. 'Magicka Sila' means 'Magicka Shines': Cast a spell.

How To Get The Ancient Elven Helm

Once you've used all the correct spells in the correct order on the pillar, it will fully open. Talk to Denel and Skaleel before going deeper into the ruins. The rest of the ruins are your typical Ayelid ruin with l𝄹eveled enemies, traps, but🅠tons, and pressure plates.

At the end of the ruins, you will find a large open room with an elevated position in the middle. Go to the very back and find the button there to activate the mechanism to raise the stairs in the middle. On top of the elevated platform is a button. Press it, and it will reveal the .

Go back to Skaleel with the Ancient Elven Helm and talk to her. She'll instruct you to talk to Irlav Jarol back at the Arcane University. Doing so will complete the quest and continue the Mage's Guild quest line.