J'zargo's Experiment is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. J'zargo has created ten Flame Cloak Scrolls that he wishes to have tested. He says that they are especially potent against the undead and asks if the Dragonborn could take them to test them and report back to him.
Background[]
J'zargo has asked me for help with a project he's working on. I'm supposed to test out Flame Cloak scrolls he made, and report back to him when I've tried them out on several undead creatures.
Objectives[]
- Test J'zargo's flame cloak spell on the undead
- Speak to J'zargo
Walkthrough[]
Talk to J'zargo after the Dragonborn has completed "Under Saarthal" and agree to help with his experiment, he will then proceed to explain how he needs the Dragonborn to test his scrolls. J'zargo's scrolls must be used in melee range of undead; they will last for thirty seconds, and kill undead almost instantly. Furthermore, due to the potency of these scrolls, the undead explode and damage everyone nearby upon exploding.
A somewhat convenient place to test the scrolls is The Midden, which is located in the College of Winterhold, and the Skytemple Ruins just north of the College, though keep in mind any underground barrow or other ruin is just as appropriate provided skeletons or draugr are present. A Dragon Priest lair may also work, due to the overwhelming abundance of undead enemies. This is a decent quest to undertake while the Dragonborn is seeking out a Word of Power, or in conjunction with a "find an item" quest.
Unfortunately, the scrolls do not quite work correctly; they not only hurt the undead, they also hurt the Dragonborn and any followers.
Once complete, the Dragonborn can return to J'zargo for a reward, and also gets to keep the leftover scrolls, unless all were used. Additionally, he becomes available as a follower. The scrolls are not considered quest items and can be accidentally stored; in which case they will disappear (after some time) and the quest will fail.
Journal[]
| J'zargo's Experiment – MGRAppJzargo01 | |
|---|---|
| ID | Journal Entry |
| 20 | J'zargo has asked me for help with a project he's working on. I'm supposed to test out Flame Cloak scrolls he made, and report back to him when I've tried them out on several undead creatures.
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| 30 |
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| 200 | I've informed J'zargo that the Flame Cloak scrolls he created don't work exactly as he intended. I doubt he'll be asking for additional help.
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| 255 | I told J'zargo that I ran out of the scrolls he'd given me, and he no longer wants my help.
|
Trivia[]
- Be especially cautious when using these scrolls. The explosion damage from the undead may provoke an attack from any followers. A suggestion is to have them wait at a distance until done. If a follower has been hurt this way, along with them turning hostile, a bounty may be acquired in the respective hold where the follower is recruited.
- Walking within melee range of multiple undead may immediately kill the Dragonborn due to multiple explosions.
- The Become Ethereal shout or the Konahrik mask can be used to avoid the explosion damage, as can Avoid Death from the Restoration skill tree.
- The Dragonborn can raise from the dead any creature they have killed, and then use a scroll on it; the quest does not seem to mind that the scrolls are used on one's own temporary followers.
- The scrolls can be used on the same dead thrall by killing it and raising it again.
- If this quest is done with the Apprentice Stone activated, make sure to replace it temporarily, or get resist magic/fire to compensate for it, as using this scroll near a lot of undead will do a lot of damage to the Dragonborn, potentially killing them, especially with mages whose health is not too high. This should not pose a problem if at a higher level or if the Dragonborn has a lot of health.
- If the scrolls are wasted and J'zargo is asked for more of them, he will get mad and say to forget he ever asked that he asked for help, because he gave the Dragonborn plenty of them.
- Using this scroll on Serana will count towards progress of this quest, as she is a vampire.
- It may take talking to J'zargo multiple times for him to ask the Dragonborn about it.
Bugs[]
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This section contains bugs related to J'zargo's Experiment. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- If the College of Winterhold quest "The Staff of Magnus" is active in the background, the Dragonborn cannot talk to J'zargo about the results of the scrolls. One will need to complete the quest "The Staff of Magnus" first in order to finish this quest.
Appearances[]
| College of Winterhold Quests | |
|---|---|
| Main Quest | |
| Side Quests |
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| Master Spell Quests | |
| Radiant Quests | |
| Other Quests | |