Ancient Shrouded Cowl
| Ancient Shrouded Cowl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Armor Rating | 15 |
| Weight | 1 |
| Value | 1199 |
| Slot | Head |
| Set | Ancient Shrouded |
| Level | - |
| Class | Helmets |
| Skill | Light Armor |
| Unique | Yes |
| Item ID | 000e1f17 |
| Game/DLC | Skyrim |
The Ancient Shrouded Cowl is a unique light armor helmet from the Ancient Shrouded set. It has a base armor rating of 15, weighs 1 and makes bows hit 35% harder. It lies on a dead assassin in a hidden room in Hag's End, the reward of the Dark Brotherhood side quest Locate the Assassin of Old.
Armor Enchantment
Bows do 35% more damage.
The Enchantment Effects page lists every armor enchantment.
Ancient Shrouded Cowl Map Location and Quest Guide
Ancient Shrouded Cowl map location:
The Ancient Shrouded Cowl lies on a dead assassin in a hidden room behind the throne in Hag's End. It is the reward for Locate the Assassin of Old in the Dark Brotherhood questline.
- Complete Breaching Security by killing Gaius Maro in a hold capital.
- Take Olava's Token from Gabriella.
- Give the token to Olava the Feeble in Whiterun.
- Travel to Deepwood Redoubt and go through it to Hag's End.
- Pull the handle behind the throne in Hag's End.
- Take the Ancient Shrouded Cowl from the dead assassin in the hidden room.
Map credit by Map Genie.
The handle behind the throne appears only after Olava's reading.
How It Plays
The Ancient Shrouded Cowl makes bows deal 35 percent more damage. The plain Shrouded Cowl gives 20 percent, so the ancient cowl adds 15 points more. It also protects more, weighs less and is worth more than the plain version.
A sneak archer gains the most from it. The opening shot from hiding often decides a fight, and the cowl raises the damage of that shot and of every arrow after it. The cowl weighs only 1, light enough for any archer.
The cowl is tempered at a workbench with a piece of Leather. As an enchanted item, it needs the Arcane Blacksmith perk for tempering.
Perks and Builds
The Archery skill tree builds on the cowl. Overdraw raises bow damage in five ranks, up to twice the normal damage. Critical Shot adds a chance of critical hits, and Steady Hand slows time while zoomed in with a bow.
The Sneak perk Deadly Aim makes sneak attacks with bows deal three times damage. A hidden archer with Overdraw, Deadly Aim and this cowl deals heavy damage with every opening shot.
The Full Set
The cowl is one of four pieces. The boots muffle footsteps, the gloves double sneak attack damage with one-handed weapons, and the cuirass raises Poison Resistance by 100 percent. All four are light armor, so the full set meets the condition of the Custom Fit perk.
Khajiit and Argonians
On a Khajiit or Argonian character, the cowl turns invisible and leaves the head looking bald. The same quirk lets these races wear a second helmet over it, so both enchantments work at once.
Quest Background
The Ancient Shrouded set is the reward for Locate the Assassin of Old, a side quest of the Dark Brotherhood. It opens after Breaching Security, the contract on Gaius Maro. Killing Gaius Maro in one of the hold capitals earns a bonus from Gabriella: Olava's Token.
Olava the Feeble in Whiterun reads fortunes, and the token buys a reading. She speaks of a sanctuary, a new family and much blood. Then she breaks off and sees a ruin ripe for plunder, Deepwood Redoubt, far to the northwest. Through it lies Hag's End, the last resting place of an assassin of old.
Deepwood Redoubt is held by the Forsworn. Beyond it lies Deepwood Vale, and past the vale stands Hag's End, home to witches and a hagraven. The hagraven teleports deeper into the ruin whenever she is attacked. In the throne room, a handle behind the throne lowers a stone wall. The handle appears only after Olava's reading. Behind the wall lies the corpse of the Dark Brotherhood Assassin, dressed in the full set, with a chest of loot at his side.
Notes
The set can be collected more than once. Reanimating the dead assassin, for example with Dead Thrall, and then leaving the area makes a fresh set appear on him.
The Ritual Stone offers a way in before the reading. Using its power right beside the stone wall raises the dead assassin, who follows the caster out of the room. Killing him again leaves the set on his remains.
Gameplay Tips
- Temper it at a workbench with one Leather. The Arcane Blacksmith perk is needed because of the enchantment.
- Its bow bonus of 35% beats the 20% of the plain Shrouded Cowl.
Smithing Guide
Enchanted weapons require the Arcane Blacksmith Perk to upgrade.
Upgrades
Ancient Shrouded Cowl is improved at a workbench with one Leather per improvement. An enchanted copy can only be improved with the Arcane Blacksmith perk.
| Quality | Smithing | Armor |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | 14 | +1 |
| Superior | 31 | +3 |
| Exquisite | 65 | +5 |
| Flawless | 100 | +7 |
| Epic | 134 | +8 to +9 |
| Legendary | 168 | +10 |
Armor Set
Ancient Shrouded Cowl belongs to the Ancient Shrouded set. The table shows every piece of the set.
| Name | Image | Slot | Armor | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Shrouded Armor | 
|
Body | 33 | 5 |
| Ancient Shrouded Boots | 
|
Feet | 12 | 0.5 |
| Ancient Shrouded Cowl | 
|
Head | 15 | 1 |
| Ancient Shrouded Gloves | 
|
Hands | 12 | 1 |
Armor Categories
All Helmets
Light Armor
All light armor helmets are listed below with their armor rating, weight, set and upgrade material.
Heavy Armor
All heavy armor helmets are listed below with their armor rating, weight, set and upgrade material.
Dragon Priest Masks
The Dragon Priests wore these masks, and each one carries its own enchantment.
| Name | Image | Armor | Weight | Value | Set | Upgrade | Perk | DLC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahzidal | 
|
23 | 9 | 1165 | Dragon Priest Masks | Ebony Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Dragonborn |
| Dukaan | 
|
23 | 9 | 1202 | Dragon Priest Masks | Ebony Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Dragonborn |
| Hevnoraak | 
|
23 | 9 | 891 | Dragon Priest Masks | Iron Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Konahrik | 
|
24 | 7 | 3200 | Dragon Priest Masks | Gold Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Krosis | 
|
21 | 5 | 1615 | Dragon Priest Masks | Iron Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Miraak | 
|
27 | 9 | 849 | Dragon Priest Masks | Cannot be upgraded | None | Dragonborn |
| Morokei | 
|
5 | 4 | 637 | Dragon Priest Masks | Refined Moonstone | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Nahkriin | 
|
23 | 9 | 2173 | Dragon Priest Masks | Ebony Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Otar | 
|
23 | 9 | 1521 | Dragon Priest Masks | Refined Malachite | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Rahgot | 
|
23 | 9 | 962 | Dragon Priest Masks | Orichalcum Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Vokun | 
|
23 | 9 | 2182 | Dragon Priest Masks | Steel Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Volsung | 
|
21 | 5 | 4611 | Dragon Priest Masks | Corundum Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Skyrim |
| Wooden Mask | 
|
1 | 2 | 51 | Dragon Priest Masks | Cannot be upgraded | None | Skyrim |
| Zahkriisos | 
|
23 | 9 | 1239 | Dragon Priest Masks | Ebony Ingot | Daedric Smithing | Dragonborn |