You’re standing in a damp Ayleid ruin, staring at a giant, glowing pillar that refuses to budge. Two Mages Guild members are arguing nearby, and honestly, they’ve been there for weeks. This is the infamous "Vahtacen’s Secret" quest. Whether you’re a veteran returning for the Oblivion Remastered experience or a newcomer who just shadow-dropped into Cyrodiil for the first time, this puzzle remains one of the most frustrating bottlenecks in the game.
It's weird.
The Mages Guild is supposed to be the pinnacle of intellectual achievement in Tamriel. Yet, here are two "experts" who can’t figure out that the solution is literally written on the walls. If you’ve spent more than ten minutes casting every spell in your arsenal at that pillar only to get blasted by lightning, you’re not alone. The remaster hasn't changed the logic, but it has made the visuals—and the bugs—a lot more apparent.
Solving the Pillar Once and for All
Let’s skip the fluff. To open the pillar in Vahtacen's Secret, you need to hit it with four specific types of magic in a very specific order. If you mess up, the pillar shocks you. If you hit it with the wrong spell, it resets.
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Most players fail because they try to use "Self" spells or they don't stand in the right spot. For the remaster, the collision boxes can be a bit finicky. You need to use spells that are either On Target or On Touch.
- Fire Damage: Use the Flare spell or a scroll.
- Frost Damage: Use Snowball or any basic frost touch/target spell.
- Damage Magicka: In the remaster, this is often the Sever Magicka scroll. Crucial tip: This one is usually a "Touch" spell. You have to walk right up to the pillar and smack it.
- Fortify Magicka: This is the Elevate Magicka scroll. Do not cast this on yourself! It has to hit the pillar.
If you ran out of scrolls because you were "experimenting," don't panic. There is a chest right next to Denel (the mage standing by the pillar) that contains everything you need. If you somehow emptied that too, you’ll have to leave the ruins and wait about four in-game days for the loot to respawn. It's a pain, but that’s the Mages Guild for you.
Why the Remaster Feels Different
Bethesda and Virtuos did a lot of work under the hood for this 2025/2026 release. The Unreal Engine 5 wrapper makes those Ayleid stones look incredible, but the underlying code is still that classic 2006 jank we love. Some players on Reddit have reported that the pillar won't react unless you stand with your back exactly toward the entrance of the room. It sounds like a superstition, but it’s actually a known positioning bug that survived the remastering process.
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The Lore vs. The Reality
Skaleel, the Argonian mage at the entrance, will tell you she’s "wasting her talents" here. Denel, her partner, is just as grumpy. They give you a book to translate the inscriptions on the walls, which basically tell you the elemental requirements:
- Av Molag Anyammis: Fire
- Av Mafre Nagaia: Frost
- Magicka Loria: Damage Magicka
- Magicka Sila: Fortify Magicka
The irony? Even with the translation, the game doesn't explicitly tell you the order. You basically have to be a detective or have a guide open.
Beyond the Pillar: The Real Secret
Once the pillar descends, the quest isn't over. You’re heading into Vahtacen Lorsel. This area is crawling with undead—ghosts, wraiths, and zombies. If you're playing on a higher difficulty in the remaster, these spirits are no joke. They’ve got high resistance to physical weapons, so I hope you brought some silver, daedric, or enchanted blades.
Deep inside, you'll find the Ancient Elven Helm. This is the "secret" Irlav Jarol sent you for.
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Picking it up triggers more traps and spawns more enemies. Honestly, the fastest way out is to look for a floor plate near the back of the chamber. It opens a shortcut that leads you right back to the beginning of the ruins. Don't be that person who backtracks through the entire dungeon manually.
Pro-Tips for the Remastered Version
- Check your scrolls: The names in the remaster are sometimes slightly different. "Sever Magicka" and "Elevate Magicka" are your go-to items.
- Save before the pillar: It's very easy to accidentally use a "Self" spell if you aren't paying attention to the icons.
- The Artifact Value: The Ancient Elven Helm isn't actually that great as a piece of armor, but you must turn it in to progress. Don't try to keep it for your collection; you’ll just break the questline.
- Wait for the reset: If the pillar stops reacting entirely, leave the cell (go back to the previous room), wait an hour, and come back.
The quest is a classic example of "Old School" RPG design where the game doesn't hold your hand. It's a bit obtuse, kinda buggy, and deeply satisfying when that staircase finally opens up.
Actionable Insights:
To finish this quest quickly, grab the scrolls from the chest near Denel. Cast Fire, then Frost, then walk up and use the Sever Magicka (Damage Magicka) scroll, and finally use the Elevate Magicka (Fortify Magicka) scroll from a distance. Once the path opens, ignore the ghosts and sprint for the Ancient Elven Helm, then use the pressure plate shortcut behind the pedestal to exit the ruins and return to the Arcane University.