ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle: Secret Objective Solution

The ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle is one of the hidden challenges in the Nowhere Vault’s Arcanum Wing. While the main objective involves collecting keys to unlock the exit, there is also a secret Watcher that cannot be damaged until you remove its immunity.

Completing the secret objective rewards you with Watcher Filtration Gills, which form part of the Arcanum Wing’s wider hidden progression. The puzzle requires a Shrill Whistle, a marked Watcher and a Runic Prison near the room’s entrance.

ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle: How to Complete the Main Objective

Before attempting the secret, you need to complete the room’s normal objective by collecting five Seeker Glyph Keys.

Explore the area and collect the keys needed to unlock the sealed exit. Once you have all five, use them to complete the main challenge.

However, don’t enter the exit portal yet. The hidden objective takes place in the same room, and leaving before completing it means missing the secret on that attempt.

Finishing the main objective first also makes the puzzle easier. The other Watchers disappear, leaving the marked enemy needed for the secret objective.

Where to Find the Shrill Whistle

The next step in the ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle is locating the Shrill Whistle.

The whistle can be found resting on the ground on one of the hills within the challenge area. Search the raised sections of the landscape rather than concentrating on the sealed exit.

Once you find the whistle, interact with it to collect it. You need this item to remove the immunity protecting the secret Watcher.

You don’t need to defeat the immune enemy to obtain the whistle. Collecting it is what allows you to deal with that enemy.

ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle: Secret Objective Solution

With the Shrill Whistle collected, you can complete the hidden objective.

Follow these steps:

1. Find the marked Watcher. Look for the remaining Watcher with a green symbol floating above its head.
2. Get the Watcher’s attention. Approach the enemy so that it begins following you.
3. Return towards the entrance. Lead the Watcher back to the starting area, where you will find the Runic Prison marked by a green sigil.
4. Position the Watcher near the Runic Prison. Make sure the enemy has followed you into the area of the sigil.
5. Activate the secret interaction. Use the Shrill Whistle at the Runic Prison while the Watcher is nearby.
6. Defeat the Watcher. The interaction removes its immunity, allowing you to damage and kill it.
7. Collect the Watcher Filtration Gills. Loot the defeated enemy to obtain the secret reward.

The important part of this sequence is bringing the correct Watcher into position before using the whistle.

Attacking the enemy while its immunity is active will not complete the objective.

How to Remove the Watcher’s Immunity

The ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle revolves around the green sigil and the Shrill Whistle.

The Runic Prison is located near the beginning of the challenge area. After collecting the whistle, bring the green-marked Watcher back towards this location.

Once the enemy is close enough, interact with the prison to use the whistle. This removes the protection preventing you from damaging the Watcher.

If the enemy remains immune, check its position before trying again. You need the marked Watcher near the prison when activating the interaction.

There is no need to search for a special weapon or defeat every Watcher in the area. The secret is completed through the whistle interaction followed by defeating the vulnerable enemy.

How to Get Watcher Filtration Gills

Watcher Filtration Gills are obtained by killing the marked Watcher after successfully removing its immunity.

They are one of the secret effects associated with the Arcanum Wing and are part of the progression for the A Cage That Shines Rumor.

After collecting the gills, the connected secret route continues through other Nowhere Vault challenges:

• Murky Grotto: Complete its hidden encounter involving the Toxic Matron to obtain Fungal Sight.
• Fungal Chasm: Use Fungal Sight to reveal the hidden route leading to Subjugating Mindspore.
• Prison of the Unrepentant: Use Subjugating Mindspore to continue towards the Arcanum Timeward Seal.

These are separate challenges with their own mechanics. Obtaining the Watcher Filtration Gills completes the Hunt of the Watchers secret, but it does not automatically complete the rest of the chain.

ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle Not Working

If you’re struggling to complete the secret objective, there are several things worth checking.

The Watcher is still immune

Make sure you have collected the Shrill Whistle and are targeting the Watcher with the green symbol above its head.

Bring that enemy close to the Runic Prison near the starting area before activating the whistle interaction. If the immunity remains, reposition the enemy and check the interaction again.

You cannot find the Shrill Whistle

Search the hills throughout the challenge area. The whistle is found on the ground and is separate from the five Seeker Glyph Keys needed for the normal objective.

Completing the ordinary challenge before looking for it can make the search easier because the other Watchers disappear.

You left the room before completing the secret

If you entered the exit portal without obtaining the gills, you’ll need another opportunity to complete Hunt of the Watchers.

The Nowhere Vault uses randomized challenge rooms, meaning Hunt of the Watchers may not immediately appear again on your next attempt.

The interaction is not responding

ZeniMax addressed several Hunt of the Watchers issues during Update 51 testing, including problems with secondary objective interactions, the Shrill Whistle animation and secret completion after logging out and back in.

If the marked Watcher is correctly positioned and the interaction still fails, make sure your game is updated before attempting the room again.

Completing the Hunt of the Watchers Secret

The ESO Hunt of the Watchers Puzzle is complete once you’ve collected the Watcher Filtration Gills from the vulnerable Watcher.

Remember to finish the five-key objective without leaving, find the Shrill Whistle on the hills and lure the green-marked Watcher back to the Runic Prison. Using the whistle removes its immunity, allowing you to defeat it and claim the secret reward.

With the gills collected, you can continue working through the remaining Arcanum Wing secrets and the wider Nowhere Vault Rumor.

Official source: ZeniMax Online Studios Update 51 launch issues report and the official ESO Update 51 patch documentation.