The Forgotten City is just what you need if you’ve ever wandered around Skyrim’s expansive world yearning for a more profound mystery. It started out as a Skyrim mod created by fans, but it quickly gained popularity and developed into a stand-alone game, and with good reason. In this quest, players enter an old Dwemer ruin hidden beneath the cliffs of Skyrim, where a time loop controls the terrible destiny of a city.
From finding Cassia’s enigmatic letter to learning the truth about the city’s golden curse, we’ll guide you step by step through the questline in this Skyrim The Forgotten City walkthrough. This comprehensive guide covers everything, whether your goal is to solve the murder mystery, delve into the lore, or discover every ending. Get your best equipment ready and embark on one of Skyrim’s most memorable quests.
How to Start The Forgotten City Quest
You have to be level 5 or higher in Skyrim before you can start your journey into The Forgotten City. After you meet this requirement, a letter from Cassia will mysteriously show up in your inventory. The letter’s message is urgent: Cassia’s brother has gone missing in an old ruin, and she promises a big reward if you help find him. This is the official start of your Skyrim The Forgotten City walkthrough.
Then, open your map and go to the Forgotten Ruins, which are in the far southwest of Skyrim, near Markarth. When you get closer, you’ll see waterfalls, cliffs, and Dwemer buildings all around you. The entrance to the ruins is cleverly hidden behind a waterfall. Look for a narrow stone path that goes through the mist.
The strange quiet and detailed metalwork inside the ruins set the mood for what was to come. Before you go, make sure to save your game. You’re about to start one of Skyrim’s most mysterious and story-rich quests.
Pro Tip: If Cassia’s letter doesn’t show up right away, try going back to big cities or waiting a few hours in the game. It might go off based on how far you’ve come in the game.
Entering the Forgotten City
The sound of dripping water echoes through long, metallic corridors filled with Dwemer display cases and old machines as soon as you step into the Forgotten Ruins. The air gets thicker with dust as you go deeper, and the quiet is filled with the faint hum of machines that haven’t been used in a long time.
There is a glowing pool at the end of this long hallway. It is the entrance to the Forgotten City. If you step forward, you’ll be taken to a huge underground world that is unlike anything else in Skyrim.
The view is amazing as soon as you get there. There are two levels of the city, and golden light beams shine down from the cave ceiling. The streets are eerily empty, but the majestic Dwemer architecture towers over you. There are burned bodies all over the place, which are grim reminders of a disaster that once hit this underground civilization.
This is where your official Skyrim The Forgotten City walkthrough really starts. Take a moment to look around, soak in the eerie atmosphere, and get ready to meet the survivors who are still alive in this strange Dwemer city.
Exploring the City and Meeting Key Characters
After you get control back in the city, the next step in the Skyrim: The Forgotten City walkthrough is to explore and meet the people who live there. There are stories, politics, and secrets all over the city, hidden behind golden statues and tense smiles.
Meeting the Jarl and Citizens
The Citadel, a huge building with many stories in the center of the city, should be your first stop. You will meet Jarl Metellus, the leader of the Forgotten City, here. He speaks in a calm and authoritative way and tells you right away about the Dwemer Law, the city’s one unbreakable rule. He also asks for your help in solving a murder that threatens the city’s fragile balance.
Outside the Citadel, you’ll find about 25 people, each with their own routines, conversation trees, and hints about the city’s history. Talk to everyone, even the shady people hanging out by the lake, the guards, the merchants, and the servants. Every conversation gives you pieces of the truth and helps you figure out why people do what they do, who they are friends with, and who they betray.
Pro Tip: A lot of players miss important clues when they rush through conversations. Take your time; some people will only give you important information after you earn their trust or do them small favors.
Understanding the Dwemer Law
The Dwemer Law is a strange rule that is enforced by unseen forces at the center of the Forgotten City. It says:
“The many will suffer for the sins of the one.”
The whole city pays the price if someone steals, assaults, or kills someone. A huge event turns everyone into gold, stops time, and makes you live the same loop over and over.
This mechanic is both good and bad. It is the city’s biggest mystery, but you can also use it to your advantage. You can learn from each loop, change the outcomes, and finally solve the murder without causing the end of the world.
Pro Tip: Use the time resets to safely test moral choices, but always remember who you talked to before each loop.
Main Objectives and Quest Progression
The real mystery starts after you meet the Jarl and learn about Dwemer Law. This part of the Skyrim: The Forgotten City walkthrough is all about finding out what really happened in the murder, gathering clues, and using the time portal to change the past. The city’s future depends on your investigation, so every choice you make is important.
Investigating the Murder
Your main goal is to find out who killed someone and is about to break the Dwemer Law. The Jarl is the first person you should talk to. He’ll talk about a citizen who seems suspicious and a few important witnesses. Look around the whole city. Homes, the market, and secret rooms often have valuable notes or conversations that you can overhear that hint at deeper secrets.
The Lakehouse quickly becomes the focus of your investigation. Inside, you’ll find a strange time portal that lets you go back in time seven years. This is where the game’s unique time-loop mechanic really shines: what you do in the past can completely change the present.
Take a look at how the city looks before disaster strikes the first time you use the portal. You’ll meet people who were dead or changed, which will give you a chance to learn important backstory and reasons for their actions. Keep a notebook or mental record of things that make people break the law. This information is very useful when trying to stop the next collapse.
Pro Tip: Every choice you make in a conversation matters. Some people will lie, and others will test your morals. Choose wisely to keep the loop under control.
Key Items to Collect
Some things are very important for both fighting and solving puzzles during your investigation. These are the most important ones:
- Immaculate Gauntlets: These gloves are hidden deep in the ruins and protect you from some traps. They also let you interact with cursed objects in a special way.
- Dawnbreaker Weapon: A shining sword that works well against Burned Horrors and undead foes. It’s often hidden behind moral challenges or questlines.
- Lakehouse Key: Grants permanent access to the portal chamber, essential for repeated time travel.
- Citadel Key: This key opens up areas in the Jarl’s quarters that are off-limits and hold hidden journals and ancient artifacts.
These things not only help you stay alive, but they also give you more choices in conversations and endings. Even small things can change the outcome, so be sure to look in every chest, bookshelf, and note.
Pro Tip: You can only get some artifacts in earlier loops. If you miss one, just use the portal again to go back to that time.
Challenges and Combat Tips
You can’t always solve the mysteries in The Forgotten City with words. Sometimes you’ll need your sword or spells. It wouldn’t be a complete Skyrim: The Forgotten City walkthrough if it didn’t get you ready for the game’s hardest fights. Deep in the city, there are tunnels and empty rooms where hostile beings known as Burned Horrors roam. These twisted pieces of Dwemer punishment move quickly, attack fiercely, and do a lot of fire damage.
Fire-resistant gear or potions should be your first choice for dealing with these enemies. The Immaculate Gauntlets you got earlier can help you stay alive in close fights by lowering the effects of burns. Frost spells, ranged weapons, or enchanted blades like Dawnbreaker work very well here.
For melee builds, timing blocks and quick retreats are very important. It’s hard to dodge in the narrow hallways, so instead of charging in headfirst, bait attacks and counterstrike. If you’re playing as a mage, keep moving. Use Ice Spike or Frostbite to slow down enemies before they get too close.
Not every problem needs to be fought. Stealth, persuasion, or exploration can help solve a lot of problems. Don’t use violence unless you have to; remember that every crime could break the Dwemer Law, which could set you back.
Pro Tip: Before every big fight, make sure to save. If you break the law by accident while fighting, you can reload instead of losing hours of progress.
Endings and Choices
The Forgotten City is one of Skyrim’s most thought-provoking quests because every choice you make leads to a different result. As this Skyrim: The Forgotten City walkthrough comes to an end, it’s time to face the final moral test: justice, time, and redemption.
The story ends when you find out the truth about the Dwemer Law, which is the strange curse that turns all sinners into golden statues. The choices you make will not only change the city, but also how people remember your journey.
Here’s a breakdown of all possible endings:
| Ending | How It Happens | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Ending | You kill or break the law to end the cycle. | The city collapses, and most residents perish. |
| Neutral Ending | You escape the city without solving the mystery. | You survive but leave the curse unresolved. |
| Good Ending | You uncover the truth, expose the real culprit, and prevent the law from triggering. | The city is freed, and you break the time loop permanently. |
How to Unlock the Good Ending
- Investigate Every Citizen – Complete side missions for Galerius, Vergil, and Dooley to uncover hidden motives.
- Find the Right Clues – The evidence lies in the Citadel, where the ruler hides forbidden secrets about the Law’s origin.
- Expose the Deceiver – In the final confrontation, use gathered proof to reveal who manipulates the system.
- Spare Lives When Possible – Violence often backfires; diplomacy and logic win you allies.
- Complete Galerius’s Tasks in One Loop – His actions set the foundation for peace, ensuring no one breaks the Law again.
When done correctly, you’ll free everyone, end the time loop, and earn one of Skyrim’s most satisfying narrative payoffs.
Pro Tip: Save multiple times before the final conversation. One wrong dialogue choice can lock you out of the perfect ending.
Rewards and Replay Value
When you figure out the secrets of The Forgotten City, you’ll see that the story itself is the real reward, not just gold or loot. This Skyrim: The Forgotten City walkthrough wouldn’t be complete without talking about what you get for finishing this amazing quest.
Rewards for Quests
- 🏺 The Arbiter’s Armor is a beautiful Dwemer-style armor set that shows that you have won against the Law.
- 🗡️ Unique Weapon or Artifact: You might get a rare weapon or artifact that has something to do with the city’s history, depending on what you choose.
- 🧭 Access to Hidden Lore – Journals and relics scattered throughout the city hold a lot of information about the Dwemer and how time loops work.
- 🧍 Thankful Survivors—If you get the good ending, the people of the city thank you in person. This is one of Skyrim’s most touching moments.
Why You Should Play It Again
You get a different experience every time you play The Forgotten City because the dialogue, actions, and endings change slightly each time.
- Choose a different moral path, like that of a hero, a liar, or a neutral traveler.
- Try changing the order of events in a time loop.
- Find new secret places and side quests that you missed the first time.
The story depth, atmosphere, and gameplay that is based on consequences make it one of the most replayable Skyrim quests of all time.
Pro Tip: The story stays interesting even after you’ve played it three or four times, especially if you make moral choices that are opposite to what you did before.
Conclusion
Exploring The Forgotten City is more than just a side quest; it’s a trip through time, morality, and the choices people make that you’ll never forget. This Skyrim The Forgotten City Walkthrough guide has helped you solve every puzzle, find every secret, and reach every ending, so you can fully enjoy this award-winning story.
The mod is one of Skyrim’s best-made adventures, with its creepy Dwemer ruins and the many moral choices it offers. Whether you’re playing for the first time or the second time, every choice you make shows you more about the city’s sad history and the power of redemption.
If you liked this walkthrough, check out other epic Skyrim quest guides or mods that add to the story and lore. The Forgotten City reminds every Dragonborn that truth and justice are important even in the darkest places.
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