Skyrim’s Ill Met By Moonlight: Claiming Both Ring of Hircine and Savior’s Hide

Yes, you absolutely can obtain both the Ring of Hircine and the Savior’s Hide in the Skyrim quest “Ill Met By Moonlight.” This requires a specific sequence of actions, essentially exploiting a loophole in the quest’s design. It’s a bit of a trick, but it’s a popular one for completionists looking to snag every Daedric artifact.

Mastering “Ill Met By Moonlight”

The quest begins in Falkreath after speaking with Mathies about his deceased daughter or directly encountering Sinding in the Falkreath jail. Sinding, a werewolf afflicted by a cursed ring, asks you to return the Ring of Hircine to its master. This sets you on a hunt, but the path you choose at the end determines your reward.

The Key Steps to Double Dipping

To get both artifacts, follow these steps carefully:

1. Begin the Quest: Start “Ill Met By Moonlight” in Falkreath.
2. Locate Sinding: Find Sinding in Bloated Man’s Grotto. He’ll give you the Cursed Ring of Hircine and task you with hunting down a specific White Stag.
3. Hunt the White Stag: Track and kill the White Stag. Hircine will appear and instruct you to hunt Sinding.
4. Agree to Spare Sinding (Initially): This is crucial. Head back to Bloated Man’s Grotto. When you encounter the hunters Hircine sent, do NOT help Sinding. Eliminate the hunters yourself.
5. Complete the Hunt (Sparingly): Speak with Sinding. If you killed all the hunters Hircine will commend you on making them “the hunted”, Hircine’s ghost will offer to uncurse the ring.
6. Claim the Ring of Hircine: Exit the Grotto after speaking with Sinding and Hircine will appear to give you the ring.
7. Betray Sinding: Now, re-enter Bloated Man’s Grotto. Attack and kill Sinding.
8. Skin Sinding: After defeating Sinding, take his hide from his corpse.
9. Receive the Savior’s Hide: Hircine’s spirit will reappear, impressed by your hunt, and offer you the Savior’s Hide.

By following this order, you manipulate the quest triggers, allowing you to acquire both Daedric artifacts. It’s a bit morally dubious, but hey, it’s Skyrim.

Why This Works

The game essentially registers the completion of both quest objectives – sparing Sinding (initially) and killing him – before finalizing the reward disbursement. This allows you to trigger both the Ring of Hircine and Savior’s Hide rewards. The Games Learning Society might even find this an interesting case study in emergent gameplay and exploiting game mechanics! Or check out GamesLearningSociety.org for more gaming education information.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Hircine’s Artifacts

Here are 15 commonly asked questions regarding the “Ill Met By Moonlight” quest, the Ring of Hircine, and the Savior’s Hide:

1. Does the order of killing the hunters matter?

   No, the order doesn’t matter. What matters is that you kill all the hunters and don’t help Sinding.

2. What if I accidentally help Sinding fight the hunters?

   If you assist Sinding in killing the hunters, it might prevent you from getting the Ring of Hircine from Hircine outside the grotto. Reload a previous save and try again.

3. Is the Savior’s Hide worth it?

   The Savior’s Hide provides a significant boost to magic and poison resistance early in the game. However, later on, with high enchanting skills, you can create armor with similar or better resistances. So, its value diminishes over time.

4. Does having both artifacts count towards the Oblivion Walker achievement?

   Yes! Both the Ring of Hircine and Savior’s Hide count as Daedric artifacts for the Oblivion Walker achievement/trophy.

5. Can I use the Ring of Hircine if I’m not a werewolf?

   No. The Ring of Hircine only works if you are a werewolf. It provides extra transformations per day. Without lycanthropy, it’s just a useless ring in your inventory.

6. Can I become a werewolf again if I cure myself?

   Yes, if you have the Dawnguard DLC or the Special Edition of Skyrim, you can become a werewolf again by speaking to Aela the Huntress.

7. What happens if I defy Hircine?

   Defying Hircine isn’t really an option. Regardless of your dialogue choices, he’ll still recognize your actions and reward you (or punish you with the cursed ring, depending on your path).

8. Should I side with Hircine or Sinding if I only want one artifact?

   If you want the Savior’s Hide, you need to kill Sinding. If you want the Ring of Hircine without the “curse” (random werewolf transformations), you need to initially spare Sinding.

9. What level should I be to start “Ill Met By Moonlight”?

   There’s no level requirement. You can start the quest whenever you reach Falkreath.

10. Does the Ring of Hircine have any effect on a Vampire Lord?

    No, the Ring of Hircine has no effect on Vampire Lords. The game treats werewolves and vampires as separate entities.

11. What’s so special about the Ring of Hircine?

    The Ring of Hircine allows werewolves to transform more than once per day. Without it, you’re limited to a single transformation.

12. Can I remove the Ring of Hircine after I get it?

    If you initially get the Cursed Ring of Hircine (by killing the White Stag and then trying to give the ring back to Hircine) then it will force you to randomly change. If you complete the quest by killing the hunters and speaking with Sinding so that Hircine uncurses the ring, it can be equipped and unequipped.

13. Is there a way to get unlimited werewolf transformations?

    No not as a base function of the game. The Ring of Hircine grants extra transformations, but not an unlimited amount. The cursed Ring of Hircine can cause random transformations.

14. How do I become a werewolf after joining the Companions?

    Continue the Companions questline until “The Silver Hand.” There, you’ll participate in a ritual involving werewolf blood.

15. Is Hircine a good or bad Daedric Prince?

    Hircine is more neutral than outright evil. He represents the hunt, the natural order of predator and prey. His ideals aren’t necessarily malevolent, just… primal.

Conclusion

“Ill Met By Moonlight” is a fascinating quest, offering choices with tangible rewards. By understanding the mechanics and exploiting the quest sequence, you can secure both the Ring of Hircine and the Savior’s Hide, maximizing your character’s potential. Just remember, a little morally grey decision-making is often the key to success in Skyrim!