Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Tarnished Shards are the shattered pieces of the Triforce that have been scattered throughout Skyrim. They come in three varieties, with eight shards per variety. There are a total of 24 Tarnished Shards added by Relics of Hyrule. All but one are marked by White Fairies.
The varieties are not obvious, as all Tarnished shards look alike. Only Tarnished Shards of the same variety as another will stack in the player's inventory. The variety of a Tarnished Shard is determined by which Triforce Piece it came from. As such, the eight shards of one variety can be combined into a Triforce Piece.
The Lens of Truth is used to provide the player with information on the locations of Tarnished Shards and their counterparts, the Charred Fragments.
To reclaim a Triforce Piece, eight Tarnished Shards of one variety must be brought to the Golden Goddess Statues in Kakariko Chapel or The Triforce Shrine.
Varieties[]
The three varieties of the Tarnished Shards correspond to the three virtues of the Triforce: Wisdom, Power, and Courage.
Nayru's Statue collects Wisdom Shards, Din's Statue collects Power Shards, and Farore's Statue collects Courage Shards.
The container of a shard will have an adjective that hints to its variety.
| Shard Variety | Container Adjective |
|---|---|
| Wisdom | Sophic |
| Power | Burdened |
| Courage | Hardy |
Locations[]
| Courage | Wisdom | Power |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Kinolangdanzel, in pool of water before cave portion of upper dungeon | (9) Morwitijaal, in the flooded pit | (17) Alva's Cellar |
| (2) Eastmarch Secret Grotto | (10) Steepfall Burrow, near underwater mammoth ribcage | (18) Mehrunes Dagon's Shrine, on slab of rock toward Skyborn Altar |
| (3) Deepwood Vale, next to dead Frost Troll in alcove near door | (11) Mara's Eye Den, underwater | (19) Abandoned House in Markarth, before the arches in front of Molag Bal's shrine |
| (4) Falkreath Secret Grotto | (12) Ravenscar Hollow, in water near an iron ore vein | (20) Outside Solitude, under the arch |
| (5) Itnamzand Deep, in room before boss | (13) Brood Cavern, in ferns near dead adventurer | (21) High Gate Ruins |
| (6) Ironbind Barrow, in collapsed corner in final room | (14) Lost Prospect Mine | (22) Itnamzand Deep, in coffin in hidden room branching from flooded, tilted area |
| (7) Hela's Folly | (15) Outside Kinolangdanzel, in safe in shipwreck on the ocean floor | (23) Kilkreath Ruins, in room before facing Malkoran |
| (8) Inlet west of Northwatch Keep, close to an ore vein, in the water | (16) Eldersblood Peak, in snow to the right of the Word Wall | (24) Frostflow Abyss, across the room from the Falmer Skullchild |
Lore[]
The Tarnished Shards were a result of the shattering of the Triforce at the end of the Last Great War of Hyrule. The lore books Zelda's Epitaph and Wisdom, Power, and Emotion have more information on this event.
Background and Inspiration[]
The Tarnished Shards were added to Relics of Hyrule with Kinolangdanzel in December of 2013, but their purpose was not fully implemented until May 2015 with Version 6.0. JKalenad had the inclusion of the Triforce planned when the mod began to expand from a simple compilation mod.
The Tarnished Shards are based on the pieces of the Triforce of Courage collected during the events of The Wind Waker, but extended to the other two Triforce Pieces. The number of shards per Triforce Piece is the same as the number collected in The Wind Waker, and was chosen to reference the game, but also for reasons of numerology, as 23 = 8.
JKalenad intends to move the shard west of Northwatch Keep and expand its location in version 6.7.
Video[]
Tarnished Shards - Relics of Hyrule Video Guide