How to defeat the Witches Festival Crowborne Horror in Elder Scrolls Online

The Witches Festival for Elder Scrolls Online includes a daily quest called Plucking the Crow. No, you won’t be plucking feathers from defenseless crows but it does end with a fight against a large and deadly one. After turning in Cursed Feathers to the Witchmothers, you will be sent to the Evergloam to face the creature called the Crowborne Horror. It’s a challenging fight, so here’s how to clip its wings.

Plucking the Crow

The Witches Festival revolves around the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. The Witchmothers have players collect Cursed Feathers in order to enter the Garden of Shadow to kill the Crowborne Horror. The creature is spreading its cursed feathers across Tamriel, cursing other creatures and hoping to cross over from Oblivion. To prevent this from happening, the Witchmothers open a gateway to the creature’s location so you can kill it.

How to kill the Crowborne Horror

Facing the Crowborne Horrow alone is not recommended. It’s a mighty group boss that can kill you in a few seconds. It hits hard, strikes fast, and summons plenty of monsters to fight on its side. Before you head into the portal, consider grouping up with at least two other people. As it is a group boss, having an organized group is the best way to bring it down.

Once you have a party, enter the portal and make sure everyone is ready. It will only attack once you get within a certain distance. Once the battle begins, the large crow flies around the battlefield, quickly attacking anyone with its sickle. The Crowborne Horror has multiple attacks and each one packs a punch. Here is a list of the attacks you can expect:

• Melee swipe with sickle can hit multiple targets
• The Crowborne Horror will fly at you and knock you down if you are hit by the Area of Effect (AOE). Afterward it will heal itself if it hits you
• It will send out crows in an AOE attack
• A cauldron in the center of the map will bubble and spew spiders in an AOE

While the crow flies around, have a tank lead it while you and the other party members attack it from a distance. If you’re feeling spry, you can run up to it and attack it with your melee weapon. It will eventually summon Ominous Gravestones around the battlefield that spawn undead. The undead will continue spawning as long as the gravestones are left standing. Party members should focus their attention on destroying the gravestones while others fight the undead and the Horror.

The Horror will occasionally fly above the cauldron and gain immunity for a time. Use this moment to heal yourself or fight the undead. Keep up this strategy for a few minutes and the Crowborne Horror will drop dead. It will not drop any loot but speaking with Witchmother Olyve rewards you with three Plunder Skulls.

Going in Solo

You can defeat the Crowborne Horror by yourself but it is a difficult process. You should only attempt to do this if you have a high-level character with a companion and great gear. The Warden or Sorcerer class is also beneficial as they can summon creatures to fight on their side. Also, eating a Crown Fortifying Meal beforehand is a good idea.