Paarthurnax in Skyrim: Should You Kill Him? Esbern and Delphine vs Arngeir, and Every Consequence
Should you kill Paarthurnax in Skyrim? What Esbern, Delphine and Arngeir say, everything you gain and lose either way, and how to keep the Blades perks.
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Updated October 2026. "Paarthurnax" is the Skyrim main-quest side branch where Delphine and Esbern of the Blades demand that you kill the old dragon who leads the Greybeards. Arngeir begs you not to, and Paarthurnax himself just asks you to judge him for yourself. Here is what each side says, exactly what you gain and lose either way, and the timing trick that lets you spare him and lose almost nothing.
Quick answer
Best choice for most players: spare Paarthurnax. Just don't do the quest. It quietly leaves your journal after the main quest ends.
If you kill him, you lose the Greybeards: no word wall tips, no meditation changes, and Arngeir throws you out. You gain the Blades back and Blades dragon hunts.
Before you get the order, recruit Delphine's three Blades and get Esbern's potion and the Dragonslayer's Blessing. Then sparing him costs you almost nothing.
Kill or Spare Paarthurnax: What Changes
| Spare Paarthurnax | Kill Paarthurnax | |
|---|---|---|
| Greybeards | Stay friendly; Arngeir still tells you word wall locations | Arngeir turns hostile and orders you out; the other Greybeards ignore you |
| Meditation bonus | Can still meditate and change it | You keep your current bonus but can't change it |
| The Blades | Delphine and Esbern won't talk to you | They welcome you back |
| Blades dragon hunts | Not available; recruited Blades still work as normal followers | Available |
| Recruiting new Blades | Not possible once you have the order (do it before) | Available |
| Esbern's potion and Dragonslayer's Blessing | Missed unless you got them earlier | Available |
| Sky Haven Temple / Sleeping Giant Inn | Taking items counts as stealing; you lose the free bed | No change |
| High Hrothgar | No change | Taking items counts as stealing |
| Ending scene | Extra cutscene with Paarthurnax after Alduin falls | No cutscene |
| Loot | None | Dragon soul, dragon bones and scales |
The Blades give no reward for the kill. The quest's only "reward" is getting back on good terms with Delphine and Esbern.
How the Paarthurnax Quest Starts
It comes after The Fallen, when Esbern and Delphine find out that the Greybeards' master is a dragon who once served as Alduin's lieutenant. There are two ways it begins:
- After Alduin's Bane: ask Esbern where Alduin went, and he tells you about Paarthurnax.
- Automatically at Season Unending: if you haven't spoken with the Blades at Sky Haven Temple by then, Delphine walks up at the peace council and gives you the order.
What Esbern, Delphine, Arngeir and Paarthurnax Say
Esbern and Delphine (the Blades)
They list Paarthurnax's crimes from the Dragon War. They also say that his betrayal of Alduin makes him more dangerous, not less, because a dragon who turned on his brother can turn on you. Their oath forbids them from helping you further until he is dead. You can argue, but they won't move.
Arngeir (the Greybeards)
Tell Arngeir what the Blades want, and he explains that every dragon followed Alduin at first. Paarthurnax was the one who rebelled and taught men the Thu'um that brought Alduin down. You can tell him Paarthurnax must die, that you'll spare him, or that you haven't decided. That answer changes how Arngeir and Delphine speak to each other if you end up negotiating the treaty in Season Unending.
Paarthurnax
Go to the Throat of the World and ask him yourself. He doesn't deny anything. He says every dragon is born with a hunger for domination, and the Dragonborn has it too. He has spent centuries overcoming it by will, and he asks you to decide whether that can be trusted.
How to Spare Paarthurnax
You can't refuse the Blades in dialogue, and you don't need to. Simply never attack him. The quest stays in your journal until you finish the main questline, then vanishes without notice. After Alduin's defeat, you get an extra scene where Paarthurnax says he'll try to teach the surviving dragons the Way of the Voice. In gameplay, dragons still attack you as before.
If you trigger the quest only after Sovngarde (by visiting the Blades late), it stays stuck in your journal unless you kill him. Talk to the Blades before the finale if a clean journal matters to you.
Get the Blades Perks First
Most of what you "lose" by sparing him can be collected before the order arrives:
- Recruit Delphine's three Blades before Esbern gives you the order. Recruits you already have keep working as followers.
- Esbern's dragon potion and the Dragonslayer's Blessing are only available between Alduin's Wall and reading the Elder Scroll in Alduin's Bane. Get both in that window.
Do that, and sparing Paarthurnax only costs you the group dragon hunts and Blades dialogue.
If You Decide to Kill Him
Paarthurnax fights like an average Frost Dragon. You get his dragon soul, bones and scales. Return to Delphine or Esbern to close the quest. If you go back to High Hrothgar, Arngeir lectures you furiously, threatens violence if you stay, and won't speak to you again.
You don't have to decide now. Even after you let the quest lapse, you can kill him later and it reappears in your journal.
Paarthurnax's Meditation Bonuses (Fus, Feim, Yol)
Once Elder Knowledge has started, Paarthurnax can meditate with you on one Word of Power. Pick one; you can switch later while he's alive. The bonus doesn't conflict with Standing Stones.
| Word | Bonus | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Fus (Force) | Force Without Effort | You stagger 25% less and enemies stagger 25% more; boosts power attacks and Unrelenting Force |
| Feim (Fade) | Eternal Spirit | While Ethereal, you regenerate health 25% faster |
| Yol (Fire) | The Fire Within | Fire Breath deals 25% more damage |
Fus is the most useful for most builds. More on shouts: Skyrim shouts list.
PC: Keep Both the Blades and the Greybeards
On PC, you can mark the quest as done without killing him. Open the console with the tilde key and enter setstage MQPaarthurnax 100. The Blades treat the job as done, and Paarthurnax lives. Make a save first. It's a workaround, not intended design. The same command fixes the bug where you can't turn the quest in after killing him. More commands: Skyrim console commands.
Killed him by accident? prid 3C57D, then resurrect, then resetquest MQPaarthurnax brings him back and resets the quest.
Known Bugs
- Paarthurnax isn't on the mountain: fast travel somewhere, or wait a few hours, then go back.
- His health keeps regenerating so he can't die. Hitting him with Mehrunes' Razor, ordering a follower to attack, or fast traveling away while his health bar is empty can fix it.
- "Talk to Esbern" stays stuck in your journal after the kill. It's harmless.
Video: The Paarthurnax Dilemma
Frequently Asked Questions
QShould I kill Paarthurnax in Skyrim?
Most players spare him. Killing him costs you the Greybeards and the meditation bonuses, and the only real gain is Blades dragon hunts. Get the Blades perks early, and sparing him costs almost nothing.
QWhat happens if you don't kill Paarthurnax?
Nothing bad. The quest disappears after the main questline, the Greybeards stay friendly, and you get an extra ending scene. Delphine and Esbern stop talking to you.
QIs Paarthurnax Alduin's brother?
He calls Alduin his brother. He was Alduin's lieutenant in the Dragon War before he turned on him and taught the Thu'um to the Tongues.
QCan you kill Delphine and Esbern instead?
No. Both are essential characters and can't die.
QCan you kill Paarthurnax later?
Yes. Even after the quest has disappeared, attacking and killing him brings it back, and you can finish it normally.
Sources: in-game dialogue and journal; quest details checked against the UESP Wiki pages for the Paarthurnax quest and Paarthurnax. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube videos and our own captures.
Kai Mercer covers game news, free games, release calendars and guides for xGamerss.
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