The Ultimate Guide to Skyrim's Thieves Guild Quests: A Must-Play Experience for Elder Scrolls Fans
Skyrim's Thieves Guild quests offer a rewarding experience with the chance to rebuild the guild and become its master The Elder Scrolls 6 can benefit from these ideas by enhancing them and eliminating the tedious aspects
Fans of The Elder Scrolls franchise can expect to see some familiar features in the upcoming game, although details about The Elder Scrolls 6 remain scarce. Among these staples is the Thieves Guild, a joinable faction that has made an appearance in every game since The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. While Skyrim's version of the Thieves Guild had its flaws, including some tedious content, it also offered significant rewards and a level of reactivity that sets it apart from other questlines in the franchise. The Elder Scrolls 6 should take note of what worked well in Skyrim's Thieves Guild and build upon it.
Skyrim’s Litany of Larceny
The Thieves Guild in Skyrim stands out from other joinable factions as it offers multiple progression systems that run parallel to its main questline, requiring a significant time investment but offering substantial rewards. Progress in these paths is tracked by Thieves' Guild trophies, which are displayed behind the Guild Master's desk in the Ragged Flagon Cistern. These trophies are obtained from an unmarked quest called the Litany of Larceny, where players can find unique items in each location of the main questline that cannot be found anywhere else in the game. While no one directs the Dragonborn to search for these items, players who discover them can return them to Thieves Guild member Delvin Mallory for a leveled amount of Gold, providing an incentive to explore each area and the thrill of discovering an artifact they were not aware of.
The Thieves Guild's trophy wall is not complete without mentioning its less impressive items. Among them, The Crown of Barenziah stands out. Once worn by a Morrowind Queen, this cumbersome headgear is rewarded to players who manage to complete the famously tedious No Stone Unturned quest in Skyrim. Upon completing the quest and restoring the crown, players gain the Prowler's Profit ability, which significantly increases the frequency of discovering gems in random containers. Regrettably, the quest is so time-consuming that players will likely have accumulated a considerable amount of Gold long before they collect all the stones.
Rebuilding the Guild and Becoming Guild Master
To obtain the remaining eight trophies in Skyrim's Thieves Guild, players must complete radiant quests. These quests can be acquired by completing Special Jobs for Thieves Guild members Delvin and Vex. The assignments can take place in Whiterun, Markarth, Windhelm, or Solitude. For instance, players can complete the Bedlam Job by stealing items worth a specific amount of gold. Delvin's other jobs may require players to rob or plant evidence on a specific person, while Vex's tasks may involve breaking into a particular house or business.
The Thieves Guild offers players a chance to unlock a new Trophy by completing Special Jobs in increments of 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 75, and 125. The final Trophy, the Thieves Guild Safe, provides random loot that respawns and rare potions that enhance the player's Thief abilities. While 125 Jobs may seem like a daunting task, it's a solid concept that only requires minor adjustments to make it more enjoyable.
Completing these Special Jobs is crucial to restoring the Thieves Guild and earning the title of Guild Master. After completing five Jobs in a single city, players can unlock that city's Reputation Quest. These missions are significant and help the Guild expand its influence in the targeted areas. As a result, new Fences are unlocked, Thief Cashes are refilled in each of the four towns, and players can bribe guards in those cities. After completing all four Reputation Quests, players can become the Guild Master by completing Skyrim's Thieves' Guild questline.
Completing influence quests not only impacts the player's progress, but also directly affects the Thieves' Guild's HQ. With each successful completion, a new merchant is added to the Ragged Flagon, and the living area in The Ragged Flagon Cistern is restored with new decorations, improved furniture, and additional NPCs. This level of reactivity offers players a tangible and immersive experience, one that is rarely seen in even the best quests of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.
Despite the benefits of becoming Guild Master, the radiant quests remain a challenging aspect. While players are required to complete only 20 of them, they cannot receive credit for missions in towns where the Guild already holds influence. This means players must either repeatedly attempt until they get the desired city or endure unnecessary additional work.
The Elder Scrolls 6's Thieves Guild
A potential improvement for the Thieves Guild in The Elders Scrolls 6 would be to expand on the idea of upgrading the guild as players progress and offer multiple upgrade paths. As for the Litany of Larceny, which is already great, Bethesda could enhance it by including more items in various locations and using it as an alternative to Skyrim's No Stone Unturned. By adding unique items in hard-to-reach areas of significant locations, players would be encouraged to explore and discover in a more thrilling manner, especially if the new Larceny Targets provided mechanical advantages.
The Thieves Guild Special Jobs in The Elder Scrolls 6 could benefit from some improvements, such as reducing the number of required Jobs for the full reward. Nevertheless, the fundamental idea of starting with smaller Jobs to progress to larger, more lucrative ones is a sound concept that should not be completely discarded.
