Games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim are well-known for their fantastical, open-world nature. There are almost too many side quests to count. They range from long, difficult dungeons to simple errand runs. Few players set out to complete every single one of them, so plenty fly under the radar.
There are a unique few quests, however, that venture from the disturbing or mundane. These quests are simply hilarious, whether due to the subject of the quest itself or the pure hilarity of the characters. Some players may skip over them, as they don't seem too important, but the rewards from several are worth doing.
8 Dragon's Breath Mead
In Dragon's Bridge, a lady named Olda complains to you about her drunkard husband, Horgeir. She tells you that she believes he's hiding a cache of alcohol nearby. She tasks you with fighting off the wolves that guard it and returning the drinks to her.
However, once you find the cache, you can choose whether to return the mead to Olda or bring it to Horgeir. If you bring it to Olda, she will reward you with gold. If you bring it to her husband, he gives you a one-point increase in Blocking, of all things.
7 Bullying Braith
Out of all the amazing things the Dragonborn can do, bullying children is not necessarily something they should have to deal with. If you speak to Lars Battle-Born, though, you'll learn of a local girl who threatens to beat him up and calls him a baby. He offers you his entire life's savings, two whole septims, to tell her to leave him alone.
After talking to her, you'll learn that she's actually had a crush on Lars for a while and has only wanted a kiss from him. After your conversation, Braith will leave Lars alone, and he'll thank you for your help.
6 A Lovely Letter
Early on in Skyrim, you will encounter Camilla Valerius and her brother Lucan when you return the Golden Claw to their shop, the Riverwood Trader. She is a popular woman in Riverwood, as two men named Faendal and Sven are vying for her hand. Speaking to one of them prompts a quest to win her hand from the other.
The one you speak to will give you a letter he wrote in the other man's name to tarnish their relationship, so he can swoop in and steal her love. You can also tell Camilla the truth about the letter. Solving a love triangle like this wouldn't typically be on the Dragonborn's list of duties, but the reward of one of the men as a follower is pretty worth it for such a simple quest.
5 J'zargo's Experiment
If you're working through the College of Winterhold questline, you've undoubtedly come across J'zargo, a Khajit mage with interesting projects. He asks a favor of you to help him test out a scroll he's been working on for fighting undead creatures called Flame Cloak. He tasks you with testing it in battle several times.
Strangely, when used, the spell not only hurts your enemies but also hurts you and any followers you have recruited for your travels. After telling J'zargo the news, he requests nothing else from you and actually becomes a follower. It may burn a little now, but having his aid could prove very helpful in your future adventures.
4 Brelyna's Practice
Another gem in the College of Winterhold questline, Brelyna Maryon, is a mage training alongside you. She also asks a favor, as she's studying a slightly different realm of spellcasting. She asks to test a spell on you. When you agree, she turns your vision green.
She apologizes profusely but asks if you would be willing to let her try again. After the effect wears off, you return to Brelyna, and she tries again, this time turning you into several farm animals from around Skyrim. After you return to your normal self, she tells you she will be abandoning this study and becomes a valuable follower, steward, or spouse.
3 A Daedra's Best Friend
Falkreath is a small town in Skyrim that has seen its fair share of strangeness. A talking dog, however, was not something they planned to see. Lod, the blacksmith, asks you to go find the stray dog wandering around outside of town. Once you find him, he introduces himself as Barbas, the dog of the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile. He tasks you with ending a feud between the two of them so he can return to his master's side.
He leads you to Haemar's Shame, where you fight through hordes of vampires before finding Vile's shrine. Vile then tells you to find the Rueful Axe from Rimerock Barrow. Once you've returned the axe to him, you can either kill Barbas and keep the axe or leave Barbas alive and receive the Masque of Clavicus Vile. Both rewards can be very helpful early on in the game, so it's worth following the talking dog.
2 The Mind of Madness
This quest starts when a man named Devenin finds you in Solitude and begs you to find his master and help him return from "vacation." His master is supposedly located in the Pelagius Wing of the Blue Palace, and he hands you Pelagius's Hip Bone. The wing is locked, but once you get inside and go to the second floor, you are teleported into Pelagius's mind, where Pelagius and Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, are having a tea party. Sheogorath is a familiar name to many long-time Elder Scrolls fans, and his nonsensical antics are something to behold.
Once Pelagius leaves, Sheogorath tasks you to fix Pelagius's mind. He gives you the Wabbajack to do so, a weapon that turns the target into a random item or entity in the game. After transforming a variety of enemies into bonfires and bunny rabbits, Sheogorath gifts you the Wabbajack and some fine clothes and sends you on your way.
1 A Night to Remember
By far the funniest quest in the game, the drinking-contest-gone-wrong is one not to miss. The loot is worth it on its own, but the things you do while drunk are absolutely hilarious. For starters, you stole a goat from a man in Rorikstead and gave her to a giant. You also borrowed a wedding ring from Ysolda in Whiterun, who still lends it to you even if you've already married her. You then took the ring to your bride, a Hagraven, and promised her you'd return to consummate your marriage.
After killing her when you're sober, you learn the ceremony was supposed to happen at Morvunskar. You head there and fight some mages before being teleported to Misty Grove, where you learn that your drinking partner, Sam Guevenne, was actually the Daedric Prince Sanguine. He then gifts you the Sanguine Rose, a powerful staff that can summon a Daedra to fight for you for 60 seconds. He then sends you back to the tavern where you first met him. The quest name is not wrong - it was certainly a night to remember.