Lost Knife Cave lies near Fort Amol at the eastern base of the Throat of the World, northeast of Ivarstead; your map calls it Lost Knife Hideout. Its entrance sits by a pretty waterfall and pond – ruined somewhat by the charred corpses on pikes, the bandit decorating style of the Fourth Era. Inside, a network of large caverns wraps around a huge underground lake. Come for the bandits, stay for the ore and two skill books.
What you’ll find
- Bandits throughout, with Silver Hand also listed among the enemies.
- Two bandits chatting by a fire at the entrance, with an iron ore vein nearby.
- A massive subterranean lake with guard posts and a central island platform.
- A hidden, half-flooded tunnel behind the southernmost waterfall, leading to a chest and another iron vein.
- A wooden walkway off the zig-zag path with a leveled chest.
- The inner Lost Knife Hideout: a tavern-like hangout, living quarters and an arena where the drunken boss is locked up among dead bandits and beasts.
- A caged sabre cat you can release into the fight, and a master-locked chest in a small tunnel behind its cage.
- A corundum ore vein by the bridge, another near the arena, and a gold ore vein in the last room.
Notable items
- Words and Philosophy – Two-Handed skill book, on the island platform/upper wooden ramp.
- Orsinium and the Orcs – Heavy Armor skill book, on a table by the beds.
- Three iron, two corundum and one gold ore vein.
- A random leveled armor piece in a small offshoot cave behind a waterfall, left of the first big cavern.
Tips
Sneak in and listen: one pair of bandits argues about who really caught the sabre cat, and another complains that the boss is drunk again and challenging everyone to a duel in “the hole” – so they locked him up. Releasing the cat is a fun way to let the arena sort itself out. Bring a pickaxe; between the iron, corundum and gold, this cave pays for your smithing habit. The back door of the arena loops you back to the lake.
Good to know
The “boss” isn’t a Bandit Chief but a Bandit Marauder, and he has a unique voice – the same one used by Torvar and other drunks around Skyrim. Very fitting.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, summarised in our own words.
