The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is a Daedric Artifact first introduced in Oblivion and later brought to Skyrim through the Creation Club in 2019. Now included in Anniversary Edition, the Gray Fox is back seemingly from the dead and ready to pass on the title to a new master thief.
The cowl has some new effects for Skyrim compared to its previous appearance, most notably the inability to rack up a bounty with the mask on that could be nullified by simply taking off the hood. In Skyrim, the cowl still has the Detect Life and Fortify Sneak enchantments, but guards appear to be able to tell who is behind the mask now.
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal Stats and Effects
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is an artifact that Nocturnal didn't bequeath to a champion like with other Daedric artifacts - it was stolen from her by a master thief. Passed down through generations, the Gray Cowl is the symbol of the prowess of the current Gray Fox and offers its wearer three major enchantments through bonuses to Sneak and Carry Weight as well as a Detect Life effect.
- Equipment Type: Light Helmet
- Armor Rating: 13
- Inventory Weight: 2
- Gold Value: 1050
- Enchantments: Increases Sneak by 25 points and Carry Weight by 50 points. Gives the wearer a constant Detect Life effect, highlighting enemies and allies alike. Guards attack the player on sight, no matter their bounty amount.
The most important thing to remember about donning the Gray Cowl is that it functions in an opposite way to its Oblivion counterpart. In Oblivion guards saw the Gray Fox as a unique person and assigned a unique bounty to them, so players could effectively nullify their bounty by simply taking the mask off. In Skyrim, though, all guards attack the player on sight if it's equipped.
How To Get The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is a creation club element included in the creation The Gray Cowl Returns, so players first must make sure they have it installed or have upgraded to Anniversary Edition. Head to Riften's graveyard in the southeast of town and look for a thief. Kill them and loot the note from their body, leading players to speak a passphrase to a beggar in the city.
After this, players are guided by a stranger's notes left throughout various locations in the world, taking players from Riften to Solitude to Silverdrift Lair, a cave containing the Ancestral Sword of Clan Ice-Blade that must be recovered. Return to the Riften graveyard after this and find the "grave" of the Gray Fox. The real Gray Fox appears behind the player, commends them on their efforts and thievery skills, and passes the Gray Cowl to a new owner, technically making the player the new Gray Fox (although the Thieve's Guild might have some qualms with that).