Darkfall Passage is a long underground route (Dawnguard) that you reach through a portal in Darkfall Cave in the Druadach Mountains, and it ends at a wayshrine opening onto the Forgotten Vale. You first come here during Touching the Sky, after Knight-Paladin Gelebor opens the way. Expect Falmer, Chaurus, traps and some of the darkest tunnels in all of Skyrim.
What you’ll find
- A tall entry tunnel with a Chaurus Hunter that may be waiting in a cocoon, then Falmer further on.
- A pool in a low cave whose underwater tunnel leads east to a secret room with minor loot, Gleamblossom, Glowing Mushrooms and a skeleton carrying Darkfall Passage Note I.
- A Falmer village with potions in one tent and a Falmer chest in the big tent topped by a Chaurus figure near the waterfall.
- A tempting chest ringed by Gleamblossom under a Falmer bridge. It is trapped: two swinging claw blades drop when you open it.
- Deep tunnels with a Chaurus pen, an Alchemy Station in a Falmer hut, a rock-fall trap with bone chimes and several trapped chests and entrances.
- A skeleton with Darkfall Passage Note II, a leveled potion and a shield, followed by two rope pulls.
- A huge cavern with rock bridges over a pool, two Vale Sabre Cats, and finally the wayshrine guarded by the ghost of Prelate Sidanyis.
Quests
In Touching the Sky Gelebor opens the first shrine, which drops you into the passage. Once that quest is done you can come back through any opened shrine, the one in Darkfall Cave, or Darkfall Grotto.
Notable items
- Darkfall Passage Note I and Note II.
- Gleamblossom, Glowing Mushrooms and other new Dawnguard flora along the route.
Tips
Bring light. The first stretch is darker than any other cave in the game, so a torch, night vision or Candlelight saves a lot of bumping into walls. If you cannot spot the underwater tunnel, raising the brightness helps. At the two rope pulls, the left one is correct and reveals a sabre cat sitting on a rock. A ramp north of the fenced Falmer area lets you sneak around the camp. And if you fall through the waterfall, do not panic: a hidden path holds a chest and opens the door on the far side with a glowing pullchain.
Good to know
This is one of the two places where you first meet the new Dawnguard wildlife and plants, such as vale deer, vale sabre cats, gleamblossom and poison bloom.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim/Dawnguard game files, summarised in our own words.
