Key takeaways
- Main story chain: skill points, chapter story completion, and the gear and gold that comes with each quest turn-in.
- Companion recruit quests: a permanent ally, their own skill line, and rapport rewards for playing the way they like — some companions approve of looting everything, others of helping civilians.
- Zone side quests: gold, experience, occasional gear, and the achievements that count toward the zone completion meta.
- Infinite Archive: a scaling reward track and its own currency, spent with the Archive vendors on gear, style pages and collectibles.
Apocrypha’s NPCs cluster in three places — the Ciphers’ hub settlement inside the zone, the Necrom main-quest chain that carries you from the Telvanni Peninsula into Apocrypha, and the repeatable Infinite Archive — and running them in that order is what removes most backtracking. Do the main chain first to open travel and companion recruits, sweep every wayshrine you pass on foot, then clear side quests district by district instead of by quest log. The guide below maps who matters, what gates them, and what each one pays out.
What counts as an important NPC here
Three categories are worth routing your session around. Story NPCs gate the chapter’s main chain and hand out skill points, the game’s scarcest character resource. Companion recruiters unlock two permanent allies who level alongside you. Currency and vendor NPCs convert repeatable activity — mainly Infinite Archive runs — into gear and collectibles. Purely cosmetic or flavour NPCs exist throughout the zone, but none of them change your build, so they can wait until you’re done with everything else.
The Apocrypha NPC map: who, where, and what they unlock
| NPC | Role | Where you meet them | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leramil the Wise | Main quest giver | Starts in Necrom, then follows the chain into Apocrypha | Necrom chapter access | Story progression, skill points |
| Hermaeus Mora | Daedric Prince of Knowledge; story anchor | Apocrypha, during the main chain | Main chain progress | Chapter story completion, associated rewards |
| Meln the Mouthless | Mora’s servant; quest NPC | Necrom chapter questline | Main chain progress | Story progression, quest rewards |
| Torvesard | Antagonist | Appears across the chapter’s main chain | Main chain progress | Story progression |
| Sharp-as-Night | Companion | Recruit quest within the Necrom chapter zones | Chapter access plus his own short quest | A companion who levels from 1 to 20 with you |
| Azandar al-Cybiades | Companion | Recruit quest within the Necrom chapter zones | Chapter access plus his own short quest | A companion who levels from 1 to 20 with you |
| Tho’at Replicanum | Infinite Archive antagonist | Infinite Archive entrance, Apocrypha | Chapter access; realistically Champion Point gear and a tuned build | Repeatable Archive rewards and its own currency |
| Archive vendors | Currency exchange | Infinite Archive hub area | Earned Archive currency | Gear, style pages and collectibles |
Placements reflect the Necrom chapter as it shipped and the updates that followed it. ZeniMax Online Studios has moved quest NPCs and adjusted requirements in patches before, so if an NPC isn’t where this table says, check the in-game Journal and the zone map’s quest markers before assuming you’ve hit a bug.
Quest order that cuts backtracking
- Open the main chain first. The chapter’s story carries you from Necrom into Apocrypha and introduces most of the NPCs above in sequence. Reason: it’s the only chain that forces you to cross both zones, so doing it early means the later cleanup happens inside a zone you already know.
- Recruit both companions before you start side content. Companion XP and rapport accumulate only while the companion is active, so picking them up early means dozens of hours of free levelling instead of grinding repeatable content later. Reason: there’s no catch-up mechanic worth relying on.
- Walk onto every wayshrine you pass. Undiscovered wayshrines can’t be used for fast travel until you’ve physically visited them, and travelling from a wayshrine is free while travelling from open world costs gold scaled to distance. Reason: one wasted long-distance teleport per play session adds up over a chapter-length story.
- Clear side quests by district, not by quest log. Side quests cluster around hub settlements and delves, so working the map in geographic order means one pass per area. Reason: the quest log sorts by acquisition, which is the exact opposite of the efficient route.
- Save the Infinite Archive for last. It’s a repeatable, endlessly scaling activity with its own reward track — running it mid-story pulls you out of the zone and resets your travel rhythm every time. Reason: it’s designed to be looped, not woven into the campaign.
The travel math behind a no-backtrack route
| Factor | Number | Why it changes your route |
|---|---|---|
| Fast travel from a wayshrine | 0 gold | Free only when you start at a wayshrine — plan to finish sessions near one |
| Fast travel from open world | Gold cost that scales with distance | Long hops out of a delve back to a hub are the expensive mistake |
| Mount speed upgrades | 60 points, one purchase every 20 hours | Route discipline matters more than mount speed for most of the campaign |
| Companion level range | 1 to 20 | Levelling happens only while they’re summoned, so recruit early |
| Skill points from story quests | Typically 1 per story quest | The main chain is the most efficient skill point source in the chapter |
Here’s the calculation that decides how much you should care about travel efficiency. Mount training allows 60 upgrades in each of three tracks — speed, stamina and carrying capacity — for 180 upgrades in total. With one purchase allowed every 20 hours, that’s 180 × 20 = 3,600 hours, or roughly 150 days, before a mount is fully trained across all three tracks. In other words, even if you start training the day you enter the chapter, you’ll be a long way from a maxed mount for most of your time in Apocrypha. Walking onto wayshrines as you pass them and grouping quests by district will save you more time than any mount upgrade you can buy in the same period.
Rewards: what each chain actually pays out
- Main story chain: skill points, chapter story completion, and the gear and gold that comes with each quest turn-in.
- Companion recruit quests: a permanent ally, their own skill line, and rapport rewards for playing the way they like — some companions approve of looting everything, others of helping civilians.
- Zone side quests: gold, experience, occasional gear, and the achievements that count toward the zone completion meta.
- Infinite Archive: a scaling reward track and its own currency, spent with the Archive vendors on gear, style pages and collectibles.
Small habits that save hours
- Set the map’s quest filter to show side quests only when you’re ready to clear a district — a cluttered map is how players end up zig-zagging.
- Bank gold before a long session; fast travel from open world is the quiet gold sink of chapter content.
- Keep one companion summoned at all times, even during travel and crafting, so their levels accrue passively.
- Check the patch notes after each major update — NPC locations and reward tables are the two things most likely to shift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need the Necrom chapter to meet Apocrypha’s NPCs?
Yes. Apocrypha as a zone, along with the NPCs tied to its story, comes with the Necrom chapter. If you don’t own it outright, older chapters are typically folded into the subscription and bundle options once a newer chapter ships, so it’s worth checking your account’s access before buying anything separately.
Which NPC should I talk to first?
Start with the main quest giver in Necrom rather than heading straight into Apocrypha. The chain is designed to introduce the zone’s cast in order, and skipping ahead usually means meeting NPCs who have no dialogue for you yet because a prerequisite quest hasn’t been completed.
How do I recruit both companions?
Sharp-as-Night and Azandar al-Cybiades each have a short recruitment quest in the Necrom chapter zones. Both are worth doing early: companions gain levels and rapport only while active, so the sooner you recruit them, the less repeatable content you’ll need to run later to catch them up.
Is the Infinite Archive worth doing before I finish the story?
Generally no. It’s built as a repeatable loop with its own scaling and reward track, and it pulls you out of the zone’s quest flow. Finishing the main chain first means you arrive with better gear and a clearer idea of which rewards you actually want to spend currency on.
Why can’t I fast travel to some Apocrypha wayshrines?
Wayshrines must be discovered physically before they appear in the fast travel network. If a shrine shows on your map but won’t accept a teleport, you haven’t stood on it yet — walk there once and it stays available permanently for that character.
How long does Apocrypha’s NPC-driven content take?
The main chain plus both companion recruitments is a reasonable multi-session project, and full zone completion including side quests and the Archive takes considerably longer. Players who clear quests district by district rather than chasing markers across the map typically report finishing the story portion noticeably faster.
