Guides / The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Pelagius Wing
The Mind of a Madman is accessed through the Pelagius Wing of the Blue Palace in Solitude as part of the Daedric quest "The Mind of Madness". Inside Pelagius's psyche, you meet Sheogorath, receive the Wabbajack, and must resolve three symbolic mental struggles representing Pelagius's paranoia, night terrors, and self-doubt. Once all three trials are cleared, speaking with Sheogorath ends the sequence and transports you back to the real world.
- Region
- Blue Palace
- Getting there
- Inside the Blue Palace in Solitude, unlock the door to the Pelagius Wing and walk down the corridor until transported
- Connects to
- Blue Palace
- Related quests
- The Mind of Madness
- Services and people
- Sheogorath · Pelagius the Mad
Items
0/1
Key fights
Enemies: Pelagius's Suspicion and 2 Bodyguards (versus 2 friendly Bodyguards)
Threats: Suspicion will continuously attack Pelagius's defensive retainers
Weaknesses and resistances: Can only be defeated via indirect Wabbajack magic, immune to conventional combat in this realm
Tactics: Stand on the viewing ledge and ignore the combatants in the pit; aim the Wabbajack directly across the arena at the two opposing throne spectators, transforming them into harmless wolves to dispel the illusion
Rewards: Progresses "The Mind of Madness" quest
Enemies: Pelagius's Anger and 2 Pelagius's Doubts
Threats: Anger uses melee attacks and constantly grows in size and strength while diminishing Pelagius's Confidence; Doubts spawn to harry Confidence
Weaknesses and resistances: Cannot be harmed by normal weapons; affected exclusively by the Wabbajack
Tactics: Stand back from the melee and repeatedly strike Pelagius's Confidence with the Wabbajack to enlarge and empower him, while hitting Anger with the Wabbajack to shrink and weaken him until Anger disappears entirely
Rewards: Progresses "The Mind of Madness" quest
Enemies: A sleeping Pelagius Septim III, a Wolf, a Bandit Chief, a Hagraven, a Flame Atronach, and a Dragon Priest
Threats: Spawns a sequence of escalating aggressive nightmares: Wolf (melee), Bandit Chief (melee), Hagraven (fire magic), Flame Atronach (Firebolts/flame cloak), and Dragon Priest (deadly high-level fire/shock magic)
Weaknesses and resistances: Nightmares cannot be conventionally killed and must be transformed using the Wabbajack
Tactics: Stand beside the bed; repeatedly zap the sleeping Pelagius with the Wabbajack to summon each nightmare in turn, then immediately zap the summoned hostile creature before it attacks to transmute it into a peaceful entity (goat, child, harlot, puddle of water)
Rewards: Progresses "The Mind of Madness" quest, unlocks exit from Pelagius's Mind, and allows Sheogorath to award the Wabbajack
Enemies
Summoned during Pelagius's paranoia trial across the combat arena
Appears as an armored figure during the paranoia trial; hit the bodyguards with the Wabbajack rather than the creature itself
The first form of Pelagius's Torment, appearing while he sleeps
A manifestation of Pelagius's Torment replacing the wolf
A manifestation of Pelagius's Torment replacing the bandit
A manifestation of Pelagius's Torment replacing the hagraven
The final manifestation of Pelagius's Torment
A tiny armored combatant fighting Pelagius's Anger; enlarge it with the Wabbajack to win the trial
An oversized spectral warrior; shrink it with the Wabbajack to win the trial
Tips
- Your normal equipment is completely removed while inside Pelagius's mind, making the Wabbajack your only tool for every encounter.
- For the paranoia trial, do not zap the gladiators in the arena; instead, shoot the two bodyguards sitting directly across from you in the viewing stands.
- For the sleeping Pelagius trial, use the Wabbajack on the sleeping Pelagius to summon each nightmare form, then zap that nightmare immediately to transform it into something benign.
- In the Confidence trial, alternate firing the Wabbajack between Confidence and Anger so that Confidence grows larger while Anger steadily shrinks.
Not listed for this area: secrets, shops and people.
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