Skyrim talk:Bloated Man's Grotto

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Two Versions of this Zone?[edit]

Might be worth exploring how many versions of this zone exist. I noticed definite changes between one accounts description and the version of it for when you are helping/hunting Sinding. Items seem to disappear/change once you're sent here on the quest.--Bwross 06:49, 5 December 2011 (UTC)

Confirmed. Before commencing the quest with Sinding there are Wolves, Bears and Spriggans in the grotto. As well as the altar of Talos and the Oathblade. AzureSN 18:51, 13 December 2011 (UTC)
It says on the page that "It's recommended to visit Bloated Man's Grotto before doing Ill Met By Moonlight if you want to loot Bolar's Oathblade without killing Sinding". How is that true ? I did "III met by Moonlight", killed Sinding, and came back to get Runil's journal. Sinding seemed very much alive, and the cave had reverted to the version with bears and other nasties. I could get Bolar's Oathblade, too. I don't know if I am very clear about it !Jng 12:12, 17 April 2012 (UTC)
Agreed. Removed that sentence. --Xyzzy 07:20, 6 May 2012 (UTC)
"It says on the page that "It's recommended to visit Bloated Man's Grotto before doing Ill Met By Moonlight if you want to loot Bolar's Oathblade without killing Sinding". How is that true ? I did "III met by Moonlight", killed Sinding, and came back to get Runil's journal." What you say make no sense. The sentence you quote means that you can't have Bolar's Oathblade anymore if you never want to kill Sinding. And you say you killed him.
To be more precise, the grotto can't be reset to the version without the quest once Sinding is in it, even though the quest is completed, as Sinding is alive. So if you complete the quest and don't wish to kill Sinding even after completing the quest, you can never access again to the first version of the grotto and therefore never loot Bolar's Oathblade. 82.242.48.47 16:39, 7 May 2012 (UTC)

Loot[edit]

There is also a boss chest if you climb around the hills some. But can someone confirm the location if you find it? I can't remember -I thought I had gotten out of the intended boundaries, when I was able to drop down to a little alcove that had it. KrisCrash 17:44, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

Confirm master chest. On last level before drop down to the camp area at the Eastern end. 92.13.137.149 01:22, 4 February 2012 (UTC)
Confirmed Location of Master Chest - If you kill the hunters with Sinding he will stay in a clearing near where you have to then jump back down to the camp area to exit the dungeon.
How i got to the 'alcove' was to climb up the right side of the rocks (from the perspective of looking down at the camp from the top of the cliff) and you just keep running along the side of the rocks until you can see Sinding and as you go along the rocks there will be a drop going down to a lower rock. Jump down and tucked into the side is the chest. 10 Feb 2012 1:30 EST — Unsigned comment by 144.131.65.15 (talk) at 14:37 on 9 February 2012
In the grotto after helping Sinding, I have found FOUR chests (but two are lower quality chests, is that why they're not mentioned on the page?).
  • one in the lake under the waterfall
  • one slightly hidden to the right of the waterfall/lake area (when facing the waterfall)
  • one 'fancy-chest' in an open area after the 2nd set of steps
  • one very-well-hidden 'fancy-chest' in the SW corner
LOCATION: Describing where Sinding stops is unreliable, because it would depend on where you killed the last hunter. Describing based on the Talos shrine is useless if you helped Sinding (because it's gone). On the local map, the location is Northwest of the entrance marker. When going around the loop, you will cross a stream with a lantern. Go through a skinny area and you come into a small clearing. Before you (facing East) you will see a rock formation that is pointing left/upward. The chest is above that area. If you look at the map, there is a dark-grey oval area in the middle of the southern end of the looped path (the bottom/middle of the map). The chest is on the very western/left edge of that oval shape. Another way to think of it is to look for dark/black path that resembles a backwards 3. It takes up most of the left side of the map. This is the path you traveled. The chest is near the large, blobby bottom end of the 3, (the eastern edge of the blob-like end of the 3). --Amsuko 07:58, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

Leveled?[edit]

I entered this dungeon at level 11, and found saber cats, wolves, and one cave bear, but no spriggans. Additionally, the chest was Apprentice-level, not Master-level. --72.211.207.48 21:16, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

The animals are leveled (wolf, sabercat, etc.) There is one fixed bear (go left on entering, past the dead deer, then past the spring). The Spriggans are leveled but should always be there (confirmed levels 7, 21, 30?, 50?.) There are 4 chests, two are always apprentice to the right of entering in the pond and one just to the right of that (hidden against the wall facing south when at the ponds edge), one, as mentioned, to the left of entering above the dead deer (facing east) and always a master level lock, and the "boss chest" at the shrine. (same confirmation levels.) Philbert (talk) 18:55, 26 May 2013 (GMT)
Note also: It is quite possible to use the left approach to hop to the outer wall, then hop to the center through a split bridge to get the bear. Then use the same point to hop up to the upper central section where the hawks nests are. This makes a great snipe point. It can also be reached by hopping the wall to the right of the statue (where the steps lead down.) Philbert (talk) 18:55, 26 May 2013 (GMT)

Can't Enter the Grotto[edit]

I encountered this bug on the XBox360; you can walk into the little alcove in the main world, but it does not enter the grotto. It simply doesn't transport you anywhere like other caves, you just remain in the over world.

Any one else encounter this bug?

184.61.128.176 00:33, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

No, but it is probably a one-off. Reloading a save game probably solves the glitch. Wolok gro-Barok 13:18, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

Leveled helm[edit]

It says on the page that there is a leveled helm among the loot. Where is this helm? I've looked over quite a bit of the place and can't find it. And if it really is sitting somewhere, then location should be added to the page. I have the pre-quest version of the dungeon.--Playerseekingbugs 04:47, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

The information has since been removed from the page. If there is one, I'm unable to find it in the Construction Kit, but it could be quest-related. Stuff like that is insanely difficult to track down via the CK. Robin Hoodtalk 03:17, 2 September 2012 (UTC)
Thanks. That's kind of what I suspected after all the time searching. It might also be a typical bug with things you drop in respawning areas not cleaning up: someone dropped a helm, forgot about it, and of course found it again on another trip to the dungeon.--Playerseekingbugs (talk) 12:51, 3 September 2012 (EDT)

Another rabbit container[edit]

Ok another rabbit container is found here where you go into a menu the same as a barrel, sack or anything to remove the raw rabbit leg, and you can transfer items to and from it. The other rabbit container is behind half-moon mill. ~~Biffa~~ — Unsigned comment by 90.202.87.101 (talk) at 21:22 on 31 January 2013

Oathblade not reappearing after killing Sinding[edit]

I have done this quest twice on different playthroughs, and the Oathblade never appears after the end of the quest. The grotto reverts to its previous appearance. Can I get some input as to whether it is supposed to reappear? Scribbles (Crayolamanic) (talk) 00:39, 18 February 2013 (GMT)

I have no idea if it should or should not. I play on 360, and on both characters I've used so far I have made sure to visit the Grotto prior to the quest to get it. I would assume it may not be set to respawn on subsequent visits, and therefore vanishes forever if you don't get it before the zone changes for the related quest.--Playerseekingbugs (talk) 07:12, 25 February 2013 (GMT)
You need to stay away from the Grotto for at least 10 days. Then when you enter it will be back to it's previous appearance. The Blade is found in front of a Shrine of Talos, where you meet Sinding the first time you enter. Elakyn (talk) 10:06, 25 February 2013 (GMT)
I don't think the Grotto has ever reverted back to its previous state after completing "Ill Met by Moonlight" for me. Does this really happen without using mods or console commands? I play on the Xbox 360 by the way, so if the unofficial patch for PC is what reverts this location, obviously I don't have access to the fix. Blackpete (talk) 04:40, 30 August 2013 (GMT)
The USKP fixes this issue. --Blackpete (talk) 05:49, 19 October 2013 (GMT)
I have the patch and first entered the grotto to kill Sinding. A long time later (months of in-game time), I went back there. The grotto still appeared more or less as it had before, with the odd lighting and red sky. Sinding had resurrected and was wandering around the clearing near where you exit the cave into the grove, but he seemed unaware of what was around him and was killed again very easily. There were the usual wolves and spriggans, all acting as expected, and Bolar's Oathblade was in the correct spot. The chest opposite the Oathblade, which I had emptied earlier, had been refilled with loot. Strangest of all, when I circled the grove to the left and arrived back at the initial clearing where Sinding had been killed, I could not proceed into the clearing to the exit. There was a damnable invisible wall that made it impossible to reach the clearing either on the ground level or by climbing the rocks on either side. However, I was able to leave by retracing my steps around the edge of the grotto, following the same path I had entered by. This seemed very odd. 174.6.51.17 05:33, 27 January 2014 (GMT)

Blades headquarters (moved from article)[edit]

  • It was one of the last sanctuaries of the Blades in Skyrim.

This is the first I've heard of this. Is there a source for this information? Zul se onikaanLaan tinvaak 12:55, 14 August 2014 (GMT)

It's an extrapolation of it being a sanctuary and Bolar being the last Blade to survive the attack on Cloud Ruler Temple (in his mind anyway). It could be changed to a more source-able "It was an ancient sanctuary of the Blades." Silence is GoldenBreak the Silence 17:51, 14 August 2014 (GMT)
It's mentioned as such in his writ - "To he who finds this, know that I, Acilius Bolar, last of the Blades to survive the attack on Cloud Ruler Temple, took refuge here, in this ancient sanctuary." Biffa (talk) 07:59, 17 August 2014 (GMT)
So it wasn't really a Blades Sanctuary so much as the place where one Blade took sanctuary. Huh, I never found that note. Zul se onikaanLaan tinvaak 12:52, 17 August 2014 (GMT)
More likely that he went there for refuge, because it was an ancient sanctuary of the Blades. Where it is located is clearly the remains of an ancient fort-like structure, which lends it weight. Agree with The Silencer should be referenced to the writ and included as such. Biffa (talk) 14:36, 25 August 2014 (GMT)