The Mages Guild questline is one of the longest in all of Oblivion Remastered, but one of the toughest quests you’ll complete for it is called “Vahtacen’s Secret.” This is the third quest you take on at Arcane University, and it will likely stump you more than anything else in Cyrodiil.
To learn how to complete Vahtacen’s Secret and get past that magic pillar, check out the guide below.
How to start Vahtacen’s Secret in Oblivion Remastered
You can only begin this quest after you’ve made your way to Arcane University with all seven Mages Guild recommendations and completed two quests for Raminus Polus. After an encounter with the Count of Skingrad, Polus will assign you the Vahtacen’s Secret quest, which begins by speaking with another mage, Irlav Jarol, in another building at the university.
When you speak to Irlav Jarol, he’ll tell you about a secret research project titled Vahtacen. Jarol tasks you with visiting its location at an Ayleid Ruin south of Cheydinhal. There, you’ll meet the head of the project to learn more about it.
The easiest way to reach the Vahtacen ruins is to fast travel to the Cheydinhal Stables in the northeast part of Cyrodiil and head southeast from there. The cave is marked on your HUD compass.
How to activate the magic pillar in Vahtacen in Oblivion Remastered
When you arrive at the ruins, head inside and travel down the narrow corridors while following the green quest marker.
Eventually, you’ll reach a large cavern where you’re able to speak to an Argonian named Skaleel, who is extremely annoyed at the project they’ve been tasked with, but they still fill you in on the details. Apparently, there’s a large pillar in the ruins that has unknown magical properties, and none of the other mages have been able to crack the mystery behind it. All Skaleel can tell you is that you need to use single-effect spells to try and activate the pillar. Anything more complicated and you’ll be quickly damaged.
After Skaleel finishes talking, follow your green quest marker down a path through a gate to reach the cavern with the magical pillar in it. In each corner of the room, you’re able to see four red crystals along with tablets on the wall that read different magical phrases when they’re activated. The red crystals shoot lightning at you if you use an improper spell while in the room.
To crack the code of the pillar, here’s what you need to do:
Finishing Vahtacen’s Secret in Oblivion Remastered
Now that you’re through the pillar, follow your quest marker to the next location. You’ll have to go through some more caverns and tight hallways, most of which are filled with traps and ghosts, but just keep following the quest marker until you reach a huge room with an elevated stone platform.
Go past the platform and head up some stairs on the other side of the room. On the right side of those stairs, you may find a button to push that raises a stone staircase so you can access the elevated platform.
Head up to the platform and press a button on a pillar near the Ayleid Crate in the center. This lifts up the crate and reveals an Ancient Elven Helm, which you can take. You’ll have to battle some ghosts here, so verify you use magic to take them down.
Once you have the helm, head back up the stairs on the other end of the room to head through a newly revealed doorway. Keep going until you’re back in the pillar room, and then make your way back to Skaleel. Tell her you found something, and she’ll recommend you return to Arcane University to tell Jarol about it.
Fast travel to the university, follow the quest marker to Jarol, explain what you found, and then the Vahtacen’s Secret quest is complete inOblivion Remastered. You can now go to the Arch-Mage’s Lobby to find Raminus Polus and accept your next quest for the Mages Guild.
If you want to stick around at the Mages Guild,you can make your own spellsif you have enough gold.
