I've justed posted an updated mod on Nexus. Here's a changelog:

• The claw puzzle door now correctly states the required item when it's missing from the player's inventory. Previous it indicated the Ebony Claw was required.
• The Nordic heads by the chain puzzle should now correctly display the dragon runes associated with each chain. The folder the custom mesh appeared in was originally misnamed, causing the model to not be displayed in-game. If you have downloaded version 0.5, this can be manually fixed by navigating to your Skyrim install and moving the mesh files located in Skyrim\Data\meshes\dungeon\nordic\clutter to Skyrim\Data\meshes\dungeons\nordic\clutter.
• Adjusted the wooden planks on the final jump so they can be reached consistently.
• Fixed a seam between the upper catacomb and the connecting hallway.
• Fixed an issue where NPC's and physics from Shouts or spells could trigger the plates in the boss chamber.
• Adjusted NavMesh in the boss chamber to prevent potential problems where enemies could get stuck in certain spots.

Thanks again for your feedback so far! Now that some people have gone through the mod, I'll share some specific discussion questions in a bit.

Oke the room with the chains works now. But In the room with the next boss "Grahul" the presure plates do not work. (possibly because of the perk in the sneak tree which makes you walk over presure plates without triggering them) Shooting arrows at them worked for the first few hits but now it doesnt. And I can't leave the room because the door doesn't open.

vahlok do laas

Oke the room with the chains works now. But In the room with the next boss "Grahul" the presure plates do not work. (possibly because of the perk in the sneak tree which makes you walk over presure plates without triggering them) Shooting arrows at them worked for the first few hits but now it doesnt. And I can't leave the room because the door doesn't open.

That's a really good catch, vahlok, I'd never have thought of that perk. Could you try something for me? Open the console command and enter:

player.removeperk 0005820c

This will remove the Sneak perk. If this fixes the problem, you can add the perk back after the fight with this:

player.addperk 0005820c

I'll look into a solution to the problem that won't involve console commands.

paarthurnax

That's a really good catch, vahlok, I'd never have thought of that perk. Could you try something for me? Open the console command and enter:

This will remove the Sneak perk. If this fixes the problem, you can add the perk back after the fight with this:

I'll look into a solution to the problem that won't involve console commands.

That indeed fixed the problem. I solved the puzzle the first time by forcing Grahul to step on the presure plate.

I've uploaded a new version of the mod that fixes the Light Foot issue, along with some other minor changes.

For those of you who've played the mod, I have a few discussion questions I'd really appreciate your thoughts on:

• Did you enjoy the puzzles? Were there any that were too frustrating or could have used better hints?
• Did the overall dungeon look good and play well? Any parts that you'd change?
• How challenging was the boss encounter to figure out? Was it fun to play? Any changes you would make?
• Does Zunkruziik feel fun and balanced? Is the push effect intuitive to use?
• Any feature's you'd add or remove from the mod?

Thanks again!

• Did you enjoy the puzzles? Were there any that were too frustrating or could have used better hints?

I liked the puzzles very much!

• Did the overall dungeon look good and play well? Any parts that you'd change?

I'm thinking it might be hard to play as an archer, or sneak thru.  But I didn't try it like that, so I wouldn't know.  It looked very nice in there, I liked the different rooms.

• How challenging was the boss encounter to figure out? Was it fun to play? Any changes you would make?

So, I was playing as a level 2 character.  So I turned on "TIM" in the console so I wouldn't die.  I'm thinking the time you have to hit him might be too short, but it's hard to tell.

• Does Zunkruziik feel fun and balanced? Is the push effect intuitive to use?

I haven't used Zunkruziik yet.  When I played it, I have just enough time for the dungeon, The character I have also really isn't using shouts.

• Any feature's you'd add or remove from the mod?

A little extra loot at the end, maybe?  Or maybe a writ in the boss room about the boss?

Love the mod!

paarthurnax

I've uploaded a new version of the mod that fixes the Light Foot issue, along with some other minor changes.

For those of you who've played the mod, I have a few discussion questions I'd really appreciate your thoughts on:

• Did you enjoy the puzzles? Were there any that were too frustrating or could have used better hints?
• Did the overall dungeon look good and play well? Any parts that you'd change?
• How challenging was the boss encounter to figure out? Was it fun to play? Any changes you would make?
• Does Zunkruziik feel fun and balanced? Is the push effect intuitive to use?
• Any feature's you'd add or remove from the mod?

Thanks again!

Finally some puzzles with a little bit of challenge. It's something different than the usual skyrim puzzles.

The dungeon looked like any other dungeon which is great if I didnt know about the mod I would've thought it was part of the game.

The boss fight wasn't hard to figure out. The boss was a little weak though for my character (lvl 34). So maybe it would be better to upgrade the boss a little since the dungeon is meant for 30-50.

Zunkruziik doesn't seem like a bad weapon for starter players. It's pretty good in stats and can be used in a lot of ways but I wouldn't use the weapon myself.

There was a master locked door half way through the dungeon but the loot was just awfull... (did the dungeon 3 times) Hope that can be upgraded a little (probably leveled loot though).

Overall a great mod.

-vahlok

vahlok do laas

The boss fight wasn't hard to figure out. The boss was a little weak though for my character (lvl 34). So maybe it would be better to upgrade the boss a little since the dungeon is meant for 30-50.

Thanks for the feedback. I actually reduced the boss's health in the last update after playing around with it more. What weapons did you use, and what difficulty do you play on?

Ruvgein

I'm thinking the time you have to hit him might be too short, but it's hard to tell.

Yeah, this is a tough one to balance. The time should be long enough people learning the encounter have a good window to attack, but not so long that higher-level characters can kill the boss in one go.

A little extra loot at the end, maybe?  Or maybe a writ in the boss room about the boss?

Sure, that's a neat idea, some kind of token for passing the trial where many others have failed.

paarthurnax

Thanks for the feedback. I actually reduced the boss's health in the last update after playing around with it more. What weapons did you use, and what difficulty do you play on?

Played with ebony shock bow on master. So nothing special. but before the health reduction it was pretty easy aswell. (seemed like a normal draugr deathlord.)

There's one thing that easily separates a boss from a stock enemy to me: inflicting damage from afar under a certain condition.

Would it be totally impossible to give Grahul a dodgeable projectile attack while under the protection of the Ritual? Currently I can just sprint to the pressure plate as soon as the previous one's effect wears off. Having to mind the boss while attempting the "sabotage" would give a more varied fight.

The lesser draugr minions are a step in this direction, but I find them distracting from Grahul's supposedly peerless might.

vahlok do laas

Played with ebony shock bow on master. So nothing special. but before the health reduction it was pretty easy aswell. (seemed like a normal draugr deathlord.)

I'll play around with it a bit more. Currently the boss has roughly double the health of a Draugr Deathlord, but because the Ritual power grants double damage it's effectively the same.

Frinmulaar

Would it be totally impossible to give Grahul a dodgeable projectile attack while under the protection of the Ritual? Currently I can just sprint to the pressure plate as soon as the previous one's effect wears off. Having to mind the boss while attempting the "sabotage" would give a more varied fight.

The lesser draugr minions are a step in this direction, but I find them distracting from Grahul's supposedly peerless might.

Those are really good thoughts. A few ideas:

• The Ice Storm spell seems like a good fit that wouldn't require crazy scripting. It's slow enough to dodge, but has the potential to slow you and allow Grahul to close in.
• If the Draugr minions are distracting, how about him summoning Frost Atronachs or Ice Wraiths?
• Alternatively, frost runes could appear around the room so you can't just beeline to the plates.

All of these could be used at different points in the fight for variety. Or, imagine an Ice Storm spell that transforms into an Ice Wraith on impact.

Some random thoughts:

• Geesh, if you're added all this ice stuff, will fire from the plates be strange?
• If only the boss had some sweet armor.
• Frost Atronachs are big, they'd either get in the way in a good (can't rush to next plate) way, or bad. (Can't move at all.)

I've been making good progress, and I'd like to get some thoughts.

I've swapped the Draugr for ice wraiths. When the boss is below half health, wraiths spawn at each of the three plates every round. The wraiths work pretty well with the layout of the room, and provide an interesting dynamic. They're weak individually, but if you rush from plate to plate they can overwhelm you, so it's best to methodically kill them before you trigger a new set of wraiths.

A small but hopefully rewarding addition is an ancient book in the treasure room that records the names of every warrior who has passed the trial from each cult (Eagle, Dragon, Snake). After reading the book, you have the option to add your own name beneath one of those sections. Your choice grants you one of three minor perks. I'm currently wrestling with ideas for those perks, but tentatively they are:

• Eagle: Move 25% faster while wounded (Movement multipliers can be buggy, so this may end up being "Sprint 25% faster while wounded").
• Dragon: Magicka regenerates 100% faster while power attacking.
• Snake: Stamina regenerates 50% faster while sneaking.

I tried to think of things that matched each totem and fit different playstyles. My question is, would you prefer perks that are powerful but situational, or minor but constant? Daily powers are also on the table. Keep in mind that these perks are awarded for completing a small, albeit high-level dungeon, so they really shouldn't be any more powerful than similar skill perks.