Silt Strider Guide

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Morrowind is like the video game equivalent of a culture shock. Skyrim reigns supreme nowadays and has done so for over a decade. Heading back into Oblivion is a challenge for many modern-day Elder Scrolls gamers. But Morrowind? For some, it’s almost a Herculean task.

By modern standards, the combat is clunky and archaic. Reading quest markers and going the right way is a challenge in and of itself. You haven’t truly experienced Morrowind until you get lost in the mountains looking for a specific cave or tomb. 

And fast travel? Well, you can forget all about modern-day fast travel. In Morrowind, you can’t pull up the map, pick a location and immediately warp there. Exploring Vvardenfell will mostly be a journey you take on foot.

But don’t worry! Bethesda doesn’t leave you out to dry completely.

There are numerous different fast-travel options in Morrowind that you would be good to make use of in your journey. The most famous local form of transportation in Morrowind is the Silt Striders. 

What is a Silt Strider?

Silt Strider

Silt Striders are massive flea-like creatures native to Morrowind. They stand at about 20 meters tall and have stilt-like legs. Local Dunmer caravaners use Silt Striders to transport people and cargo around Morrowind. 

An area of a Silt Strider’s outer shell is carved out and used to store cargo and be a place for the caravaners and passengers to stay. Caravaners directly manipulate Silt Striders through the exposed organs and tissues of the giant creatures.

While Silt Striders are local creatures of Morrowind, you will never encounter a wild Silt Strider anywhere in the game. You cannot attack the Silt Striders of caravaners either. 

How Many Silt Striders are in Morrowind?

From a lore perspective, it is unknown how many Silt Striders exist. From a game perspective, there are nine Silt Striders. You can use the services of these Silt Striders to safely travel to other cities, towns, and villages instead of risking traveling through the wilderness.

 

Each Silt Strider caravaner charges different prices, depending on your starting/destination point and their disposition towards you. It is always worthwhile having an extensive conversation with the drivers, as they can provide valuable information about the local areas. 

Seyda Neen- Darvame Hleran

Darvame Hleran

Darvame Hleran and her Silt Strider are a short way east of the starting village of Seyda Neen. Take a right past the bridge out of Seyda Neen and head up the hill to the right. You can’t miss her.

Be sure to speak with Vodunius Nuccius before talking to Darvame Hleran. Doing so will unlock the Vodunius Nuccius dialogue option with Darvame. Ask her about the man, and she will tell you that she doesn’t think Vodunius is happy in Morrowind. You can partake in a short side quest by speaking to Vodunius again.

Darvame Concerned For Vodunius

Darvame has four destinations and can take you to Balmora, Gnisis, Suran, and Vivec.

Balmora- Selvil Sareloth

Selvil Sareloth is the caravaner of Balmora found at the Silt Strider port directly next to the southern gate in and out of town.

Selvil Sareloth

Selvil has four destinations. He can take you to Seyda Neen, Ald’ruhn, Vivec, and Suran.

Ald’ruhn- Navam Veran

Navam Veran is the caravaner of Ald’ruhn and found near the west gate of the town. Ald’ruhn is situated close to the Red Mountains, and as such, suffers from frequent Ash Storms. Close to Veran are Ald’ruhn’s two imperial guard towers. If you aren’t opposed to stealing, these towers are a great source of early-game loot.

Navam Veran

Navam has four destinations and can take you to Balmora, Gnisis, Maar Gan, and Khuul.

Suran- Folsi Thendas

Folsi Thendas is the caravaner of Suran, and you can find her up the stairs at the port just outside town. She can take you to Balmora, Vivec, Molag Mar, and Seyda Neen.

Folsi Thendas

Vivec- Adondasi Sadalvel

Adondasi Sadalvel is the caravaner of Vivec. You can find him northeast of the sprawling city. Getting lost in Vivec is a Morrowind rite of passage. Use the gondoliers to save yourself some trouble.

Adondasi Sadalvel

Adondasi has four destinations and can take you to Balmora, Seyda Neen, Suran, and Molag Mar.

Gnisis- Punibi Yahaz

Punibi Yahaz is the caravaner of Gnisis. The mining town of Gnisis is where you can join up with the Imperial Legion.

Punibi Yahaz

You can find Punibi on the edge of town near the shipping platform. He has four destinations and can take you to Khuul, Maar Gan, Ald’Ruhn, and Seyda Neen.

Khuul- Seldus Nerendus

Seldus Nerendus is the caravaner of Khuul. You can find him slightly southeast of the village.

Seldus Nerendus

If you are a member of the Imperial Cult, you can increase his disposition towards you for free. Speak to him after completing the Imperial Cult quest Thelsa Dral the Witch. Doing so will make him view you more favorably.

Seldus has three destinations, and he can take you to Ald’ruhn, Gnisis, and Maar Gan.

Maar Gan- Daras Aryon

Daras Aryon is the caravaner of Maar Gan, an egg mining town very similar to Ald’ruhn in design.

Daras Aryon

Daras has three destinations and can take you to Ald’Ruhn, Gnisis, and Khuul.

Molag Mar- Dilami Androm

Dilami Androm is the final Silt Strider caravaner. You can find her northeast of the town of Molag Mar. Molag Mar is similar in design to Vivec, though not nearly as sprawling.

Dilami Androm

Dilami only has two destinations, the lowest of any Silt Strider. She can take you to Suran or Vivec. Molag Mar also has a transport boat called Whistler on the east side of town. It can take you to Hla Oad, Tel Branora, and Vivec.

Rindral Dralor

DON’T KILL THE CARAVANERS

In modern gaming, there are two norms; essential NPCs and a love for doing playthroughs where you kill everyone. 

Morrowind doesn’t have the former, so do not attempt the latter. If you kill any Silt Strider caravaners, they die and stay dead. You will lose all access to that caravaner’s Silt Strider services. Morrowind isn’t much fun if you kill off all the NPCs. Save that carnage for a game like Fallout: New Vegas.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Silt Striders are back

The Elder Scrolls Online takes place in the Second Era, more than 800 years before the events of Morrowind or Oblivion occur. As you would expect, Silt Striders are alive and well, and you can travel across Morrowind using them.

Silt Strider ESO

Strider Caravaner Achievement

ESO players can snag an easy achievement in Morrowind called the Strider Caravaner. To do so, all you need to do is visit all seven caravaner stations and use them to travel somewhere.

Nevos Sareloth: Nevos is located in Balmora and can take you to Gnisis or Vivec.

Amili Yahaz: Amili is located in Gnisis and can take you to Balmora or Vivec.

Narisa Androm: Narisa is located in Molag Mar and can take you to Tel Mora, or Suran.

Medyn Hleran: Medyn is located in Seyda Neen and can take you to Gnisis or Suran.

Faven Thendas: Faven is located in Suran and can take you to Seyda Neen, Vivec, or Molag Mar.

Adosi Delvi: Adosi is located in Tel Mora and can take you to Molag Mar or Vivec.

Helseth Sadalvel: Helseth is located in Vivec and can take you to Suran, Gnisis, Balmora, or Tel Mora.

After visiting all seven caravaners, you will unlock the Strider Caravaner achievement.

What happened to Silt Striders after the events of Morrowind?

Unfortunately, Silt Striders are a bit like the Courier at the beginning of Fallout: New Vegas. Because on one faithful day, their fates took a turn for the worst.

The Red Year

After the events of the Oblivion Crisis, the Warrior-Poet god Vivec disappeared. Vivec is the one who kept the meteor Baar Dau in place and from crashing down and destroying the city of Vivec. After his disappearance, the power keeping Baar Dau in suspended animation began to weaken.

Two Dunmer, named Vuhon and Sul, made a deal with the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile. The agreement made enabled the creation of a machine called the Ingenium. The device was powered by souls and used in place of Vivec to keep Baar Dau from crashing. The arrangement lasted for five years until Vuhon attempted to use the soul of Sul’s wife to power the machine. Sul fought Vuhon in an attempt to save her. Their battle damaged the Ingenium, and Baar Dau crashed into Vivec City and wiped it off the map.

The disaster set off a chain of events that resulted in the eruption of Red Mountain. Lava, fire, and ash swept over much of Vvardenfell and Morrowind. Many living creatures in Morrowind perished, and most Silt Striders perished in the event known as the Red Year.

Dusty: One old Silt Strider

If you have the Dragonborn DLC, you can meet an old friend in Skyrim.

Head west of Tel Mithryn until you meet a Dumner merchant named Revus Sarvani. Alongside Revus is his Silt Strider Dusty. Revus saved Dusty when he found her cocoon in a cave years ago.

Dusty the Silt Strider

Dusty is no longer strong enough to be a caravan, unfortunately. Revus has been with her all her life and staying around to ensure she dies peacefully.

 

FAQs

Question: Besides Silt Striders, what other forms of fast travel are there in Morrowind?

Answer:  Besides Silt Striders, there are boats, Almsivi Intervention (Teleports to nearest Tribunal Temple), Divine Intervention (Teleports to nearest Imperial Cult Shine), Mages Guild Guides, and Mark and Recall spells.

Question: Do Silt Strider destinations ever get expanded?

Answer: No. What you see is what you get. Silt Strider caravaners will never travel to any new locations not already listed as possible destinations.

Question: You will be using Silt Striders a lot in Morrowind, should you max out caravaner dispositions to cut down travel costs?

Answer: If you want, you can save scum at the very beginning to get the caravaners to max disposition, but that’s overkill, in my opinion. You will reach a point where you have so much gold that the travel costs no longer matter.

Silt Strider Guide: Conclusion

One of the reasons Morrowind is my favorite game of all time is the completely foreign design of everything. The best and native form of fast travel is a giant flea. The mages live in enormous mushroom towers. The biggest city in Morrowind has a meteor floating above it.

Morrowind is a strange place, and I love it for that. So, buckle up (Not really, because Morrowind doesn’t have seatbelts.), hop into a bug’s shell pocket, and go explore it.

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