Near the end of the game, the Blades come to a startling realization; the Greybeards are led by the dragon Paarthurnax. This is hardly news to you considering that you've already met the old sage. Unfortunately, they demand that you kill the old dragon anyway to make amends for crimes he'd committed centuries ago.
This puts you at a crossroads, forced to decide which of the two groups you will back. Both of them have supported you on your quest through Skyrim to become the Dragonborn. The choice you make over this quest will determine who you will remain on speaking terms with.
Starting Paarthurnax
Speaking to either Esbern or Delphine after Alduin's Bane will start the quest. The two Blades, having discovered that Paarthurnax was responsible for atrocities committed in a previous conflict, demand that you kill him.
Considering how the dragon has treated you, killing him may seem distasteful. You can speak to Paarthurnax about the Blades' demand if you are struggling to decide.
This quest will disappear from your quest log if you complete Dragonslayer without killing Paarthurnax.
This will not stop you from being able to kill him. Doing so will allow you to speak to Delphine and make the Blades friendly again.
Choosing Between The Greybeards And The Blades
The hardest part of this quest is deciding which of the two sides to back. While there are plenty of narrative reasons to choose a side, there are plenty of gameplay reasons to choose.
Killing Paarthurnax will align you with the Blades while refusing to do so will align you with the Greybeards.
The side that you do not support will refuse to assist you further, locking you out of their questline and any benefits that they might offer.
Greybeards
The Greybeards provide a repeatable quest that brings you to word walls throughout Skyrim, letting you expand your arsenal of shouts with much less guesswork.
Aligning with the Greybeards will keep Paarthurnax alive, letting you choose between the following buffs from him.
|
Force Without Effort |
Increases stagger inflicted to enemies by 25% and resistance to it by 25% |
|---|---|
|
Ethereal Spirit |
Increases health regeneration by 25% when using the Become Ethereal shout |
|
The Fire Within |
Increases damage done by the Fire Breath shout by 25% |
Blades
Siding with the Blades lets you continue down the path of being the greatest dragon killer of all. You will be able to send followers to serve as recruits with the Blades.
Once you recruit three Blades, they will assist you in dragon hunts.
Esbern will help you locate dragons to kill, netting you more souls and dragon parts. He will also provide you with more bonuses to fighting dragons by reducing damage taken and increasing your critical chance against them.
Killing Paarthurnax
Doing so is a relatively simple matter. Go to the Throat of the World and attack Paarthurnax. It will take a few hits, but he will eventually turn hostile.
Paarthurnax will take to the skies and begin to fight you like most other dragons. He is no different from any other dragon and will be easily slain with the same tactics.