Restoration Ritual Spell is the master-level Restoration quest of the College of Winterhold in Winterhold. When your healing magic is nearly perfected, Colette Marence admits there are spells beyond her lessons, but the one who decides whether you may learn them is the Augur of Dunlain, the disembodied former student who lives in the Midden beneath the College. His test is simple: put your armour and weapons aside and keep yourself alive with Restoration alone.
How to start
You need two things before Colette will send you to the Augur:
- A Restoration skill of 90 or higher.
- The College quest Good Intentions completed, which is where you first meet the Augur. If you have never found and spoken to the Augur during that quest, Colette will not offer the dialogue.
Find Colette at the College of Winterhold, usually in the Arcanaeum or the Hall of Countenance, and ask about further Restoration training. She points you to the Midden.
Walkthrough
Gain the Augur’s approval
Go down to the Augur’s chamber in the Midden and speak to him. He reminds you that knowing spells is one thing and applying them is another, then asks you to step into the light. When you do, every weapon, piece of armour and potion you carry is taken away (quest items stay). From here on you can rely only on spells, powers and shouts.
Survive the three ghosts
Three spectral attackers appear one after another: one casts Flames, one Frostbite and one Sparks. You cannot hurt them, so do not bother attacking. Instead, keep wards up and heal through the damage with spells such as Fast Healing, Close Wounds or Grand Healing. The ghosts leave in the same order they arrived. The source gives the trial length as roughly 45 seconds in one place and as a fixed 30 seconds after the trial stage begins in another; either way it is short. When the last ghost fades, the Augur declares you worthy and the quest completes. Your equipment is returned.
Rewards
- Bane of the Undead, added directly to your spell list.
- Guardian Circle becomes available as a spell tome from Colette Marence.
Tips and notes
- Followers keep all their gear and will fight the ghosts. That mainly draws aggro away from you; keep a Heal Other spell ready if your companion is mortal.
- Being unseen trivialises the test: if you stay hidden in sneak mode or invisible, the ghosts never turn hostile. Items are stripped but active effects are not, so drink an Invisibility potion or cast Invisibility before stepping into the light. Avoid recasting unless you have the Quiet Casting perk.
- Stacking the Alteration perks Atronach and all ranks of Magic Resistance with the Atronach Stone makes you nearly immune to the ghosts’ spells, and the absorbed magicka fuels your healing.
- Buy the Guardian Circle tome as soon as possible. Due to a script error the ritual unlocks the Alteration master books for sale instead of the Restoration ones, so the tome added right after the quest is the only copy; once Colette’s stock resets it is gone.
- The other master-level ritual quests are Alteration Ritual Spell, Conjuration Ritual Spell, Destruction Ritual Spell and Illusion Ritual Spell.
