To join the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim, follow these steps:
- Find Aventus Aretino in Windhelm
Go to Windhelm and locate a boy named Aventus Aretino in his home. He is trying to perform the Black Sacrament to contact the Dark Brotherhood
- Complete the "Innocence Lost" Quest
Talk to Aventus and agree to help him by killing Grelod the Kind at the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. This initiates the "Innocence Lost" quest, which you must complete by assassinating Grelod
- Wait for the Dark Brotherhood to Contact You
After completing the quest, wait 24 hours or more in the game. A courier will approach you in a city and deliver a mysterious note that says, "We know."
- Sleep in a Bed
After receiving the note, sleep in any bed. You will be abducted by the Dark Brotherhood and wake up in an abandoned shack with Astrid and three hostages
- Prove Yourself to the Dark Brotherhood
To join, you must kill one of the hostages as instructed by Astrid. Killing Astrid instead will trigger a questline to destroy the Dark Brotherhood
Once you complete these steps, you officially join the Dark Brotherhood and gain access to their questline and benefits
. Summary:
- Talk to Aventus Aretino in Windhelm
- Kill Grelod the Kind (Innocence Lost quest)
- Wait for the courier and receive the note
- Sleep and get abducted
- Kill a hostage to join the Brotherhood
