Skyrim is a game where, despite the fact that you are the most important legendary hero in the land, you start out at the bottom of every faction you choose to join. However, you don’t stay there for long; nearly every faction lets you work your way up to become the leader of the faction and then… do nothing.
A grand total of five different factions let you become the leader of the entire faction in Skyrim, including the four main factions (The Companions, The College of Winterhold, The Dark Brotherhood, and the Thieves Guild) and the vampiric Volkihar Clan in the Dawnguard DLC. In fact, the only major factions that don’t put you in charge are the main quest factions, the civil war factions (although you can reach the rank of Legate for the Imperials and Stormblade for the Stormcloaks), the Dawnguard, and the Bard’s College (which is really just a glorified fantasy MFA program in the first place). You end up as the leader of each of these after the death of their current leaders, including three that you kill yourself. They probably wouldn’t have let you join if they knew you were such a jinx.
However, once you become Guild Master (or Arch-Mage or Harbinger or etc.) you realize they must not have done a whole lot. The game gives you a cushy job, and sometimes work to do, but it’s not really any different from what you did when you were a regular member of the faction. In fact, the faction operates just as easily as it did before, even if you abandon them to run around in the woods of Skyrim for months.
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It’s worth noting that Bethesda’s other game, Fallout 4, lets you be the leader of a few factions as well: both the Minutemen and the Nuka World Raiders. Both of these put you in a leadership role right away, but they do offer at least some faction management options through the settlement building system. The raiders even let you make delegate jobs to your underlings and lead squads.
Skyrim could have easily added similar leadership elements to factions. As the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, you could build on the city influence quests, setting up entire Thieves Guild chapters in other cities. As the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, you could work with professors to do independent research, which might even unlock new types of spells. If Bethesda doesn’t want to add stuff like this, which would admittedly be more work on their part, they could just not put you in charge of every guild you join.
After all, it’s currently possible to become the Arch-Mage of a magic college having only cast five spells in your life. Maybe it’s better that they don’t give you that promotion, even if you are the Dragonborn.
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FAQs
After completing the main storyline for the Thieves Guild in Skyrim, you will get the opportunity to become their new leader. In this quest, you will attend a special ceremony and become the Guild Master. Beginning this quest can be a bit confusing because there are a few prerequisite quests that can be hard to find.
Can you become a leader of a faction in Skyrim? ›
In almost all factions, the Dragonborn goes on to become the leader of that certain faction, usually after the leader dies or is killed by the Dragonborn.
Can you lead all the guilds in Skyrim? ›
Yes, you can join all of the guilds. Yes, you have to choose between the Imperials and Stormcloaks. Yes, you can become the leaders of all of the guilds.
What happens when you become leader of the companions in Skyrim? ›
Leadership[edit]
Once the Companions quest line has been finished, you are named Harbinger. This allows you to command most of the Companions to aid you in battle and to forge Ancient Nord Armor and Nord Hero weaponry at the Skyforge.
Can you become leader of the vampires in Skyrim? ›
Yes, you can. Dragonborn DLC is completely IRRELEVANT to becoming a Vampire Lord. The ability to become a Vampire Lord is PART of the Dawnguard DLC.
Can you turn against the Thieves Guild in Skyrim? ›
Also, the thieves guild has many part in various important side missions so to avoid conflict with other missions, the guild cannot be destroyed.
Does it matter if I join the Stormcloaks or Imperials? ›
Pick Imperial if you want to play a character who is originally from a place aside from Skyrim, as it doesn't make sense to fight under a banner that ultimately won't accept you. Pick Stormcloak if you believe the Empire has no right to say what Skyrim denizens can and can't do, especially if you are a Nord.
What is the best faction to join in Skyrim? ›
The best Skyrim Factions and Guilds to join
- The College of Winterhold. ...
- The Dark Brotherhood. ...
- The Thieves Guild. ...
- Stormcloaks. ...
- Imperial Army. ...
- Bard's College. ...
- The Blades. The Blades can be found in Sky Haven Temple. ...
- The Greybeards. The Greybeards reside in High Hrothgar, found on the tallest mountain in Skyrim.
Skyrim doesn't have the same faction reputation system that the Fallout games have, so you can join the Stormcloaks and march into Solitude in full Stormcloak regalia with no consequences whatsoever.
Can you wipe out the Thieves Guild in Skyrim? ›
IMPORTANT: Doing the Thieves Guild questline up to a certain point renders destroying them impossible. The cutoff is accepting to collect the debts, so you may complete or fail Brynjolf's scheme in the market, talk with him in the flagon, and still destroy the Guild.
This Thieves Guild quest is attainable after the Dragonborn has broken any of the rules of the Thieves Guild, such as being seen attacking or killing an important client or members of their family. As a consequence, the Dragonborn is kicked out of the guild and generally shunned by the members of the guild.
How many allies can you have in Skyrim? ›
in the regular game of Skyrim, you can have up to 1 human follower, but you can quickly make a small unit with things like a conjuration atronach. Also, you can have a dog follower as well. Meaning at times with the right powers, you can get up to 5 allies at once.
Do the Companions ever stop giving you quests? ›
The majority of the "extra work" quests are radiant and never ending (such as the animal extermination quests). "Glory of the Dead" is the final quest of the "main" questline in the Companions. As for the totem quests, you will have to do a few extra jobs in between each totem quest to unlock the next one.
Does joining the Companions affect anything? ›
Joining the Companions merely helps you be a warrior and a werewolf. Joining the Stormcloaks merely puts you against the Imperial forces in Skyim. Yes, as a Stormcloak you need to capture Whiterun, but doing so doesn't hinder your progress as a Companion.
Do companions care if you steal Skyrim? ›
No, they do not. You can actually command them to steal.
What do you get for being leader of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim? ›
With the ceremony complete, I've become the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild. As a benefit of my position, I've received a suit of Thieves Guild Leader's Armor, the Amulet of Articulation and the key to the Guild Master's Tribute Chest.
Can you be leader of Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood? ›
Yeah, you can, the only factions that are mutually exclusive are the Stormcloaks and Imperial Legions, so you can join the Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild, the Companions and College of Winterhold, Stormcloaks and Brotherhood, etc.
What happens when you complete the Thieves Guild? ›
Now that the Thieves Guild is now fully restored in Skyrim, you will be granted all the perks that the guild can offer its leader, from enchanted equipment to a small flow of loot.
Who from the Thieves Guild can be a follower? ›
Allows seven members of the Thieves Guild to become followers: Sapphire, Rune, Vipir, Garthar, Ravyn Imyan, Thrynn, and Etienne Rarnis.
