Hag's End is an ancient Nordic tomb in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Description
Hag's End is located at the top of the mountains west of Solitude and northeast of Markarth, at the top of the stairs east of Deepwood Redoubt (amidst the Forsworn camp). Inside there are witches and a Hagraven. Additionally, Hag's End has a Word Wall for one of the words of the Slow Time Dragon Shout which is found before the fourth round of battle with the Hagraven. There are several other entrances.
As Hag's End is not part of the normal Game World it cannot be found by walking there directly. It can only be entered by going to Deepwood Vale through Deepwood Redoubt. If the map marker was gained through the "Source of Power" side quest or via the Locate the Assassin of Old miscellaneous quest, the marker will show the entrance incorrectly. After unlocking the map marker it will be possible to fast travel to Hag's End, but it will still remain impossible to walk there without going through Deepwood Redoubt.
Walkthrough
Inside the first room is a door to the left (northeast) that contains three Hags. To the left (northwest) is a sleeping chamber with an Alchemy Lab and a Scroll of Firebolt on a table in the center of the room.
On the northeast end of the room is a wooden door that leads to a junction with a room straight ahead and one up some stairs to the right (southeast). The room straight ahead holds several well-hidden rune traps and is otherwise a dead end. Up the stairs is a table with a swinging log trap directly in front, and more stairs up to the right (southwest).
At the top of those stairs is a wooden door leading to a room with several witches and/or hags. To the left is a table with the skill book Mystery of Talara, Book IV. Straight ahead is a throne with a hidden door behind it that can be opened by activating the handle on the wall to the left of the throne. A corpse for the quest Locate the Assassin of Old is behind that door.
- There is a circular room with a fire at one end, encountered fairly early in the dungeon. A frostbite spider will drop from the middle of the roof in this room.
To the right (northwest) is a drawbridge that can be dropped using the lever to its right. This leads to an open iron door to the left (southwest) that leads to another throne room with a Frostbite Spider (that drops from the middle of the roof) and a key ("Hag's End Key") on a shelf to the right of the fireplace. On a table against the west wall is The Legend of Red Eagle.
Back outside the room, a short of stairs leads up to the southwest. This leads to a master locked gate to the west that can be opened with the key just obtained, and a series of three gates up stairs to the northeast, one after another. Through the locked gate is a crypt with a fire-trapped chest containing leveled loot. The northeast gates can be opened by activating a handle to the left, but caution is advised as spears come out from the walls as soon as the gates open.
At the top of the stairs is a room with circular depression and candles all around. The room holds a Hag, a Witch, and a Hagraven. See below for details on the battle with the Hagraven. From this roomk, a master locked door to the northwest (which can be opened with the key) contains minor loot plus a leveled weapon. A master locked gate to the southwest leads to a s,\mall room with nothing in it. To the southeast is a gate that can be opened by pulling the chain that overhangs the depression.
Through that last gate is a large room with a word wall for the Slow Time shout (to the south southeast), and an Arcane Enchanter against the east wall. A door out to a parapet high above Deepwood Vale is on the southeast wall. This is where the Hagaven makes her last stand.
On this platform with the altar (where Bloodthorn is found) is a chest with random loot, found by turning right when leaving the door.
Battle with Hagraven
The battle will take four rounds, with the Hagraven retreating further into the redoubt after losing roughly a quarter health each encounter. In the last round she will summon two leveled creatures to aid her - Frost Trolls and Ice Wraiths - plus Frostbite Spiders and Skeevers. Combinations of these creatures are also possible.
The last round can be made very easy if the shout Unrelenting Force has been mastered. With patience and a high sneak skill, the Hagraven can potentially be bypassed avoiding the summoned creatures completely. Summoned creatures will not spawn while the Dragonborn is sneaking. However, if she sees them, she will summon her allies immediately. A well-timed Unrelenting Force shout will knock her off the platform and, (due to her depleted health from the previous rounds,) kill her.
It is also possible to kill the Hagraven in the third round if the Dragonborn gets an animation kill. If this happens the Hagraven's corpse will warp out the same way it does for the other two rounds upon exiting the room towards the word wall. The Hagraven's corpse will appear at the place where the fourth round normally occurs if it was not looted before leaving the room where the third round took place.
If Innocence Lost has been completed and the Dragonborn sleeps after the first room and is kidnapped by Astrid, (With Friends Like These), upon return to Hag's End, the Hagraven will be back in the first room, apparently a lot weaker, and she can be killed right there.
With high Sneak and Archery skills, it is possible to sneak up on her at each stage and hit her with an arrow, causing her to immediately disappear since she has received more than 1/4 damage. In the final confrontation back out at the parapet above Deepwood Vale, she can be killed with one shot, thus never having a chance to summon any help.
Quests
Notable Loot
- Bloodthorn, sitting on the altar next to the witch's body on the parapet above Deepwood Vale.
- Mystery of Talara, Book IV.
- Spell Tome: Flames.
- To the left of the Hag's End entrance, (the right of the last altar when exiting the top door), there is a rocky wall on the other side of a waterfall. It is possible to reach the plateau near the top of the waterfall by jumping/walking up the stone, or using the Whirlwind Sprint shout from the edge of the altar. On top of the plateau the player can find a chest with random loot, and the Predator's Grace boots, which muffle movement and marginally increase stamina regeneration. Behind the player there is also a Quicksilver vein.
- Ancient Shrouded Armor set. This full set of higher quality Dark Brotherhood gear (only if on the quest) can be found in Hag's End as well. Open the hidden and easy-to-miss door behind the throne that is on the second floor next to the bridge. There is also a chest in the same room containing random leveled loot.
Trivia
- This location is heavily trapped, with a combination of Frost Runes (three in one room), two chest traps, and at least one pressure plate. Consequently, the Shout Become Ethereal or Perk Light Foot can help here.
- If the hagraven is killed with one bow shot at the parapet above Deepwood Vale, her corpse will slide off and disappear.
Bypassing the dungeon
The Slow Time word can be obtained without going through the dungeon. To the left of the proper entrance to Hag's End, there are some rocks next to the waterfall that are easily scaled. Once on top, it is easy to then scale and hug up against the rocks leading to the top, exit area of Hag's End. The door up there leads to the room containing the word of power, effectively allowing one to skip the entire dungeon; however, it will not be possible to go back through the dungeon in reverse.
Slow Time Word on Map
Bugs
- After learning the first word(s) of Slow Time from Labyrinthian or Korvanjund and unlocking the shout, the word wall at Hag's End may be blank, making it impossible to learn the full shout. To force the second word to be learned (on the PC), use the console command "player.teachword 48ACB". To force the third word to be learned, use the command "player.teachword 48ACC" (without quotes, in both cases).
- 360 The game will begin to lag severely shortly after entering.