Bristleback Cave sits in northern Solstheim, south of Northshore Landing and right beside an outdoor riekling camp. It was added with the Dragonborn expansion, and calling it a cave is generous: the whole thing is one sprawling riekling settlement. Come here for pendant hunting, a pile of riekling huts to loot and the chance to get ambushed from barrels, snow drifts and tents more times than you can count.
What you’ll find
- Rieklings everywhere – jumping out of barrels, popping up from the snowy floor and waiting at nearly every bend.
- Bristlebacks, both riderless and with riekling riders, in the big final hall.
- Many riekling huts with random loot, several chests (some master-locked), a strongbox with a single gem inside a tent, and a long room stocked with potions.
- The corpses of two Reavers near the entrance – a good hint of how the last visitors fared.
- A massive cavern split by a bridge, with a ramp down to one camp and two exit paths from the back wall.
- A hidden return route: one of the last tunnels comes out above the first dead end near the entrance, so you can drop down and walk out.
Quests
Pain in the Necklace – Fethis Alor in Raven Rock wants the East Empire Pendants back, and one of their strongboxes waits in the riekling camp on the far side of the cave. Nearby, an open crate holds the book Ahzidal’s Descent, which starts a miscellaneous quest pointing you to Kolbjorn Barrow.
Notable items
- East Empire Company Strongbox.
- Ahzidal’s Descent (starts the Kolbjorn Barrow investigation).
- A Nordic Dagger of Binding beside a skeleton on a ledge in the final large room, east of the bridge and below a box with a soul gem.
- A rare piece of charcoal on a chopping block in the last room, by the southwest tunnel that leads back to the entrance.
Tips
Treat every barrel, tent and suspiciously flat patch of snow as a riekling waiting to say hello. Area spells and shouts pay off in the crowded camp rooms, and a bow helps against the mounted bristlebacks before they reach you. The cave is long and branching, so leave the master-locked chests for a sweep at the end. When you are done, take the southwest exit tunnel – it loops back above the entrance and saves you the whole walk.
Nearby
Closest places on Solstheim covered on TamrielSaga: Broken Tusk Mine, Northshore Landing, Stalhrim Source, Castle Karstaag Ruins, White Ridge Barrow.
Map position and editor ID read from the Dragonborn game files; details checked against community wiki articles and summarised in our own words.
