◆ Stage 1 — Scotland · Legendary fish of Loch Ness — grants the shield artifact

Beithir Artifact — Where It Hides in Loch Ness

Loch Ness's legendary fish — a serpent-dragon named for Scottish folklore, and the one whose prep hands you the Loch Ness shield artifact.

▶ TL;DR

The Beithir (Serpentes colubrina in-game) is the legendary fish of Loch Ness in Scale the Depths — a huge serpent-dragon you hook deep in the ruined cave, then take back to the prep station. Scaling it cleanly is what grants you the Loch Ness shield artifact. MrLeLedg's 100% walkthrough catches the catch-and-prep run around the 3:12 mark. Unlike Nessie and Sputnik, this one isn't a static pickup — you have to land the fish and descale it at the boat to claim the reward.

▶ Clip3:12 – 3:32 (20s)·Video by MrLeLedg·Watch on YouTube ↗

◇ Step-by-step pickup

  1. Clear the Loch Ness artifacts first.

    Grab Nessie (1:20) and Sputnik (2:50) on the way down. The Beithir lives deepest, in the ruined cave, so you'll pass both artifacts before you reach it on a clean Stage 1 run.

  2. Find the Beithir in the deep cave.

    This is the moment in frame 1 above. It's unmistakable — a long, pale serpentine fish far larger than the trout swimming around it, sitting low in the ruined cave. There's a spare line spool tucked in the rocks nearby if you need it.

  3. Hook it and reel it to the surface.

    Drop your hook onto the Beithir to start the catch. Like any legendary fish it pulls hard and takes line, so steer your route up clear of the cave walls — a snagged line on a legendary fish is the most common way players lose it.

  4. Take it to the prep station at the boat.

    Back at the boat the Beithir fills the prep screen — a blue-grey serpent-dragon with the card 'Beithir · Serpentes colubrina.' The bar across the top is your scaling progress; you need to fill it for a clean prep.

  5. Swap to the knife and descale the whole body.

    Press to swap to the knife (Q/E on keyboard) and work the blade along the serpent from head to tail. Each section you clear fills the progress bar. Take your time — rushing leaves patches that cost you the clean-prep bonus.

  6. Finish the prep to claim the shield artifact.

    When the body is fully descaled and the bar is full, the prep completes. A clean first prep of the Beithir is what grants the Loch Ness shield artifact — the third 'artifact' the 100% checklist is asking for, even though you earn it at the boat rather than fish it off the floor.

◐ Walkthrough Keyframes

The Beithir lurks deep in the ruined cave — a long, pale serpentine fish far bigger than the trout around it. Drop your hook onto it to start the catch.
3:12The Beithir lurks deep in the ruined cave — a long, pale serpentine fish far bigger than the trout around it. Drop your hook onto it to start the catch.
Reel it back up. The legendary fish takes line as it fights, so keep your route clear of the cave walls on the way to the surface.
3:17Reel it back up. The legendary fish takes line as it fights, so keep your route clear of the cave walls on the way to the surface.
At the boat, the Beithir fills the prep station — a blue-grey serpent-dragon labelled 'Beithir · Serpentes colubrina.' The bar up top is your scaling progress.
3:22At the boat, the Beithir fills the prep station — a blue-grey serpent-dragon labelled 'Beithir · Serpentes colubrina.' The bar up top is your scaling progress.
Swap to the knife and descale along the body. Work the blade from head to tail; the progress bar fills as you clear each section of scales.
3:27Swap to the knife and descale along the body. Work the blade from head to tail; the progress bar fills as you clear each section of scales.
Once the body turns and the bar is full, the prep is complete — a clean Beithir prep is what awards the Loch Ness shield artifact.
3:31Once the body turns and the bar is full, the prep is complete — a clean Beithir prep is what awards the Loch Ness shield artifact.

✦ Tips

  • The Beithir is a legendary fish, not a floor pickup — you won't find a shield lying on the seabed. The 'shield artifact' is the reward for prepping the Beithir cleanly at the boat.
  • Bring a length-upgraded line if you can. The Beithir sits deep in the cave and fights on the way up; the starting line can snap before you surface it.
  • Descale slowly and completely. A clean prep (full bar, no missed patches) is what reliably triggers the shield artifact — a sloppy prep can still sell the fish but may not award it.

⚠ Warnings

  • Don't treat this like Nessie or Sputnik. There is no object to hook on the cave floor — the artifact only appears after you catch the Beithir and prep it at the station.
  • Legendary fish snap lines. If your route up brushes the cave wall mid-fight, you can lose the Beithir entirely and have to find it again on another dive.
  • Finishing the scaling minigame with missed sections may bank the fish without the shield. If the artifact doesn't register, re-catch and prep it cleanly.

⌕ Common Questions

I've got Nessie and Sputnik but I can't find the third Loch Ness artifact on the floor.
Because it isn't on the floor. The third one is the shield artifact, and you earn it by catching the Beithir — Loch Ness's legendary fish — in the deep cave and prepping it at the boat. Look for the long serpentine fish, not a static object.
I caught the Beithir but didn't get the shield artifact.
The shield comes from a clean prep, not just landing the fish. Take it to the station, swap to the knife, and descale the entire body until the progress bar is full with no missed patches. A partial prep can sell the fish without awarding the artifact.
My line keeps snapping while I fight the Beithir.
Legendary fish pull hard and the Beithir sits deep in a walled cave. Upgrade your line length if you can, and steer a clean vertical route to the surface — most lost-Beithir reports come from the line brushing a cave wall mid-fight.

★ What you get

Completion
A clean prep of the Beithir grants the Loch Ness shield artifact, completing the Stage 1 artifact set alongside Nessie and Sputnik.
Endgame impact
The shield artifact counts toward the Loch Ness 100% Secrets stamp.
Sells for
Unlike the static artifacts, the Beithir also sells for a high coin value once scaled — the shield is the bonus on a clean first prep.

✎ What Players Are Asking

Real questions from Steam Community discussions, archived as they appeared.

  • “Some say a single sting from the Beithir brings instant death.”
    — In-game fish card (Beithir · Serpentes colubrina)·Scale the Depths prep station·2026-05-29

    Why this matters: The game's own flavour text for the Beithir, pulled straight from Scottish folklore. It's the legendary fish players go looking for once they realise the 'third Loch Ness artifact' isn't on the seabed.

⌬ Related Secrets

Artifact 1 of 3 in Loch Ness — a static pickup, unlike the Beithir
Nessie — the first Loch Ness artifact →
1:20 in the Loch Ness walkthrough
Artifact 2 of 3 in Loch Ness — grab it before diving for the Beithir
Sputnik — the second Loch Ness artifact →
2:50 in the Loch Ness walkthrough
Full world breakdown — every Loch Ness artifact, fish and secret
Loch Ness — Stage 1 Overview →
Index of every Stage 1 secret
The master index across all four worlds
All Secrets — Every World →
Loch Ness → Huatulco → Outer Banks → Point Nemo
Why Loch Ness's legendary fish is called a Beithir

In Scottish Gaelic folklore the beithir is the largest and most deadly kind of serpent — a wingless, fireless dragon that lairs in mountain caves and corries, with a venomous sting said to kill instantly if the victim can't reach water first. The word itself means serpent, lightning, and thunderbolt all at once, and folklorists tie the legend to the destructive power of storms. It's classed among the fuath, Scotland's family of water-monsters — which makes it the perfect legendary catch for a loch. The game leans right into the myth: its own card reads 'Some say a single sting from the Beithir brings instant death.'