Oathsworn Pit
Orc proving grounds of Malacath overrun by the Bosmer Recollection: Lodge of the Fist, Lodge of the Axe, Lodge of the Forge. Three main bosses and three optional secret 'Trials' (one per lodge). Each Trial boss gives a buff and unlocks buff totems you can click during later fights.
- Hard mode is a banner before each main boss (veteran).
- Secret Trials: each Trial boss has a win condition. If it isn't met when the boss nears death, he heals ~25% and the fight goes on. Completing any Trial disqualifies the 'Dogged Avenger' achievement.
- Cindermoths (Lodge of the Axe trash and boss 2) rush a player and explode. Dodge-roll them or kill them first.
- Kindlepitch barrels explode when enemy fire hits them and leave fire on the ground.
Sluthrug the Bloodied (Trial of Blood)
Secret bossHow to spawn: Lodge of the Fist, before the first boss. Enter a remote cave in the northwest corner of the map, go through the door, drop to the bottom of the pit and use the Totem of Blood.
- Win condition: your side needs more Blood blobs than his when he nears death. Damage spawns blobs on both sides: kill his red blobs, keep your teal ones alive.
- Keep him taunted. His light attacks hit hard and his Blood Frenzy cone follows his facing.
- Cleave the red blobs as they spawn and merge.
- Red (his) and teal (yours) blobs of animated blood wander and merge. Field of Blades bursts ice around him and leaves snaring frost pools.
More detail
Buff Blooded Vitality: more healing done and less damage taken. You can now use Totems of Blood in later fights: +50% Max Health and you reflect damage to nearby enemies when hit.
Packmaster Rethelros and Malthil
Boss- Keep the wolf and the archer apart. When they're close, big red circles appear under both (Blood Ties) and they empower each other; an enraged Malthil's heavy can one-shot.
- Scent: Malthil howls, glows red and hunts one player (often the farthest). He can't be taunted. Sprint away and kite; his bite reach is longer than it looks.
- Cinder Shot: a long thin red line from Rethelros to a player. Block or step out and don't stand in line with groupmates.
- Hold Malthil away from Rethelros. Watch for the archer teleporting toward the wolf and reposition.
- Block Ravage (the wolf's charged bite).
- Destroy the Protective Totem (blue beams to both bosses) as soon as it's up. Both bosses take less damage while it stands.
- Stay out of the bear traps (red circles; immobilize and bleed). Kite the Directed Volley arrows off the group.
- Protective Totem: a totem with blue tether beams to both bosses.
- Scent: the wolf howls and glows red.
- Tank in front of the side buff totem by the door (if you did the Trial of Blood) to keep its effect up.
- High-DPS groups sometimes stack both bosses and ignore the Blood Ties circles.
- For Scent: either keep the healer farthest so the wolf picks them, or have the tank run out to catch it when it starts.
Activate: Banner before the boss (veteran).
- More HP and damage. No other changes confirmed.
More detail
Rethelros balances his and the wolf's HP from time to time, so cleave both. While Malthil is on Scent, Rethelros' shots snare you.
- UESP's HM achievement page only says 'stronger' and asks for more info. No source lists new HM mechanics.
Bolg of Wicked Barbs (Trial of Conquest)
Secret bossHow to spawn: Lodge of the Axe. The gate with two unlit braziers is locked. Light the other pair of braziers in the lodge: one near the gate, one farther down the corridor near the Malacath's Eye (boss 2) entrance. Return through the opened gate and use the Totem of Conquest.
- Win condition: own more of the 5x5 braziers than him when he nears death. Use the brazier synergy to claim (turns green); his turn orange.
- Kill Spirits of Conquest before they reach their brazier (marked with a red marker). A spirit claims its target and all adjacent braziers (up to 5).
- Kill the two Spectral Archers that appear when he teleports. Their fireballs hurt.
- Claim braziers between heals; one spirit per player spawns each time.
- A grid of small braziers glowing white (neutral), green (yours) or orange (his).
More detail
Buff Conqueror's Vim: more Magicka and Stamina recovery. Unlocks Totems of Conquest in later fights: restores Ultimate to you and nearby allies.
Anthelmir and Anthelmir's Construct
Boss- Axes: the construct pulls an axe from a corner statue (wide red rectangle) and later hurls it at the farthest player. The damage hits as the axe passes. Never stand in the axe's path.
- Heat Blast: Anthelmir slams her staff for a big red-circle explosion. Get out.
- Block Monstrous Blow (the construct's overhead axe slam while it holds an axe).
- After ~70%, the construct breathes a wide fire cone. Face it away from the group. It can turn during axe pulls.
- Try to land all axes in one spot ('Axe Sworn').
- Low DPS: focus Anthelmir. She shields herself in her flames and her damage ramps until her shield breaks.
- High DPS: focus the construct (it doesn't move, so ground AoEs stay put) to push the phase.
- Dodge or kill Cindermoths before they explode.
- Stand near a corner, out of the axe lines, but step in when the construct has no axe.
- Construct: a giant root/vine miregaunt that rips axe heads off the corner statues.
- At ~70%: a Malacath statue head falls, crushes Anthelmir, and the construct wears the head. The head breathes fire and spits Cindermoths.
Activate: Banner before the boss (veteran).
- More HP and damage. Mechanics reportedly the same but targeting more players.
More detail
When the construct reaches about 70%, the phase change kills Anthelmir automatically. After that it's only the construct, now with the fire cone and Cindermoths. Anthelmir teleports near Kindlepitch barrels to detonate them, leaving fire on the ground for the rest of the fight.
- Phase threshold: UESP says 70%, ArzyeL says about 75%.
- HM changes: UESP only says 'stronger'; a search summary of Alcast says the same mechanics hit more targets. Not confirmed in detail.
Grubduthag Many-Fates (Trial of War)
Secret bossHow to spawn: Lodge of the Forge, before the final boss. In the northwest room where the main corridor turns south, take the seemingly collapsed corridor north to a room with six forges and use the Totem of War.
- Win condition: have a bigger atronach army than him when he nears death. When he plunges his sword into a forge for a Flame Atronach, use that forge to summon your own Cold-Flame Atronach, and kill his.
- Hammer: his overhead strike can one-shot. Block it (also stops the knockdown).
- Block Hammer and move out of the meteor that follows.
- After Hammer, flaming rocks crash on red circles and send flame swirls outward (no indicator). More friendly atronachs means more meteors.
More detail
Buff Warrior's Visage: more Weapon and Spell Damage. Unlocks Totems of War in later fights: your attacks add bonus flame damage.
Aradros the Awakened
Final boss- Never stand on the central grate. At ~65% (and again after the 50% phase) it erupts for massive damage.
- Never touch the flames at the base of the walls. They kill instantly.
- '+'-shaped tile explosions (Brimstone): a molten tile pulses, then explodes in a cross. The blast reaches a few tiles past the drawn lines. Get off the lines.
- Fracturing Strike: a flaming boulder lands on a red circle for extreme damage. Move.
- Block Emblazoned Strike.
- Corner tanking: back him into the right-hand corner square as you enter. When he slams, roll through him and turn him back toward the corner. This keeps molten tiles compact.
- At 50% the side-room minibosses come out. On HM taunt the other two as soon as they arrive.
- At 50% he goes invulnerable in the center and a gate opens to side rooms. Kill the miniboss(es) fast, then get out before the room fills with fire. Don't stop to res; bodies are moved back to the main room.
- Maerolor (right room): bash his channel (Fire Slice) right away.
- Kill Awakened Fire nixads when they come in.
- Faenalir (center room) chains two players to magma orbs. They snare and burn, then explode. Many groups pop them on purpose.
- Nilborwen (left room): her 'pizza' Elemental Cross one-shots outside the safe slice. Move into the gap.
- Molten Tile: floor tiles glowing red-hot after Magma Eruption.
- Brimstone: a '+'-shaped AoE across tiles.
- 50%: Aradros floats in the center inside an orb of fire; a side gate opens.
- Optional: during the 50% phase, Stoke the three forges and Ignite The Smelter (unfinished Iron Atronach) to get an ally ('Forgesmith').
- Use Totems of War/Blood/Conquest from the Trials here if you did them.
Activate: Banner before the boss (veteran).
- More HP and damage.
- Molten tiles stay much longer. Stack them carefully.
- Five exploding tiles at once (two in veteran), and their crosses span the whole arena.
- All three minibosses at 50%, and all aggro as soon as one is engaged. Save ultimates for 50%. Nilborwen also summons Stone Atronachs, Maerolor adds a huge Incineration AoE, and Faenalir adds a fire storm.
More detail
Magma Eruption leaves red-hot tiles; place them on the edge or on top of existing ones to keep safe floor. After the 50% phase he repeats everything with more scorched tiles.
Side minibosses: normal = Faenalir only. Veteran = Faenalir plus one of Nilborwen or Maerolor. HM = all three.
- Whether HM molten tiles are permanent (UESP Aradros page) or just much longer (UESP achievement page).
- Which side room is which comes from one forum guide (left = Nilborwen, center = Faenalir, right = Maerolor), matched to UESP ability lists.