Serpent’s Bluff Redoubt is a Forsworn encampment west of Rorikstead, near the edge of the Reach. On the surface it is a fortified camp with pressure-plate booby traps scattered around. Underneath lies Serpent’s Bluff Ruins, a small dungeon with a gate puzzle that stumps a surprising number of players and an Arcane Enchanter waiting at the end.
What you’ll find
- Five Forsworn patrolling the camp, including a Briarheart in one of the tents.
- A hagraven, if you are a high enough level.
- Pressure-plate traps around the camp.
- Serpent’s Bluff Ruins, with a pressure plate on a table in the main room that opens a gate, and a second gate further on that leads to the other exit.
- An Arcane Enchanter and soul gems past the gate, inside the ruins.
Quests
A popular spot for random destinations. It can be picked for Lisbet’s Missing Shipment, Rescue Mission, Trouble in Skyrim and Family Heirloom from the Companions, The Break of Dawn when Meridia goes looking for her beacon, Rings of Blood Magic (Dawnguard), Hjalti’s Sword and Shalidor’s Insights.
Notable items
- Enchanting skill book Twin Secrets, in the ruins.
- A note on the floor of the Briarheart’s tent, addressed to the camp’s leader. It reveals that someone called the Matriarch is pushing the leader to seize Fort Sungard, to control the eastern slope of the Reach and stop their enemies from retreating.
Tips
The gate in the ruins has no lever or chain, which is why people wander around in circles. The trick is the pressure plate on the table on the lower level: drop an item or a dead Forsworn on it and the gate stays open for good. Shout fans can use Slow Time to dash through instead.
The second gate opens with a button at eye level, to your right as you face it. Watch your feet in the camp outside – those pressure plates are not decorative.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Moldering Ruins, Rorikstead, Lund’s Hut, Gjukar’s Monument, Whiterun Imperial Camp.
Location data (hold, map position, editor ID) read from the Skyrim game files; details checked against community wiki articles and summarised in our own words.