Few games have stood the test of time quite as well as Bethesda’sSkyrim. As is typically the case withElder Scrollsgames, it is crammed full of engaging quests,interesting NPCs, and stunning visuals. What’s more,thanks to the efforts of the modding community, it is arguably still just as enthralling today as it was when it was first released back in late 2011.
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Surprisingly though,the game’s narrative is perhaps its weakest point, although it does do an excellent job of allowing players to make their own judgment when it comes to which ofthe game’s many factionsare in the right. For as subjective as the morality of these warring sides is though, there can be no disputing that the last Dragonborn has plenty of blood on their hands.
Updated July 03, 2025, by Tom Bowen:For many people, video games are all about escapism, particularly RPGs. They can allow players to delve into a realm in which there are no real-world consequences for their actions, allowing them to make what would otherwise be incredibly difficult decisions without even batting an eyelid. Were players to really think about the consequences and implications of their in-game actions though, they’d soon realize that some of these seemingly innocuous choices are actually downright despicable. This is especially true in Skyrim; a game in which the last Dragonborn can do some pretty terrible things.
12They Enabled An Alcoholic
Alcoholism is a disease for which many believe abstinence is the only cure. It’s something that Brenuin is clearly having issues with and yet when the drunken beggar approaches them on the streets of Whiterun, the Dragonborn has no issues whatsoever with helping him to indulge his debilitating urges.
Not only does the Dragonborn give the man money with which he can buy more booze, but they also agree to steal a somewhat expensive bottle ofArgonian Alefrom the Bannered Mare. While the Dragonborn arguably has no responsibility to help Brenuin salvage something from the wreckage of his miserable life, they do have a moral duty not to make matters worse.
11They Sent An Innocent Man To Prison
Enabling an addict is bad enough, but framing an innocent man and condemning him to a life in jail to shutdown his business is on a whole other level. Not only does the Dragonborn do this without giving it a second thought, but they’re also the one responsible for coming up with the plan in the first place.
Sabjorn may not be the nicest of people, but, even in Tamriel, unpleasantness is not a crime. Poisoning the mead also puts the life of the Captain of the Guard at risk and condemns the people of Whiterun to a substandard mead. Honningbrew is objectively better than Black-Briar, after all; refilling the same amount of stamina whilst costing less and causing fewer side effects.
10They Looted Graves
The Dragonborn shows a complete lack of respect for the living on countless occasions throughoutSkyrim, but he’s also pretty disrespectful toward the dead as well. This can be seen in their willingness to rob graves and the lack of compassion that they show when doing so.
While some of the people whose graves are lootedhave already gone on to become draugr, many are simply trying to enjoy their eternal slumber in peace. Instead, their final resting places are unceremoniously disturbed and their possessions - which they had wanted to take with them into the afterlife - are stolen by a no-good thief.
9They Melted Down Priceless Artifacts
Scattered throughout the world of Skyrim are a number of Dwemer artifacts. Many of them are just junk, but some are thousands of years old. Rather than put these ancient relics into a museum or even sell them to a collector to ensure their preservation, however, the Dragonborn instead opts to destroy them.
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Many will point tothe Dwemer race’s questionable pastand may even argue that their legacy is one that doesn’t deserve to be preserved. Melting these trinkets down to obtain crafting materials is incredibly selfish though and prevents future generations from learning about the past; potentially increasing the chances of the past repeating itself once more.
8They Joined a Guild of Thieves
If looting graves and desecrating ancient artifacts wasn’t already bad enough, it’s also possible for the Dragonborn to join a group of thieves. That’s right; apparently, Tamriel’s pickpockets, grave robbers, and swindlers all like to work together in order to rob the people of the continent blind and the Dragonborn is happy to become a member.
Granted, looting items is kind of the whole point of an RPG, thoughSkyrim’s morality system (not to mention the angry reactions from certain NPCs after they catch the Dragonborn stealing from them) makes it very clear that looting is wrong. The Thieves Guild questline takes this to a whole other level.
7They Helped A Child To Perform A Satanic Ritual
Aventus Aretino is but a child who has unfortunately been led astray by the allure ofthe Dark Brotherhood. During the aptly named “Innocence Lost” quest,the young orphan can be found chanting the Black Sacramentin an ill-advised attempt to contact them. Rather than a brotherhood assassin, however, it is the Dragonborn who ends up answering his prayers.
Aventus asks the Dragonborn to kill Grelod the Kind, who, as it turns out, is not actually that kind. With her out of the way, the orphans who once suffered under her care are spared from any future torment thanks to Constance Michel taking over at Honorhall. Aventus, on the other hand, vows to become an assassin; a life that brings with it only pain and death.
6They Joined a Group of Deadly Assassins
While on the subject of the Dark Brotherhood, it’s actually possible for the Dragonborn to join their ranks. In fact, they can even go as far as to murder the group’s leader Astrid and take her place at the top of the pile if really want to. Apparently, being the leader of a group of highly trained assassins appeals somewhat to the Dragonborn’s tastes.
Throughout the Dark Brotherhood questline, the Dragonborn can murder scores of people, some of whom have done very little to deserve it. They can also spend some of their hard-earned gold to refurbish the Sanctuary, just to make life a little more comfortable for the murderers and villains who like to hang out there.
5They Laid Siege To A City
The Stormcloaks are just one of the many competingfactions with whom the Dragonborn can side, although they arearguably one of the more sinister ones. Several of their quests involve murdering innocent people, but none more so than the siege on Whiterun.
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Despitetheir friendship with Balgruuf, the Dragonborn has very few qualms about invading the city and is ultimately the one responsible forforcing the Jarl to surrender. During the siege,the people of Whiterunare surrounded by death and destruction and their lives are forever changed even after the fighting comes to an end.
4They Murdered An Emperor
The idea of an empire is one that often brings with it negative connotations, but there have been plenty of just and worthy Emperors throughout history. The Third Empire falls somewhere in the middle; far from perfect, but nowhere near as nefarious as it could be. What’s more, Titus Mede II really doesn’t seem like too bad a guy.
The Dragonborn learns this for themself after infiltrating Castle Dour and attempting to poison Titus' food. Rather than fight back, the Emperor simply accepts his fate and allows the Dragonborn to end his life. In doing so, the latter plunges the realm into uncertainty and makes way for a more oppressive ruler to take power.
3They Ate A Priest’s Flesh
Killing a man of the cloth is one thing, but to then feast on his flesh is really quite another. Only the most twisted of beings would even think about doing it and yet the Dragonborn does so simply to obtain a magical ring. Worse still, one of the main draws of this ring is that it allows them to regenerate their health by devouring yet more unfortunate victims.
The Ring of Namira is obtained during the quest “The Taste of Death” after the Dragonborn kills and eats Brother Verulus. It is possible to killthe cannibalistic Eola insteadand this is undoubtedly the better moral choice, but that the Dragonborn would even entertain the idea of eating a priest in the first place is perhaps bad enough.
