Spider Crafting*

The Webs of White Ridge

While exploring Solstheim, you may have noticed the variety of spiders that inhabit the isle. The following activity has no objectives, but your exploration may give you some answers about these strange arachnids...and some interesting opportunities to control them.

Atop the snowy mountains of Solstheim, you may stumble across White Ridge Barrow, just west of Hrothmund’s Barrow. Enter it, passing signs of violence at the entrance, where two dead Reavers have barred the wooden door shut. Remove the bar and open the door, passing two dead Albino Spiders and three dead Reavers before encountering live arachnids. Circle around the outside of spiral steps leading deeper into the tomb.

Head east down the tomb tunnel and engage more spiders (including Flame Cloaked Spiders) as the passage separates into two parallel corridors. Beware of exploding egg sacs, and mine any geodes you see; there are two Ruby Geodes to the north. Continue east down the corridors, past more egg sacs to a chain on one of the two end pillars, which releases a bridge platform ahead (east). If you have Whirlwind Sprint, use it to jump across the gap to the platform on the far side of the room, circle behind the wooden barriers, and search the area for items. Then drop down to the lower level and head toward the exit, fending off a bandit with a parasitical spider controlling it from its shoulders.

There are exits to the north and west. Head up the steps to the north first, cutting through thick cobwebs to open an iron door and a burial chamber with a nasty Draugr at the far end. There are two chests to pilfer from. Head to the sloping southeast of the room, working your way around to the west. Hack through more spiders, watching for egg sacs and possessed bandits. Continue down the corridor south, then east into a natural cavern with heart stone and ruby deposits and a door to White Ridge Sanctum.

Spider Scrolls

Move east and south, removing a bar from the door leading to a grand cavern where you’re set upon by bandits, Flame Spiders, and a sorcerer named Merilar Rendas, who actually throws spiders at you! Remove the key and journal (revealing a difference of opinion with another mage) from her corpse before you move on. Slay her fast enough, and you can recover her supply of Flame Cloaked Spiders and Jumping Flame Spiders, then lob them back at your foes! Continue south to a Word Wall and a crypt with a frightening Acolyte Priest named Dukaan, who guards the Black Book: The Sallow Regent. Consult the Solstheim Side Quests for more information on them.

• Merilar’s Cage Door Key
• Merilar’s Journal
• Dukaan
• Word of Power: Cyclone
• Black Book: The Sallow Regent

To the west is a narrow winding crypt passage leading down and eventually out to a waterlogged well directly below the graven cavern with a chest. There’s a fissure and stream running through it with more geodes to mine too. Of more interest is a wooden ramp to the northeast. Ascend it to the remains of a disused mining chamber, with further geodes, spiders, and possessed bandits to cull. In the north wall is a cell door [Adept], which Merilar’s key opens. This leads you through some webs to a dead-end corridor with a chest at the end and a barred door into a circular chamber filled with possessed bandits and spiders.

Return to the mining chamber and climb the wooden ramps, which leads to a cage [Expert] that Merilar’s key also opens. This is the place you need to reach to begin Spider Crafting. Once you have finished, you can head north to the ladder (the rest of the tunnel has some geodes to mine) and use Merilar’s Key to open it. This leads to Secondary Location: White Ridge Barrow Hut, a small hut with spiders and a sapphire geode. This is a great alternate entrance to the Imbuing device on subsequent visits.

Quest Conclusion

The cage holds the remains of Servos Rendas, a Dunmeri mage with a journal explaining how badly wrong his friendship with Merilar went. Of greater importance is the odd metal device and Spider Experiment Notes near it. This is the Imbuing Chamber, where the Dark Elves’ research can be put into practice!

• Servos’ Journal
• Spider Experiment Notes

As you can see from the following recipe chart, the type of gem influences the elemental damage of the spider. Amethyst is Shock, Emerald is Poison, Ruby is Flame, and Sapphire is Frost.

Spider Crafting Recipes

Here is a complete list of spiders you can create and the ingredients you need to make them.