Overview

Optimal Quest Start

The College of Winterhold Quests begin when you arrive at the College for the first time. They give you access to trainers and vendors that considerably increase your magical abilities and skills. You can join the College whenever you like, although Magic-focused characters may want to join sooner rather than later to gain access to this ready source of spells. Most other characters will come to the College much later, as part of Main Quest: Elder Knowledge.

Sanctuary: College of Winterhold

The threadbare Hold City of Winterhold has seen most of its population driven away. The center of life in these parts nowadays is the College of Winterhold. Once a prominent, influential location in Skyrim, Winterhold has fallen on hard times but is still a haven for mages in Skyrim, a safe refuge from distrustful Nords. Largely self-sufficient, the College of Winterhold is quite content to be isolated from the rest of the province, although a more peaceful coexistence with the outside world is always preferred.

The College of Winterhold is situated on a cliff overlooking the Sea of Ghosts. Over the years, the cliff has fallen into the sea, taking nearly all of the original city with it. Only a few buildings remain, though somehow the College of Winterhold has largely been untouched by the damage. It now resides on a free-standing crag of rock and ice. Inside, the College is split into three distinctive towers: Halls of Countenance and Attainment where apprentices and senior mages reside; the Hall of the Elements, where the Arch-Mage resides, gatherings are held, and the Arcanaeum (the College’s great library) is kept. Below the College lies the Midden, a warren of icy tunnels where the remnants of long-forgotten experiments reside.

Important Characters

Arch-Mage: Savos Aren

Savos has been the Arch-Mage of the College for a very long time and tried to assure the people that the College was not responsible for the Great Collapse. He took threats seriously after the White-Gold Concordat and helped secure the grounds of the College. Through it all, he’s managed to maintain his good demeanor and his faith in humanity. He has little concern for public perception these days, believing that if the mages of the College keep to themselves, no one will bother them. As such, he has every intention of staying out of the Civil War and the Thalmor’s rise to power.

Thalmor Advisor: Ancano

A Thalmor agent currently residing at the College of Winterhold, acting in an “advisory” position, Ancano’s patronizing tone and haughtiness have made this High Elf into a hated figure. Feeling he has no one to answer to, Ancano is using his time at the College to find out any secrets he can and relay them to his masters back at the Embassy in Haafingar. He isn’t winning any popularity awards in the College.

Master-Wizard: Mirabelle Ervine

Mirabelle may be second-in-command, but she’s the one who really runs the College. The day-to-day operations are under her jurisdiction, which doesn’t make her popular, but she knows someone has to do the job. Mirabelle is frustrated that the College is seen as a black mark, that magic in general is shunned, and takes very seriously any allegations of wrongdoing leveled at the College or its members. She has no use for either the Psijics or the Thalmor—they’re all just getting in the way and giving the College a bad reputation.

Wizard: Sergius Turrianus

Well aware of the contempt Nirya and Faralda have for one another, Sergius takes time from his duties as Enchanting instructor to instigate conflict between the two women, in the hopes that Faralda will turn to him for comfort. While he’s sure this is going to backfire on him eventually, he’s going to enjoy it while he can.

• Trainer (Enchanting: Expert): Sergius Turrianus

Wizard: Drevis Neloren

Drevis is a strange duck. Quite versed in Illusion, he’s well liked by the apprentices but has little presence outside his class. His colleagues barely seem to acknowledge him; he floats through the day leaving little mark on anything. If they were paying attention, one might question whether he’s really there at all....Drevis has a habit of wandering into the Arcanaeum and talking Urag gro-Shub’s ear off, largely because Urag can’t get away.

• Vendor: Illusion spells
• Trainer (Illusion: Master): Drevis Neloren

Wizard: Faralda

Faralda has her eye on Mirabelle Ervine’s position, a stepping stone on her way to being Arch-Mage. Recently she’s noticed that Nirya seems to have her sights set on the same position, and the two have developed a bitter rivalry over it. Rumors of sabotaged experiments and undermined research provide plenty of gossip for the other mages. When upset over something Nirya has done, Faralda goes running to Sergius Turrianus, who is in fact playing up both sides of this conflict to get close to Faralda.

• Vendor: Destruction spells
• Trainer (Destruction: Expert): Faralda

Wizard: Phinis Gestor

Phinis has little concern for the affairs of mortals. He’s a wizard who conjures creatures from the Beyond—what else matters? Phinis is also interested in Necromancy and takes solace in the notion that the College is one of the few places he can get away with honing his art without being stoned to death in the process. He regularly relies on Enthir to procure some of the more sensitive items his conjurations require, but only interacts socially with Arniel Gane, the one person in the College who doesn’t seem nervous when speaking to him.

• Vendor: Conjuration spells
• Trainer (Conjuration: Expert): Phinis Gestor

Scholar: Arniel Gane

Arniel is a small, frail little man who’s never been entirely comfortable in his own skin. He feels weak and helpless, and while turning to magic has alleviated some of that, he wants to take it a step further. His ultimate (and very secret) goal is to research dwarven artifacts and figure out why the civilization disappeared. To that end, he occasionally procures the services of Enthir for some controversial items.

Scholar: Colette Marence

Colette is the Restoration teacher at the College and is well aware that she’s been labeled as a peace-loving star-gazing Spriggan-hugger. Having made repeated attempts to break out of that role and finding that everyone treated her even worse when she no longer fit the image they’d created for her, she’s finally given in and accepted that no one will ever see her differently.

• Vendor: Restoration spells
• Trainer (Restoration: Expert): Colette Marence

Scholar: Enthir

Enthir is the “man who knows how to obtain materials” in the College. While the College has very flexible rules on what’s acceptable research and what’s not, there are some reagents and spell components that just can’t be acquired through legal means. Enthir, working with Birna in Winterhold, is the elf who takes care of that. He also becomes a Fence in Winterhold during the Thieves Guild Quests.

• Fence (Thieves Guild)

Scholar: Nirya

Nirya is supremely confident of her abilities and is far more interested in jostling for a leadership position than improving her skills. As Faralda seems to be the only other mage to share these ambitions, she’s decided to take her down. Sergius provides insight as to how to go about doing this, and while Nirya has a sense that he may be using her, she can’t imagine what his motivation is and so she doesn’t worry about it.

Wizard: Tolfdir

Tolfdir is old. Very old. And while it’s easy for the others to write him off as a doddering old fool, he is actually one of the few real masters of Alteration magic. He loves his work, offering to give new apprentices their first taste of the College, and is always available to help if it’s needed and if it doesn’t involve too much physical activity. Despite his elderly nature, those with perceptive qualities know to treat him as the venerable mentor and advisor that his years have taught him to be.

• Vendor: Alteration spells
• Trainer (Alteration: Master): Tolfdir

Lorekeeper: Urag gro-Shub

Urag’s never been a “normal” Orc, preferring books and spells to blades and war paint. He put on a good show for as long as he could, then quietly snuck off to the College of Winterhold when he had the chance. While he’s very good at what he does and loves it, he’s still somewhat conflicted by how contrary this is to what’s perceived as typical Orc behavior. As such, he feels it necessary to attempt to maintain a gruff, serious exterior. He’s actually developed a close relationship with Savos Aren and with Drevis Neloren (against his better judgment), largely because Drevis seems oblivious at Urag’s attempts to drive him away.

• Vendor: Books

Apprentice: Brelyna Maryon

Brelyna comes from a line of Telvanni wizards, well known for their proficiency. However, she is struggling with magic and has opted to study at the College, out of sight of her friends and relatives. Her plan is to get over whatever problem she’s having and then return to Solstheim to finish her studies—and do so as quickly as possible.

• Follower: Brelyna Maryon

Apprentice: J’Zargo

Encouraged by his peers to seek greater magical knowledge, he’s traveled to Skyrim to learn what the Nords have to offer about magic. J’Zargo is not intimidated to be the only of his kind at the College; rather, he takes this as a sign that he’s an exceptional mage. He believes himself superior to his fellow apprentices and thinks the only reason he hasn’t already been made a scholar (or higher) is protocol.

• Follower: J’Zargo

Apprentice: Onmund

As a Nord, Onmund’s natural magical ability was seriously frowned upon by his family. Coming from a difficult childhood as a result, he’s happy to finally be someplace where everyone is more like him. Unfortunately, no one seems quite as happy as he is, which he finds to be very puzzling. His frequent attempts to make friends and engage in social activities often fall flat, but this has not dampened his enthusiasm.

• Follower: Onmund

Augur of Dunlain

Formerly a mage from Dunlain in High Rock, Augur was working on some unapproved experiments in the Midden and wound up fused to the magical energies that flow through the College. Now incorporeal, he has sequestered himself in a locked room in the Midden but keeps tabs on everything going on in the College.

Psijic Monk: Quaranir

Quaranir is a member of the Psijic Order, a group that teaches a philosophy called the Elder Way, peaceful meditation to reach a higher state of consciousness and manipulation of the living world. These monks have been known to guide particularly adept mages, and Quaranir believes that his guidance is needed now.

Training and other Notes

In addition to a warm bed and like-minded brethren, some of the members of this College of mages are extremely talented in a particular skill. Speak to each of them and increase the chosen skill by a point, to a maximum of five points before you level up. If you have enough gold, you can complete this numerous times:

Followers and Marriage

Any of the three Apprentices—Brelyna, Onmund, and J’Zargo—can become Followers once you complete their Faction Radiant Quests. In addition, Onmund and Brelyna are candidates for marriage. Consult Side Quests: The Bonds of Matrimony for more details on the nuptials.

Magic Robes

Scour the College for a series of different-colored variations of College Robes; these are the finest premade enchanted robes you can obtain and are rarely found as loot. You can find them from merchants and randomly lying around in chests, wardrobes, or other containers.

Available Quests

There are 31 different quests available with the College of Winterhold. Eight of these are Critical Path Quests; 23 are Radiant Quests.

Critical Path Quests

Simply referred to as “quests,” these are the main quests you attempt. All but the first quest have one or more prerequisites, as shown in the following table:

Radiant Quests

Also known as “Faction Radiant Quests,” these are usually smaller quests that require you to complete an objective for a particular person. New quests of this nature appear as you progress through the Critical Path Quests. In most cases, the objectives of a Radiant Quest are randomized. They are listed in more detail after the Critical Path Quests, but for the prerequisites required to begin every Radiant Quest, consult the following table: