Elden Hollow I
Ayleid halls under Elden Root, held by Darkfern Orcs and Thalmor. Three main bosses (Akash gra-Mal, Chokethorn, Canonreeve Oraneth) and three minibosses. Easy dungeon; only Oraneth needs real attention.
- Hard mode (veteran) is only on Canonreeve Oraneth: interact with the Scroll of Glorious Battle just to the right of the door as you enter her room.
- You start by dropping down a waterfall. There's no way back up.
- The Ancient Spriggan is in a side room south of Akash's room and is optional (needed only for the vet Assassin/Survivor achievements).
- Darkfern healers in trash packs heal their allies. Interrupt or kill them first.
Akash gra-Mal
BossStandard fight. Tank and spank.
- Face her away and block the heavy (Executioner's Strike). It knocks you back if unblocked. It often comes right after her spin.
- Stay close behind her. She leaps onto anyone who drifts too far away.
- Step out of Berserker Frenzy (spin AoE around her), then step straight back in.
- A Wood Orc woman with a battleaxe, in front of a forge and a burning bone altar.
- Battlecry: frontal cone shout that staggers.
More detail
First boss and a pure warm-up. Her room's door opens once she's dead. Nothing here kills a group that keeps her turned and blocks the heavy.
Ancient Spriggan
MinibossOptional side room. Easy fight with three small spriggan adds.
- Interrupt her heal (she raises her hands and channels). She can also channel a damage buff on her summoned animal; interrupt that too.
- AoE the small spriggans on top of her.
More detail
Low health, low damage. She summons an animal that stays alive even if she dies, so kill it too.
Chokethorn
Boss- Fungal Burst: a huge red circle spreads out from the boss. Run out of it. It can take ~90% of a DPS or healer's health even through block, and kills if you're unlucky.
- Face him away from the group and block his heavy so you aren't knocked down.
- Kill or interrupt the Strangler Saplings that spawn around the room and beam heals into him. Low-DPS groups should send one DPS to them full-time.
- Stay fairly close. He pulls in distant players (Pulling Grasp) and briefly holds them, which is how people get caught in the Burst.
- A giant strangler (tree-trunk plant) in a partly flooded room. Before Burst he buries his head in the ground.
- Saplings: small stranglers attached to him with healing beams.
More detail
The fight is easy as long as everyone leaves the Burst circle and the saplings don't stack up their healing. Fextralife calls it a good 'don't stand in red' check.
- UESP's layout page says you can jump from the bridge to skip Chokethorn, but UESP's Chokethorn page says he must die to unseal Oraneth's room. Both agree you need him for pledges and the Vanquisher achievement.
Nenesh gro-Mal
MinibossEasy fight. Kill his Darkfern adds first, then tank and spank.
- Block his Uppercut (heavy, knocks back).
- Kill or interrupt the Darkfern healers in his pack first.
- Step out of the lightning strikes (red circles) while his Lightning Form aura is up.
More detail
A Darkfern thundermaul who patrols with a big pack of melee, archers and healers. The pack is the only real threat.
Leafseether
MinibossStandard fight. Tank and spank.
- Block his heavy. Face him away; his Inhale cone sucks players in and bites them.
- Strafe sideways from his jump attack (Lacerate) and the Inhale cone.
- A giant alit (two-legged raptor) in the north tunnel before Oraneth.
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Short fight. Kill any alit adds first.
- Xynode mentions a tail swipe and a roar AoE. UESP and Fextralife list only Bite, Lacerate (jump slash) and Inhale.
Canonreeve Oraneth
Final boss- Necrotic Burst: huge growing red circle around her. Get out of it. It one-shots DPS and healers who don't block or roll out; tanks survive but get knocked back.
- Rotting Bolt: she turns to face a random player and winds up a poison bolt. Interrupt it, or the target dodge-rolls as it's released. It ignores taunt.
- Hold her in the center and don't move her.
- Pull the four Darkfern Skeletons onto her when they rise.
- AoE the skeletons down on the boss. Block their heavy attacks if they're on you.
- Break her Bone Hurricane shield (small, ~3% of her health).
- You can be the Rotting Bolt target too. Watch for her turning toward you.
- Frost aura at her feet (like Lightning Form, but icy) often signals the poison bolt is next.
- Necrotic Circle: a small rune under or near a player. Hands pull you in and root you; skeletons climb out when it ends. Step out of it.
- Stand in a loose triangle around her (each player their own spot) so the bolt and rune AoEs don't hit two people.
Activate: Veteran: interact with the Scroll of Glorious Battle just to the right of the door as you enter her room.
- More HP and more damage. No new mechanics. Burst and Rotting Bolt are the killers.
More detail
Thalmor mage in front of a Daedric rift. The fight is about calm positioning: hold your spot, step out of runes, back out of Burst, dodge or interrupt the bolt, then return. Panicking around the room is what wipes groups here.
- UESP says Rotting Bolt can be interrupted; Xynode and Fextralife only say to dodge-roll it. Doing either works.