Skyrim: All Guilds and Factions

Check out all the Factions you can join in Skyrim and what each of them brings to the table.

In Skyrim, you can associate yourself with one or more Guilds or Factions. And each of these factions has its own story to tell. When you join one, you gain access to a series of quests related to that faction.

Doing these quests will allow you to rise through the faction ranks and eventually reach a position of power. Moreover, you will also be able to unlock new abilities and gear.

Furthermore, you will also get to know unique NPCs or guild members through each of these factions. That’s why it’s safe to say that the course of your adventure can vastly vary depending on the faction you’re joining.

There are 16 joinable factions in Skyrim, each with its own purpose, principles, and goals, which may conflict with other factions. That’s why joining a specific faction can influence your reputation among members of other factions with conflicting allegiances.

Read More: Best Skyrim Builds

For this reason, choosing a faction to join can be confusing if you don’t know what each of them offers. That’s why we’ve prepared this extensive guide on all guilds and factions in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition and the rewards for joining them.

List of Guilds and Factions in Skyrim

Below are all the joinable factions or guilds in Skyrim, along with their location, joining conditions, and rewards.

Bards College

• Location: East of Solitude, near the Blue Palace 
• Joining Condition: Complete the “Tending the Flames” side quest
• Completion Reward: +1 Bonus to six of your skills upon completion of each quest

Bards College is a small faction based in Solitude that focuses on literature, music, and performance. Although they don’t have that big of an influence, Bards College is still an excellent faction to join if you’re looking to improve your Speech skills.

That’s because, upon joining Bards College, you will become acquainted with an NPC named Giraud Gemane, who can give you Master-level Speech training.

Moreover, even though they don’t offer combat training, you can still learn about music and bardic lore through this faction. To join Bards College, you must first speak to the headmaster, Viarmo, who will send you on a quest to find an old book.

The Blades

• Location: Sky Haven Temple 
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Alduin’s Wall” main quest to gain access to Sky Haven Temple;
  • Complete the “A Blade in the Dark” and “Season Unending” quests
• Completion Reward: Access to all unique weapons and armor from Sky Haven Temple

The Blades are a group of dragon hunters who once served as the Emperor’s guards. However, with the death of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and his lineage, the Blades were left with no Dragonborn ruler to serve.

With most of the faction being wiped out by the Thalmor during the Great War, the remaining Blades members sought refuge at the Sky Haven Temple, waiting for the next Dragonborn.

However, no matter how small this faction is, they are still a group of famed dragon hunters with weaponry capable of slaying the largest dragons. That’s why joining The Blades is the best way of obtaining some of the more unique weapons and armor in the game.

You can join the Blades by speaking to Grandmaster Delphine, who will send you on a series of dragon-hunting quests to prove your worth as the Dragonborn. You’ll have to continue doing these quests until she finally asks you to kill a Paarthunax after the Season Unending quest.

The Greybeards

• Location: High Hrothgar
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller” main quest
• Completion Reward: Reveals the location of all Word Walls on the map

The Greybeards are a group of elders who are bestowed with the power of Thu‘um. Like the Blades, they also like to keep to themselves and stay recluse in High Hrothgar. Even though they may look weak, they hold incredible power. That’s because they are proficient in the language of the dragons, allowing them to tame dragons and control them to their will.

You’ll cross paths with the Greybeards several time during the main story. However, to join them, you must complete The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller’s main quest. You will be welcomed into their faction after this. However, you must keep their Grandmaster Paarthunax alive to stay in the Greybeards’ favor.

Having said that, joining the Greybeards and keeping Paarthunax alive will open up various Word Walls across Skyrim. You can meditate on those  Words of Power to improve the power of your Shouts.

College of Winterhold

• Location: Winterhold (Northeastern corner of Skyrim)
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “First Lessons” main quest
• Completion Rewards:
  • Key to the Arch-Mage’s headquarters
  • Arch-Mage’s Robes
  • Morokei Mask
  • 10% discount on all shops inside the College of Winterhold
  • Unlocks the Gatekeeper Achievement/Trophy

The College of Winterhold is a magic school where all magic users unite to hone their skills. Enrolling in the College of Winterhold will give you access to resources, tools, and guidance you need to become the greatest mage of all of Skyrim.

Players will stumble upon this college as part of the main storyline during their search for an Elder Scroll. To join this faction, you must first speak to the institution’s gatekeeper, Faralda. She will grant you admission into the college if you cast the requested spell or prove your identity as the Dragonborn by demonstrating the Thu’um during the “Elder Knowledge” main quest.

There will be many professors across several schools of magic inside the college. They can train you to achieve Master level proficiency in each magic. Moreover, you will also get access to the Ritual Spells questline to unlock Master-level spells.

The Companions

• Location: Jorrvaskr
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Take Up Arms” main quest
• Completion Reward:
  • Wuuthrad axe
  • Potential marriage partners within the faction
  • Unlocks the Take Up Arms Achievement/Trophy

The Companions are among the first factions you’ll encounter during your adventures across Skyrim. The faction is stationed in the mead hall named Jorrvaskr in the northeastern section of Whiterun and operates similarly to Fighters Guilds from previous Elder Scrolls games.

Joining this faction will enable you to hone your sword-fighting and archery skills. You can receive training under talented fighters from the faction in exchange for gold to improve your skills as a warrior.

For example, you can hone various warrior skills such as archery, smithing, heavy armor, blocking, and one-handed and two-handed weapon wielding. Moreover, you can potentially even find someone worth marrying within the guild.

The Circle

• Location: The Underforge, Jorrvaskr
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “The Silver Hand” main quest
• Completion Reward:
  • Become a Werewolf
  • Unlocks the Blood Oath Achievement/Trophy

The Circle is a sub-faction of the Companions, comprising the faction’s most accomplished and trusted members. However, they hold a secret. They are the only members within the Companions’ faction with the ability to transform into a Werewolf.

To become a member of the Circle, you must first complete all the main quests of the Companions faction. Then, when you start The Silver Hand quest, you’ll be offered to turn into a werewolf. If you agree, you will be welcomed into the Circle.

There are many benefits to joining this faction. For starters, you receive the power of the Werewolves and gain superhuman abilities. You have more stamina in your werewolf form and are less likely to get hurt by human weapons (unless they’re made out of silver). Moreover, you will also gain speed as well as the ability to summon spectral wolf and ice wolf followers to fight alongside you.

The Coven of Namira

• Location: Reachcliff Cave
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “The Taste of Death” main quest
• Completion Reward:
  •  Ring of Namira
  •  Gain a new follower – Eola

The Coven of Namira is a cannibalistic faction where the members devote their life to worshipping the Daedric Prince Namira and consuming human meat. They aren’t that influential and mostly keep to themselves.

You may decide to join them if you want to channel your inner Hannibal. To join the Coven, you must first complete the Taste of Death Daedric quest. This will involve killing Brother Verulus and eating his flesh.

Although the faction isn’t very powerful or influential, you may still join them to gain their leader Eola as your follower. Moreover, you will also receive the Ring of Namira, which gives you a +50 Stamina boost and bonus health regeneration upon feeding on a corpse.

House Telvanni

• Location: Tel Mithryn
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Old Friends” side quest
• Completion Reward: Access to all unique Telvanni weapons and armor

House Telvanni consists of a group of Master Wizards that have mastered the knowledge of arcane arts. They like to stay isolated from society in their giant mushroom towers. Despite being one of Morrowind’s Great Houses, they are hostile towards other Houses, the Temple, and even the Empire.

To join the faction of House Telvanni, players will need to complete the Old Friends side quest from the Dragonborn DLC. This will involve going to Tel Mithryn and investigating the source of the attack.

Although their practices are deemed impious and inhumane, joining House Telvanni is a great way of rising through their internal ranks and becoming a member of the council. Moreover, you’ll learn arcane arts and get Telvanni gear, which cannot be found elsewhere.

Dark Brotherhood

• Locations:
  • Falkreath Sanctuary
  • Dawnstar Sanctuary
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Innocence Lost” side quest
• Completion Reward:
  • Access to the Words of Power location for improving the Marked for Death shout
  • Ancient Shrouded armor set
  • Unlocks two trainers:
    • Nazir – for teaching Master-level Light Armor
    • Babette – for Master-level Alchemy
  • Unlocks With Friends Like These Achievement/Trophy

This faction serves as a secret society for the finest assassins across Skyrim. Although they were once one of the most feared organizations, the Dark Brotherhood lost much of its influence and was left crippled after the Great War when multiple of their sanctuaries were destroyed.

To join the Dark Brotherhood, you must first head to Windhelm and speak to the boy named Aventus Aretino. He will ask you to assassinate the mistress of Honorhall Orphanage. Then, complete the assassination and go to sleep.

When you wake up in the Abandoned Shack, you will be asked to kill a few prisoners. Obliging will unlock the location and password of the Dark Brotherhood’s Falkreath Sanctuary. You can join their faction by visiting the Falkreath Sanctuary and giving them the right password.

Although the Dark Brotherhood doesn’t hold much political influence, you can still join their faction to unlock the Words of Power location to level up your Marked for Death shout. Moreover, you will also get access to two guild-specific NPCs who can train you in mastering Light Armor and Alchemy.

Imperial Legion

• Location: Castle Dour, Solitude
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Joining the Legion” main quest
• Completion Reward:
  • Access to all unique Imperial armor (light, heavy, medium)
  • Unlocks the Taking Sides Achievement/Trophy

The Imperial Legion is a faction that exists solely to establish the order of the Empire. They are the commanders of the imperial force, so the Stormcloaks are their natural enemies. Players can choose to join the Imperial Legion by getting rid of the bandits in Fort Hraggstad.

In terms of power and influence, the Imperial Legion holds both. Their main purpose is to keep the Stormcloak rebels in check, and they conduct regular street patrols to fish out anyone they find suspicious.

You may join this faction if you do not want to side with the Stormcloaks, who hold substantially less power over the imperial troops. Although you won’t unlock any skills or training, you will receive Imperial armor through Beirand, the blacksmith.

Stormcloaks

• Location: Palace of the Kings, Windhelm
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Join the Stormcloaks” main quest
• Completion Reward: Armor pieces from different sets

Ulfric Stormcloak founded this faction as a rebellion against Thalmor and the Empire’s Imperial Legion. The Stormcloacks consist of unruly fighters from all walks of life. And although they wish to attain freedom, their political views are problematic, as they are violent towards anyone who is not a Nord.

To join this faction, you will have to speak directly to the faction leader Ulfric Stormcloak. This will start the Join the Stormcloaks quest, where you must prove your worth by slaying an ice wraith. The ice wraith can be found on an island near Serpent Stone.

You may join this faction if you wish to support the Stormcloaks in the civil war. However, you will face expulsion if you side with the Imperial Legion later (if you hand over the Jagged Crown to General Tullius instead of Ulfric in The Jagged Crown quest).

Thieves Guild

• Location: The Ragged Flagon, Riften
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “A Chance Arrangement” side quest
• Completion Rewards:
  • Guild Master’s Armor, Boots, Gloves, Hood
  • Unlocks four trainers:
    • Vex – for teaching Master-level Lockpicking
    • Vipir the Fleet – for teaching Master-level Pickpocket
    • Delvin Mallory – for teaching Master-level Sneak
    • Niruin – for teaching Master-level Archery
  • Unlocks the Taking Care of Business Achievement/Trophy

The Thieves Guild is a faction or organization comprising the most professional thieves across Skyrim. Their operations involve stealing valuable items and loaning Septims to people looking to start their own businesses or pay off loans.

Although they influence the corruption taking place in the marketplace, they don’t hold any political power. You may join the Thieves Guild to gain access to trainers who can help you master your lockpicking, pickpocketing, sneaking, and archery skills.

You can join the thieves guild by approaching Brynjolf and starting the A Chance Arrangement quest. The quest is a test of skill that will naturally involve stealing. You must steal Madesi’s ring from the strongbox and plant it inside Brand-Shei’s pocket.

Nightingales

• Location: Nightingale Hall, Riften
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Trinity Restored” side quest.
• Completion Rewards:
  • Nocturnal blessed gear:
    • Nightingale Armor
    • Nightingale Blade
    • Nightingale Bow
  • Special Nocturnal abilities

The Nightingales are a sub-faction of the Thieves Guild, comprising the guild’s three most elite thieves – Gallus Desidenius, Karliah, and Mercer Frey. Their purpose is to protect the shrines and artifacts of the Daedric Prince, Nocturnal.

You can join the monastic order by progressing through the Thieves Guild quests. Aside from their devotion to Nocturnal, they don’t hold much power and remain very secretive.

You can join them to unlock skills such as Agent of Subterfuge, Agent of Strife, and Agent of Shadow. Moreover, you’ll also get special Nightingale gear that Noctornal has blessed.

Tribal Orcs

• Locations:
  • Dushnikh Yal
  • Mor Khazgur
  • Narzulbur
  • Largashbur
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the questline for any of the Tribal Orc Chiefs Yamarz, Mauhulakh, Burguk, or Larak.
• Completion Reward: Access to unique Orsimer armor and weaponry

This faction represents small communities of the Orsimer population spread across Skyrim and Tamriel. The Tribal Orcs operate from four major strongholds, with members of each stronghold showing suspicion and hostility towards non-Orcs.

Despite being large in number, the Tribal Orcs keep to themselves and have no influence over political matters. However, they are renowned for their strength and fighting capabilities, so they can easily manage to hold their own fort. Moreover, they follow the teachings of the Daedric Prince Malacath, which demands a rigorous and disciplined lifestyle.

Although they are not open to welcoming outsiders, you may still ally yourself with the Tribal Orcs by doing the quests for any of the four Chiefs. Doing so will improve your reputation within the faction and give you access to Orcish weapons, resources, and a place to stay.

The Dawnguards

• Location: Fort Dawnguard
• Joining Condition:
  • Complete the “Dawnguard” introductory quest from the Dawnguard DLC.
• Completion Reward:
  • Unlocks four trainers:
    • Sorine Jurard – for teaching Master-level Archery
    • Florentius Baenius – for teaching Master-level Restoration
    • Gunmar – for teaching Master-level Smithing
    • Isran – for teaching Master-level Heavy Armor
  • Access to unique weapons, armor, and skills from the Dawnguard faction

Accessible only through the Dawnguard DLC, the Dawnguards are a faction of elite vampire hunters. Their mission is to eradicate the vampire population across all of Skyrim, and joining them will make you the number one enemy of the Volkihar Clan.

You can join the Dawnguards by playing the main quests from the Dawnguard DLC and recruiting all the members that eventually become your trainers for mastering Archery, Smithing, Restoration, and Heavy Armor.

In addition to the guild-specific trainers, you will also gain access to unique Dawnguard armor and weapons. Moreover, you will also learn skills such as Sun Damage and Vampire’s Bane, which will be crucial in your vampire-hunting journey. And they can only be learned by becoming a member of the Dawnguard.

Volkihar Clan

• Location: Castle Volkihar
• Joining Condition:
  • Become a vampire in the “Bloodline” quest from the Dawnguard DLC.
• Completion Reward:
  • Unlocks three trainers:
    • Fura Bloodmouth – for teaching Master-level Two-Handed
    • Garan Marethi – for teaching Expert-level Destruction
    • Ronthil – for teaching Expert-level Speech
  • Unlocks new followers – Death Hounds

Accessible only through the Dawnguard DLC, the Volkihar Clan is a faction of Vampires. They are the very beings that the Dawnguards are trying to eradicate. By allying yourself with the Volkihar Clan, you will turn into a vampire lord and the enemy of the Dawnguards.

When you are tasked with retrieving a vampire artifact from Dimhollow Crypt by Dawnguard leader Isran, you will discover that the artifact is actually the daughter of Vampire Lord Harkon, Serana.

If you wish not to side with the Dawnguards at that point, you can choose to betray them and take Serana back to Castle Volkihar instead. Harkon will then offer you the option of turning into a Vampire Lord, and you will become a member of their clan.

Joining the faction is the only way to become a Vampire in the game. And doing so will open up a new form of gameplay to players. As a vampire, you can have up to five Death Hounds as followers. Moreover, you can also use the Vampire race’s innate abilities, such as Nightstalker’s Footsteps and Champion of the Night.

Furthermore, you will meet three faction-specific NPCs who can train you to master Two-Handed, Destruction, and Speech skills.

Do you wish to learn more about Skyrim? Then check out our other guides on How to Get to Forelhost, How To Install The Skygerfall Mod, and How to Fish in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.