Arniel’s Shade is the ghostly echo of Arniel Gane, the Breton researcher at the College of Winterhold whose obsessive Dwemer experiment ends with him vanishing – either destroyed or flung off to some other plane. What you get out of the mess is a spell that brings him back, sort of.
Where to find them
You don’t find him anywhere; you summon him. Finishing Arniel’s Endeavor rewards you with the spell Summon Arniel’s Shade, a two-handed Conjuration spell that costs no Magicka. The shade shows up looking just like Arniel did the last time you saw him, only with a hood on his robes, and sticks around for sixty seconds.
Personality & relationships
In battle he is all business. He charges around the fight hurling a constant beam of lightning, something like a beefed-up Sparks, and he will happily take on anything, dragons included. As far as anyone can tell he cannot be hurt, which players put down to him being a ghost.
Outside combat things get a bit sad. You can try to talk to him, but nothing happens, and you can’t give him orders or hand him gear like a real follower. Now and then he gasps or retches as if he is in pain. When his time is nearly up he may speak to you – sometimes just a puzzled “Yes?”, and if you lead the College he may even greet you as Arch-Mage.
Good to know
- His spell list includes Chain Lightning, Lightning Bolt, Fireball, Banish Daedra and Heal Other, though the lightning stream seems to be all he actually uses.
- Since he costs nothing to summon, he is a handy free distraction in a pinch.
Quick facts
- Race: Breton
- Gender: Male
- Level: 40
- Class: Sorcerer
- Status: Essential
- Found in: college-of-winterhold
- Factions: College of Winterhold
- Base ID: 0006A152
Also in college-of-winterhold
Augur of Dunlain, Colette Marence, Drevis Neloren, Nirya, Phinis Gestor, Quaranir, Sergius Turrianus, Tandil, Velehk Sain, Arniel Gane.
Race, level, class and factions read from the Skyrim game files; story details checked against community wiki articles and written in our own words.