The Ratway Warrens lies south of the Ratway Vaults beneath Riften, deep in The Ratway. It’s a cramped two-floor warren of small rooms around an open stairwell, and judging by its residents and their mutterings, it is where people go when they really don’t want to be found. Most players come here for one man: Esbern.
What you’ll find
- Esbern’s hideout on the upper floor: a desk, bookcase, bed and a big storage area with a cooking pot and ingredients.
- Hefid the Deaf, hiding in a dark room on the ground floor and endlessly reciting a checklist – pickpocket her items and the list changes. She may flee if startled.
- Knjakr, a butcher on the second floor who attacks if you try to talk to him.
- Salvianus, an ex-Imperial officer on the lower floor; a hole in the upper floor drops straight into his room.
- A grindstone and an unlocked chest with leveled loot.
Quests
A Cornered Rat: find the door with a sliding view panel – Esbern only talks through it while this quest is active.
Notable items
The books Lost Legends and The Rise and Fall of the Blades, fitting reading for an old member of the Blades.
Tips
Don’t try small talk with Knjakr – he answers with a cleaver. Use the floor hole if you want a shortcut to Salvianus. And if you’re a pickpocket, Hefid’s checklist makes a surprisingly fun little game.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, summarised in our own words.