The four Aetherium Shards for Lost to the Ages are at Arkngthamz, Deep Folk Crossing, Raldbthar, and the Mzulft Storeroom. The Ruins of Bthalft and the Aetherium Forge come later; neither is a fifth shard site. You need the Dawnguard add-on to play this quest.
Before you search for the shards
Lost to the Ages is Dawnguard quest content. Confirm the add-on is installed before following the route; Bethesda explains how to start Dawnguard content in its Dawnguard support guide.
The four pieces are spread across named locations, and a quest marker may not point you to every one. In particular, Deep Folk Crossing may not receive a marker. Prima also notes that Raldbthar and Mzulft can overlap with destinations encountered during other quests.
All four Aetherium Shard locations
| Shard site | What to know |
|---|---|
| Arkngthamz | A major early quest site and one of the four locations. Prima’s Skyrim side-quest guide lists it for Lost to the Ages. |
| Deep Folk Crossing | A named shard site that may not have a quest marker. Use Katria’s journal and map clues, or travel to the named location. The GameFAQs walkthrough notes the marker issue. |
| Raldbthar | One of the shard sites; it may also be visited as part of other quest content, as noted by Prima’s guide. |
| Mzulft Storeroom | The shard is in the Storeroom outside the primary Mzulft ruin, not simply somewhere inside the main dungeon. Gamer Guides’ quest walkthrough identifies the Storeroom. |
How to find the last shard
If your quest log still calls for a shard after you have visited several sites, compare your route against the four names above. Deep Folk Crossing is an easy one to overlook when its marker does not appear. At Mzulft, make sure you have checked the Storeroom rather than assuming the shard is in the main ruin.
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Raldbthar or Mzulft may be familiar from another quest, but visiting a related dungeon does not by itself confirm you collected the shard. Check the specific area associated with Lost to the Ages and your quest progress.
Where the quest goes after the shards
Once the four pieces are collected, the quest directs you to the Ruins of Bthalft and then the Aetherium Forge. These are the next stage of Lost to the Ages, not additional shard locations. Walkthroughs from Prima and Gamer Guides cover the forge sequence.
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Quick checklist
- Arkngthamz
- Deep Folk Crossing
- Raldbthar
- Mzulft Storeroom, outside the primary ruin
After those four, continue to the Ruins of Bthalft for the Aetherium Forge stage.
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