Boethiah, Skyrim's Daedric Prince of Conspiracy and Deceit, has a simple task for the Dragonborn to have a chance at becoming his champion: bring a follower to the Shrine of Boethiah, then sacrifice them. It's a simple enough request at heart, but it's hard to make the choice to permanently kill someone who decided to follow the Dragonborn in their adventures across Skyrim.

Luckily, there are a few followers that make the decision on who to sacrifice a little bit easier. Some Skyrim followers are downright bad people who betrayed the Dragonborn or break into the homestead to "visit" their wife long after marriage. Others are simply the easiest followers to find on short notice or followers whose deaths won't impact the world significantly.

Updated July 2, 2023 by Erik Petrovich: The Boethiah's Calling Skyrim quest is one of the game's most iconic. Like the Mehrunes Dagon quest, which involves killing a follower of Stendarr, the Skyrim Boethiah's Calling quest asks the Dragonborn to lead someone to the Shrine of Boethiah and sacrifice them. The choice can be hard, but it also depends on how far a player is in certain side questlines. Early followers like Lydia, who is a free follower granted as part of the intro quest line, and tavern hirelings work just as well as the game's more morally ambiguous characters – if you don't mind killing relatively innocent people, that is.

How To Start Boethiah's Calling

Statue Of Boethiah From The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

"Boethiah's Calling" is the name of the quest given to players from the eponymous Daedric Prince upon reaching the Sacellum of Boethiah. The player must be at least Level 30 for the quest to begin at all, otherwise the Sacellum will be totally empty.

Head Directly There, or Read Boethiah's Proving

The Sacellum of Boethiah is located to the east of Windhelm, visible from a decent distance away as you head towards the mountains. Once players reach Level 30, they can either head there directly to get the quest or read Boethiah's Proving to be guided there as part of a preliminary questline.

Boethiah's Proving describes a ritual where followers got into contact with Boethiah, and punished each of them in different ways: except for one, who murdered the only other remaining follower. At the end of the passage, the reader is invited to meet with Boethiah "on the mount which overlooks Windhelm."

Either way, the test Boethiah puts forth will truly begin once you reach the Sacellum – and sacrifice your loyal follower.

Come Prepared: Get A Follower First

Players can either begin the quest here and be asked to bring a sacrifice back, or gain a follower first and then head to the Shrine to save a bit of time. It's a bit of a pain to have to travel back and forth to complete this stage of the quest, though, so save yourself some time and bring your follower of choice along the first time you visit.

A Fellow College of Winterhold Mage

j'zargo skyrim follower college of winterhold khajiit

One of the simplest and cheapest solutions to this sacrificial puzzle is to bring along a free follower. If you have become part of the College of Winterhold, three of your fellow students can become followers if you complete their associated unique questline. To make their unique questlines available, though, players must first complete First Lessons and Under Saarthal, the introductory College of Winterhold quests.

  • To get J'Zargo as a follower, players must help the Khajiit mage test out a new Fire spell
  • To get Onmund as a follower, players must help the Nord recover a precious amulet from a fellow Mage
  • To get Brelyna as a follower, players must help the Dunmer experiment with a series of new spells

It might not feel that ethical, but who said sacrificing a follower to the Daedric Prince of Murder had to be? If you want to get this over and done with, and you're already part of the College, bringing along J'Zargo, Onmund, or Brelyna is the quickest route.

Teldryn Sero, To End His Pompous Attitude

Skyrim Boethiah Calling Sacrifice Followers Teldryn Sero

Teldryn Sero was a follower introduced in the Dragonborn DLC that took players to Solstheim. Players never see his face, and he always has something snarky to say or a sly disparaging remark to hurl the player's way. He's certainly a unique character, and players will miss out on some of his interactions, especially on the mainland. But, he's an easy target nonetheless.

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He can be hired in the Retching Netch in Raven Rock for a pretty nominal fee, especially compared to the lengths players have to go for some other followers in Skyrim. While he has some funny lines of dialogue, if you're looking to spend less than a thousand Gold on this quest, Teldryn Sero is easy to find and bring back to the Sacellum of Boethiah.

Lydia, An Easy Follower To Acquire

Skyrim Lydia Follower

Lydia is arguably the most iconic follower in Skyrim, as she's the one follower just about every player has earned at some point in their Skyrim playthroughs. Lydia is by no means a weak follower or necessarily deserving of being sacrificed – she's just the most convenient option for most players.

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To get Lydia as a follower, complete the main questline until you become the Thane of Whiterun after defeating the Dragon just outside the city. Jael Balgruuf will grant you Lydia as a Housecarl, who can then be brought to the Sacellum of Boethiah. Though the Whiterun questlines can be completed relatively early in Skyrim, Lydia can't be sacrificed at the Sacellum of Boethiah until the quest is available at Level 30.

Ralis Sedarys, The Most Justifiable Choice

Of all the followers in Skyrim none is more deserving of a grisly, sacrificial death than Ralis Sedarys. Ralis is the Dunmer at the head of the Kolbjorn Barrow excavation in Solstheim. He enlists the player's help (and wallet) in clearing out an ancient Nord Tomb. He aims to wake Ahzidal, an ancient Dragon Priest, without letting the player in on his plans until the very end.

Many innocents die as a result of his selfishness, and if the player decides not to execute him at the end of the Kolbjorn Barrow questline, he head to the Retching Netch where he can be hired as a follower. Being slain in the name of Boethiah, one of the "Good Daedra" of the Dunmer, is about as bad an end as Ralis Sedarys deserves.

Cosnach, The Least Impactful Death

In terms of the least impactful followers in Skyrim, Cosnach has to be pretty high up there. He's one of the many town drunks in Markarth who spends his days and nights alike at the Silver-Blood Inn at the bottom of a mug of ale – not that he doesn't have other things he could be doing, of course.

Hire Cosnach as a follower by challenging him to a brawl. Fist fights are made much easier with one of the Fearsome Fists added with the Creation Club element of the same name, but pack enough Healing Potions and you'll down him in no time.

Sven or Faendal, To Stop Them Hitting On Camilla

Skyrim Boethiahs Proving Daedric Quest Guide Sven Faendal Camilla

Sven and Faendal are the first two followers a player can get in Skyrim, both being in Riverwood and tied to the same quest. Only one can become a follower, while the other resents the player forever due to their role in tearing Camilla away from them. Camilla can be wed, but that doesn't stop them from paying a "visit" to her at the Dragonborn's own home.

Depending on your choices during the quest "A Lovely Letter" either Faendal or Sven can be hired. Start this quest by speaking to either one in Riverwood, complete the quest in their favor, then recruit them as a Follower and march your merry way eastward. Because Faendal is a trainer, it's usually best to take Sven to the sacrificial altar.

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

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