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Join the Dark Brotherhood if you want its full faction storyline, missions, characters, and rewards. Destroy it if your character would refuse to join an assassin guild, or you prefer the shorter alternative quest and its 3,000-gold reward. The choice comes at the Abandoned Shack and locks you out of the other path on that character.
Where the choice happens
After completing Innocence Lost, you wake in the Abandoned Shack with Astrid and three captives. Astrid asks you to kill one of them as payment for killing Grelod, who was already a Dark Brotherhood target.
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Kill a captive and Astrid invites you to join the Brotherhood. The captive’s identity does not change which route becomes available. If you attack Astrid instead, you start Destroy the Dark Brotherhood! and can no longer pursue the join branch in that save.
What joining gives you
Joining opens the Dark Brotherhood questline and its continuing faction story. Astrid welcomes you with Shrouded Armor, and Nazir makes side contracts available. Choose this route if you want to play the Brotherhood’s missions and rewards, or if your character would become an assassin.
#1 Best Overall
- Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, Skyrim Special Edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail.
- The Special Edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features.
- All-new features include remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more.
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, use of alcohol
What destroying the Brotherhood involves
The alternative quest sends you to report Astrid’s death to Commander Maro. He gives you a passphrase to enter the Sanctuary; there, you kill the assassins and report back to him. The quest tracker lists a reward of 3,000 gold (Tamriel — Skyrim Journey Tracker; publication year not stated).
Taking this route ends access to the Brotherhood’s faction quests and storyline in that playthrough. Its appeal is an immediate alternative quest and a choice against the group that fits a character who would not join assassins.
Rank #2
- Winner of more than 200 game of the year awards, Skyrim special edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail
- The special edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features
- All-new features include remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more
Which route fits your playthrough?
| Consideration | Join the Dark Brotherhood | Destroy the Dark Brotherhood |
|---|---|---|
| Role-play | For a character willing to become an assassin. | For a character who would turn against the Brotherhood. |
| Story access | Opens the longer faction storyline and missions. | Ends access to that faction storyline in this playthrough. |
| Documented reward | Shrouded Armor as an initial welcome gift; faction missions and rewards follow. | 3,000 gold (Tamriel — Skyrim Journey Tracker; publication year not stated). |
| Play experience | The Brotherhood’s faction arc and side contracts. | The shorter alternative quest to eliminate the Sanctuary’s assassins. |
There is no universally correct choice: decide whether this character’s role-play or access to the Brotherhood’s content matters more. If you want to experience both branches, use separate saves or playthroughs; doing so is optional.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- Region Free Australia
- 100% Compatible with US Xbox One Console
- 100% Compatible with US Xbox One Live Account
- Works Exactly The Same As Local Copy
- Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, Skyrim Special Edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail. The Special Edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features like remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more. Skyrim Special Edition also brings the full power of PC mods to consoles. New quests, environments, characters, dialogue, armor, weapons and more – with Mods, there are
Rank #3
- Winner of more than 200 game of the year awards, Skyrim special edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail
- The special edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features
- All-new features include remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more
Sources
- Prima Games, “The Dark Brotherhood Quests — Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide”, for the Shack decision, Astrid’s invitation, Shrouded Armor, side contracts, and route lockout.
- Tamriel — Skyrim Journey Tracker, “Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!”, for the destruction quest objectives and listed 3,000-gold reward.
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