Skyrim: How To Join The Greybeards

In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Greybeards are an ancient culture of monks the Dragonborn can join to gain exclusive rewards. The Greybeards are located at the monastery of High Hrothgar, high on the Throat of the World. They follow a philosophy referred to as the Way of the Voice, which is a silent meditative practice. The Greybeards are peaceful and only use violence as a last resort.

When players first enter Skyrim‘s High Hrothgar, they will find four monks: Arngeir, Borri, Wulfgar, and Einarth. While all four are the Greybeard Elders, Arngeir is the oldest and most powerful, who explains that the other three monks are so powerful if they were to speak, the force of their speech would destroy the Dragonborn. As part of the main story quest, the Greybeard Elders will put the Dragonborn through a series of trials. Once the trials are cleared, players will be eligible to learn to master their Voice.

Once the quest is complete, the Dragonborn will formally be welcomed into the Greybeards and gain access to all of High Hrothgar’s items. Of note, the Greybeards are opposed to the Blades, and if the player sides with the Blades during the main storyline quests in Skyrim, the Greybeards will refuse to help them find any more Words of Power and become hostile.

Joining The Greybeards in Skyrim

The first quest to find and meet the Greybeards is the ‘Way of the Voice.’ Players should go to Ivarstead and climb the 7,000 steps to complete this quest. On the way up the steps, players will encounter enemies, including a frost troll, which can be defeated with fire spells. The quest will be officially completed once the player speaks to the Greybeard Elders at the monastery of High Hrothgar.

The quest ‘The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller’ requires players to retrieve one of Skyrim’s artifacts from Ustengrav. After fighting their way through the Ustengrav Depths, players will arrive at the location the horn should be, only to find that the horn is gone, and a note is in its place requesting that the Dragonborn rent an attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood. Once in Riverwood, players should speak with Delphine, who will give them the horn and the option to begin her Blade quest, A Blade in the Dark. Once players have the horn, they should return it to Arngeir to complete the quest.

Next, players will be tasked with a quest in Skyrim ‘The Throat of the World,’ which requires players to receive a lesson from Paarthurnax. First, players should speak with the dragon Paarthurnax to learn a Word of Power. This lesson will teach the player “Fire Breath,” or how to shoot flames. The next quest is ‘Season Unending,’ and it tasks players with enforcing a ceasefire to secure Dragonsreach by negotiating a treaty between the Imperial delegation and the Stormcloak delegation.

Finally, the main story quest ‘Paarthurnax’ requires players to kill the dragon. Delphine, a Blade, has discovered the dragon is a master of the Greybeards and demands his death. If players choose to kill him, they will anger the Greybeards, and the monks will no longer assist the player. On the other hand, if the player does not kill Paarthurnax in Skyrim, they will anger the Blades and no longer be able to go on Dragon Hunts with the Blades.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.

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