There are two ways to start the quest:

1. Finding the statue first.
   The Statue to Meridia, the Daedric Prince of living energies, is hard to miss when traveling on the road to Solitude. It is also almost impossible not to stumble upon it when following Master Arngeir's marker to find the echo of a Word of Power on Mount Kilkreath. With some luck, rumors from conversations will reveal that there is a shrine of Meridia in Kilkreath Ruins.
   No matter how the statue is located, as soon as it is approached (and at least level 12 is reached), Meridia's voice is heard announcing that a new supplicant has arrived. She laments the desecration of her temple and decrees that the darkness within shall be destroyed. But first, Meridia's Beacon must be brought to her. Since it has not been found yet, Meridia guides the way to it via a map marker.
   
   Find Meridia's Beacon ★
   Thanks to the map marker, the location of the chest containing the beacon is reached directly. As soon as it is looted, Meridia's command to return to her statue on Mount Kilkreath is heard.
   
   
2. Finding Meridia's Beacon first.
   From level 12 onwards, an object named Meridia's Beacon can be found in large boss chests at various locations across the land. As soon as the object is taken, Meridia's voice is heard in the mind. She briefly laments the desecration of her temple and intends to make the player the instrument of her cleansing light. The beacon must be brought to Mount Kilkreath.

Bring Meridia's Beacon to Mount Kilkreath ★
When the "Beacon" is brought to Meridia's statue on Mount Kilkreath, she criticizes the constancy of mortal craftsmanship and devotion. A pillar of light appears above the statue.

Replace the beacon
The command is given to place the beacon into the gem pedestal at Meridia's feet. Thereupon, a teleportation to the top of the pillar of light occurs, and Meridia appears vis-à-vis as a dazzling light. She proclaims that it is time for her to return to Skyrim. However, her once great temple is defiled by a blasphemous darkness. The necromancer Malkoran desecrates the shrine with foul corruption by trapping the lost souls of the civil war and subjecting them to his will. Meridia demands that the temple be entered, her artifact retrieved, and the defiler destroyed.

Guide Meridia's Light through the temple
Meridia assists in this task, opening locked doors while her light beam guides the way. The temple entrance is no longer blocked and has become accessible again.


Temple entrance before and during the quest.

Upon entering Kilkreath Temple, desecrated corpses of Imperial and Stormcloak soldiers are found scattered everywhere.
The gate on the right at the end of the entrance passage is opened with a switch located behind the locked door opposite.
A similar setup is encountered again later.

In the first large temple room, Meridia's light beam shines down from her statue onto a pedestal high above. This pedestal must be activated to redirect the light. Similar pedestals are encountered in every larger room and must be activated to progress. The entire temple complex is guarded by relatively powerful Corrupted Shades, which leave behind Ghostly Remains upon destruction.

The path through the temple is linear. Getting lost is impossible, as the light beam guides the way. To reach the second area of the ruins, the path leads across an open-air balcony under the sky. Here, too, the path is guided by Meridia's light.

In the ruins section, a large room with three pedestals is reached. After finding the paths to activate them, the door to the south finally opens, granting access to the final area, the catacombs. Saving the game at this point is highly recommended as a precaution.

Destroy Malkoran
The final battle is fought in the last chamber of the catacombs. Meridia's Dawnbreaker is located there, guarded by the powerful necromancer Malkoran and his shadowy minions. Malkoran is already tense and nervous due to Meridia's light, making a surprise attack difficult. As an excellent mage, he commands very powerful destruction spells - making magic or elemental resistance highly advantageous. During the fight, Malkoran may resurrect his soldiers, which is best ignored. Once the necromancer is finally defeated, his corrupted spirit rises, and this shade must be fought as well.

Retrieve Dawnbreaker
After Malkoran is defeated, Meridia instructs that Dawnbreaker be taken from its pedestal. As soon as the weapon is retrieved, a teleportation high above the statue occurs for a final dialogue with the light. Meridia is pleased that everything has been restored to its proper state. She declares that a new day is dawning, and that the powerful Dawnbreaker should be carried in her name to fight corruption in the dark corners of the world.
This concludes the Daedric quest.

Known Bugs

• It can happen that after the final conversation with Meridia, the player drops heavily to the ground and dies. Some suspect that this occurs primarily when overencumbered. However, it is likely due to temporary processor load - the soft landing triggers do not activate in time. Saving the game before taking Dawnbreaker is recommended.
• Immediately to the right in the final room lies a bottle of "Deadly Paralysis Poison." This is intended as an aid against Malkoran. However, reports indicate that Malkoran's Shade does not appear if Malkoran dies while paralyzed. Consequently, the quest cannot be completed.

Tips & Notes

• If Meridia's command to bring her the beacon is not followed immediately, her voice reminds the player daily and with increasing urgency. This was at least intended by the quest design (this was not observed by the author).
• The desecrated corpses scattered everywhere carry an above-average amount of gold. These corpses are also relatively numerous, with around two dozen located in the final room alone.
• The Corrupted Shades level with the player. From level 38 onwards, they all possess a grand soul. This provides a rare opportunity to fill many Grand Soul Gems to capacity.
• A large chest is located in the northern section of the balcony.
• Stepping into Meridia's light beam should be avoided, as it damages magicka.
• If the "Dead Thrall" spell is known, a reanimated Malkoran serves as an excellent bodyguard - after his death, his shade will still fight alongside the player.
• Everything should be thoroughly searched at the end before taking Dawnbreaker.
• A potential follower will remain behind in the final room at the end. Fast traveling after the quest brings them back.