Buzz
The Dark Brotherhood is a secretive assassins' guild representing evil in Bethesda's Skyrim. By incorporating the typical elements of mystery through the guild's assassination quests, the game designers have made the path to joining the Brotherhood quite challenging.
Steps
Quest 'Innocence Lost'
Accept a miscellaneous quest called 'Talk to Aventus Aretino'.
Set 'Talk to Aventus Aretino' as your current quest. This will display the objective on your compass, making it easier to locate him. Under the Miscellaneous section in your quest journal, mark and select 'Talk to Aventus Aretino'.
Head to Aventus's house in Windhelm.
Speak with Aventus. He will assign you the task of killing Grelod the Kind at Honorhall Orphanage.
Travel to Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. You can reach there using any method mentioned in step 3.
Kill Grelod the Kind.
Return to Aventus's house and deliver the good news to him. After one to three in-game days, a courier will bring you a short letter. The message will simply read: 'We know,' accompanied by a black hand symbol - the mark of the Dark Brotherhood.
Sleep in a bed. You can use any usable bed in the game. Upon waking up, you will find yourself in an abandoned house with Astrid, the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, and three bound prisoners.
- If you are not transported to the abandoned house, wait a few in-game days and sleep again.
Quest 'With Friends Like These…'
Speak with Astrid, who will instruct you to kill one of the prisoners.
Talk to Astrid. After congratulating and commenting on your choice of prisoner to kill, Astrid will guide you on how to meet her at the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.
Head to the Sanctuary, where you will be initiated into the Dark Brotherhood.
- From now on, you can accept assassination contracts to earn gold (usually a few hundred coins).
Tips
- You should start practicing stealth skills early, as many upcoming Dark Brotherhood quests rely on sneak attacks.
- If it has been a while since completing 'Innocence Lost' and the courier hasn't delivered the Brotherhood's message, try waiting in place for another 24 hours.
- Joining the Dark Brotherhood unlocks a unique questline, granting access to special weapons and a follower, making it a worthwhile endeavor.
Warnings
- Do not kill Astrid. If you do, you will start the quest 'Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!' and will no longer be able to join the Dark Brotherhood.
- A certain bug may prevent you from purchasing a house in Windhelm, which occasionally occurs when the 'Innocence Lost' quest begins. Killing Grelod usually resolves this, but there's still a chance you won't be able to buy the house or become a thane. Try becoming a thane first before meeting Aventus.
