How to Complete Boethiah’s Calling in Skyrim: A Comprehensive Guide
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Completing Boethiah’s Calling, a quest centered around the Daedric Prince of deceit and conspiracy, requires you to reach level 30 or higher, locate the Sacellum of Boethiah, sacrifice a follower, eliminate the other cultists, and ultimately defeat the current champion to claim the Ebony Mail. Here’s a detailed walkthrough to guide you through each step of this morally ambiguous quest.
Unlocking Boethiah’s Calling
Reaching the Level Requirement
The first hurdle is reaching level 30 (or potentially 32, depending on your game experience; some players report the quest triggering at slightly higher levels). This is a non-negotiable requirement. Focus on leveling up by completing other quests, exploring dungeons, and engaging in combat until you reach the required level. Once you’re high enough, you will be targeted by Boethiah Cultists. Loot the book Boethiah’s Proving off their corpse to initiate the quest.
Locating the Sacellum of Boethiah
The Sacellum of Boethiah is located east of Windhelm, high in the mountains. You can find it by traveling directly east from Windhelm. Be prepared for a challenging trek as the path is steep and often guarded by wolves and other wildlife. Once there, you’ll find a group of Boethiah Cultists gathered around an altar.
The Sacrifice
Choosing Your Sacrifice
This is the most morally challenging part of the quest. Boethiah demands a sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be one of your followers. You will have to tell that follower to interact with the Pillar, causing them to be trapped. Then, they will need to be killed.
- Essential vs. Non-Essential Followers: Only non-essential followers can be sacrificed, meaning followers who can die. Followers essential to the main questline, certain faction quests, or other significant storylines cannot be used.
- Potential Candidates:
- Mercenaries: Hired from inns, these followers are easily replaceable and make suitable candidates for sacrifice.
- Housecarls: These followers are assigned to you after becoming Thane of a hold. While they are loyal, they are expendable for the purposes of this quest.
- Ralis Sedarys (Morally Gray Choice): As the Dunmer leading the Kolbjorn Barrow excavation in Solstheim, his questionable ethics and potential for greed make him a justifiable choice for players seeking a morally ambiguous sacrifice. However, this requires starting and progressing through the Kolbjorn Barrow questline in the Dragonborn DLC.
Performing the Sacrifice
Once you’ve chosen your follower, bring them to the Sacellum of Boethiah. Use the command option (“I need you to do something”) to instruct them to interact with the Pillar of Sacrifice. They will be drawn towards the pillar and become trapped. Once they are trapped, eliminate them to appease Boethiah.
The Trials of Boethiah
Speaking to Boethiah’s Conduit
After the sacrifice, Boethiah will speak through one of the remaining cultists, designating them as her Conduit. Listen to Boethiah’s instructions, which will involve eliminating the other cultists and undertaking a mission to prove your worthiness.
Eliminating the Cultists
Boethiah will command you to kill the other cultists present at the Sacellum. Engage them in combat and eliminate them all. This part is relatively straightforward, but be cautious as they will attack you as a group.
The Final Test: Knifepoint Ridge
Boethiah’s final test involves eliminating a group of bandits who have taken over Knifepoint Ridge, a mine located northwest of Falkreath. Travel to Knifepoint Ridge and infiltrate the mine.
Slaying Everyone at Knifepoint Ridge
Your task is to kill every single person inside Knifepoint Ridge. Engage in combat and systematically eliminate all the bandits and their leader. This can be a challenging encounter, so be prepared with potions, powerful weapons, and appropriate armor.
Claiming the Ebony Mail
Defeating the Champion
Once you’ve cleared Knifepoint Ridge, Boethiah will choose a new champion among the bandits. This champion will be clad in the Ebony Mail. Defeat the new champion to claim the Ebony Mail for yourself.
Equipping the Ebony Mail
Loot the Ebony Mail from the fallen champion’s corpse and equip it. This completes the quest and grants you a powerful piece of Daedric armor with unique enchantments. The Ebony Mail muffles your movements and deals poison damage to nearby enemies when you are sneaking.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I fail Boethiah’s Calling?
Yes, you can fail Boethiah’s Calling. The primary way to fail is by killing Boethiah’s ex-champion before completing the quest. However, it’s more likely that you might encounter a glitch that prevents progression, requiring a reload of a previous save.
2. What happens if I kill a cultist before starting the quest?
Killing a cultist before officially starting Boethiah’s Calling might not break the quest entirely, but it’s best to avoid it. If you accidentally kill one, it’s unlikely to prevent the quest from starting once you reach level 30 and find the appropriate trigger.
3. Is there a way to complete Boethiah’s Calling without sacrificing a follower?
There are rumored methods, involving exploiting glitches by using continuous area of effect spells or the like, but these are unreliable and often patched. The intended method is sacrificing a follower.
4. Why won’t the Pillar of Sacrifice activate?
The most common reason the Pillar of Sacrifice won’t activate is that you’re trying to use an essential follower. Make sure your follower is non-essential and capable of dying. Also, ensure you are using the command prompt correctly to instruct them to interact with the pillar.
5. What are the best followers to sacrifice to Boethiah?
Practical choices include mercenaries hired from inns or housecarls assigned to you after becoming Thane. For a more morally complex choice, Ralis Sedarys from the Kolbjorn Barrow questline can be considered.
6. What level should I be before starting Boethiah’s Calling?
You must be at least level 30 to initiate Boethiah’s Calling. Some players report that the quest may not trigger until level 32. Level up if you are not high enough.
7. Where is the Ebony Mail located?
The Ebony Mail is obtained by defeating Boethiah’s champion at the end of Boethiah’s Calling, specifically at Knifepoint Ridge. You must complete the quest line to access and acquire it.
8. What are the enchantments on the Ebony Mail?
The Ebony Mail has two primary enchantments: it muffles your movements, making you harder to detect while sneaking, and it deals poison damage to nearby enemies when you are sneaking.
9. Can I get Serana back after dismissing her during the quest?
If you dismiss Serana after the Dawnguard questline is over, you might encounter a bug where you can never have her as a follower again in the same playthrough. Be cautious when dismissing her. This has been reported by many players.
10. Where can I find Boethiah cultists outside of the quest?
Boethiah Cultists can sometimes be encountered randomly in the wilderness, carrying Boethiah’s Proving, which can initiate the quest.
11. Is Boethiah considered an evil Daedric Prince?
Yes, Boethiah is generally considered an evil Daedric Prince, associated with deceit, conspiracy, secret plots, and assassination.
12. How do I fix a glitch in Boethiah’s Calling?
Try loading a previous save. If the glitch persists, try sleeping for 7-10 in-game days before attempting the quest again. This sometimes resets the game state and resolves the issue.
13. Does Boethiah have a blessing?
In Raven Rock’s temple, a shrine to Boethiah can be found, granting a blessing that improves prices when bartering with merchants.
14. Who is stronger, Molag Bal or Boethiah?
If the two were suddenly transported into an arena without warning, then Molag Bal would most likely win. As the Daedric Prince of Domination, he would probably have the edge in a sheer physical contest. However, if the two have sufficient prep time before the battle, it would go to Boethiah.
15. What impact do games like Skyrim have on learning and behavior?
Games like Skyrim have a significant impact on learning and behavior, fostering problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and creativity through immersive experiences. For more insights into the educational aspects of gaming, visit the GamesLearningSociety.org website. Games offer a unique and engaging way to acquire new knowledge and develop important skills.