The Wabbajack is an infamous magic item that first appeared in the game Daggerfall, and it makes a reappearance in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The Wabbajack is a staff that causes random effects, some helpful and some harmful, but these effects are always powerful.
In Skyrim, players can get the Wabbajack by completing one of the memorable Daedric Prince quests. In this case, the quest comes from the Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath. Sheogorath last appeared as a major figure in the "Shivering Isles" expansion for Oblivion, but this time his appearance is a shorter cameo.
The Path to Madness
Players can start the quest "The Mind of Madness" by visiting the tavern near the gate, The Winking Skeever, and asking the bartender for rumors. The bartender will tell the Dragonborn about a crazy person walking the streets and ranting, and players will find this person near the Bards College. Players can also find this person without visiting the tavern, but the objective marker makes Dervenin easier to find.
Dervenin last appeared in the "Shivering Isles" expansion for Oblivion, and he seems to have fallen on hard times. He's worried that his master has been on vacation for too long, and he asks the Dragonborn to find him and ask him to come back. Dervenin explains that his master is in the Pelagius Wing of the Blue Palace, the Jarl's home, and he gives the player the Pelagius' Hip Bone item if they accept the quest.
First, however, players must get access to the Pelagius Wing. Una and Erdi, the cleaning staff of the Blue Palace, each have a key, and they'll let the player have it if they lie and say the castle steward, Falk, gave them permission. Players must pass a secret Speech check to tell this lie, but the Speech requirement is only 25. Another way to get the key is to ask Falk directly, but he'll only give it after players complete the quest "The Man Who Cried Wolf."
Inside an Emperor's Mind
With the key and hip bone in hand, players can follow the objective marker and enter the dusty and abandoned Pelagius Wing. Take the only route forward and players will eventually find themselves teleported to a new location. Wait for the two men at the table to finish speaking, then approach the one who doesn't leave.
This is Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. After speaking with him, players will find themselves equipped with the Wabbajack staff, a set of fine clothes, and nothing else. So long as players are in this location, the inventory, magic, and map menus are unavailable, and the Wabbajack is the only way to solve the puzzles of this area and return to Skyrim. Fortunately, the Wabbajack has infinite charges during this quest.
Three sets of stone archways lead to three locations within Pelagius' mind. The Arch of Paranoia leads to an arena where two atronachs are fighting each other, and a man with two bodyguards watches the fight on the far side. Players can target "their" atronach with the Wabbajack to change its element type, but it'll never defeat its opponent. Instead, players should target one of the bodyguards on the far side. This turns them into wolves who will kill the opponent and solve the puzzle.
The Arch of Night Terrors leads to a sleeping Pelagius. Players must cure the emperor's nightmares, which is a two-step process. First, target Pelagius with the Wabbajack. Second, target the creature that appears before it can reach the emperor. This will transform the monster into something less dangerous, like a child or a chest that will never open. Repeat this process five times and Pelagius will wake up, completing the challenge.
The Arch of Self-Hatred leads to a fistfight between Pelagius' Hatred and Confidence. Hatred is the giant in Imperial armor, while Confidence is the tiny person in civilian clothes. To solve this puzzle, first use the Wabbajack to shrink Hatred down to Confidence's level, then target Confidence to make him the giant. Avoid growing Confidence first because he shrinks each time Hatred punches him. Two spectral warriors called Self-Doubt will randomly appear and start fighting each other, but players can safely ignore them.
Once all areas are completed, Sheogorath will congratulate the player while also complaining about going back to the Shivering Isles. Still, he'll leave the Wabbajack in the Dragonborn's hands and teleport them back to the Pelagius Wing. Before exiting the wing, be sure to continue forward and climb down the stairs to the basement room. This room contains Surfeit of Thieves, a skill book that improves Lockpicking.
Outside of Pelagius' mind, the Wabbajack has many possible effects:
- Deal 60 points of fire, frost, or shock damage
- Absorb 50 percent of the target's health, magicka, or stamina
- Heal the target by 75 points
- Turn the target invisible.
- Transform the target into an animal, dremora, sweet roll, pile of coins, or pile of ash.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
