There are about 15 factions in Skyrim that you can join, provided you also own the Dawnguard DLC. Each faction has its own story line, its own characters and power struggles that you'll need to deal with. However, for the most part, it's always the same: the faction needs your help and by the end of it you'll usually find yourself in a position of power with a few good new weapons and armor pieces. That being said, not all factions are necessarily equal in strength and their scope of influence. Some have much more leverage than others, which is why we've ranked all fifteen factions from the weakest to strongest.
15 Bards College
Found in Solitude, the Bards College is a place for those passionate about literature, poetry and music. However, when you first walk in, you won't be giving a singing sample to your new colleagues, but instead fetching some old verses.
The Bards College is not a place for fighting or combat, which is why it's without a doubt the weakest of them all and with very little power around Skyrim. At least they know a song or two.
14 The Coven Of Namira
A group almost as old as time itself, the Coven of Namira is a safe haven for those who have slightly more peculiar eating habits. If you too find yourself intrigued by the taste of flesh, you'll be right at home among these cannibals.
The Coven is a highly secretive organization, and the members never speak of it outside of their meetings. Hence, they hold little real power and prefer to stay undercover in their worship of Namira.
13 Blades
Once known as the personal protectors of the Emperor, the Blades are long past their glory days. Ever since the Oblivion Crisis and the Great War, they've been mostly keeping to themselves and operating underground.
The Blades are but a small group consisting of Delphine, Esbern, the Dragonborn and whoever happens to be their follower. Due to this position, they lack any real substantial power around Skyrim.
12 Tribal Orcs
Orc strongholds are found all across Skyrim and Tamriel, and they act as small communities for the local Orsimer. Those who live here have chosen to live according to a strict ideology taught by the Daedric Prince Malacath.
Since these strongholds are so exclusive and isolated, they don't get involved in outside matters as much, but they're still capable of defending themselves against intruders.
11 Nightingales
Among the smallest factions and on par with Blades in their size, the Nightingales are a small circle of the best thieves found within the Thieves Guild. Their mission is to serve and protect Nocturnal by tending to her shrines, which very much limits their scope of their operation.
Nightingales are considered almost a legend among people. Many are in fact persuaded they don't even exist, which goes to show they hold very little political power of raw force.
10 The College Of Winterhold
For any mage seeking to hone their practice, the College of Winterhold is the ideal faction to join. However, the College is struggling in Skyrim. Having inspired the wrath and suspicion of Winterhold's inhabitants, it's become a place for rejects in a province where the majority are magic-hating Nords.
While the College keeps to itself, it holds unspoken powers within its walls and has great potential, having survived the collapse that took most of Winterhold with it.
9 House Telvanni
Known as a highly exclusive and isolationist organizations for talented magic users, House Telvanni originates from Morrowind and is originally run by Dunmer. Known as one of the most affluent houses, it managed to even survive the Argonian invasion of Morrowind and relocate most of its remains to Solstheim.
Considering the magical talent and the sheer monetary power its members still have, it would be foolish to consider House Telvanni as weak. However, their isolationist stance makes them somewhat nonexistent in politics.
8 The Companions
When it comes to strength and the ability to fight, the Companions are definitely a strong faction. An ideal place for anyone seeking to become a talented swordsman and perhaps contract lycanthropy, the Companions excel at fighting.
However, what makes the Companions weak is their idleness when it comes to politics. After a war that pitted some members of the faction against each other, the group has sworn not to get involved in outside politics, which has made it nothing more than a gathering place for aspiring swordsmen.
7 Dawnguard
The Dawnguard might not be the most liked faction out there due to the rumors that surround its mode of operations, but as hunters of vampires, they have a surprising amount of power up their sleeves.
Capable of organizing raids in villages and combating fearsome vampires, the Dawnguard may not be the most politically involved faction, but it's full of capable individuals eager to keep its operations running.
6 Volkihar Clan
A clan of vampires living in isolation on a small island, the Volkihar Clan is led by Lord Harkon, a pure-blood vampire. While they're a parallel faction to Dawnguard and therefore technically equal in power, the vampires seem a bit stronger.
If we take into account that Harkon killed hundreds in the name of Molag Bal to gain immortality, it's easy to conclude they're just a bit more powerful than the Dawnguard.
5 Stormcloaks
The Stormcloaks might seem like a ragtag gang of disorganized fighters, which is true to a degree. However, due to Ulfric's presence and popularity among the Nords, they have a significant amount of leverage both at the table of politics, as well as in battle.
Consisting mostly of inspired Nords and supporters of Talos, they have the fighting spirit even if they appear to be fighting a colossus by opposing themselves to the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion.
4 Thieves Guild
Some might say that the Thieves Guild are completely powerless. Although the guild does seem to struggle at the beginning of Skyrim's story, it's still evident that its members have influence and relations almost everywhere in Skyrim and Tamriel.
From the College of Winterhold to the Dark Brotherhood, the guild's presence is everywhere and anywhere, even if it operates from the safety of the shadows rather than with raw strength.
3 The Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood is a wild card. Truly outside of all politics and separate to society, it's a gang of cold-blooded assassins that only bow down to the words of the Night Mother. Their operations can go against or in favor of political entities, with little to no punishment due to their secrecy.
The Brotherhood has great power through its cult-like fame that instills fear in people. It's also one of the factions that pay the best, and would even go as far as assassinating an Emperor without batting an eye. Fearsome in both capacity to kill and to influence, they shouldn't be underestimated.
2 Imperial Legion
More organized and with a clearer purpose than the Stormcloaks, the Imperial Legion is in Skyrim to remind people of the influence of the Emperor. Ultimately, being a servant of the Emperor of Tamriel is the strongest position you could hold politically.
Not just that, the Imperials have an overwhelming presence in Skyrim, as they patrol the cities and ensure Stormcloaks are being kept under control. It makes sense for them to win the war, even if you sympathize more with the Stormcloaks who are mostly recruited peasants and not trained soldiers.
1 Greybeards
The Greybeards are a reclusive kind of people, located in High Hrothgar from where they rarely come down. Incredibly wise, many other factions and leaders look up to them for knowledge and guidance in Skyrim. Moreover, although the Greybeards are all elders who look weak on the surface, they possess incredible powers: the knowledge of the Thu'um.
To be able to harness the language of the dragons is to know how to control dragons, and that alone is an incredible feat to say the least. It's undeniable they're the strongest faction in all of Skyrim, and although we technically don't become a part of them, they give much of their knowledge to the Dragonborn.