How To Unlock the Lost Relic Quest in Skyrim

The Lost Relic quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a highly sought-after side quest, primarily because it rewards players with one of two unique and powerful weapons: the Dawnguard Rune Axe or the Dawnguard Rune Hammer. These aren’t just any ordinary weapons; they possess special enchantments that make them incredibly effective against undead enemies. However, accessing this quest isn’t as straightforward as stumbling upon a random location. It requires specific conditions to be met, tying it to the Dawnguard DLC and the progression of the Dawnguard faction questline. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to unlock this elusive quest.

How to Start the Lost Relic Quest

To initiate the Lost Relic quest, you must fulfill several crucial prerequisites:

• Own the Dawnguard DLC: This is the most fundamental requirement. The Lost Relic quest is exclusively part of the Dawnguard expansion, meaning you won’t find it in the base game. If you don’t have the DLC, you’ll need to purchase it to proceed.

• Join the Dawnguard Faction: You must choose to align with the Dawnguard, the vampire hunters based in Fort Dawnguard, rather than siding with the vampires of the Volkihar Clan. This choice is made early in the Dawnguard questline and locks you into that path. Once you make your choice, you can’t get this specific quest if you choose vampires.

• Recruit Sorine Jurard, Gunmar, and Florentius Baenius: The Lost Relic quest becomes available only after you’ve completed the initial stages of the Dawnguard questline and have successfully recruited all three key members: Sorine Jurard, the Dwemer gadget expert; Gunmar, the master armorer and troll expert; and Florentius Baenius, a devout priest of Arkay. These recruits are added to the Dawnguard over the course of the main questline.

  • Recruiting Sorine: Complete the quests involving the Dwemer ruins to find Sorine.
  • Recruiting Gunmar: Complete the quests involving the cave with trolls and a special armor needed.
  • Recruiting Florentius: To recruit Florentius, you’ll need to speak with Sorine Jurard after the “Prophet” quest. She will request that you talk to Isran, who will then inform you that Florentius is in Ruunvald, which will begin the “Bolstering the Ranks” quest.

• Complete the main quest, “A New Order,” After you recruit the members to Fort Dawnguard, you must move on to the “A New Order” quest and complete it before this quest becomes available.

• Speak with Florentius Baenius: Once you have the three recruits and complete “A New Order,” Florentius is the one who offers the Lost Relic quest. He will provide you with a random location to find the relic, which leads to one of the two unique weapons.

Once these requirements are met, speaking to Florentius will automatically trigger the Lost Relic quest. It’s important to note that the location of the relic is radiant, meaning it will be randomly selected from a pool of locations each time the quest is given. This ensures that the experience is always fresh and varied, and makes the quest repeatable.

What to Expect from the Lost Relic Quest

The Lost Relic quest is a straightforward retrieval task. Florentius will task you with traveling to a specific dungeon or location to recover a lost Dawnguard relic. This location could be a variety of different places across Skyrim. Once you arrive, you will have to navigate the area, clear out any enemies (often draugr or other undead), and locate the Dawnguard Rune Axe or Dawnguard Rune Hammer.

Upon finding the relic, simply return to Fort Dawnguard and speak with Florentius to complete the quest. You are now the proud owner of one of the two rune weapons.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Lost Relic Quest

1. Can I get the Lost Relic quest if I join the vampires?

No, you cannot get the Lost Relic quest if you join the vampires of the Volkihar Clan. The quest is exclusive to the Dawnguard faction. You can only get the weapons by being part of the Dawnguard.

2. Where is the Lost Relic located?

The location of the Lost Relic is radiant, meaning it is randomly selected each time the quest is given by Florentius. It could be any number of dungeons or crypts throughout Skyrim.

3. Can I get both the Dawnguard Rune Axe and the Dawnguard Rune Hammer?

Yes, you can obtain both weapons by repeatedly taking the Lost Relic quest from Florentius. Since the location is random and the weapon received is random, you will eventually get both.

4. What is so special about the Dawnguard Rune Axe?

The Dawnguard Rune Axe has a unique enchantment that deals bonus sun damage to undead enemies, increasing with each undead killed by the axe, up to a cap of 100 kills and 100 points of sun damage.

5. Does the Dawnguard Rune Axe’s kill count reset?

No, the kill count on the Dawnguard Rune Axe does not reset, even if you temper the weapon. However, if it is dropped, it can be reset back to zero. The enchantment is always permanent as long as you have the weapon equipped.

6. What is the enchantment on the Dawnguard Rune Hammer?

The Dawnguard Rune Hammer has an enchantment that can stagger enemies on each hit. It also has a chance to break through enemy blocks and cause a large area-of-effect damage with an explosion.

7. How do I recruit Florentius?

After learning that the Moth Priest is at Forebears’ Holdout during the quest “Prophet,” Sorine Jurard will ask you to speak with Isran about recruiting Florentius. Isran will then tell you Florentius can be found in Ruunvald, starting the quest “Bolstering the Ranks.” After completing this quest, Florentius will be at Fort Dawnguard.

8. What is the best weapon for vampires in Skyrim?

While the Rune weapons are great against undead and for the Dawnguard, a strong frost weapon like Grimsever is great for a vampire build, as it deals additional frost damage. Frost magic also has a good synergy with Vampires in the game.

9. Can I marry Serana?

In the base game, it is not possible to marry Serana. However, there are mods available that allow players to marry her.

10. Can Serana be cured of vampirism?

Yes, Serana can be cured of her vampirism after finishing the Dawnguard DLC by bringing her to Falion in Morthal to perform a curing ritual.

11. Can a werewolf join the Dawnguard?

Yes, you can be a werewolf and still join the Dawnguard. There are no restrictions on being a werewolf while participating in the Dawnguard faction.

12. What happens if you try to join the Dawnguard as a vampire?

If you are already a vampire when trying to join the Dawnguard, they will tell you to get cured before you can participate in the main quests. After becoming a Vampire Lord, there is no return.

13. Should I join the Dawnguard or the vampires?

The choice between joining the Dawnguard or the vampires ultimately depends on your playstyle. The Dawnguard offers unique weapons, armor, and a focus on hunting undead. The Volkihar Clan focuses on the power of the Vampire Lord form and vampire-specific skills. Many players would recommend the Dawnguard, unless the player fully intends to play as a Vampire Lord.

14. Where do I start the Dawnguard questline?

You can start the Dawnguard DLC questline by speaking to a guard in Riften. They will prompt dialogue about a rising threat to the area.

15. Does the Lost Relic quest use a weighted drop system?

No, the Lost Relic quest and other areas of the game use a Cryptographically-secure random number generator to generate drops. This ensures that the drops are fair and that each time you search, there is an equal chance for any drop to occur.

By following these guidelines, you should have no trouble unlocking the Lost Relic quest and obtaining the potent Dawnguard Rune weapons in Skyrim. Enjoy the hunt, and may your blade (or hammer) strike true against the undead menace!