Skyrim Dark Brotherhood: how to join, every quest and the rewards
The Skyrim Dark Brotherhood is the assassins' guild, and unlike the other factions it comes to you. Kill the right person for a boy in Windhelm, go to sleep, and you wake up in a shack with a knife-wielding woman named Astrid. From there the guild operates out of a hidden Sanctuary west of Falkreath.
This page lists every one of the Skyrim Dark Brotherhood quests in order, with the target and the place each contract sends you linked on our map, plus how to find the Sanctuary, what you get for finishing, and the alternative where you wipe the Brotherhood out instead.
Skyrim Dark Brotherhood quests in order
| Quest | Given by | Where it sends you | Target or task |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innocence Lost | Aventus Aretino | Aretino Residence, Windhelm, then Honorhall Orphanage, Riften | Kill Grelod the Kind at the orphanage. Reward: the Aretino family heirloom plate |
| With Friends Like These... | Astrid | Abandoned Shack (you wake up there after sleeping) | Kill one (or all) of three hostages to earn a place in the family. Reward: Shrouded Armor and the Sanctuary passphrase |
| Sanctuary | Astrid | Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, west of Falkreath | Meet the family and get your first three contracts from Nazir: Narfi (Ivarstead), Ennodius Papius and Beitild (Dawnstar) |
| Mourning Never Comes | Astrid | Muiri at the Hag's Cure, Markarth, then Raldbthar | Kill Alain Dufont in Raldbthar. Optional: kill Nilsine Shatter-Shield in Windhelm for Muiri's Ring |
| Whispers in the Dark | Astrid | Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary | Hide in the Night Mother's coffin to spy on Cicero. The Night Mother names you Listener |
| The Silence Has Been Broken | Astrid | Volunruud, then the Ragged Flagon | Meet Amaund Motierre, take the amulet and letter, and sell the amulet to Delvin Mallory in Riften |
| Bound Until Death | Astrid | Temple of the Divines, Solitude | Kill Vittoria Vici at her own wedding. Bonus if she dies while giving her speech from the balcony. Reward: Summon Spectral Assassin |
| Breaching Security | Gabriella | Penitus Oculatus Outpost, Dragon Bridge, then any major city | Kill Gaius Maro on his weekly patrol. Bonus for killing him inside a city and planting the letter: Olava's Token |
| The Cure for Madness | Astrid | Dawnstar Sanctuary | Ride Shadowmere after Cicero, who attacked Veezara and Astrid. Kill him or spare him |
| Recipe for Disaster | Astrid | Understone Keep, Markarth, then Nightgate Inn | Interrogate and kill Anton Virane, then kill the Gourmet, Balagog gro-Nolob, and take his Writ of Passage. Hide the body for the Nightweaver's Band |
| To Kill an Empire | Astrid | Castle Dour, Solitude | Pose as the Gourmet, cook with Gianna and add jarrin root. The Emperor is a decoy and Commander Maro ambushes you on the bridge |
| Death Incarnate | None (automatic) | Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary | The Penitus Oculatus burn the Sanctuary. Save Nazir, find Astrid, and grant her the Black Sacrament. Reward: Blade of Woe |
| Hail Sithis! | The Night Mother | Bannered Mare, Whiterun, then Solitude docks and the Katariah | Motierre points you at the Emperor's ship. Kill Titus Mede II. Reward: 20,000 gold from Volunruud |
| Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head | Nazir / Delvin Mallory | Dawnstar Sanctuary | Pay Delvin to restore the Dawnstar Sanctuary as your new home and receive new contracts from Nazir |
How to start the Dark Brotherhood: Innocence Lost
Innocence Lost is the way in. There are three triggers: overhear an innkeeper or guard talk about a boy in Windhelm trying to contact the Dark Brotherhood, talk to the children at Honorhall Orphanage in Riften about Aventus, or simply enter the Aretino Residence in Windhelm and find the boy.
Aventus Aretino is inside performing the Black Sacrament. He thinks you are the assassin he summoned and asks you to kill Grelod the Kind, the headmistress of Honorhall Orphanage. Grelod has one point of health and nobody in Riften cares when she dies. Report back to Aventus for the family heirloom plate.
Some time later a courier hands you a note that reads "We Know". The next time you sleep anywhere, you wake up in the Abandoned Shack with Astrid, who has three hostages tied up. Kill at least one of them and she gives you the Sanctuary passphrase and starts With Friends Like These.
The Sanctuary near Falkreath
The Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary sits on the road west of Falkreath, tucked under the roadside. It is marked on your map only after With Friends Like These. The Black Door asks "What is the music of life?" and the answer is "Silence, my brother."
Inside you meet the family: Astrid the leader, her werewolf husband Arnbjorn, Nazir who hands out contracts, Babette the child vampire and alchemy merchant, Gabriella, Veezara, Festus Krex, and later Cicero with the Night Mother's coffin. The Sanctuary has crafting stations, an alchemy lab, a word wall for Marked for Death, and one of the Stones of Barenziah.
Rewards from the Dark Brotherhood questline
- Shrouded Armor full set after With Friends Like These, and Shrouded Robes from Astrid in Sanctuary. Kill Gaius Maro inside a city for Olava's Token, which leads to the Ancient Shrouded Armor.
- Summon Spectral Assassin after Bound Until Death: Lucien Lachance's ghost fights beside you.
- Shadowmere, the black horse Astrid lends you in The Cure for Madness and never asks for back.
- Blade of Woe, Astrid's dagger, after Death Incarnate.
- 20,000 gold waiting in Volunruud after Hail Sithis.
- Dawnstar Sanctuary as a home with upgrades bought from Delvin Mallory, plus Cicero as a follower if you spared him.
- Listener rank and endless contracts from Nazir and the Night Mother.
Destroy the Dark Brotherhood: the alternative
If you kill Astrid in the Abandoned Shack instead of a hostage, With Friends Like These fails and Destroy the Dark Brotherhood! begins. Talk to any city guard, who sends you to Commander Maro at the Penitus Oculatus Outpost in Dragon Bridge. Maro gives you the passphrase, you enter the Sanctuary and kill every member inside (they are spread through the rooms, so you can take them one at a time), then report back for a flat 3,000 gold.
You can still loot the Blade of Woe from Astrid's body, but you lose Shadowmere, the Spectral Assassin, the Dawnstar Sanctuary, Cicero, and the chance to marry Muiri. Most players consider the full questline the better deal.
On the map: 14 locations
Eastmarch 1
Falkreath Hold 1
Haafingar 5
The Pale 3
The Reach 2
The Rift 1
Whiterun Hold 1
Skyrim Dark Brotherhood: how to join, every quest and the rewards: FAQ
How do I join the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim?
Do Innocence Lost: find Aventus Aretino in Windhelm, kill Grelod the Kind at Honorhall Orphanage in Riften, then sleep. You wake in the Abandoned Shack with Astrid and kill one of her hostages to join.
Where is the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary?
West of Falkreath, under the road. The Black Door asks what the music of life is; answer Silence, my brother. It only shows on the map after With Friends Like These.
How many Skyrim Dark Brotherhood quests are there?
Thirteen main quests from Innocence Lost to Hail Sithis, plus Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head for the Dawnstar Sanctuary and Nazir's side contracts.
Can I destroy the Dark Brotherhood instead?
Yes. Kill Astrid in the Abandoned Shack, report to Commander Maro in Dragon Bridge, and clear the Sanctuary for 3,000 gold. You lose Shadowmere, the Spectral Assassin and the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
How do I get Shadowmere?
Astrid gives you Shadowmere at the start of The Cure for Madness so you can chase Cicero to the Dawnstar Sanctuary. You keep the horse afterward.
What is the reward for Hail Sithis?
After killing the Emperor on the Katariah, Amaund Motierre tells you 20,000 gold is waiting in Volunruud, and you become the permanent head of the Brotherhood as Listener.
Should I kill or spare Cicero?
Sparing him costs nothing and he becomes a follower after the questline ends. Killing him removes a companion and Lucien Lachance advises against it.