Gameplay guide

Welcome to Authoria - Requiem Reforged, built on Requiem 6.0.2. Complete Post-installation & Official Options first, then use this guide for character setup and player reference.

1. Set up and start your game#

Follow this route for a new character:

1. Read Understanding Requiem, then choose a general build.
2. Complete Post-installation & Official Options, choose your options and difficulty, then launch.
3. Finish character initialization, spend your three starting perks, and choose a start.
4. Review first-session settings and controls; settings changes are optional.
5. Choose your saving routine, including profile setup if using SSSO3.
6. Prepare food, water, rest, warm gear, and a route to shelter before travelling farther. Look for early jobs and check each destination before accepting.

Creating your character#

Plan your build#

Choose a main way to fight and the skills you want to support it. Read Character foundations for race, birthsign, and religion choices before committing.

Complete the starting-room setup#

After you select your race, a series of messages guides you through initialization.

You cannot move during initialization. Follow the prompts and wait for the final message; repeatedly pressing keys will not speed up setup.

The sequence is:

1. The first welcome message appears.
2. Starting Choices runs.
3. SkySigns runs; choose your birthsign.
4. Devotion runs; each race has custom settings, so consult the mod’s articles for guidance.
5. Choose your difficulty.
6. The final message appears and movement becomes available.

Spend your starting perks before heading out. Requiem gives you three free perk points at the start of a new game. Use them on the skills your character will rely on instead of saving them for later. Early perks can make a major difference to your ability to fight and use those skills.

Choosing a start with Alternate Perspective#

Authoria uses Alternate Perspective as its alternate-start mod. You can begin exploring Skyrim without starting the main quest.

In the starting room, interact with the golden dragon statue to choose where your adventure begins. If you are new to Authoria, choose the start at the end of Helgen. It gives you a familiar place to learn the new mechanics before heading farther into the world.

If you leave the starting room and want to begin the main quest later, return to Helgen and find the golden dragon behind the inn. You can reach it by climbing in from outside or by using the locked door in the inn’s basement. Interact with the dragon to start the main quest.

You can also speak to the innkeeper and rent the best room, but that route can be bugged. Use the golden dragon if the innkeeper option does not work.

First-session settings and controls#

Press F11 at any time to view keybinds.

Authoria’s MCM and SKSE Menu Framework settings are already configured. Adjusting them is completely optional; use the options below only if you want to personalize your experience.

Useful MCM settings#

The Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) contains settings for individual mods.

Power attack and parry settings (F3)#

Open SKSE Menu Framework with F3 to configure:

• Simple Power Attack: assign your power attack key.
• Dual Wield Parrying SKSE: assign your parry key.

Body presets with OBody#

After completing character setup, press O and choose a body preset. You can change presets as often as you like. If clothing or armor does not resize correctly, try unequipping and re-equipping it.

To change an NPC’s body preset, target them at close range and press O.

NPCs receive random body presets when first encountered, so the same NPC may look different between playthroughs.

Saving and loading#

Always exit Skyrim completely and relaunch it before loading a save. Launch through Authoria’s MO2 setup, then select the save from the main menu. Returning to the main menu without closing the game does not fulfill this step.

Optional, recommended: SSSO3#

Skyrim Save System Overhaul 3 (SSSO3) is optional, but recommended.

Authoria includes the SSSO 3 Save Monitoring Utility to prepare your character’s save profile automatically. Preparing the profile and enabling SSSO3 are separate steps.

Automatic profile setup#

1. Create your character and finish initialization. Use a character name other than Prisoner; the monitoring utility skips that name.
2. Make a normal manual save through the game’s menu.
3. Exit Skyrim completely.
4. Relaunch the game through Authoria’s MO2 setup and load that save.
5. Open SSSO3’s MCM and enable it.

The monitoring utility does not always work. If SSSO3 cannot recognize your character’s profile or cannot be enabled, use the manual setup below.

Saving with SSSO3#

Once SSSO3 is enabled, press Backslash (\) to request a manual save. This is the button above Enter on the intended keyboard layout.

Use SSSO3 for ongoing save management once enabled; its author advises against mixing it with the base game’s save system.

If you choose not to use SSSO3#

Follow these saving and loading precautions:

• Do not save during combat. Wait until the fight has ended.
• Do not save during scripted scenes. Let the scene finish before saving.
• Do not save immediately after moving between cells or worldspaces, such as entering a building or moving to another area. Allow the transition and any associated activity to finish first.

Ignoring these precautions can cause lighting problems and other incorrect game states to persist in your save. Make them part of your normal saving and loading routine.

2. Character and progression#

Understanding Requiem#

Authoria uses Requiem - The Roleplaying Overhaul as its foundation. Requiem changes how the world, combat, equipment, skills, and resources work. You begin as an inexperienced adventurer, and learning which fights you can handle is part of the game. Authoria changes some Requiem rules further, so use the sections later in this guide for Authoria-specific exceptions.

What to expect as a beginner:

Heavy armor note: The first Heavy Armor perk prevents stamina drain while walking. It does not prevent the drain while running.

The world can punish a straightforward charge. Before entering a fight, look at the number and type of enemies, make space to retreat, and use cover against ranged attacks. Time your attacks instead of swinging continuously; a missed swing still leaves you exposed. If your attacks barely hurt a target, that is useful information: try another weapon, spell, or tactic, or come back later. A retreat is normal progress in Requiem.

Prepare before a fight: carry supplies for your build and eat a suitable meal. If stamina drops low, make room to recover.

Learn enemy types gradually. Practice on small threats before taking on groups of bandits. A lone wolf and a pack are very different fights. Bandit archers can punish exposed approaches, so use cover and close the distance carefully. Watch for large predators while crossing open country: their attacks can knock you down. As you venture farther, prepare for specific defenses and hazards, such as poison from Falmer, fire against regenerating trolls, and suitable weapons or spells against undead. Do not treat this as a strict level order; your build and Authoria’s changes will affect what you can handle.

Check the Bestiary when an enemy surprises you. Authoria includes The Dragonborn’s Bestiary, which records information about creatures you encounter, including their resistances and weaknesses. Reading an entry can help you choose a better weapon, spell, or defense for the next fight. Coverage of some creatures in modded worldspaces is still a work in progress, so an entry may be missing or incomplete.

Some activities require training. For example, Requiem’s lockpicking uses expertise to determine which lock difficulty you can attempt; a higher Lockpicking skill alone does not automatically open every tier. If a lock is out of reach, look for the relevant perk, another source of expertise, or another route.

Authoria uses Requiem 6.0.2 and adds its own combat, leveling, and difficulty rules, explained below. Use Authoria’s in-game descriptions for exact values, racial abilities, food effects, and controls. For more detail on Requiem, see the beginner video (which covers an older version in another modlist) and the Requiem mod page.

Requiem artifacts#

Requiem gives many unique weapons, armor pieces, and other artifacts special effects. Check the in-game description for Authoria’s version.

Character foundations#

Race selection: Races Redone#

Authoria uses Requiem - Races Redone. Your race affects more than appearance: races have different starting attributes, skill strengths, resistances, and abilities. Races Redone also ties some starting skills to practical proficiencies, such as being able to try certain actions without the usual first perk. You do not need to memorize the numbers, but read the description of the race you want before committing to a build. The Races Redone article has the full breakdown.

Birthsigns and standing stones#

Authoria uses Birthsigns Redone. Your birthsign gives a lasting passive bonus chosen during character setup; activating a standing stone later can grant a separate power.

Some signs are straightforward bonuses, while others have significant drawbacks that shape a build. Once you choose a birthsign in Authoria, you can only switch to another sign in the same group. Read the options carefully during setup. The Birthsigns Redone article lists the effects of each sign and stone.

Religion: Devotion#

Authoria uses Devotion for religion. Your race affects the religious paths available to you, and your actions during play can influence your standing with a deity or pantheon. Daedric patrons can offer benefits with a cost. You do not need to manage every detail at character creation: Devotion also responds to how you play. Read your in-game choices and consult the Devotion mod page and articles when you want to understand a particular path.

Leveling and perks#

Character experience#

Authoria uses Experience. You gain character XP from quests, discovering and clearing places, defeating enemies, and some other activities such as reading and lockpicking. Using a skill raises that skill, but does not directly award character XP. Character levels give perk points; the skill’s level determines which perks you can buy. You need both to advance a build.

Authoria’s current leveling balance makes the first character levels arrive sooner and speeds up skill practice, especially later on. It also caps trainable skill levels according to your character level. The cap rises by about 1.75 skill levels per character level, starting near 16; racial bonuses can shift the exact result.

For a focused character, the usual perk thresholds of 25, 50, 75, and 100 become reachable at roughly character levels 6, 20, 34, and 48. These are landmarks, not minimums for every race or skill.

If a skill stops improving despite continued use, check whether it has reached your current cap. Training cannot raise it further until your character levels up. Play quests, explore, or practice another useful skill instead of grinding the capped one.

Skill books: Authoria’s shipped skill-book rules, based on Reading Is Good, replace the usual instant +1 skill level with a permanent 4% bonus to that skill’s XP gain for each distinct book, up to five books or 20% per skill. Reading remains worthwhile even when a skill is capped.

Followers do not reduce your character XP from kills. You can bring a companion without slowing the XP awarded for the content you complete together.

Optional: slower leveling. If you want a slower pace, enable Authoria - Slower Leveling in the Slower Levelling section of MO2’s User Customization area. A new game remains preferred when choosing this option. Skill practice slows down to match. The skill cap still follows your character level, so the perk landmarks above stay the same; each level just takes longer to reach.

Unarmed progression#

Authoria has a custom Hand to Hand perk tree adapted from Hand to Hand - An Adamant Addon. It follows that mod’s perk tree, but Authoria changes some values. Check the in-game perk descriptions for the exact effects in this list.

Unarmed skill increases by hitting enemies while unarmed, using vanilla-style skill leveling.

Vampires and werewolves#

Playing a vampire#

Requiem makes vampirism a powerful but demanding choice. You can contract Sanguinare Vampiris while fighting vampires; if it is not cured during its incubation period, it develops into vampirism after roughly three in-game days. The Dawnguard questline offers another route to becoming a Vampire Lord. Check your active effects after a vampire fight if you did not intend to turn.

Vampires gain supernatural abilities but must manage feeding and hostile environments. In Requiem, sunlight drains attributes over time, and holy ground such as temples suppresses vampire powers and causes harm. Authoria lets hooded vampires avoid the sun’s effects. A hooded vampire enemy can still be dangerous in daylight. Authoria’s vampire enemies are strong mid- to late-game encounters; do not approach a lair as an early-game bandit camp.

Authoria removes blood elixirs from enemy drops. Instead, Vampire Feeding Tweaks gives vampires more direct ways to feed. To try feeding from a recently killed enemy, use Shift+Q while targeting the body. Feeding on a corpse is not guaranteed to fully satisfy hunger; the mod can give only a small restorative sip. Its page also describes feeding from vulnerable or unaware living targets.

Treat silver, sun-enchanted weapons and gear, and even sun-themed healing spells as hazards when you are a vampire. Do not assume an item or spell is safe because it normally helps a living character.

Seeking a cure: Authoria includes Seeking the Cure, which changes Rising at Dawn into a one-time story. As a vampire, ask Urag at the College of Winterhold about a cure or visit Falion’s house in Morthal directly.

Playing a werewolf#

You can become a werewolf through the Companions questline.

Requiem’s werewolf system remains in place in Authoria without notable custom changes. Lycanthropy provides benefits even in human form, including extra health, stamina, and carrying capacity, while increasing spell costs and making poison more dangerous. Beast form is a strong melee option, but its poison weakness is more severe. Plan around that vulnerability rather than treating transformation as an answer to every fight.

3. Survival and crafting#

Food in Authoria#

Authoria replaces Requiem’s food system with the 3Tweaks food system. This is the only 3Tweaks change ported into the list; advice about 3Tweaks’ other systems does not apply just because the food system is present.

Meals give lasting benefits, so keep one suited to your character active when you travel or fight. A stamina-focused meal can help a physical fighter, while another meal may better serve a mage. Snacks give smaller, shorter benefits. Food effects in the same category do not stack: eating another meal replaces your current meal’s effects. Check the food’s in-game description before eating, especially if you already have a useful meal active.

For exact effects and recipes, see the 3BFTweaks food documentation.

Survival, exposure, and injuries#

Hunger, thirst, cold, and camping#

Authoria uses SunHelm to track hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Eat, drink, and sleep during longer journeys instead of waiting for penalties to become severe. SunHelm also offers disease and survival features; Authoria applies small balance changes to fit Requiem. The food benefits described in Food in Authoria come from 3Tweaks, while SunHelm handles the need to eat.

Frostfall makes exposure to cold a practical travel concern. Weather, wetness, clothing, shelter, and time spent outside matter, and Authoria’s setup accounts for the seasons. Prepare warm gear and a route to shelter before a long trip through cold regions. Campfire lets you gather fuel, build fires, and set up tents so you can warm up, cook, and rest away from an inn. These systems work together: a camp can turn a risky journey into a manageable one.

Hunting and fishing#

With Simple Hunting Overhaul, taking the pelt from a dead animal skins it. If you want to carry the whole animal instead, target its body and press Shift+Q; Authoria’s Carry Your Carcasses setup lets you take it with you for later processing or sale. Choose before looting the pelt if you want the intact carcass.

Simple Fishing Overhaul improves first- and third-person fishing and replaces repetitive fishing-quest dialogue; its optional bait requirement can be managed in its MCM. Fancy Fishing adds convenience settings and a catch minigame, which Authoria enables by default. Check its MCM to change the fishing challenge.

Wounds#

Authoria uses Wounds - Simplified. A hard fight can leave injuries such as bruises, cuts, broken bones, or a concussion, with penalties beyond the health you lost. Check your active effects after combat; simply refilling health may not resolve an injury. The simplified system allows injuries to heal over time and provides cure-injury and cure-infection potions, while infection can prevent natural healing. In Authoria, the vanilla Close Wounds spell replaces the mod’s custom injury-healing spell.

If you do not want injuries in your playthrough, set injury chance to 0% in the Wounds MCM.

Dirt and blood#

Dirt and Blood makes your character visibly dirty over time and bloodied after fights; NPCs can also show blood. This is mainly a visual immersion feature. Authoria adds a bathing hotkey, but using it is optional: swimming or standing in the rain cleans you just as effectively in this list. You do not need to stop adventuring just to use a bathing animation.

You can also ask an innkeeper for a paid bath through Simple Inn Bath. This is a roleplaying option, not a requirement for staying clean.

Crafting and equipment services#

Learning Smithing from books#

Authoria includes Requiem - Reading Teaches Smithing Perks. When you read a Requiem smithing book and have the required Smithing skill level, it automatically unlocks the matching perk. Simply carrying the book is not the same as reading it. If your skill is still too low, keep the book and read it again after you reach the requirement.

Daedric armor can only be crafted at night, even after you learn Daedric Smithing. If the recipe is missing during the day, try the forge again at night.

The table below gives one example location for each book, confirmed for Authoria. Some books can also be bought from merchants or found elsewhere.

Crafting clothing with looms#

Authoria uses Threads of the North, which lets you craft clothing at looms instead of looking for clothing recipes at a forge or tanning rack. You can find looms in cities and several towns, including Riverwood. Most clothing recipes become available with Craftsmanship, the first Smithing perk. At a loom, you can also turn linen wraps into thread spools used by clothing recipes.

Smithing services and enchanting limits#

With Honed Metal, you can pay a blacksmith to craft or improve equipment instead of investing in every Smithing perk yourself. A smith’s skill affects what they can make and how well they can improve it; a more capable smith may cost more. Authoria rebalances these prices. Honed Metal’s enchanting services are disabled in this list, so visit a smith for equipment work, not an enchanter for a paid enchantment.

For balance, armor pieces that use nonstandard body slots cannot be enchanted. If an accessory or extra armor layer does not appear as an enchanting option, its slot may be intentionally excluded.

Making arrows on the road#

Fletching - Craft Arrows Anywhere lets you make arrows while traveling through its Fletching power, without returning to a forge. You still need the materials. Authoria adjusts the recipes to match Requiem’s crafting balance.

4. Combat, magic, and recovery#

Combat#

Authoria’s combat overhaul uses:

• MCO
• TK Dodge
• Sekiro Combat S
• Stances NG

Unlocking dodge#

Dodging unlocks with Dodging in the Evasion tree for light-armor users, or Relentless Onslaught in the Heavy Armor tree for heavy-armor users. Until you take the relevant perk, you cannot dodge in normal mode. This requirement does not apply in Easy Mode. You can also disable the perk requirement in TK Dodge’s MCM.

Blocking and timed blocks#

Authoria uses Sekiro Combat S for timed blocking. This ability unlocks with Experienced Blocking, the second perk in the Block tree. You can still use ordinary blocking before taking that perk.

The timing is demanding: a successful timed block has a 0.1-second window. Treat it as a skill to practice, rather than something you need to rely on in your melee fights.

Bow Rapid Combo V3#

Authoria includes Bow Rapid Combo V3, which adds faster bow attacks and a charged Power Shot. Its rapid shot uses the bow-bash input. In Authoria, this quick-shot ability unlocks with the Quick Shot perk; the charged ability unlocks with the Power Shot perk. If an action does not work, check that you have its perk before changing controls.

For Power Shot, keep charging until the visual effect appears, then release. The mod’s white effect marks a critical shot; charging to the red effect makes that critical hit stronger. Bow melee attacks with daggers are disabled.

Switching stances#

Press X to cycle through stances. Stances only change your moveset; switching between them grants no other gameplay benefit.

For dodge, power attack, and parry configuration, see First-session settings and controls.

Magic in Authoria#

Requiem - Magic Redone#

Requiem - Magic Redone is the foundation for spellcasting in Authoria. It expands and rebalances Requiem’s spells and perk trees, including spell strength, Magicka costs, casting times, staves, scrolls, and enchantments. The five schools have more distinct choices:

Choose an early school or two and read their specialization perks before buying many tomes. Perks can improve a particular damage element, summon family, or spell category, so two mages in the same school need not play alike. A spell’s cost, casting time, and effect can differ from vanilla Skyrim or a spell pack’s standalone page.

Some self- and target-cast versions can be learned together from one tome; check what the tome teaches before buying another copy.

Illusion works differently from base Requiem: Magic Redone removes its special upkeep and empowering rules. You pay a normal casting cost, can gain dual-casting through a perk, and must contend with targets that resist mind-affecting spells. If a control spell fails, improve your Illusion skill or perks, use a more suitable spell, or choose a different target.

Restoration is more than healing: its sun and turning spells are useful against undead, while poison spells target the living. Wards block incoming magic and provide physical protection; 360 Ward extends their coverage around you.

Staves and scrolls#

Staves and scrolls have their own progression. Magic Redone adds staff, wand, battlestaff, and scroll versions of many spells. Staves can reduce the cost of spells from their school while wielded; wands are lighter but have fewer charges and do not give that cost reduction.

To craft a staff or scroll, you generally need to know its spell and invest in the relevant Enchanting perks. Staves are made at a forge; a portable scroll-crafting tool is sold by mage merchants. Magic-school perks and Enchanting can also improve these items. For the full spell, perk, and crafting breakdown, use the Magic Redone mod page and its linked documentation; Authoria’s in-game descriptions take precedence where its balance differs.

Additional spell packs#

Authoria also includes broad spell packs—Apocalypse adds spells across the schools, while Triumvirate builds themed druid, shadow mage, warlock, cleric, and shaman styles. More focused packs add blood, frost, holy, sound, weapon-enchantment, and nature-themed magic. Authoria rebalances these additions around Requiem - Magic Redone; their individual pages describe the original spells, but the in-game versions govern your playthrough.

Learning a spell#

With Immersive Spell Learning - DESTified, finding a spell tome begins a study session rather than instantly teaching the spell. Study time depends on the spell and your character; a comfortable place to sit and enough time to rest make learning easier to plan. Progress on a tome can carry over to another copy of the same book, but starting a different tome before finishing may discard the earlier study progress. Finish one spell before switching to another, and account for the time and survival needs that study consumes.

Bard gameplay#

Authoria combines Skyrim’s Got Talent, Become a Bard, and Bards Reborn with custom tweaks. The result is a gradual bard path: you start as an inexperienced performer, practice each instrument, and can work toward studying at the Bards College. Performance also contributes to Speech progression. Some followers react to your music, and Authoria lets you move while playing.

To begin, select an instrument in your inventory or use Authoria’s instrument hotkey. The generic instrument power has been removed. Playing improves your talent with that instrument. At the maximum Skyrim’s Got Talent level, you can choose a song through Become a Bard’s song menu. Authoria removes Skyrim’s Got Talent’s gameplay buffs and debuffs; learn Bards Reborn spellsongs from its spellbooks for musical effects instead. Activating an instrument shows the spellsongs you have learned, bypassing the usual instrument-skill check for those spellsongs.

Spy quest start: Reach mastery level 50 with any instrument.

Death and recovery#

Authoria uses Shadow of Skyrim as an alternative death system. In most areas, defeat sends you to a nearby safe place, often just outside the dungeon where you fell. Some in-game time passes, and you leave some gold at the place of your defeat. You can return to collect it if the route is safe enough. The mod’s Nemesis system and its associated debuffs are disabled in Authoria, so you do not need to hunt a rival or remove a lasting penalty after each defeat.

Some areas cannot use this recovery flow. This includes certain VICN quest worldspaces and places that display a warning about death. There, dying returns you to the main menu instead of respawning. Keep a suitable save before entering those areas and follow the saving and loading guidance when you resume.

5. Travel and exploration#

Travel, housing, and services#

Getting around Skyrim#

Map fast travel costs gold in Authoria through Fast Travel Cost. If you would rather travel through the world, Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul (CFTO) expands the carriage network to more settlements and adds ferries along northern shores, Solstheim, and some lakes. Ask a carriage driver or ferryman for the destinations available from that stop; ferries serve places along their waterway rather than every inland town.

FROTT adjusts CFTO’s carriage fares according to route distance, obstacles, and the state of the civil war. A route may become cheaper after the road is made safer. FROTT does not recalculate ferry fares in the same way.

At many inns, Wait Carriage in Inns offers another option: ask the innkeeper to call a carriage, sit and wait for the driver, then speak to the driver and pay for your destination. Authoria adjusts these inn-carriage prices to match its FROTT-balanced carriage economy. This option is especially useful when you are far from a normal carriage stop.

Travel tools#

With Auto Move, place a marker on your map and press Right Ctrl to have your character move toward it hands-free. This is travel through the world, so remain attentive to enemies, terrain, and exposure.

Paraglider - ONE let you glide from high places after acquiring the paraglider. Authoria uses the introduction in which a person falls near Falkreath. Read his journal for the lead.

For light while traveling, Authoria combines Lights On with Handheld Lanterns - HDT-SMP. With a basic lantern in your inventory, press L to turn its light on or off. You can craft Authoria’s handheld lantern variant at a forge when you have a lantern in your inventory.

Buying a home#

Save substantially more gold before planning to buy a house. Authoria raises house prices above Requiem’s usual costs, generally into the 50,000–80,000 septim range. Check the actual price with the seller before making it a short-term goal.

Quests and exploration#

Authoria expands many familiar quests as well as adding new ones. A familiar objective may now have another solution, and some quests have new conditions before they appear. Requiem 6.0.2 also changes some vanilla quest requirements; do not assume a quest is broken just because its usual prompt has not appeared. Some starts trigger only after you change location or level up, so meeting a requirement may not produce an immediate notification.

Early-game jobs and bounties#

For manageable work before major questlines, check the noticeboards from Missives in Skyrim’s hold capitals. They offer local deliveries, gathering, hunting, retrieval, and combat jobs. Read the destination and objective before accepting: a delivery may be easy, while an enemy camp may be beyond your current build.

Headhunter - Bounties Redone changes how combat bounties are completed. Defeating a target is not always enough: search the body for proof to turn in, or, for some weakened bandit leaders, capture and deliver the target to a guard.

Riverwood and early favors#

• The Golden Claw: Ask Lucan Valerius at the Riverwood Trader about the stolen claw. The shop is visibly in disarray after the robbery; you can offer to help clean it.

  Spoilers: The Golden Claw choices and rewards

  Once you recover the claw, you can return it and later buy it from Lucan, or lie and keep it, giving up Lucan’s reward and goodwill.

• Local favors: Speak directly to residents to ask for work; several favors no longer start just because you enter an area. Small favors have separate journal entries, so accepting one need not crowd out another. More miscellaneous jobs count as favors when you are helping people toward a hold’s thaneship.

Start gates that may surprise you#

These are quest start requirements, not recommended levels for winning the fights. Several Daedric quests still need their usual book, rumor, visitor, or location trigger after you reach the level.

In My Time of Need: Finish the main quest Dragon Rising before this quest becomes available. The Alik’r world encounter has no conditions and can occur before the quest unlocks.

Dragonborn can also be started by going to Solstheim. The Ebony Warrior starts at level 50, with alternate completion-based triggers below.

The entries below explain the added choices for several of these quests.

Factions, main quest, and civil war#

• College of Winterhold: Ask Faralda at the bridge to join.

  Spoilers: College quest progression

  After First Lessons, seven short lessons from the College’s teachers come before Under Saarthal. They can be completed in any order, so the main College story is not stuck when Tolfdir does not immediately send you to the excavation.

• Thieves Guild: Find Brynjolf in Riften’s marketplace. He no longer recruits every newcomer on sight. Check the mod’s MCM for the requirements to start A Chance Arrangement.

  Spoilers: Thieves Guild progression and main-quest workaround

  Later, Dampened Spirits and Scoundrel’s Folly require radiant jobs for Delvin or Vex. Check the mod’s MCM for the job requirements; failing the earlier guild quest can double the requirement for Dampened Spirits. If the main quest sends you to Riften for A Cornered Rat before you qualify for Brynjolf’s help, ask Keerava at the Bee and Barb instead. Val Serano adds dialogue and alternate choices during the guild story, particularly around the Nightingales and Skeleton Key; take him along if you want to see those scenes.

• Dark Brotherhood or Penitus Oculatus: The rumor about a boy performing the Black Sacrament leads to Aventus Aretino in Windhelm and Innocence Lost.

  Spoilers: Dark Brotherhood choices and Penitus Oculatus recruitment

  At Honorhall Orphanage in Riften, you can investigate Grelod and have her arrested rather than kill her, but that route closes the normal way into the Dark Brotherhood. If you instead begin the Brotherhood story and choose to destroy it, speak to Commander Maro afterward to join the Penitus Oculatus; complete The Jagged Crown first if his follow-up is unavailable.

• Diplomatic Immunity: Wait for the main quest to send you to the Thalmor Embassy. Attacking it early can disrupt the main quest.

  Spoilers: Diplomatic Immunity alternate route

  You can assault it instead of entering through the party.

• Paarthurnax: Main-quest choices are described below.

  Spoilers: main-quest decision

  Later in the main quest, the Blades ask you to kill him. Additional dialogue and choices let you refuse and still work with the Blades, so you do not have to decide immediately from the vanilla quest prompt.

• The Jagged Crown and the Skyforge: The Civil War leads you to the crown through your chosen faction.

  Spoilers: Civil War outcome and Skyforge additions

  Ulfric or Elisif later wears it. Joining the Companions at Jorrvaskr introduces the Skyforge, where Eorlund and the Companions have more related dialogue and crafting details.

• Companions initiation: Join at Jorrvaskr.

  Spoilers: Companions initiation step

  When Take Up Arms sends you to Vilkas, the sparring step is optional in Authoria. Speak with Kodlak or Vilkas to continue if you do not want to spar.

• Dragons in the open world: Encounter timing depends on main-quest progress.

  Spoilers: random dragon encounter timing

  Random dragon encounters and location-based dragon attacks become available after the main quest’s A Blade in the Dark and stop late in Dragonslayer. Location-based attacks do not retain vanilla’s level-10 minimum. Choosing an alternate start and postponing the main quest therefore also postpones these encounters.

Daedric quests and the Saints and Seducers#

• Saints and Seducers: This is a longer Shivering Isles story in place of the Creation Club’s short quest. To start the expanded version, reach level 20, finish The Mind of Madness, then sleep for six in-game hours or leave and re-enter Solitude. The original Creation Club start is not the reliable guide here.

• The Whispering Door: From level 20, ask Hulda at the Bannered Mare about rumors in Dragonsreach, then speak with Balgruuf’s son Nelkir.

  Spoilers: The Whispering Door choices

  Expanded conversations let you involve Balgruuf and decide what to do with the Ebony Blade instead of simply taking it.

• The Cursed Tribe: Largashbur, southwest of Riften, no longer provides a simple automatic start. Once you are at least level 20 and are an Orc or have earned Blood-Kin status, ask the chief of another Orc stronghold about Largashbur, read the letter, and go there.

  Spoilers: The Cursed Tribe alternate solution

  Knowing Bane of the Undead opens an alternate way to lift Yamarz’s curse.

• The Only Cure: From level 20, find Kesh at the Shrine of Peryite near Bthardamz, northeast of Markarth.

  Spoilers: The Only Cure investigation and choices

  His journal and new choices allow you to investigate the plague and deal with it without pledging yourself to Peryite.

• The House of Horrors: Requiem delays this quest until level 20. Then speak with Vigilant Tyranus outside Markarth’s Abandoned House.

  Spoilers: The House of Horrors alternate route

  The expanded quest gives you a route to resist Molag Bal rather than follow his orders.

• The Taste of Death: Brother Verulus at Markarth’s Hall of the Dead leads into the investigation.

  Spoilers: The Taste of Death choices

  Additional choices let you turn against Eola and the cult instead of completing Namira’s ritual.

• Discerning the Transmundane: Its independent start is delayed until level 20. Find Septimus Signus at his outpost north of the College, or follow the main quest there.

  Spoilers: Discerning the Transmundane later objective

  If your character is an Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, or Orc, you can use the Essence Extractor on yourself when Septimus asks for that race’s blood.

City and wilderness quests#

• Markarth — The Forsworn Conspiracy: Enter the city and watch the market: Weylin starts farther from his victim, giving you a better chance to stop the attack. Investigate after Eltrys contacts you.

  Spoilers: The Forsworn Conspiracy story turns and consequences

  The expanded conspiracy offers ways to protect Eltrys, avoid the framed prison sentence, and make different choices about Madanach. Killing Thongvor can block the Stormcloaks questline, so consider that choice before committing.

• Markarth — The Heart of Dibella: The familiar route begins by intruding into the Temple of Dibella. Alternatively, become Thane of the Reach and sleep; a courier’s invitation then provides a respectful way in.

• Riften — Caught Red Handed: Speak with Svana at Haelga’s Bunkhouse.

  Spoilers: Caught Red Handed choices

  You now have more ways to handle her dispute with Haelga, including refusing the original plan to humiliate Haelga.

• The Rift — Infiltration: Find Stalleo outside Treva’s Watch and hear his plan to retake the fort.

  Spoilers: Infiltration choices

  Talk to the people involved before deciding how to deal with its occupants; the original single route is no longer your only option.

• The Rift — Nilheim: Telrav asks for help on the road below Nilheim.

  Spoilers: Nilheim reveal and choices

  You can question his story, investigate the fort, or confront the ambush without walking into it first.

• Windhelm — The White Phial: Ask Nurelion at his alchemy shop about the legendary phial.

  Spoilers: The White Phial follow-up

  After the initial expedition, his illness is depicted through new dialogue and behavior; the quest’s usual follow-up still applies.

• Solitude — Sybille Stentor: Talk with Melaran or Odar in the Blue Palace to begin an unmarked investigation into Sybille’s secret.

  Spoilers: Sybille Stentor investigation decision

  Decide whether to expose her after gathering evidence.

• Riften — Face Sculptor: Find Galathil in the Ragged Flagon after gaining access through the Ratway. Besides ordinary appearance changes, she can make you unrecognizable, which can clear existing bounties for an additional fee.

• Solitude — Lights Out!: Speak with Jaree-Ra near the docks about his plan for the Icerunner.

  Spoilers: Lights Out! choices and evidence locations

  You can investigate and save the ship instead of causing the wreck. For an alternative route, look for evidence in Broken Oar Grotto and bring it to Captain Aldis, or confront Jaree-Ra. Ahtar, Solitude’s headsman, can point you toward the grotto.

• Solstheim — A New Debt: After Mogrul confronts you in Raven Rock, you have more ways to deal with his demand than paying or fighting.

  Spoilers: A New Debt solutions

  Evidence from his thugs can persuade Adril Arano to arrest him after Served Cold; strong Illusion, Speech, or Bend Will can open other solutions.

• Ivarstead — Philter of the Phantom: Optional exploration interaction; location and use below.

  Spoilers: Philter of the Phantom location and interaction

  Explore Shroud Hearth Barrow for the potion, then use it to play a ghostly prank around the village. This is a small extra interaction rather than a major tracked quest.

Exploration details#

Explore cleared places again later. With Skyrim Realistic Conquering, guards or other friendly occupants can move into certain cleared forts and dungeons instead of leaving them permanently empty or hostile. Authoria uses the 10-day delay version, so the change is not immediate and does not apply to every location.

Look for keys before spending lockpicks. Locked Chests Have Keys places a hidden key for the majority of locked chests in the game. Search the room and nearby people or containers when a lock exceeds your current expertise. Lockpicking remains another way in.

Dispose of items at the Aetherium Forge carefully. Aetherium Forge Destroys Items lets you throw unwanted items into the forge’s lava to destroy them. Treat that disposal as permanent; check that the item is truly expendable before dropping it.

Additional questlines and worldspaces#

The groups below suggest when to try each adventure, not a promise that every enemy scales to your level. Authoria rebalances their combat and rewards for Requiem, so retreat and return later if an encounter overwhelms you. A stated level or completed quest is a start requirement only where the entry says so. These stories can also send you into separate worldspaces; prepare supplies and make a suitable save before a long trip.

Explore as you travel#

• Beyond Skyrim: Bruma: Cross the Pale Pass border south of Skyrim to explore County Bruma in Cyrodiil. This is a broad region of settlements, local quests, Ayleid ruins, and wilderness rather than one linear quest. You can visit without waiting for a courier; judge individual fights by what you encounter.
• Unmarked Locations Pack — All In One: Adds more than 150 small places and discoveries across Skyrim, Solstheim, Blackreach, Sovngarde, the Soul Cairn, the Forgotten Vale, and Apocrypha. These are discoveries made by wandering, not a questline to activate or clear in order.

Midgame journeys and contained adventures#

• Sirenroot — Deluge of Deceit: Speak to Frissa Black-Briar at Elgrim’s Elixirs in Riften and join the diving team near Merryfair Farm. This is a choice-driven, puzzle-heavy expedition through submerged Ayleid ruins; allow time to finish a long dungeon rather than treating it as a quick gathering job.
• Siege at Icemoth: Go west from Northwatch Keep to the Old Wooden Jetty on Skyrim’s far northwest shore. Read the waterlogged journal on the dead mercenary there to begin the quest and make the boat usable. The trip leads to hostile northern isles and a fort under siege.
• Wyrmstooth: At level 15 and after The Way of the Voice, change location to start the dragon hunt. Theodyn Bienne and Lurius Liore move to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun; Theodyn can also approach you on a later visit to a town or city. The voyage leads to an island with more to explore after its main story.
• Moonpath to Elsweyr: After The Way of the Voice, find the Khajiit caravan at Greenwood in Bruma to begin the journey south. Authoria uses this Bruma-connected start, so do not look for the caravan outside Falkreath. Expect a sequence of distinct Elsweyr environments and Khajiiti stories.
• The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal — 10th Anniversary Edition: A theft or pickpocket can trigger the call of the Cowl from level 15 in Authoria. This is built around thief skills and a journey to the Alik’r Desert; the author recommends level 30–35 for a comfortable run, especially for its tougher side bosses.
• Quest — Baba Yaga and the Labyrinth: Ask the Bee and Barb’s innkeeper in Riften about the walking hut, then find it east of Lake Geir. This is a compact, strange maze and witch story with exploration and puzzles. Bring a modest party into its cramped interiors.
• The Frozen Heart: Buy the Snow Elf Mirror (Labyrinthian Passages) from Belethor in Whiterun and inspect its back. Learn at least one word each of Slow Time and Fire Breath before starting; both shouts are needed for progress.

Late-game challenges and long stories#

• Gravewind: Enter the abandoned homestead northwest of Roadside Ruins in Falkreath. Its horror-themed journey traps you once it begins, so prepare before entering; the author recommends roughly level 25 or higher, and Authoria’s Requiem balance may demand more. Followers can struggle to navigate it.

• The Rot Below: At level 30, find Elroy’s Journal 1 in a court wizard’s room and read it to begin.

  Spoilers: The Rot Below setting and enemies

  This plague-ridden underground city culminates in demanding lich fights; level 30 opens the quest rather than guaranteeing readiness.

• The Tools of Kagrenac: Finish the College of Winterhold side story Arniel’s Endeavor and the main quest The Way of the Voice. This is best treated as a later College adventure.

  Spoilers: The Tools of Kagrenac reward and precise trigger

  Arniel’s Endeavor provides Keening. Keep it in your inventory; a courier’s letter arrives a couple of days later and starts the hunt for the other legendary tools through large dungeons.

Short stories by Nimwraith#

These are mostly encounters and conversations rather than new provinces. Their placement here does not imply a common level gate; take them as you find them, and save the combat-heavy ones for a capable character.

For a broader inventory, visit the Authoria Modlist Grimoire or browse the Quests and Newlands category in MO2.

The VICN sequence#

The four VICN stories form Authoria’s late-game arc. DAc0da → Vigilant → Glenmoril → Unslaad is a useful story order. These are large, sometimes unsettling adventures with long stretches away from ordinary Skyrim; reaching a start level does not mean your character is ready for every fight.

• DAc0da: At level 30 or higher, the next location change triggers its opening. Follow the new lead in Solitude, including Lokir and the lighthouse.

• Vigilant: At level 30, finish DAc0da. See the exact prerequisite below. On the next location change, Altano and Orlando appear at the Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar; speak with Altano to join the Vigil of Stendarr.

  Spoilers: Vigilant prerequisite quest title

  DAc0da’s final quest is Censored Fate.

• Glenmoril: At level 40 or higher, the next location change triggers its opening quest. Its first objective is to speak to Brandt in Lalanoah’s House.

• Unslaad: When you level up to 40 or higher, the doll appears on a ledge behind the High Hrothgar courtyard gates. Activate it to enter the first act of Authoria’s current VICN finale.

Legacy of the Dragonborn#

Legacy of the Dragonborn makes the Dragonborn Gallery in Solitude, beside the Blue Palace, a home for the relics and accomplishments you collect throughout a playthrough. It also adds museum stories, archaeology, an Explorer’s Society you can build, and a safehouse with storage and crafting facilities. Think of the museum as a reason to explore Skyrim and Authoria’s other questlines, rather than a quest you must finish before doing anything else.

Getting started and filling the museum#

Visit the gallery and speak to its curator, Auryen Morellus. You can join by bringing him at least three unique items you have already found or by following his introductory hunt for three items.

As you adventure, return with displayable finds and use the automatic display sorter in the curator’s office if you do not want to place each item by hand.

The safehouse also has a replica workbench: for items that support replicas, you can make a museum copy and keep the original for your own use. Museum shipment crates can send finds back from other locations once you set them up in the curator’s office.

New displays open more museum events and quests over time. Archaeology gives you another reason to investigate ruins and dig sites, while the Explorer’s Society develops into its own questline.

What Authoria changes#

• Artifacts: Authoria rebalances Legacy artifacts to fit Requiem. Their effects and strength may differ from descriptions written for an unmodified Legacy game; check the item you actually find.

• Replicas: Authoria heavily weakens them. Make them to fill museum displays, not as substitute combat gear. Keep the original artifact if you want to use its powers; a replica should not be expected to preserve them.

  Spoilers: artifact retention during quests

  This also applies when a quest later takes the original away.

• Display milestones: Auryen’s artifact rewards for reaching display counts are replaced with gold. Those artifacts still exist, but Authoria moves them onto particular enemies in the world. You do not need the list below to play normally; it is there if you want to track down a specific reward.

  Former milestone artifacts: carriers and locations (spoilers)

  Defeat the named carrier to loot the artifact. Some are in difficult areas or other questlines, so their presence here is not an early-game recommendation.

  Artifact	Carried by	Where to find the carrier
  Cleaver of St. Felms	Soran Savayn	Shriekwind Bastion
  Gravedigger	High-King Borgas	Korvanjund Crypt (Korvanjund)
  Skullcrusher	Grakk the Crusher	Bilegulch Mine
  Scourge	Ghunzul	Cracked Tusk Keep
  Stendarr’s Hammer	Paladin Janus (Soul-Shriven)	Old Temple of the Eight Divines (Vigilant)
  Staff of Hasedoki	Ildari Sarothril	Highpoint Tower, Solstheim
  Hopesfire	Madura Seran	Damphall Mine, Solstheim
  Trueflame	High-Cultist Drathyn	Solstheim, outside the Temple of Miraak’s secret exit

Modded and custom followers#

Authoria includes several companions with their own dialogue and stories, plus dialogue expansions for Skyrim NPCs. The list rebalances followers and includes some follower quest add-ons. You can meet them as you explore; you do not need to recruit everyone at once. Bringing several followers can make fights much easier, so the optional Weaker Followers setting under Post-installation & Official Options is worth considering for a large party.

• Kaidan — Pre Thalmor: You can first meet him at his old camp on the northeast shore of Lake Ilinalta. He is not waiting in the Abandoned Prison when you first start a new game. Rumors around Riverwood or Falkreath, or a clue in the Abandoned Prison, can point you there.

  Spoilers: Kaidan recruitment progression and personal story

  This early meeting is a prologue: after you speak with him and leave the area, he is eventually captured offscreen. Go to the Abandoned Prison to rescue and recruit him, then travel and talk with him to discover his personal story and Immersive Features content. Authoria also includes Deadlands Expanded, which expands Kaidan’s Daedric quest into a larger adventure involving the Deadlands. Follow his personal-story conversations and quest clues after recruiting him; it is part of his story, not a separate place to recruit him.

• Inigo: Find him in Riften Jail, in the first cell on the left near Sibbi Black-Briar. Read the letter on the entrance table for context, then speak to him. For his personal mini-quest, ask “Tell me more about your past” and keep adventuring together.

  Spoilers: Inigo personal-quest progression

  To open his personal mini-quest, ask “Tell me more about your past” until he has finished telling it and you know his brother’s name; the quest can then begin while you adventure together. His currently released story stops after this introductory quest.

• Auri — Song of the Green: Find Auri’s Pod in Falkreath Hold; it appears on the map.

  Spoilers: Auri friendship progression and conversation timing

  Talk with her about herself and Bosmeri culture as you travel to develop her friendship and complete her short personal quest. More conversations unlock afterward. If a conversation at the camp near Evergreen Grove seems unavailable, try returning between 8 p.m. and midnight.

• Ashe — Crystal Heart: Find the white-haired mercenary in the Winking Skeever, Solitude, and bring 200 septims to recruit her. Get to know her through new dialogue topics and follow the journal prompts.

  Spoilers: Ashe story progression and troubleshooting

  Early scenes sometimes require sleeping in a bed or allowing about a day to pass. Her longer, choice-driven story begins once she invites you to her home; the hints-first quest guide can help if you lose the thread.

• Xelzaz: Meet him at the Southern Morrowind Gate, east of Dayspring Canyon and northeast of Stendarr’s Beacon. A note in Riften’s Bee and Barb can mark his location. His first quest, A Lawman’s Ambition, begins when you recruit him.

  Spoilers: Xelzaz quest progression

  His first quest asks you to bring him to the Hammerfell Gate. Your relationship and choices at the gate affect what happens next; further quests open through travel, conversation, and particular locations.

• Lucien Flavius: Find him in Dead Man’s Drink, Falkreath. He begins as an inexperienced scholar and learns as you travel together. For his personal quests, build your friendship and ask whether there is somewhere he would like to see.

  Spoilers: Lucien personal-quest progression

  The first quest starts when he is ready; the second begins after the first is complete and you have recruited him again for several in-game days.

• Remiel: Find her in the Silver-Blood Inn, Markarth. Offer to help her enter Nchuand-Zel beneath the city.

  Spoilers: Remiel introductory rewards and later progression

  Her introductory quest follows the vanilla Lost Expedition quest; completing it unlocks her fuller follower dialogue and her Dwemer spider, Scrap. Keep exploring Dwemer ruins with her for further developments.

• Val Serano: Start his pirate story by reading the message in a bottle on a crate outside White River Watch, east of Whiterun.

  Spoilers: Val Serano recruitment and personal-story progression

  Val is not waiting there to be recruited: follow Between the Daedra and the Deep Blue Sea to find him, then continue He Runs a Tight Shipwreck to gain his services. Travel and talk with him to advance his longer personal story; friendship and romance are separate choices. If you have begun Legacy of the Dragonborn, Auryen can also point you toward this overdue relic hunter. The author’s story walkthrough is available if you lose the trail.

• Serana — Serana Dialogue Add-On: Meet her through Dawnguard’s Awakening quest in Dimhollow Crypt.

  Spoilers: Serana recruitment progression and shared story prerequisites

  Follow the early Dawnguard quests to return her home and later recruit her again. Her expanded conversations and optional relationship unfold as you travel and advance Dawnguard, so check in with her between major quest steps. The separate Ashe & Serana banter patch adds conversations that respond to both companions’ stories; for the intended introduction, finish Ashe’s A Borrowed Soul chapter and Serana’s early Dawnguard recruitment before expecting their shared story beats.

Dialogue expansions and newly recruitable NPCs. Authoria includes anbeegod’s Follower Dialogue Expansions for many existing followers and several NPCs who become recruitable after a quest.

6. Appearance and adult content#

Presentation and adult content#

Automatic outfits#

Authoria includes Skyrim Outfit Equipment System NG, which can change the player’s or selected NPCs’ outfits automatically. You can assign different clothing or armor for places such as cities, inns, and dungeons, or for conditions such as rain, snow, combat, swimming, and sleeping. Authoria does not preconfigure any of these outfits or switching rules. If you want to use the system, create your outfits and assign the conditions yourself in its MCM; otherwise, no setup is needed. Unlike the visual-only helmet behavior below, this system equips and unequips the outfit items.

Helmet Toggle 2#

Helmet Toggle 2 automatically changes how helmets and hoods appear on the player and NPCs. Authoria is set up to hide headgear in safe places and during dialogue, then show it again when adventuring. This is a visual change: you do not need to manage helmets manually for the effect to work. If you assign a hotkey in Helmet Toggle 2’s MCM, you take manual control of the player’s helmet and disable that automatic behavior for your character.

Nudity and OStim scenes#

Authoria includes nudity and optional adult scenes. They are integrated into particular relationships and dialogue choices rather than interrupting ordinary exploration or combat. Scenes can arise through romance with a small number of followers or through specific conversations, so a player can engage with that content when it fits their character. The intent is for intimacy to feel like part of those stories, not a recurring pop-up or a requirement for progression.

Authoria uses OStim Standalone for these scenes. If your system struggles during one, open Softbody’s MCM and disable its special body option to reduce the load.