You've spent dozens of hours closing gates, joining guilds, and probably jumping everywhere to level up your Acrobatics. You think you've seen everything Cyrodiil has to throw at you. Then, a weird guy in a robe approaches you after you've finished every other Daedric Prince's errand. This is the Hermaeus Mora quest Oblivion players usually tackle last, and honestly, it’s a massive pain if you aren't prepared for the sheer amount of fast traveling involved.
Most people call it the "soul trap quest." That's basically what it is. You aren't fighting a giant boss or navigating a complex dungeon here. Instead, the Prince of Knowledge wants you to become a glorified census taker with a soul gem.
It's tedious. It's morally gray. But the reward? The Oghma Infinium is probably the single most powerful item in the game. If you want to break your character's stats and push past the natural leveling caps, you have to do this.
Why the Hermaeus Mora Quest in Oblivion is Such a Grind
To even start this mess, you have to meet some pretty stiff requirements. You can’t just wander up to the shrine in the Gerald Mountains and ask for work. First, you have to be at least level 20. Second, and this is the part that catches people off guard, you must have completed all 14 other Daedric Shrine quests.
Once those boxes are checked, you don't even go to the shrine. You wait. Usually, while sleeping or waiting in a city, a follower named Casta Flavus will track you down. He tells you the Lord of Knowledge wants to chat.
The shrine itself is tucked away in a freezing, jagged crevice in the mountains northwest of Bruma. It's a lonely spot. When you speak to the statue, Mora gives you a special soul gem and a unique spell: Mora's Soul Trap.
The task is simple but annoying. You need to capture one soul from every playable race in Tamriel.
- Altmer (High Elf)
- Argonian
- Bosmer (Wood Elf)
- Breton
- Dunmer (Dark Elf)
- Imperial
- Khajiit
- Nord
- Orc
- Redguard
That is ten souls. Ten specific kills. You can't just go to a bandit camp and hope for the best because bandits are randomized. You need a strategy, or you'll spend three hours wandering the roads of Cyrodiil looking for a stray Orc.
The Most Efficient Way to Harvest Souls Without Getting a Massive Bounty
Doing the Hermaeus Mora quest Oblivion requires a bit of cold-blooded planning. If you start murdering shopkeepers in Imperial City, the guards will make your life miserable. You'll spend more time in jail than completing the quest.
Honestly, the best way to do this is to head to places where "hostile" NPCs of various races hang out. Bandit camps and Marauder forts are your best friends here.
Where to Find the Rare Races
Nords, Imperials, and Bretons are everywhere. You'll find them in almost any bandit group. The tricky ones are the beast races and the Orcs.
For Argonians and Khajiit, I usually head to Veye, just outside the Imperial City, or check the smaller settlements. Better yet, look for "Vampire" dungeons. Vampires in Oblivion retain their original race, so a single vampire lair like Bloodmayne Cave can often provide three or four different souls in one go.
Orcs are frequently found as "Marauder Warlords" in forts like Fort Nikel. Wood Elves (Bosmer) are strangely common as bandits, specifically the ones who prefer bows.
How the Soul Trap Works
This isn't like a normal soul gem. You cast the Mora’s Soul Trap spell on the target, and then you kill them while the effect is active. You don't need a high Mysticism skill to do this, which is a relief for pure warrior builds. If you kill them and the soul doesn't trap, it's usually because the spell wore off or you accidentally hit a summoned creature instead.
One thing to keep in mind: do not use this spell on essential NPCs. It won't work, and you'll just have a very angry, immortal person chasing you across the map.
The Reward: Is the Oghma Infinium Actually Worth It?
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: It's the only reason to do this quest.
When you bring the filled soul gem back to the shrine, Hermaeus Mora gives you the Oghma Infinium. This isn't a weapon or a piece of armor. It's a book. But when you read it, you get to choose one of three "paths."
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- Path of Steel: Boosts Strength, Speed, Blade, Blunt, and Heavy Armor.
- Path of Shadow: Boosts Speed, Sneak, Security, Light Armor, and Acrobatics.
- Path of Spirit: Boosts Intelligence, Conjuration, Destruction, Restoration, and Alteration.
Each of these paths increases the specific attributes and skills by 10 points.
Here is the kicker that most people miss: these bonuses can take your stats above 100. If your Strength is already at the "soft cap" of 100, reading the Path of Steel will push it to 110. This is huge. It’s one of the few ways in the vanilla game to truly "overlevel" your character and gain an edge that the enemy scaling can't keep up with.
Common Glitches and How to Avoid Ruining Your Save
Oblivion is a masterpiece, but it's held together with digital duct tape. The Hermaeus Mora quest Oblivion is notorious for certain bugs, especially regarding the quest trigger.
Sometimes, even if you’ve finished the 14 other quests, Casta Flavus just... doesn't show up. If this happens, try sleeping in an inn for 24 hours. If he still doesn't appear, you might need to manually travel to the shrine and see if the statue will talk to you anyway.
Another issue involves the "Blood of the Daedra" quest in the main storyline. If you are currently on the quest to give Martin a Daedric artifact, finish that first. Having multiple active quests involving Daedric Princes can occasionally confuse the game's script.
Also, avoid using "Reflect Spell" gear when you are fighting the NPCs you intend to soul trap. If the Mora’s Soul Trap spell reflects back onto you, and then you kill the enemy, the soul might not register. It's a rare interaction, but it's annoying enough to mention.
Dealing with the Morality of the Quest
Let’s be real for a second. This quest is dark. You are literally hunting down individuals based on their race to feed their souls to a Daedric Prince who looks like a mass of tentacles and eyes.
Unlike the quest for Azura, where you're putting mercy-killing vampires, or Meridia, where you're clearing out the undead, Mora's quest is pure, academic cruelty. You are a collector.
If you're roleplaying a "Lawful Good" Paladin, this is the hardest quest to justify. Usually, players justify it by only targeting bandits and marauders—people who were going to die by your blade anyway. But even then, trapping a soul in a Daedric gem is a pretty heavy sentence for simple highway robbery.
Step-by-Step Strategy for Completion
If you want to get this over with as fast as possible, follow this route.
First, make sure you have at least 10 empty slots in your inventory for loot, because you're going to be hitting a lot of dungeons. Start at Fort Homre in the Colovian Highlands. It's usually crawling with bandits of varied races. You can often check off the Human races (Imperial, Breton, Redguard) here in ten minutes.
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Next, head to the Blackwood region. The Leyawiin area has a high concentration of Argonians. Look for the "Renrijra Krin" camps if you need Khajiit souls; they're technically outlaws, so you won't get a bounty for engaging them.
Finally, for the Elves, hit up any Ayleid ruin that is occupied by "Bandit Hedge Wizards." They are almost always Altmer or Bosmer.
Once the gem is full, a message will pop up on your screen. That is your cue to fast travel back to the shrine. Don't linger. The sooner you turn it in, the sooner you get that sweet stat boost.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Playthrough
To make the most of this quest, don't just rush into it at level 20.
- Max your stats first: Wait until your primary attributes (like Strength or Intelligence) are at 100 naturally through leveling. If you use the Oghma Infinium when your Strength is 70, you just get to 80 faster. If you use it at 100, you reach a level of power the game didn't technically intend for you to have.
- Clear your bounty: Ensure you have no active bounties before starting. You'll be doing a lot of traveling, and getting stopped by guards while carrying a Daedric soul gem is just an unnecessary headache.
- Check your quest log: Double-check that all 14 other Daedric quests are marked as "Completed" in your journal. If one is stuck or "active," Mora won't talk to you.
- Save your game: Create a hard save before reading the Oghma Infinium. Once you choose a path, the book disappears. You can't change your mind later, so you want to make sure the 10-point boost actually lands on the skills you care about.
The Hermaeus Mora quest is the ultimate "endgame" hurdle in Oblivion. It’s the final test of your patience and your willingness to do whatever it takes for power. Once it’s done, you’ve basically conquered the Daedric pantheon.