The other day, while wolf hunting in the wastes of Skyrim, I suddenly felt ill. Every sword swing became labored, and my blows seemed to do less damage than usual.
At first, I had no idea what was going on. Then after a quick chat with my friend, who oddly enough is a doctor in real life, he diagnosed me with a common Skyrim affliction: Rockjoint.
Rockjoint, as we’ll find out later in the article, is a common disease in Skyrim that is very easy to catch.
But what is Rockjoint? How does it affect your character? And how do you cure it?
Rockjoint is a disease that affects both one-handed and two-handed weapon damage. It can be contracted from most wildlife in Skyrim, including wolves and skeevers. Rockjoint can be cured in multiple ways throughout Skyrim.
Ok, now you know the basics. You know that Rockjoint is a disease in Skyrim. But there is so much more to tell about this insidious ailment. In the following sections, I’ll elaborate on the following:
- How do you contract Rockjoint?
- What are Rockjoint’s effects on the player?
- How do you cure Rockjoint?
- How do you avoid catching the disease in the first place?
Let’s start by looking in more detail at how and where you can contract Rockjoint.
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How do you contract the Rockjoint Disease in Skyrim?
First, it’s worth pointing out that Rockjoint is extremely easy to catch in Skyrim. Rockjoint will, in all likelihood, be the first disease a player catches on their playthrough.
There are many ways to catch your death with Rockjoint as you wander the Skyrim wilderness, as many animals and beasts scurrying about in the undergrowth can give you Rockjoint.
You can catch Rockjoint from pretty much any wild animal in Skyrim. So those wolves you run into before you get Riverwood, yeah, they can, in theory, give you Rockjoint.
Generally speaking, wild animals give you Rockjoint when they physically make contact during an attack.
These animals include, but are not limited to:
- Bears
- Foxes
- Mud crabs
- Wolves
- Skeevers
- Horkers (Walrus like creatures)
- Conjuration versions of all these animals
- Any other wild animal that attacks the player
It’s also worth noting that some traps, such as bear traps, can give the player Rockjoint. However, the chances of catching Rockjoint from a trap is low compared to catching it from an animal.
Additionally, there have been reports that it is possible to catch Rockjoint from bandits.
I tested this theory with several bandits on Skyrim: Special Edition, and I could not catch Rockjoint. However, I believe it is possible.
You see, like the player character, NPCs can be poisoned and catch diseases. Now, it would be possible for a Bandit that has been attacked by wolves to catch Rockjoint. Then, when the bandit attacks the player, they can pass Rockjoint to the player’s character.
What are the effects of Rockjoint on the player character in Skyrim?
Rockjoint has some of the most potent adverse effects of any disease in the game.
When contracted, Rockjoint will decrease the player’s melee damage, with all melee weapons, by a massive 25%! That includes a 25% decrease in damage to stealth attacks and power attacks.
It’s worth noting that Rockjoint doesn’t affect ranged combat. So spells and arrow attacks will remain unaffected.
How do I cure Rockjoint?
So you’ve caught Rockjoint, and your melee blows aren’t quite doing the same damage they once did.
That’s ok because there are many ways to cure Diseases in Skyrim. Take a look at the list below:
- First, the simplest method to cure Rockjont is to use a Potion of Cure Disease. These can be found throughout the world, especially in dungeons. But they can also be bought from most shops.
- Eating a Hawk Feather will cure diseases.
- Eating any ingredient that has the Cure Disease effect should clear your Rockjoint.
- Cooking Garlic Bread and consuming it cures Rockjoint.
- In Riften, there is a Temple of Mara that Rockjoint. To use the Temple, activate the Priestess’ blessing.
- The Thieves Guild in Riften has a shrine that can cure Rockjoint. However, it can only be used after completing the main thieves guild quest line.
- Shrines can be used to cure Rockjoint. Shrines can be found in the world of Skyrim. However, you can usually find a shrine in every major settlement. Shrines can also be found randomly throughout the world and in caves.
- You can ask Vigilants of Stendarr to cure you of Rockjoint
What are the best ways to avoid contracting Rockjoint?
First and foremost, the best way to avoid catching Rockjoint is not to get into a fight with wilderness beasts.
There are multiple ways you can avoid confrontation with wild animals in Skyrim.
- You can fast-travel around the map. This will avoid encounters you may have on roads or in the wilderness. However, this method will remove some of the charms of exploring the vast expanses of Skyrim on foot.
- You can use a horse and cart to travel to major strongholds. Outside each town, you should notice a horse and cart with a man sitting on the cart. If you speak to him, for a little gold, he will transport you to any major town in the game. This way, you can avoid confrontation with wild animals and decrease your chances of catching Rockjoint.
- You can ride a horse. Horses can outrun most wild animals in the game. So when traveling the lands of Skyrim, if you want to avoid contracting Rockjoint, doing so on horseback should help.
- Run away from threats. If a pack of wolves has caught your scent on the wind and is chasing you down, a great way to avoid catching Rockjoint is to run away. You can also take advantage of high ground to stop animals from approaching you.
- Use stealth to sneak past enemies.
- Kill all animals at a distance using a bow and arrow or spell. This is my personal favorite way of avoiding getting Rockjoint.
- With the help of the dragon priest mask Hevnoraak, you will be protected against any poison or disease, including Rockjoint.
Conclusion
Rockjoint is a common disease in Skyrim that can be contracted from wild animals and traps.
Rockjoint decreases the player’s melee attacks by 25%.
There are multiple ways to cure Rockjoint, the simplest of which is to consume a potion of cure disease or eat an alchemy ingredient that has the cure disease effect.
Finally, there are multiple ways of avoiding contracting Rockjoint, such as fast traveling around Skyrim, using ranged combat or running away from wild animal encounters.
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