While the main goal ofThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis for the Dragonborn to defeat an ancient dragon named Alduin, players also have plenty of opportunities to seek out side quests and complete them for unique rewards. Some side quests are available immediately upon leaving Helgen at the start of the game, but others, like"The Wolf Queen Awakened,“can only be started after the completion of a different side quest.
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Skyrim’s “The Wolf Queen Awakened” side quest tasks the Dragonborn putting a stop to Potema Septim, a prior Queen of Solitude, by traveling through the Temple of the Divines and entering the catacombs below. This location is crawling with Vampires and Draugr, so players should proceed with caution upon entering.
How To Start The Wolf Queen Awakened
Players will be able to start “The Wolf Queen Awakened” upon completing"The Man Who Cried Wolf,“a quest given byFalk Firebeardatthe Blue Palace in Solitude. Once this quest has been completed and a few days have passed, the Courier will approach the Dragonborn and give them aLetter from Falk Firebeard, asking them to return to the Blue Palace for another assignment.
Speaking to Falk again, he will ask the Dragonborn to visit theHall of the Deadand speak to a man namedStyrr. Interacting with him and selecting the"Falk sent me to talk to you about Potema"dialogue option will prompt Styrr to explain the situation, before asking the Dragonborn to find and kill Potema, the Wolf Queen herself. Before the conversation ends, the Dragonborn will be given thePotema’s Catacombs Keyand the ability to castTurn Undead,a Restoration spellthat causes Undead up to Level 13 to flee for 30 seconds.
Temple Of The Divines
Leaving the Hall of the Dead, players should head north toward the quest marker and enter theTemple of the Divines. Traveling northeast into the center of the chapel and turning left will lead to a stairway, at the end of which the Dragonborn will be faced with two paths.
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The door to the left leads to a dead end, so players shouldproceed through the gate on the right, which can be opened with Potema’s Catacombs Key. Following the path ahead and passing through the hole in the wall, the Dragonborn will arrive in Potema’s Catacombs.
Potema’s Catacombs
Heading down the stairs and proceeding south, Potema will speak to the Dragonborn, before opening the gate blocking the way forward. From here on out,VampiresandDraugrwill begin attacking the Dragonborn, but most of them are easily dealt with. That said, those who do not wish to contract Vampirism should be sure to bring aCure Disease potionwith them before going any further, as drinking one willnegate the effects of the Vampire’s Curse.
Continuing east along the linear path and further into the catacombs, players will eventually be faced with asealed gate, which can be opened bypulling the leveron the southern wall next to it. There are three Draugr in the next room; once they have been dealt with, the Dragonborn can proceed south and then east toward the small set of stairs, and use them to reach the slightly raised platform. The next area can be reached by travelingthrough the hole in the southern wall.
Moving forward through the next two rooms and dealing with the Vampire and the Draugr along the way, the Dragonborn will emerge in a cave-like area, at the end of which alevercan be found. Interacting with this lever will cause the stone wall in the southern doorway to begin spinning; when an opening appears, players should interact with the lever again to stop the wall from moving. In the next room, just past the Alchemy Lab, a door leading toPotema’s Refugecan be found.
Potema’s Refuge
Proceeding through Potema’s Refuge, the Dragonborn will come acrossthree levers that must be interacted within order to open the way forward. To solve this lever puzzle, players should interact with the first lever and wait until a gate becomes visible on the spiraling wall in the doorway. When the gate on the wall aligns with the doorway, it will open, and interacting with the lever again will cause the wall to stop moving. Repeating this process with the second and third walls will align all three gates and grant players access to the next area.
Turning into the northern room, players can pull the lever behind the coffin to reveal a hidden passage. Once the area at the end of said passage has been looted, players can return to the three levers and proceed west.
Following the path to the south, past the soul gem traps, and into the small throne room, aVampireand aDraugr Deathlordwill attack. Defeating the Vampire and looting his body, the Dragonborn can acquire thePotema’s Sanctum Key, which can then be used to open the door to the south. At the bottom of the stairs here, a door leading to Potema’s Sanctum can be found.
Potema’s Sanctum
Proceeding through Potema’s Sanctum, the Dragonborn will reach a small room full of Draugr and Vampire remains. Upon entering this room, Potema will address the Dragonborn once more, before resurrecting the nearby bodies and forcing them to attack. Defeating them and continuing north, a door leading to Potema’s domain can be found just at the bottom of the stairs.
Upon opening this door, players will be faced with theWolf Queen, a spectral figure who is hovering near the ceiling in the center of the room. Proceeding inside the room, she will awaken the nearby Draugr and send them to fight the Dragonborn. The Draugr aren’t overly troublesome, but players should keep an eye out for Potema’s spectral beam, while they travel around the room.
Once all the Draugr have been defeated, Potema will fly through the western door and wait atop the stairs next to the throne. Defeating her, players can loot her body to obtain anEbony Sword of Stormsbefore moving on. Resting on the seat of the throne isPotema’s Skull; once the Dragonborn collects it, they can return to Solitude to complete the quest.
How To Complete The Wolf Queen Awakened
Fast-traveling back to Solitude and entering the Blue Palace, the Dragonborn can speak to Falk Firebeard to inform him of Potema’s demise. As thanks, he will reward the Dragonborn with theShield of Solitudeand 1,800 Gold.
Returning to Styrrin theHall of the Dead, the Dragonborn will give him Potema’s Skull, thus completing “The Wolf Queen Awakened.”
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis available for PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
