The Gates of Adamant

The Gates of Adamant is the starter tutorial quest in . It is located in the Balfiera Ruins on the Isle of Balfiera. Upon completion, the player must pick a portal to travel to the starting location for any Alliance or for any purchased DLC chapter.
==Background==
I awoke imprisoned in a strange ruin. An Elf seems willing to help me, but escaping this place may not be easy. Danger lurks around every corner, and I sense that some darkness arrived with me.
This is the first quest in , and acts as the tutorial for the Vestige in all versions of the game. It was added by Update 30 in June 2021, replacing the original tutorial quest Soul Shriven in Coldharbour and the chapter-specific tutorial quests Broken Bonds, The Mind Trap, Bright Moons, Warm Sands, and Bound in Blood. Soul Shriven in Coldharbour was altered slightly and is now started by encountering the Hooded Figure in Daggerfall, Davon's Watch, or Vulkhel Guard.
==Objectives==
#Look Around
#Talk to Norianwe
#Wait for Norianwe to Open the Door
#Exit Cell
#Follow Norianwe
#Talk to Norianwe
#Take a Weapon
#Equip a Weapon
#* Optional: Equip an Off-Hand Item
#Follow Norianwe
#Practice Combat
#Talk to Norianwe
#Lead Norianwe Outside
#Find the Keywright's Gallery
#Talk to Norianwe
#Acquire the Skyshard
#Return to the Gate
#Repair the Gate
#Talk to Norianwe
#Enter Gate
#Defeat Shyazzel the Traveler
#Enter the Keywright's Gallery
#Talk to Norianwe
==Walkthrough==
Look around a bit, then go to the cell door and talk to Norianwe. Wait for her to unlock the door, then exit the cell. Follow Norianwe to the north end of the room and talk to her again. She tells you to take your pick of the weapons on the stone tables nearby:
*Aldmeri Exile's Bow
*Aldmeri Exile's Dagger (×2)
*Aldmeri Exile's Greataxe
*Aldmeri Exile's Sword
*Aldmeri Exile's Shield
*Aldmeri Exile's Restoration Staff
*Aldmeri Exile's Inferno Staff
Take any or all of the weapons and equip one to your main hand. If you equip a sword or dagger, you can equip a second one-hand weapon or shield to your off hand.
When you're ready, follow Norianwe into the next room. She activates an Animated Armor and guides you through some practice combat. Press the indicated controls when prompted. You can repeat the practice combat as much as you want, switching weapons between fights. Tell Norianwe when you're ready to move on, then go through the door and up the stairs.
You'll see a Golem Invoker pounding on a door at the far end of the hall. Your destination is down the side corridor so you can easily avoid the golem; on the other hand if you defeat it and unlock the door (Trivial lock), you can enter the Balfiera Armory which contains full matched sets of armor (light, medium, and heavy), shields, and weapons of all types. Your inventory is too small to take it all, so just take and equip what you want; none of it has any sale value, though it may be useful as deconstruction fodder later.
Leave the armory and go down the side corridor, through a door, and down another corridor, passing few more sets of armor in case you skipped the armory. Exit through the far door.
Outside you'll start to encounter Sabre Cats, Golem Champions, and Golem Invokers. Some golems pose as statues until they detect you, so be careful.
Work your way across to the east side of the map and enter the Keywright's Gallery. Cross the room, head up the stairs, and talk to Norianwe. She says you'll need a new Skyshard, so go back outside and enter the Skyshard Building to the south. The Skyshard is dead ahead, emiting a column of light. Defeat the Gargoyle. When you try to take the Skyshard, you instead absorb its energy, but Norianwe decides the energy will suffice. Return to the Gallery foyer and repair the cracked Skyshard, then talk to Norianwe. She warns that the Daedric creature is just beyond the next door, so take care of any preparations you want to make now.
Upon passing through the door you're faced with Shyazzel the Traveler, a Harvester. Defeat the Daedra.
Continue through the next door into a hallway lined with bookcases. Check them all for the book Sep's Kiss, which raises your Alchemy skill by 1 point. Then proceed down either staircase and enter the Keywright's Gallery. Talk to Norianwe to complete the quest.
===After the quest===
At this point you must decide where to go next. This is a one-way trip: there will be no way to return to Balfiera. The Gallery contains one-way portals to the starting islands for the three alliances and all DLC chapters. However you can only interact with a portal if you own that DLC or have an ESO Plus subscription; other gates will be blocked by chains.
Furthermore, as of Update 41 (March 2024), the first character on a new account can only use the gate to their alliance's starter island; after that, subsequent characters on the same account will be able to use portals to any chapter zone available on that account.
You can examine each portal to hear Norianwe's summary of that region before you make your final decision. The portals you can choose from are:
Portal 	Storyline 	Requires
Bleakrock Isle 	Ebonheart Pact 	base game
Khenarthi's Roost 	Aldmeri Dominion 	base game
Stros M'Kai 	Daggerfall Covenant 	base game
Vvardenfell 	Divine Conundrum 	The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind
Summerset Isles 	The Queen's Decree 	The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset
Elsweyr 	Season of the Dragon 	The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr
Western Skyrim 	Dark Heart of Skyrim 	The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor
Blackwood 	Gates of Oblivion 	The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood
High Isle 	Legacy of the Bretons 	The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle
Telvanni Peninsula	Shadow Over Morrowind 	The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom
West Weald 	Recollection of Ithelia	The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road
==Trivia==
*The Keywright's Gallery contains a total of 16 portals: 10 on the lower floor and 6 on the upper floor. As of June 2024 all of the portals on the lower floor and 1 on upper floor are active, leaving 5 inactive portals on the upper floor available for future chapter DLC.
==Reward==
*Forgotten Adventurer's Strong Box
*+1 Skill Point
*Skill Line: Soul Magic
==Journal==
Journal Entry
I heard a voice. I should look around to find out who's speaking.
*Objective: Look Around
I spied an Elf on the other side of my cell door. I should speak with her.
*Objective: Talk to Norianwe
I should wait for Norianwe to open the cell door.
*Objective: Wait for Norianwe to Open the Door
Norianwe unlocked the door. I should exit my cell.
*Objective: Exit Cell
I successfully escaped my cell. I should follow my liberator, Norianwe.
*Objective: Follow Norianwe
Norianwe wants to speak with me before we proceed. I should talk to her and find out what she wants.
*Objective: Talk to Norianwe
Norianwe wants to make sure I can defend myself. I should pick up a weapon.
*Objective: Take a Weapon
I claimed a weapon. Now, I should equip it.
*Objective: Equip a Weapon
*Optional Steps: Equip an Off-Hand Item
With my weapon equipped, I'm ready to fight. I should follow Norianwe to the next room.
*Objective: Follow Norianwe
I should defeat the magical construct that Norianwe summoned.
*Objective: Practice Combat
Now that I defeated her magical construct, I should talk to Norianwe about what to do next.
*Objective: Talk to Norianwe
I should make my way to the surface and meet Norianwe outside.
*Objective: Lead Norianwe Outside
Norianwe seems confident that the source of this incursion is a mysterious vault called the Keywright's Gallery. We should make our way there.
*Objective: Find the Keywright's Gallery
A locked gate blocks our progress. I should talk to Norianwe about what to do next.
*Objective: Talk to Norianwe
According to Norianwe, we need a fresh skyshard to open the gate. I should collect one from a nearby vault so we can repair the gate mechanism.
*Objective: Acquire the Skyshard
I absorbed the power of a skyshard. I should return to the Gallery foyer and use this power to repair the gate.
*Objective: Return to the Gate
I must use the power of the skyshard to repair the gate.
*Objective: Repair the Gate
I repaired the gate. Now, I should talk to Norianwe about what to do next.
*Objective: Talk to Norianwe
With the gate repaired, we're free to progress further into the ruin. I should enter the gate and see what lies beyond.
*Objective: Enter Gate
As soon as I passed through the gate, I encountered the Daedric monster, Shyazzel. I should defeat this creature.
*Objective: Defeat Shyazzel the Traveler
I killed Shyazzel the Traveler. Now, I should enter The Keywright's Gallery.
*Objective: Enter the Keywright's Gallery
The Keywright's Gallery is full of magic doorways! I should talk to Norianwe to find out what she knows about this strange chamber.
*Objective: Talk to Norianwe
==Appearances==
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Category:Online: Quests