Dark Anchors are enormous inter-planar hooks sent to Tamriel by Molag Bal from his realm of Coldharbour. The hooks are immense magical constructs, designed to break the boundaries between Oblivion and Mundus; they hook into the ground and the great chains attempt to pull Nirn into Coldharbour. The Anchors are visible from large distances and they affect the environment around them, displacing local weather for a portion of Oblivion's dark and violent weather.
Anchors can be found anywhere on Tamriel. Unlike the Alliance War, they are not confined to Cyrodiil. Dark Anchors pseudo-randomly spawn and are protected by Daedric guardians and titans. High-level players may be able to defeat the guardian single-handedly, but it is recommended to attack in groups. Each Anchor is different each time it spawns, with different enemies and bosses, perhaps including the rare generals if you are lucky.
Each Anchor destroyed grants everyone who contributed a reputation boost with the Fighters Guild, the chance of special cosmetic gear, and more.
For a list of Dark Anchor spawn points, see the page on dolmens. Bruma also has an Anchor, which needs to be closed to clear the location on your map.
Gameplay
Summoning the Dark Anchor
Sometimes, if a player is in the immediate area, six Worm Cultists of various kinds will appear at the base of a dolmen and perform a ritual with a sacrifice. Whether the Cultists appear or not depends on a timer, and nothing will happen if it is too soon for another Anchor to spawn at the same spot. Once the ritual is complete, a Dark Anchor appears and hooks into the ground. If the player interrupts the ritual by attacking the cultists, the Anchor will be summoned early.
Once the Anchor is open, it will randomly suck up and kill some of the cultists below. New cultists will then spawn to replace them. Regardless, when all the cultists are defeated, only then will the Daedra and undead start spawning.
Defeating the Daedra
Four pinions will appear around the base of the anchor, and enemies will drop down from the sky. When an enemy is defeated, its body disintegrates and its animus is captured within the nearest closed pinion. When the pinion is full, it opens. A nearby player can then interact with the pinion to destroy it. Having a low number of players at a dolmen reduces the number of enemies needed to open each pinion, while higher numbers increases it. Can someone get more exact numbers on this?
Whenever a pinion is destroyed, all players nearby will have their health, stamina and magicka restored to full. The process continues until the last pinion is destroyed. When that happens, all remaining Daedra and undead will immediately die.
The Final Wave
Molag Bal will then taunt you, and send some slightly stronger creatures to face you. Once they are defeated, Molag Bal taunts you again, and the final pinion opens, at the base of the anchor itself. Activating it will release the chains and destroy the Anchor. As the Anchor disappears, some Daedra will fall down and disintegrate on impact.
A chest containing rewards can then be looted by all players who helped close the Anchor. However, players significantly above the level of the Anchor don't receive anything; the only incentive for high-level players to close low-level dolmens is the chance of generals for the achievement.
Enemies
Dark Anchors are direct portals to Molag Bal's realm of Coldharbour, and thus the creatures that emerge are all Daedra and undead. Fighters Guild skills are therefore very useful when attempting to take down an Anchor. These enemies come in various difficulties as listed below.
Normal Enemies
- Banekin
- Clannfear
- Dark Seducers
- Draugr
- Dremora
- Cold Flame Atronachs
- Flesh Atronachs
- Ogrims
- Scamps
- Various kinds of skeletons
- Various kinds of vampires, including bloodfiends
- Winged Twilights
- Xivilai
- Various kinds of zombies, including Ra-Netu
Elite Enemies
Sometimes more powerful creatures can be seen emerging from Dark Anchors. The animi of these elite creatures are larger than those of normal creatures and will fill pinions twice as fast.
Bosses
These enemies are only summoned during the final wave accompanied by other reinforcements. They can be challenging to kill alone.
- Draugr Deathlord
- Dread Bone Colossus
- Dread Clannfear
- Dread Daedroth
- Dread Flesh Atronach
- Dread Frost Atronach
- Dread Harvester
- Dread Lich
- Dread Ogrim
- Dread Storm Atronach
- Dread Watcher
- Dread Xivilai
Generals
These rare enemies occasionally replace the normal boss wave enemies, and will grant an achievement when they are defeated. Each general has two unique introduction lines associated with it. Molag Bal will use either line when announcing their arrival. Generals also have a small chance of dropping unique loot.
| Generals | Molag Bal's Commentaries |
|---|---|
| Amkaos, Kathutet and Ranyu | Now you face my chosen soldiers. Kathutet, Amkaos, Ranyu! Destroy these worms! |
| (?) | |
| Anaxes and Medrike | The Xivilai make excellent torturers and guards. Let’s test them against you. |
| (?) | |
| Dregas Volar | Lord of Magas Volar, Bearer of the Crescent, serve me and destroy the mortals! |
| From your sanctuary on Vvardenfell, I summon you, Lord Dregas Volar. | |
| Dylora, Jansa and Vika | Loyalties are fickle among the Dark Seducers. Face now the least loyal but most deadly. |
| The Seducers are known for their subtlety, but I find they have many strengths. | |
| Fangaril, King Styriche and Zayzahad | From deep beneath Cyrodiil, I summon Fangaril! Consume them, each one! |
| Your flesh is nothing but mort meat to Fangaril. | |
| Gedna Relvel | From deep beneath Morrowind, I summon the lich Gedna Relvel! |
| Let's see if you can withstand the might of Gedna Relvel, crimson witch of Mournhold. | |
| Glut, Hogshead and Stumble | Amusing. Let's see how you fare against these Ogrim. |
| Think you're strong? Have some Ogrim! Three of them! | |
| Hrelvesuu | Deep in dark Nchurdamz, I found Hrelvesuu. Come forth and destroy! |
| Some of my pets are fascinated by the toys of mortals. Hrelvesuu, show them! | |
| Menta Na | You will now be a gift to my most favoured pet, Menta Na. |
| The daedroth Menta Na has served me well. He will destroy you. | |
| Methats, Sumeer and Vonshala | Most Dremora serve Dagon, but these serve me. |
| The Dremora know no fear, and admit no defeat. | |
| Nomeg Haga | Forged from ice at the heart of Coldharbour, Nomeg Haga will destroy you. |
| Now you face my personal slave. Nomeg Haga, come forth and stop these worms! | |
| Ozzozachar | My son, my child! Ozzozachar, destroy them! |
| Ozzozachar, my son! I summon you from the skies! | |
| Rhagothan | You've done well. Now it ends. Come, Rhagothan! Feast! |
| A mortal for you to feast upon, Rhagothan. You may feed now. | |
| Velehk | Blood on the water, Velehk this way comes. Your doom is upon you. |
| He'll tear you open and eat your heart raw. His eyes gleam red, his heart will never thaw. | |
| Yggmanei | Some prefer knowledge to strength. Yggmanei gives me both. |
| For your final test, meet Yggmanei. Even the Lord of Domination needs spies. | |
| Zymel Hriz | Can you withstand Zymel Hriz, an atronach of lightning and rock? |
| Most atronachs are weak. Some are strong. Zymel Hriz, I summon you! |
Gallery
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Worm Cultists offering a sacrifice to summon a Dark Anchor
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Daedric Titans guard an Anchor
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Concept art of an Anchor
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Concept art showing Dark Anchors over the Imperial City
See Also
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