Rebuilding the Blades is Delphine’s long-term project after the main quest reaches Sky Haven Temple in the Reach. Right now the Blades are two people and a lot of ambition. Bring Delphine three suitable followers and she will swear them in. In your journal it appears as a miscellaneous task called ‘Bring a follower to Delphine’ rather than under this name.
How to start
- Complete the main quest Alduin’s Wall.
- At Sky Haven Temple, ask Delphine whether the two of them really are all the Blades. She says the order will be rebuilt eventually, and you can offer to find recruits.
- You do not need to have dealt with Paarthurnax to start this.
Walkthrough
Bring a follower to Delphine (three times)
Travel to Sky Haven Temple with an eligible follower and talk to Delphine. The follower takes the oath and becomes a Blade. Repeat until three have joined. New Blades are given Blades heavy armor, a shield and a Blades Sword, and from then on live at Sky Haven Temple rather than at their old home when dismissed.
Who can join
- Can join: general followers, mercenaries (Vorstag, Jenassa, Marcurio, Belrand, Stenvar and others), housecarls, Companions, College of Winterhold apprentices, Dawnguard members and many quest-reward followers.
- Cannot join: non-humanoid followers, quest-exclusive followers, Dark Brotherhood members and Serana.
Housecarls you can bring include Lydia (Whiterun), Jordis the Sword-Maiden (Haafingar), Iona (the Rift), Calder (Eastmarch), Argis the Bulwark (the Reach) and, with Hearthfire, Gregor, Rayya and Valdimar. Winterhold is the only hold without a housecarl for the Blades.
Ask Esbern about dragon lairs
Once the third recruit is sworn in, talk to Esbern about dragon lairs. This unlocks Dragon Hunting, in which you and your recruits slay a dragon at a random lair.
Choices and consequences
Only three recruits are ever allowed, and a Blade who dies cannot be replaced. That makes the choice permanent, so pick carefully:
- Essential characters are the safest picks, for example Erandur (if spared), Frea (Dragonborn DLC), Mjoll the Lioness or Ahtar.
- Because the order hands out heavy armor, a one-handed sword and a shield, followers trained in Heavy Armor, One-Handed and Block benefit most. Mages and archers can end up worse off.
- Housecarls fit well: they suit the gear, can reach level 50 and are protected, so only you can kill them.
- Some recruits fight to the death while others flee at low health, depending on their class and faction.
Rewards
- No direct reward; your recruits receive Blades armor and weapons
- Unlocks Dragon Hunting with Esbern
Tips and notes
- Recruited mercenaries can then follow you without the usual hiring fee.
- Derkeethus stays at his original location instead of moving to the temple, due to a bug.
- Armor you gave a follower before the oath may vanish from their inventory, so retrieve anything valuable first.
- If you recruit Mjoll, Aerin may follow her to Sky Haven Temple for good.
