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Whether it be sharpening a sword, selling a family amulet, or transporting an enchanted ring, players do not have a time limit on completing quests and can keep quest items for as long as they want. However, players can benefit more from certain quests early in the game as they offer more high stat equipment than others.

Updated January 30, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Some of the best Skyrim quests to do first have to do with the game’s various factions. Getting started with these questlines early is usually a good idea because they often lead to extremely useful early-game gear. The best quests to do early in Skyrim that aren’t tied to factions are those that give unique gear that low-level players can make good use of. Others, like the Greybeards questline, are essential to unlocking integral elements of the game, in this case: shouts. There really isn’t an official Skyrim Quest Order but knocking some of these quests out of the way early can make it much easier to progress through the rest of the game.

Note: Original article was published on April 4, 2020, and written by Ian Phillpott-Kenny.

Innocence Lost

Innocence Lost is the initial quest for the Dark Brotherhood questline, considered by many to be the best faction-based questline in Skyrim (aside from the Civil War arc). Players find out that a boy is attempting to summon the Dark Brotherhood through a profane ritual to kill the abusive head of an Orphanage in Riften.

For completing Innocence Lost players are rewarded with a thump to the head the next time they go to sleep. They wake up, are greeted by Astrid, a member of the Dark Brotherhood, and are sent on their quest to restore the group to its former glory. For completing Innocence Lost players start their way towards getting the Blade of Woe, a powerful Dagger wielded by master assassins of the past.

First Lessons

First Lessons is, as the quest name might suggest, the first official quest of the College of Winterhold storyline. This quest sees the player learn about Warding magic with Tolfdir and can grant the player a free Ward spell (as well as other free spells) as long as they aren’t already learned.

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This quest leads to the Under Saarthal quest which gives a great amulet for Magicka-users. Getting to Winterhold can be a bit of a chore, but luckily there are carriages at every major city that can take you there for just a few dozen gold. This quest also unlocks the ability to purchase spells and train from College professors.

The House of Horrors

One of Skyrim’s most iconic quests, the House of Horrors sees the player become an unwilling servant of Molag Bal in his attempt to force a Priest of Boethiah to renounce his deity and serve the Lord of Brutality instead. It’s a particularly brutal quest as players are forced to beat up an old man to near-death to make him submit.

You can of course just ignore the quest objectives entirely, but completion of The House of Horrors rewards players with one of the most powerful weapons in the game: the Mace of Molag Bal. This Mace has a Soul Trap enchantment, which is extremely useful early on for Gold-making and leveling Enchanting, and its melee stats are nothing to sneeze at, either. Head to Markarth and look for a Priest of Stendarr outside an abandoned house.

Greatsword For a Great Man (Or Take Up Arms)

Both Greatsword For a Great Man and Take Up Arms are quests available in Whiterun, and they offer a weapon to players that can greatly improve early gameplay. Greatsword For a Great Man will provide players with Balgruuf’s Greatsword, a two-handed weapon that deals high damage while Take Up Arms will provide Vilaks’ Sword, a one-handed weapon that has equivalent stats to Skyforge steel.

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Both quests ask the player to take the weapon somewhere to complete the quest. If players simply keep the weapon and do not complete the quests, they can use the weapon for as long as they want, making this a great way to get a good weapon early.

Andur’s Arkay Amulet

Andur’s Arkay Amulet is another example of a Whiterun quest that asks players to take an item somewhere in exchange for petty cash, only in this quest it is not a weapon but an amulet that, when worn, grants the player a 10% boost to HP.

The quest can be found in the Whiterun Catacombs and not only offers a nice boost to HP if players keep the amulet instead of returning it to Andur, but it also has an Unusual Gem in the catacombs which triggers the Thieves Guild quest. The Thieves Guild quests offer good gear especially helpful to players interested in stealth gameplay.

The Greybeards Questline

After getting some early high stat gear quickly from Whiterun, players have a decision they need to make words of power now or later. The Greybeards quests are part of the early main quest storyline and offer a full Dragonborn shout and access to other shouts early in the game.

If players decide to skip over the Greybeards questline, they will likely not get a full shout until much later in the game. Players who decide to get through the begging half of the Grey Beards quests will be rewarded with a full shout, access to new questlines, as well as the location of new words of power if they speak to Master Arngeir and inquire about them.

Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X/S

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