The skill to loot Scavenger skull plates is officially called Take Skull Armor , and you learn it for 0 Ore and 0 Learning Points by delivering the Bestiary of Khorinis I…
The skill to loot Scavenger skull plates is officially called Take Skull Armor, and you learn it for 0 Ore and 0 Learning Points by delivering the Bestiary of Khorinis I to the hunter Cavalorn and passing his quiz.
If you want to harvest Scavenger skull plates without spending precious early-game Learning Points in Gothic Remake, you can unlock the Take Skull Armor skill entirely for free. Instead of paying a standard hunting teacher, you just need to find a specific bestiary book and hand it to Cavalorn, a hunter who camps along the path between the Old Camp and the New Camp. He will quiz you on the book’s contents, and answering correctly grants you the trophy skill at no cost.
What is the Take Skull Armor skill?
Take Skull Armor is a hunting skill that lets you loot Scavenger Skull Plates from dead Scavengers. These plates act as extra trophies that you can sell to merchants for early Ore or use in value generation. It is important to clarify up front that this is not a skill you buy from standard hunting teachers like Drax or Aidan. Those NPCs only teach related trophy skills like Remove Teeth or Skin Fur. Take Skull Armor is exclusively locked behind the Beasts of Khorinis I book delivery quest.
How to get the book and learn the skill from Cavalorn
STEP 1/6
Find the Bestiary near the New Camp
Head to the hut below the entrance of the New Camp to find the Bestiary of Khorinis I.
STEP 2/6
Wait for the NPC to leave his hut
Make sure the hut’s owner is outside before you enter his room to grab the book safely.
STEP 3/6
Deliver the book to Cavalorn
Take the Bestiary of Khorinis I to Cavalorn along the path between the Old Camp and New Camp.
STEP 4/6
Trigger the beast dialogue
Choose the “I found this book about beasts” dialogue option to start the conversation.
STEP 5/6
Answer Cavalorn’s quiz
Provide the correct answers to his three Scavenger questions to prove you studied the bestiary.
STEP 6/6
Learn Take Skull Armor
Cavalorn teaches you how to remove the skull plates for free once you pass the quiz.
Video help
Cavalorn’s quiz answers
| Cavalorn’s question | Correct answer |
|---|---|
| Scavengers have protective plates, but where exactly do they sit? | Along the upper part of the spine. |
| The hollow chambers in their skull. What makes them special? | They amplify their calls. |
| Why do they flock together? | To defend their feeding grounds. |
When you hand Cavalorn the bestiary, he wants to make sure you actually read it before he teaches you anything. He will fire off these three questions in sequence. Pick the answers above to prove you studied the book. While some players report you can make a mistake and still succeed, it is best to answer all three correctly to guarantee Cavalorn teaches you the skill without forcing a reload.
Common mistakes players make
Another frequent misstep is walking right past the free bestiary. The Bestiary of Khorinis I can be stolen for free from Jan’s hut near the New Camp fishing lake. If you miss it, you end up buying it from the merchant Fisk in the Old Camp marketplace for a small fee—reportedly either 5 or 9 Ore depending on the source. It is a minor cost, but free is always better early on.
Finally, grabbing the book does nothing on its own. The bestiary sits useless in your inventory until you physically return it to Cavalorn and finish his dialogue. Some players assume they need to hold onto Learning Points to unlock the skill afterward, but the skill is granted as a free reward the moment you pass the quiz.
Steal the Bestiary of Khorinis I from Jan’s hut instead of buying it from Fisk to keep your early Ore intact.
What to do with Scavenger skull plates
From here, you can look into adjacent hunting skills to maximize your trophy yields. Learning Remove Teeth and Skin Fur from Aidan lets you gather teeth and wolf pelts from your kills, which sell well and feed directly into later armor crafting.
If you want to push the Scavenger thread further, seek out Cohsel west of the Old Camp. He starts the Beak Performance quest, which allows you to unlock a Scavenger mount. Be prepared: this requires 280 Ore, 6 Learning Points, 5 Kingstide, 3 Wolf Pelts, and 2 Leather Strips. You will need the Remove Fur skill from Aidan just to gather the Wolf Pelts required for the saddle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does learning Take Skull Armor cost any Learning Points or Ore?
No. The skill costs 0 Ore and 0 Learning Points. Cavalorn teaches it to you as a reward for delivering the Bestiary of Khorinis I and passing his quiz.
Where exactly is Cavalorn located?
Cavalorn lives in a hut along the path between the Old Camp and the New Camp. You will likely pass his hut while traveling with Mordrag to the New Camp for the first time.
Can you still learn the skill if you answer a quiz question wrong?
Source conflict on this. Some indicate you must answer all three questions correctly, while others suggest you can make mistakes but it is better not to. To be safe, answer all three correctly or reload your save if you fail.
How much does the Bestiary of Khorinis I cost from Fisk if you don’t steal it?
If you miss the free copy in Jan’s hut, you can buy it from Fisk in the Old Camp marketplace. The exact price is reportedly either 5 Ore or 9 Ore, though the discrepancy between sources is unverified.
Are there other bestiaries or what is the Beasts of Khorinis quest?
Yes, the Bestiary of Khorinis I is part of a series. Cavalorn mentions there are five volumes in total, each covering a different animal. Finding and delivering the others continues the Beasts of Khorinis quest line and unlocks more useful hunting knowledge.
