General:Dark Brotherhood Guide: Skill Line & Activities

Originally published May 11, 2016. The original article can be found here.

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For the Dark Brotherhood, death is their trade and business is booming. Joining the secret order of assassins grants you access to sinister abilities, Contracts, Sacrament Quests, and more. Learn all about the new skill line and activities in our latest Dark Brotherhood guide.

Content

Dark Brotherhood Passive Skill Line

Contract Quests

Sacrament Quests

Bounty Quests

The Litany of Blood

Dark Brotherhood Passive Skill Line

The Dark Brotherhood guard their secrets closely—only those chosen to join their ranks are entrusted with the tools of their deadly trade. The Dark Brotherhood skill line is comprised of six passive abilities that turn a common killer into a master of the murderous arts. If you aspire to become an assassin whose name is both feared across Tamriel and respected within the Dark Brotherhood, you'll want these abilities.

You first unlock the Dark Brotherhood skill line after traveling to Anvil and completing the Dark Brotherhood quest, "Voices in the Dark." While access to Dark Brotherhood is required to obtain and level the Dark Brotherhood skill line, you will still retain the skill line if you no longer have access to the DLC game pack. You simply won't be able to level the skill line until you regain access to the Dark Brotherhood DLC game pack.

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You first unlock the Thieves Guild skill line after completing the first part of the Thieves Guild quest, "Partners in Crime" and arriving in Abah's Landing. Alternately, if you attempt to open a Thieves Trove and have the Thieves Guild DLC game pack, you will also automatically unlock the passive skill line. While access to Thieves Guild is required to obtain and level the Thieves Guild skill line, you will still retain the skill line if you no longer have access to the DLC game pack. You simply won't be able to level the skill line until you regain access to the Thieves Guild DLC game pack.

Here is a brief summary of the Dark Brotherhood skill line passive abilities:

• Blade of Woe: Much like an executioner's axe, this ebony dagger is the sacred instrument of death for members of the Dark Brotherhood. Beautiful as it is deadly, it is capable of dealing swift death with a single, silent blow. Simply sneak up behind your target, and the Blade of Woe will do the rest. (Not usable on player characters or difficult targets.)

• Scales of Pitiless Justice: Should you be witnessed while acting on behalf of the Night Mother's will, the Dark Brotherhood has ways to make it as if you were never seen. The Scales of Pitiless Justice passive decreases Bounty and Heat from a witnessed Murder or Assault. It's best you don't ask questions about how the witnesses fall silent—just be glad they did.

• Padomaic Sprint: Even the most experienced assassin can benefit from a swift getaway after eliminating a target. With primordial forces quickening your every step, Padomaic Sprint grants Major Expedition, increasing your Movement Speed for six seconds after killing a citizen.

• Shadowy Supplier: The Brothers and Sisters of the Dark Brotherhood are family, and like any family they take care of their own. With Shadowy Supplier, a contact from the Brotherhood will grant you beneficial items of your choice—sometimes even a set item—once per day. Once you have Shadowy Supplier, seek out Remains-Silent in any Outlaw's Refuge for your daily item. Just don't expect her to engage in small-talk.

• Shadow Rider: As a member of the Dark Brotherhood, your area of aggression is reduced by half while mounted. Your very presence is so intimidating that would-be foes think twice before attacking when you ride by—as they should.

• Spectral Assassin: Some say Night Mother's shadowy embrace protects her children while they carry out her will. With Spectral Assassin you have a 15% chance to be shrouded from sight when using the Blade of Woe, shielding you from being witnessed and receiving a bounty.

Contract Quests

After you complete the “Welcome Home" Dark Brotherhood quest, you'll be able to accept Contract quests at the Gold Coast Sanctuary. Your first Contract is hand-selected for you by Elam Drals, the dry-humored Dark Elf assassin that maintains the Dark Brotherhood's books and diligently keeps a ledger of those whose deaths can be bought with mere gold. Upon completing your first Contract, you will select all future contracts from the Marked for Death book near Elam.

Contract quests take you all across the length and breadth of Tamriel to assassinate marked targets or engage in bloody sprees at the behest of the Dark Brotherhood. There is no shortage of Contracts to be had. You can take on only one Contract quest at time, but you can complete as many in a day as your dark heart desires. Return to Elam Drals to be rewarded for each successfully completed Contract. Rewards for completing Contracts include gold, experience, and Dark Brotherhood reputation.

Sacrament Quests

Sacrament Quests become available after you've complete the Dark Brotherhood quest “A Lesson in Silence."

Speaker Terenus, an agent of the Black Hand, offers the most sacred of missions to assassins of the Dark Brotherhood. Talk to him in the Gold Coast Sanctuary to accept Sacrament Quests.

Sacrament Quests have you breaking into secured subterranean locations to slaughter targets invoked by the performance of the Black Sacrament. They require finesse, subtlety, and deadly precision—avoid guards, disable traps, and complete bonus objectives to achieve the highest levels of prestige and reward.

You can complete Sacrament Quests alone, or bring friends for a coordinated effort. You can acquire one Sacrament Quest per day, but you can share them with friends. If you and a friend get different Sacrament Quests, you can share and take on additional ones!

All Sacrament Quests have bonus objectives in addition to eliminating your primary target—complete them to receive bonus rewards. Being spotted and forced to eliminate additional enemies will alert the area Overseer of your presence, and jeopardize your ability to complete the mission. If you fail to dispose of your target before the Overseer appears, you can still complete your quest but you will lose the bonus reward. Sacrament Quest areas are randomized, so target and trap locations won't always be the same—nothing a skilled Dark Brotherhood agent can't handle.

After completing a Sacrament Quest, return to the Gold Coast Sanctuary to receive your reward from Speaker Terenus. For successfully completing a Sacrament Quest to the highest standards of the Dark Brotherhood, you will earn gold, experience, Dark Brotherhood reputation, a Sithis' Touch set item, and chance at a Bounty Pardon Edict. For each bonus objective you complete, you receive a larger amount of Dark Brotherhood reputation and a better chance at improved rewards, including set armor pieces, Bounty Pardon Edicts.

Bounty Quests

The Dark Brotherhood is not the only group on the Gold Coast who offers gold for martial expertise. Daily bounties await you in the cities of Anvil and Kvatch—look for the Bounty Boards in both cities to accept the daily Bounty quest. Take on these quests to conquer delves, battle in the Kvatch Arena, or vanquish a monstrous minotaur for rewards!

Litany of Blood

The Litany of Blood is a special mission, passed on to you straight from the Listener herself. You must complete your first Sacrament Quest to unlock the Litany of Blood. Nevusa, a mysterious Dark Elf assassin begins the Litany of Blood quest—you can find her in the Gold Coast Sanctuary beside Speaker Terenus. She will give you the Litany of Blood book, which contains cryptic clues about each of your targets. Travel all across Tamriel to complete the Litany of Blood for a special achievement and polymorph reward.

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