What Does Arniel’s Shade Do in Skyrim?
Arniel’s Shade in Skyrim serves a very specific and crucial purpose: it acts as a summonable ally for the player after completing the lengthy and unique questline initiated by Arniel Gane at the College of Winterhold. The Shade doesn’t have any dialogue or backstory beyond its creation; its sole function is to fight alongside the Dragonborn in combat, providing valuable support with its competent spellcasting abilities. It is, in essence, the final reward for investing time and effort in Arniel Gane’s intriguing research into the Dwemer.
## Arniel’s Shade: A Powerful Ally
The Arniel’s Shade summon is acquired at the end of the quest “Arniel’s Endeavor”. This quest involves a series of tasks for the player, ranging from collecting Dwemer artifacts to tempering a unique weapon, the Keening dagger, using Arniel’s Convector. The final stage requires the player to charge the Convector by attacking it with Keening at specific locations. Once completed, Arniel seemingly succeeds in his experiment to recreate the process of the disappearance of the Dwemer.
After the quest is completed, Arniel is vaporized, and the Dragonborn is awarded the ability to conjure Arniel’s Shade once per day using a special power. The Shade remains summoned for 60 seconds. While this summon duration is short, Arniel’s Shade is a surprisingly effective fighter.
## Arniel’s Shade’s Abilities
### Spellcasting Prowess
Arniel’s Shade is primarily a mage-type summon, meaning it focuses on dealing damage with spells. It is known to cast Shock spells, specifically the Lightning Bolt spell, making it effective against enemies weak to shock damage, such as mages and dragons. The constant stream of lightning bolts can quickly whittle down enemy health.
### Melee Combat
While primarily a spellcaster, Arniel’s Shade is not completely defenseless in melee combat. It can engage enemies up close, although its damage output in this regard is significantly lower compared to its spellcasting. It’s best used as a ranged support ally.
### Resilient and Ethereal
The Shade is also a spectral being, offering it some resistance to physical attacks. While it can still take damage, it’s often more resilient than other conjuration spells available to players at similar levels. Its ethereal nature makes it somewhat more difficult to hit in close combat.
## Strategic Use of Arniel’s Shade
Due to its limited summon duration of 60 seconds, strategic deployment of Arniel’s Shade is key.
### Burst Damage
Arniel’s Shade is best used for burst damage against high-priority targets. Summon it during challenging boss fights or when facing particularly strong enemies to quickly reduce their health.
### Crowd Control
While not its primary strength, the Shade can provide some degree of crowd control. The constant stream of lightning bolts can stagger weaker enemies, creating breathing room for the player.
### Tactical Advantage
Use Arniel’s Shade to draw enemy fire. Summoning it can distract enemies, allowing you to reposition yourself or launch a surprise attack. It is particularly effective against ranged attackers, as it can quickly eliminate them with its powerful lightning bolts.
## FAQs About Arniel’s Shade
### 1. Can Arniel’s Shade be affected by perks?
Yes, Conjuration perks that affect summoned creatures, such as Summoner, Necromancy, and Atromancy, will enhance Arniel’s Shade, increasing its duration and health, respectively.
### 2. Is Arniel’s Shade considered a Daedra?
No, Arniel’s Shade is not a Daedra. It is a spectral projection created through Arniel Gane’s experiments with the Dwemer. Therefore, perks that specifically affect Daedra, such as the Twin Souls perk (which allows you to summon two Daedra), will not affect Arniel’s Shade.
### 3. Can I summon multiple Arniel’s Shades at once?
No, you can only summon one Arniel’s Shade at a time. The power is a once-per-day ability and cannot be used to summon multiple shades simultaneously. You can only summon it again once 24 in-game hours have passed.
### 4. Does Arniel’s Shade level up with the player?
No, Arniel’s Shade does not level up with the player. Its stats and abilities remain the same regardless of the player’s level. This means its effectiveness may diminish at higher levels.
### 5. Can Arniel’s Shade be healed?
Arniel’s Shade is a summoned creature and will benefit from spells or abilities that affect summoned creatures. Healing spells directed at the player will not heal the shade but any perks or abilities which passively heal summoned creatures will work.
### 6. What happens if Arniel’s Shade is killed?
If Arniel’s Shade takes enough damage, it will be banished back to Oblivion (or wherever it resides). You can then summon it again after the 24-hour cooldown period.
### 7. Is Arniel’s Shade affected by Illusion spells?
No, Arniel’s Shade is not affected by Illusion spells. This is because the Shade is a summoned entity rather than a living creature.
### 8. How do I acquire the ability to summon Arniel’s Shade?
You acquire the ability to summon Arniel’s Shade by completing the “Arniel’s Endeavor” questline at the College of Winterhold. The questline begins with Arniel Gane and involves several stages of research and experimentation with Dwemer artifacts.
### 9. Can I use Arniel’s Shade in conjunction with other summons?
Yes, you can use Arniel’s Shade in conjunction with other summons. However, certain perks or abilities that limit the number of summons you can have active at once may affect this. The Twin Souls perk allows two Daedra to be summoned, and this would stack with the Shade since it is not a Daedra.
### 10. Is Arniel’s Shade useful at higher levels?
While Arniel’s Shade’s stats don’t scale, its shock damage can still be useful at higher levels, especially against enemies weak to shock. Its limited duration means it’s best used for tactical bursts rather than sustained combat.
### 11. Can Arniel’s Shade carry items?
No, Arniel’s Shade cannot carry items. It is a summoned creature with a limited set of abilities and no inventory.
### 12. Does Arniel’s Shade benefit from armor?
No, Arniel’s Shade does not wear armor and therefore does not benefit from armor ratings or enchantments. Its resistance is inherent to its spectral form.
### 13. Can Arniel’s Shade be used with a stealth build?
While not ideal, Arniel’s Shade can be used with a stealth build. Summoning it might break your stealth if enemies are nearby, but it can then be used to draw attention away from you, allowing you to reposition or strike from the shadows.
### 14. What happens to Arniel Gane after the quest?
Arniel Gane is vaporized after the quest is complete. He seemingly succeeds in recreating the process of the disappearance of the Dwemer during his experiment with the Keening dagger and Arniel’s Convector.
### 15. Is “Arniel’s Endeavor” a radiant quest?
No, “Arniel’s Endeavor” is not a radiant quest. It is a fixed questline with specific objectives and locations. You can’t repeat the quest or receive it from other NPCs. The quest only happens once in the game.