What happens if you don't KILL Parturnax in Skyrim? The Ending is Correct

hat happens if you don't KILL Parturnax in Skyrim? The Ending is Correct
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[@CyberController-]

I love the meta commentary behind this quest. When Paarthurnax talks about the dragons inborn need for power and influence, he suggests the Dragonborn may also have this. It's an in-universe reason behind why you have to complete all these side quests, why you have to run every guild, why you have to own ever artifact. The player's need to 100% the game *is* the dragon blood. And the fact there's no alternative except to kill Paarthurnax plays into this further. To spare his life, you need to accept you'll never 100% the game. You need to, in a sense, overcome the very same urges Paarthurnax himself overcame. Brilliant, just brilliant.

[@benjaminloewen9458]

Neither

[@jaydendickson9447]

THAT IS GENIOUS

[@AugustoEL]

Eh, what the mod "Paarthunax dilema" allows could also have been into this, overcoming the more violent impulse and choosing to talk people out of violence, and be peaceful to at least someone.

[@CyberController-]

@@AugustoEL If you wanna use CHIM to change reality and save Paarthurnax, be my guest.

[@AugustoEL]

@@CyberController- it is more to tell Delphine and Esbern "Shut the fuck up. I am the boss and I say that Paarthunax is an ally"

[@CyberZombie]

I have never killed Paarthurnax in all these years. He isn't a bad guy. The blades are a bunch of fanatics and are blinded by the history of their group.

[@wanderingbufoon]

Screw that, they were never blades. For one, Blades were under the command of the Dragonborn. They or rather she just bosses DB around.

[@Taiolu]

There is a guy who had Paarthunax off limits for killing for the Blades, I think history remembers him with the name Talos or something. Esbern is just bad at his job.

[@Ericstone00]

Knowing that delphine and esburn going against the dragon born's wishes, glad I have the Heart ripper mod, with essentials checked, so I can finally put them in their place.

[@Ericstone00]

I cannot allow them to create a hidden blades army and secretively kill paarthunax

[@libertariandragon9142]

You're right about them being blind. Because they're unable to see one simple fact. If Paarthurnax had been planning to betray them it would've been too late by hundreds of years. He has had far FAR longer to plan and build a powerbase then the Dragon Guard turned the Blades have existed in the Elder Scrolls setting.

[@Johnpork69423]

I've been playing this game for 10 years and yet still have not kill paarthurnax

[@molten_fetus3212]

Same, I have however shouted Delphine off a mountain soon as she asks me to kill Paarthurnax. Its the tradition now.

[@Johnpork69423]

Same

[@ApolloTheProto]

You aren’t missing out on anything

[@hq3bdullah649]

I only did it once just to see what happens but the game auto saved and my last save was way back I couldn't go back😢

[@silentchevalier]

Same here, bud.

[@Gradyolson]

My first playthrough of Skyrim all those years ago, i was fully ready and willing to kill Paarthurnax. Then he presented me with a question that legitimately shook my own world view. "Which is better to be born good, or to overcome ones evil nature through great effort?" In that moment i knew i could never kill him.

[@logandelaharpe6362]

Killing him is the correct choice he even states every day is a temptation to go back to his old ways and the Dragonborn is literally the only one that can permanently end him as a future threat if he truly loved humanity he’d ask you to end him himself

[@bluenightfury4365]

No its a misinterpretation, he's overcome this, if you hadn't paid attention. There's a day he's *not* tempted. So he's not tempted at all to go murdering, because he's overcame that sensation.@@logandelaharpe6362

[@Blue_King18]

Right I was like damn why he so wise

[@willigagbob8243]

I've never killed him myself, it always sat wrong with me that Delphine would threaten to not assist me as a blade after she herself was the one who told me the blades only exist to serve the dragon born. She had absolutely no right, nor the authority.

[@poggestfrog]

@@logandelaharpe6362 "if he truly loved humanity he'd ask you to end him himself" just like how any drug addict should kill themselves to avoid relapsing? yeah no that's fucked up

[@Adam-wt5id]

I always got the impression delphine was just a crazy believer in dragons all along and when alduin made his return and brought back dragons she was so hyped. She was desperate to find more dragon action anywhere she could and was like Oooh! Look paarthunax is a dragon, lets kill em.

[@logandelaharpe6362]

Killing him is the correct choice he even states every day is a temptation to go back to his old ways and the Dragonborn is literally the only one that can permanently end him as a future threat if he truly loved humanity he’d ask you to end him himself

[@bluenightfury4365]

Incorrect choice, he is the reason the humans in TES and many other species are free, as if he had not lead the dragon rebelling with the humans, the world of Nirn would still be under dragon tyranny. He is a good dragon.@@logandelaharpe6362

[@stillwatercamargo9606]

​@@logandelaharpe6362he controlled himself for centuries, he controlled himself when alduin came back and the dragonborn was still weak, he allowed you to beat alduin and guided you through entirely, i dont think that after all that he will break to any temptation

[@dylantorres-brown3718]

​@logandelaharpe6362 false. The only reason dragons could never die was because of Alduin. No Alduin no way to revive dead dragons meaning regular warriors can kill them and they cant be revived. Parthurnaax knows this and also doesn't want Dragons to waste their life and wants them to find purpose beyond they're nature. He doesn't want Dragons to waste their lives fighting meaningless battles of conquest and domination. He's truly changed and wants to help other dragons change as well.

[@chavezmaster1204]

They even had the wrong hypothesis on why the dragons are returning.. such an unworthy faction to rebuild..

[@idkwhatmynameshouldbe9299]

What’s funny is that the blades are supposed to be taking orders from the dragonborn but they make you do everything

[@preeteshsingh1512]

They are preston garveys inspiration

[@MrFantocan]

Like everyone else, every guild in the game does that, love the game but one poorly implemented thing is that you become the boss of most main factions in this and you still treated like a delievery man, they should give some options to send people to do jobs for you, and have them fight for you.

[@bolesawsmiaousty4463]

​@@MrFantocan iirc there was some mod for Morrowind that made this possible. Since the time you became the guild leader you could give orders to your subordinates.

[@ZackFlairr]

@@MrFantocanbugthesda does a poor job with guild system, especially in fallout 4

[@kingofthegrill]

Dragonborn is solely in charge of recruiting, Dragonborn is solely in charge of deciding when to hunt dragons, Dragonborn gets to choose any bed and anything in the armory, it's all owned by them.

[@dentedavalanche]

I achieved this ending on my first *completed* play through without knowing. I knew I was not going to kill the dragon, and I was content with just letting the quest stay unfinished indefinitely. It wasn’t until days later I discovered the extra dialogue option. I’m glad the game has that ending, and the only way to discover it naturally is by surviving that test (unless sheer dumb luck made u discover it unintentionally). I just wish Lydia had survived long enough to see it that play through.

[@kavu64]

RIP our Queen Lydia....

[@falahfalah948]

Lydia died?

[@logandelaharpe6362]

Killing him is the correct choice he even states every day is a temptation to go back to his old ways and the Dragonborn is literally the only one that can permanently end him as a future threat if he truly loved humanity he’d ask you to end him himself

[@Dwayndibb]

Absolutely I never killed him to this day. I have morals even as a hired hitman. There is a code 👍

[@crisdav7927]

my lydia got turned to ash by my destruction magic and i didn’t know until i fast traveled over 15 times looking for her smh

[@mrhero696]

Game: You are given a task. In order to regain the side of the Blades, the great heroes… you must kill Paarthurnax. Me: I mean… can’t we kill the Blades instead?

[@user-uz2kc3tm4z]

Yes I have the mod. You can end them.both after the wall quest they can die at the wall

[@ZeePanzer]

Setessential 0, proceed to kill delphine

[@d1nodray]

I literally just ignored the quest and got this ending anyways, so you can just finish the politics and then pretend delphine doesn't exist. That's what I've done on all 1 of my playthroughs, and what I'll continue to do on all future playthroughs.

[@strayed1615]

What I find funny is Delphine does not count you as one their side unless you kill him. Y'know, despite all the things you have done for one another and defeating Alduin.

[@nathanbentley1939]

Which actually backs up Arngeir's accusation that the blades are lying about their intentions. (He claims that the Blades don't want to SERVE the dragonborn as they claim, but rather, that they want to USE the dragonborn, presumably as a weapon against dragonkind.

[@garrettdemoss9465]

@@nathanbentley1939 Exactly. So much for there vow to serve. I wish you could have delphine step down in shame for such a traitorous way of thinking. Maybe a good beatdown by duel to put her in her place.

[@Terashi]

Just goes to show how fanatical they are.

[@lotusjewell9984]

If you really think about it, it's all Delphine. The Blades no longer exist. She wants to bring them back. However, the oath of the Blade apparently does include swearing to serve the Dragonborn. She just wants to bring the Blades back so that she can recreate them in her image. Dragon and elf haters. She doesn't even realize that if she did try to bring the Blades back, and the Dragonborn straight up and left. Never to come back? Any future Blades she might be able to find would be swearing an oath to serve the Dragonborn. If that is the case (which it likely could) any initiates would know instantly that Delphine is a liar. Because the Dragonborn would never be seen by them unless by pure chance, they cross the Dragonborn's path. Delphine is literally destroying any possible 'future' the Blades could have by doing everything that she is doing.

[@Terashi]

@@lotusjewell9984 And Esbern is just letting it happen.

[@TrickyTalon23]

I was honestly suprised to find out how many people felt like killing Paarthurnax was unavoidable. I immediately went to the Greybeards upon receiving the quest from the Blades to tell them what they asked, then told them I wouldn't murder him. Paarthurnax lives peacfully.

[@AS-uy8qi]

I’ve never killed paarthurnax myself either. He’s a dragon, so that makes him cool. I think of paarthurnax like endangered animals, I’d rather see them live then go extinct. Kind of funny that I felt that towards a character in a game, the feeling of wanting to preserve life. A study should be done on people who kill paarthurnax and don’t, see what type of people they are and what they do.

[@neowolf09]

I never went to the greybeards, just ignored the blades and went on my journey.

[@Y0uKnowMyName]

I always look for that option when I play a game where I'm made to choose one over the other. The blades are just a dying order of ignorant barbarians.

[@mikecobalt7005]

@@neowolf09 TES lore has a repeating sense of making us leave those we were with over and over, sometimes with a sense of regret.

[@aurascherezada2726]

agree, indeed, u can end Skyrim, buuut, many people think, bealives, that the mission is buggy, for the single fact that u see the poop mission, and for some people this is annoying, but... like u said, at the end killing Alduin, u see Parthnux very peacefully, and most like true ending, than just took off the annoying poop mission from the book Quests.

[@Patrick_The_Pure]

For anyone wondering, you can do all the Blade stuff, recruiting, killing a dragon and bringing Esbern dragon materials for a potion before reading the elder scroll. Once done, read the scroll and just never talk to them again. I go back just to steal Esberns dragon atlas book and never look back at them, that way the quest doesn't even show up in my log. After the peace council i shout those 2 off the mountain and i'm done.

[@Peter..Griffin]

This is what i do every playtrough

[@caiden6969]

Wait, so you can skip the whole dragon kill thing.

[@Patrick_The_Pure]

@@caiden6969 Yeah you can both keep Partysnax alive and get all the blade rewards... oh and not have the quest in your journal ever. All without console commands or mods

[@caiden6969]

@@Patrick_The_Pure I realized that by speaking to arngeir. Thanks

[@BattlestarDamocles]

That's what I did in my latest playthrough.

[@zulium]

After 11 years, numerous playthroughs, and 1000's of hours, never once have I killed Paarthurnax. Watching him die in this video was literally the first time I've ever seen it. I believe his words, and I believe it is possible to overcome evil within yourself if you try hard enough. And he's had centuries to try. Fuck the Blades if they can't see that.

[@xCallxMExJJx]

Same. It was sad even seeing someone else kill him😢

[@MLBBTHEASSASSIN]

Same here brother same here​@@xCallxMExJJx

[@KaptifLaDistillerie]

" Is it better to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort ? " I always found this to be the best line of dialogue in the entire game

[@thejcaesar42]

It is literally better to be born good. Don't forget he murdered THOUSANDS of innocent people. And before you say "that was a long time ago" remember he is IMMORTAL.. a thousand years might as well be a weekend to him. Not to mention he's a ticking timebomb of betrayal. It's better to kill him, just to be safe. Hell, HE even agrees with you.

[@christiansanchez1486]

Honestly it was that line of dialogue that saved Parthanax from my blade

[@thejcaesar42]

@@christiansanchez1486 so if Hitler said "don't trust Nazis, but you can trust me, the biggest Nazi" you'd let him go. Good to know.

[@ZelphTheWebmancer]

It was the first time playing Skyrim that made me actually stop and think of an answer, then I realized there wasn't one.

[@thejcaesar42]

@@ZelphTheWebmancer the answer is be born good. It is literally better to be born good. Because "overcoming an evil nature" implies that you have done evil shit. What's better? To have never done evil? Or to do evil?

[@fransthefox9682]

"What if you didn't kill Paarthurnax?" Literally 98% of Skyrim players who beat the game: "What if you inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide?"

[@arminosas]

Saying Paarthurnax will turn heel is like saying oxygen will get you killed in the long run.

[@fransthefox9682]

@@arminosas My point is that for us Skyrim players, sparing Paarthurnax is as natural as breathing.

[@arminosas]

@@fransthefox9682 I did get your point, i was just going on a tangent a bit

[@fransthefox9682]

@@arminosas Ah. Okay.

[@l33tsamurai]

Yeah really. Never got to this point, but my first thought when the blades requested his death was, I should tell the greybeards...

[@mythrindiir1463]

You get this dialogue with Parthanax whether you talk to Arngeir or not. Telling Arngeir you're not going to kill him is just an extra piece of dialogue. I definitely wish they would have did a little more with this just like every other quest in the game.

[@B16Motorworks]

Can confirm. I got the Parthanax dialogue without speaking with Arngeir. I didn’t even know you could speak to him about killing Parthanax until now.

[@viktorgillgren6393]

same here @@B16Motorworks

[@deadturret4049]

I wish the Arngeir dialog about not killing him would erase the quest log.

[@banana_man1]

I have never and will never kill Parthurnaax. Even on my most evil of characters, he is such a good soul

[@AugustoEL]

Who dares to kill Partysnacks? He is your bro, also I think it is cool to have an ancient dragon that trust and help you.

[@addictedtojet]

Finally!! Someone says his name correctly!! Even Nordman was struggling to say Partysnacks!

[@AugustoEL]

@@addictedtojet Partysnacks is best boy, yeah I always refer to him like that.

[@edryctan672]

PARTYSNACKS OMG

[@ruthjasper4408]

Partysnacks....that cracks me up!

[@smolgobbo3826]

I kill partysnacks, suffer no dragon to live

[@woodrobin]

"The Paarthurnax Dilemma" is a mod that fixes this issue. It adds dialog that allows the Dragonborn to remind the Blades that they are sworn to obey and protect the Dragonborn. You even let out a bit of Thu'um (causing the screen to shake) when reading Delphine the riot act over how out of control she's being by threatening to betray her oath if we don't go kill whoever she wants us to kill.

[@silverblade357]

Bosmeri Dovahkiin: "I might not be a proper dragon but I will still eat your sorry ass if you don't get back in line!"

[@Esparza-619]

Thank You

[@Wintercomet100]

I deliberately installed that mod so that, (whenever I decide to continue with the main story line, I just took off the side of the mountain to explore) I can remind them that I'm their commander, not the other way around.

[@thesittingpigeon138]

Underrated comment

[@Chaos_Vice]

It's so good, I just wish it wasn't by Arthmoor

[@nyne9611]

I killed him one time on my second playthrough. I was doing the opposite of my first, and when I did, I deleted all save files so I wouldn't have it on file only in memory. He was bad in the beginning, but as explained, he overcame his evil to be as good as he can be. He's definitely one of my favorite characters in this wonderful game that I love so much.

[@YUKILOID39]

i actually never realized that the ending where you speak with Paarthurnax wasn’t the only ending, because I never decided to kill him

[@d1nodray]

Same Although I've only done 1 playthrough, and I only accidentally triggered the Alduin fight

[@poseidon5003]

I always wanted an option to challenge Delphene to a duel.

[@280sanja]

I might have shouted her down the mountain. when not taking the war quest xD. and i am not sorry.

[@fernosbonos5394]

There is a mod for that

[@dallasfreeman3417]

I was pissed I could force the blades into forgetting about Paarthurnax so I got a mod to basically shout in Delphine face using Unrelenting Force in the actual conversation mechanic, after which she staggered back and fell to her knee then got up, winched in pain and said something like "ok ok you win" then the game proceeded like normal it was like the blades actual forgot Paarthurnax existed perfect mod

[@poseidon5003]

@@dallasfreeman3417 Yeah I already have that mod.

[@kossonkosab5513]

@@dallasfreeman3417 mod name pls

[@bronah6942]

"What happens if you dont kill paarthurnax" you get the good ending

[@knightr0685]

@Wingardium Elviossa to atmora?

[@CrazyIvan865]

@@knightr0685 I'm thinking either Atmora or Akavir. I have a theory that the Emperor you assassinate is actually another double. The real Emperor has been contacted by a descendant of Uriel Septim V. Uriel Septim V didn't "invade" akavir with a military dampaign or get defeated. Instead his army moved in under the guise of being slaves ships with more slaves for the Tseasci. The military went underground recruiting and training other slaves and locals. Because there's constant conspiring, subversion, usurpation and assassination in the heart of Tamriel/Cyrodillic Empire that is almost always agents of the Tseasci or the Thalmor. So for Humanity to be safe, free and independent, the Tseasci must be destroyed at the heart of it. However, it's going to take a coordinated effort and with the Stormcloak rebellion, a rightful Septim Emperor stepping in would help unite the races of man once again. That or the Dragon Born in TESV IS a septim bloodline heir, hence the Dragon blood. My guess is TESVI will likely be Atmora or Akavir, I'm thinking it'll be Akavir though. Plus they've been all over tamriel but Akavir would open up a whole new world and new Races. Sure there's humans on Akavir, but they're the minorities. Also the Blades, the Akaviri Warriors/Assassins, the Dragonguard (basically a sect of the Akaviri Warriors that became the Blades), the Morag Tong AND the Dark Brotherhood all have roots that stretch out to Tamriel from Akavir. If I remember correctly. When people think of Morag Tong they think Morrowind and Vaardenfell, when people think of Dark Brotherhood they think Blackmarsh and when people think of Dragon Guard or Blades they think Atmora. But, if I'm not mistaken, all these groups trace back to Akavir.

[@chuckhouse5179]

@Wingardium Elviossa There will probably be no dragons and almost guarantee you wont be Dragonborn in TES 6. Maybe DB will be mentioned in lore or someone might claim their DB but the PC wont be.

[@Redster3]

@Wingardium Elviossa I believe that the Dragonborn became trapped in Apocrypha because Hermeus Mora tempted him with knowledge and he failed and succumbed to his need to rule… dark ending

[@tiredguy2753]

Agreed let the blades rot. Paarthurnax lives.

[@asahi7407]

Something I would like to see in the sixth entry of TES, is an order founded by Paarthunaax, one thay cemented the reputation of dragons as wise, inspirational creatures of finding the inner good from a life born to evil. As an organisation the player can become acquainted with, coming with their own side quests and exclusive rewards. This could either be an expansion of the Greybeards or an entirely new order that acts as a sibling group to the Greybeards.

[@cb-9938]

"The Blades serve the DragonBorn" *"Kill the only good Dragon or we won't help you....."* Amazing service 10/10

[@theprofessional155]

I wish that sparing Parturnax would do something about some of the random dragon attacks once you beat the main quest. They can get so annoying when your in the middle of a town or city and the dragons just start killing all quest essential npcs.

[@CountryMetal01]

Or they should have made all vendors Essential

[@clay119]

You should do a playthrough of Skyrim it's awesome to know you play it

[@LadorexX]

I just wish paarthunax could of have you more bonuses to your shouts

[@timolino567]

For some reason with my first character back in the day, after I finished the main quest dragons became wayyy rarer. They stopped spawning at the word walls that were on mountains etc. It didn't happen for my newer (and modded) characters though...

[@skeletonking4119]

i never thought you liked skyrim??? personally i favorited morrowind

[@RoadWulf]

The moment that the Blades acted as if they were the ones in control of the relationship with the person they're supposed to serve, I was out. "We won't have anything to do with you if you don't kill him" "Bitch don't tell me what to do. I can walk to Elewen tomorrow and go 'The blades are here, go get 'em.' You're just lucky I like you more than the Thalmor. Now shut up and follow your oath to serve me."

[@eriklakeland3857]

I’d love to threaten Delphine with the Thalmor, especially after sapping her armor rating with Marked for Death. Her and Esbern are insufferable

[@somenitrogenconsumer8859]

@@eriklakeland3857 nah, I agree delphine is shit but don’t bad mouth the old guy. At least he is more reasonable and temperate about the situation. Only if he was the one to answer to and not delphine 😭

[@matthewlarsen4742]

@@somenitrogenconsumer8859 I agree I always found him to be reasonable and possibly able to forgive him if he actually met him. Plus he apologizes for Delphine and actually was interesting and knowledgeable. Still would kill Delphine if I could tho.

[@thomasennis6289]

You are the master and they are their to serve you?

[@somenitrogenconsumer8859]

@@thomasennis6289 yeah, blades are obliged to serve the dragonborn

[@42Halfpint]

After all these years of playing, I finally set my mind to run no mods and actually finish the story...and thats the ending I got. Awesome

[@Dimicey]

Who the hell kills Paarthurnax!???

[@narosedraconis2424]

Blades: Kill the dragon before it returns to its roots. Dragonborn: I'm also a dragon, so why haven't you killed me? Blades: error, can not understand.

[@macggnore]

Tbf, Paarthunax was like the Darth Vader of dragons-- he was 2nd in command behind Alduin and acted as the enforcer.

[@Khaore]

Parthurnax earned his redemption eons ago. If it weren't for him there would be only dragons. The fact that after eons he still fights his inner self just shows his level of determination, as well as prove that one can become good throught great effort. I would rather have a peaceful dragon than two stubborn dragon boomers.

[@ReverieNightengale]

Love how accurate "two stubborn dragon boomers" is. Seriously, I have not and never will betray my best boy Parthurnax.

[@ShadeDergon97]

This sums up my thoughts pretty well, along with the other statements that Delphine and Esbern are traitors to the Blades because their oath states that they swear fealty to the Dragonborn, yet they refuse to help until you kill Paarthurnax. That being said, there is a single argument I've seen for killing him that I want to debunk, in that if you don't kill him and he does eventually lose that fight against his inner self after you've died of old age or whatever, he'd more or less become the new Alduin, and cause all sorts of trouble across Tamriel. The issue I have with that theory is that you don't need a Dragonborn to kill Paarthurnax. Any shmuck with a weapon can kill a dragon, it was only Alduin that needed a Dragonborn to kill him, because only they could learn Dragonrend and have their Voice match the strength of a dragons. We even see an example of non-dragonborns killing dragons, during the flashback using the Elder Scroll, you see two ancient nordic heros - both of whom aren't dragonborn - kill a dragon, with one of them mentioning having killed *four* dragons that day. They didn't even use a shout to aid in killing them, just standerd weapons. So even if Paarthurnax *did* return to his nature, you'd have the Greybeards right there to stop him, along with any other skilled warriors that are still alive and around. In fact, the Greybeards may serve two roles with regards to Paarthurnax if you follow this line of reasoning; Paarthurnax helps teach them the Thu'um, and in return, they help Paarthurnax combat his nature - and if he fails that fight, are there to stop him before he gets too far out of control.

[@Khaore]

@@ShadeDergon97 Exactly. And lets be real here. If Paarthurnax hadn't such a strong determination, he would have gone berserk long ago. He's gone through so much effort to redeem himself that I doubt he would ever fall to his dragon urges. And even if he did, he would provably just go relieve some stress against some trolls and regain his senses (not even dragons are made of stone... maybe gargoyles). The blades are completly blind and hypocritical. They either listen to the dragonborn or they extinguish their order because of their stuck up attitude. With the dragonborn backing them up, they could get more volunteers and be safe from the Thalmor, but nooo... killing the dragon that helped humans is so much better.

[@Khaore]

@@ReverieNightengale Welcome to the club. I wish there was an official way to slap Esbern and Delphine to see reason and shut up about killing Parthurnax. The blades should defend Skyrim from attacking dragons, not dragons that would try not to cause distruction.

[@ShadeDergon97]

That's another good point; at the end of the day, without the Dragonborn acting as the face of the Blades (or their mascot, or whatever), they're not gonna get many, if *any* new recruits; either because the new recruits either realize how hypocritical the current members are, or they'd fear being attacked by the Thamor or whatever, or they'd just ignore the Blades since they hold no power - not even as dragonslayers. Meanwhile, if they did listen the Dragonborn, they'd have a powerful (both physically and metaphorically) icon to get others to join.

[@matthewlarsen4742]

In my opinion, one of the best mods would be one where you could deny the quest and speak with Esbern about meeting Paarthunax. Then help him become a greybeard or something and really just bring people to expand High Hrothgar and have an actual influence on the world by bringing some followers there like, Serana to help her with her past and being a vampire and Aela for the same reason. Something I've wanted since I saw the blades' ability to expand it. I also want this for the CoW and Companions. And maybe the Thieves Guild and Brotherhood.

[@matthewlarsen4742]

Or one that after this Esbern starts a Blades that is like the historic one. I think that would be really fun.

[@dylantorres-brown3718]

​@@matthewlarsen4742Parthurnaax dilemma mod gives you the option to tell Delphine to fuck off and deal with it. And still use the Blades

[@Cybernaut76]

@@dylantorres-brown3718 Alternate twist mods such as that and No to Nocturnal are well needed for this game. I dont want to act like a major fool just for the sake of replay.

[@mrghost3088]

There should be an option to intimidate the blades. They're supposed to serve you after all. Or at least have the option of turning against them, should they forget their place. I hate those enemies who you can bring to the verge of death, but you can't finish them off. I also refuse to kill someone who helped me so much.

[@Thoralmir]

There is a mod that does just that: "The Parthunax Dilemma."

[@ryanhenderson225]

Not killing Parthanax puts the player in the same position as Parthanax. That nature to destroy is always there. We as players kill and destroy as a part of the basic game loop. When Parthanax says his line about overcoming evil nature every day, it also relates to the player (the most powerful thing in Skyrim). If you don't kill him, you have to face the quest to do so every time you play, and must overcome your own nature to destroy

[@letrongtin1535]

I don't know how, but since I talked with Paarthurnax about the Blade want me to kill him and lead to his famous quote about overcome evil nature, the quest disappeared. It is not the case the quest is failed, if it is it will remain in the finished quest, just failed, but here the quest is no more, like it's not even exist in the first place

[@ryanhenderson225]

@@letrongtin1535 WELL THEN... Congratulations you are pure of heart and don't have to overcome your evil nature I guess xD

[@snakevenom4954]

One good deed doesn't redeem someone. But one bad one is enough to damn them for eternity. -Me. Paarthurnax isn't a perfect being. But, he saved the world as we know it. To me, he's earned one more chance

[@mackavelli968]

one of the best analysis ive ever seen 😢

[@ricardovleerlaag1260]

@@letrongtin1535 if you ignore quests and keep playing they sometimes disappear from the journal. if you play long enough

[@antondavidovic3996]

Parthurnaax - actually did his best to change and become good. Blades - "If you don't do what we say, we won't be your friends anymore!" Yeah, the choice of letting him live was easy for me...

[@bennypatrick6535]

Blades: Do it or we arent your friends anymore! Me: *Its not like I never wanted you as my friend in the first place*

[@BlueGhostofSeaside]

​@@bennypatrick6535Lol my Dragonborn and Delphine were always prickly with each other. "You better start explaining. Fast." "i dOnT owE yOu nOtHIng i cOUlD hAve kiLlED yoU wHeN yOu wAlKEd iN!1" Ah, the start of a beautiful 'friendship'... Esborn is awesome though. His only fault is agreeing with Delphine on killing Partysnax.

[@thecockdepartment2543]

@@BlueGhostofSeaside bro delphine will tell the FULL EBONY ARMOR DRAGONBORN WITH A DAEDRIC SWORD TAHT DEALS 117 DAMAGE + 15 FIRE DAMAGE. that she couldve killed me when i walked in

[@xceryxdemurstra6323]

Your comment for the blades was perfect, and I even read it with that snotty tone and mannerisms of somebody who thinks they're better then you lmao

[@xceryxdemurstra6323]

@@BlueGhostofSeaside same. I never liked Delphine. Even after you tell her, "yes I'm dragonborn, I absorbed a soul and now can shout" she's just "yeah still don't believe you let's go kill another so you can prove it" like b**ch you're a total stranger, why should I have to prove anything to you?

[@samcoulter1770]

Bro, imagine killing Parthanax

[@mattanderson7160]

Only went through the main questline once, but i knew that keeping Paarthurnax was essential. The blades were truly evil for wanting Paarthurnax gone and were set in their old ways of holding discriminatory views of dragons.

[@morrisl123]

No matter the play through No matter the character From Arch Mage to Companion Nightingale to Listener From Vampire Lord to Dawnguard commander An Oblivion Walker to a Vigilant of Stendarr Paarthunax has always been there to aid I’m my journey. No matter the life, he’s been there to share his wisdom Paarthunax is a true friend Through all these years, I never kill Paarthunax Never have… and never will

[@edguillotine7704]

Cringe

[@saiyanamek298]

@@edguillotine7704 shut up

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

I always killed him

[@Elenoar19]

@@edguillotine7704 kid

[@delta_bravo956]

But what if you roleplay a despicable character? That's when I do it (or the character does it)

[@ObjectiveX]

I’ve killed Paarthunax once since I started playing the game, just to see what happened after the fact and how everyone reacted…I felt so bad that I reloaded my last save an hour before just so he’d be alive again

[@ChefVoid]

@Wingardium Elviossa now time for me to download it 😂

[@secondarytrollaccount]

I think I did that too

[@SuperMegaWoofer3000]

Me too 😅

[@isvaraov]

Same and i was younger but i never killed him again.

[@floppymcflop5427]

They even make the bonuses super fukin good like devs were begging for you to kill the only good dragon

[@madisoncurrie18418]

There is a lot of stuff you can do in Skyrim that’s “bad” but killing Parturnax has to be the worst

[@Wenvolt]

Great Video after playing this game over 11yrs I didn't know about this ending!! I've not killed him plenty of times just never talked to the gray beards about it! 😮

[@Zictive]

I have played over 1000 hours of skyrim at this point. Playing different characters, races, backstories, modded, unmodded. Each playthrough being as unique as the last. The only thing in common among all my saves is I have NEVER killed paarthurnax once, even for curiosity lmao.

[@charcharrockzxboxpc3164]

That's what the internet's for, really

[@Merilirem]

@@charcharrockzxboxpc3164 I haven't even looked up what happens if I do kill him. Its one of if not the only thing I do not know about Skyrim.

[@squill40]

@@Merilirem ill give you a clue: he dies 😱

[@squill40]

post first run there was nothing unique about your playthroughs. stop the cap

[@lokibumorow1420]

I think i will never be able to kill cicero for my case

[@TheKazSong]

An interesting note to add is that Odahviing states, after your return from Sovangarde, that he wishes Paarthurnax luck, but doubts that the rest of the dragons will easily join "the tyranny of the Way of the Voice". When I first heard this, I didn't think anything of it, but the more I thought about it, the more fascinated I was in why he said "tyranny". The "Way of the Voice" is supposed to be all about peace and yet a dragon states that it isn't at all. It makes me feel like Paarthurnax has maybe somehow convinced the Greybeards that he is a good dragon but in reality he is another Alduin, in the sense of wanting control, ready to happen. Perhaps Odahviing can tell Paarthurnax's true intentions, his latent wanting of power and control, coming out. Im not trying to justify Paarthurnax's death, but it is something to take into mind when deciding how you want to go.

[@Chokopakalock]

No, it more about their nature and what they think is normal, for dragons using their voices, being seen as a god, and do what ever they want to those mortals... Its in there blood and thats what they want. Its like those vegans, imagine a vegans forcing you to never eat meat? Don't you hate it? Dont you think its tyranny... Unless you're already a vegan 😅

[@Sam-ue4uj]

Old comment but I still wanna respond lol I think that Odahviing is calling the Way of the Voice tyranny just because it's all about peace and pacifism, which is the opposite of what a dragon wants to do since they're all about domination. So even though its a good thing that lets people and dragons coexist and be peaceful, the dragons probably would hate that and consider it tyranny. I have no idea if I explained this well at all, but that's just what I think

[@d1nodray]

@@Sam-ue4uj No, no, he's got a point.

[@thedukeofmech5425]

A core memory has reawakened in my mind. Thank you

[@maxcapone3957]

I’ve never killed Paarthurnax and never will. Without his love for humanity, there would have been no chance at all. Long live Paarthurnax! Long live our dragon brethren!

[@honkgoose2985]

Dragonity

[@korywormington4036]

I’ve killed him on every play through, he’s just an NPC

[@92ospe11]

@@korywormington4036 You're an NPC

[@xROMPERSTOMPERx]

I killed him and enjoyed it. I wanna do it over and over again. Slay all them dragons. Long live DEEZ NUTZ

[@juca9991]

​​@@xROMPERSTOMPERx did i ever tell you what the definition of insanity is ?

[@kaeyaishorny123]

“What is better: to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?” ~ and I decided to not kill him

[@LionBlood]

Yah that was a philosophical line I was not expecting in a video game. It really made me think

[@neowolf09]

Legit that line made me say nope not doing it. Not once in any playthrough

[@mariomartins261]

@@LionBlood It's kind of funny that it was also delivered by Super Mario's voice actor.

[@seanbrown4706]

@@LionBlood that line was the reason I killed him, I don't need morality in a game, I'm here to destroy.

[@amirulasyrafsahrom3776]

@@seanbrown4706 wow cool badass

[@jeremyduncan4612]

the best option to always get this ending is to get the partysnaxx dilemma mod

[@MrBaldypete1]

I've killed Paarthurnax so many times and felt bad about it on every one. Thanks for the vid man. I know what this current playthrough needs me to do to make it right!

[@Trojan_Duck]

Now that I am 20 years old, that quote hits different, “ is it better to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort” my god this game was actual art

[@genostellar]

Yes, it's interesting how differently we view the idea of good and evil when we are children vs. when we are adults.

[@V1489Cygni]

Just keep in mind that something doesn't have to be "objectively evil to any and all observers including itself" in order to be incompatible with sometjing else. Smallpox wasn't out to eat children while twirling it's mustache maniacally. It's not comming for us because we were anathema to it. It was simply following it's nature. An asteroid comming towards earth wouldn't be acting with evil intentions. Or any intention at all. Some things are just "mutually exclusive". If a virus' nature is to infect, even if that'll kill, we get it first. If the laws of physics are guiding that meteor here, we get it first. If a dragon's nature is to oppress, even if that'd kill, we get it first. Not because _we_ are the ones that set out to be the vilains of the story but because oppression and death are incompatible with free, living people The lack of one objective, universal truth, or the presence of several subjective viewpoints doesn't mean they're all mutually inclusive, or even compatible

[@michaelgrant6032]

"Ignorance is bliss" as its said.

[@Luckmann]

Wow, if you think this game is art, wait until you play a game that's actually good!

[@genostellar]

@@Luckmann You have some high standards for what's good. I mean, I'm not going to call Skyrim art (outside of the technical sense), but it is a good game. There's some actual crappy games out there that don't care at all. Most games fall into the 'good' category these days, or worse. Games better than skyrim are nice, but they are rare gems that should not be held as a standard.

[@ashadowborne1330]

My argument for NOT killing Paarthurnax (and I wish I could code so I could make a mod for this) is that, on my very first playthrough, I actually READ all those plaques littered along the path to High Hrothgar. I won't cut and paste the writings but the gist of it is that Kynne saw both how men suffered and that Paarthurnax wanted to help them and so she approached him and asked him to teach humans how to use the thuum. As far as I'm concerned, a divinity asking someone to get involved speaks volumes to their character.

[@hughmann9568]

Reread those plaques. 🤣🤣 He is no hero and "being good" after torturing murdering and enslaving millions isn't enough.

[@TheAmazingL1nk3rz]

There is indeed a mod for sparing parthurnax, I cannot recall its name but in the mod you go to delphine and essentially scare the shit out of her using a mixture of English and dragon speech to end the quest without killing anyone

[@justinmagee2203]

Stop wishing and learn this skill it is ez as everything is ez once u learn the basix. Where to start? Seek and ye shall find and this is true for anything u seek I simply hope your ambitions are pure and not used for wicked intentions my friend.

[@ashadowborne1330]

@@hughmann9568🙄 I have, I suggest you do the same. I've taken the liberty of C&P from the UESP site so you can brush up on your lore - Emblem IV should prove to be of particular interest. Emblem I - Before the birth of men, Dragons ruled all mundus. Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs. For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land. Emblem II - Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus. The Dragons presided over the crawling masses. Men were weak then, and had no Voice. Emblem III - The fledgling spirits of me were strong in Old Times. Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voices. But the Dragons only shouted them down and broke their hearts. Emblem IV - Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man Together they taught Men to use the Voice Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue Emblem V - Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the world Proving for all that their Voice too was strong Although their sacrifices were many-fold Emblem VI - With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquer Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World Emblem VII - The Tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled Jurgen Windcaller began His Seven Year Meditation To understand how Strong Voices could fail Emblem VIII - Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned The 17 disputants could not shout Him down Jurgen the Calm built His home on the Throat of the World Emblem IX - For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgar They blessed and named him Dohvakiin Emblem X - The Voice is worship Follow the Inner path Speak only in True Need

[@pepegaclapper4567]

@@hughmann9568 Shut up Delphine

[@cryptikz15]

when i first played the game, i killed Paarthurnax because i thought thats what i was supposed to do, and now that i actually understand the game, i feel bad for that first playthrough… 😔

[@d1nodray]

Just finished my first playthrough, I personally wanted to put a greatsword through delphine's skull for her insane request. I never realized why people hated delphine until right then, and I hated her as much as everyone else at that exact moment.

[@Firebird-he3sz]

Delphine: We have nothing to talk about until Paarthurnax is dead. Dragonborn: *FUS DO RAH*

[@MisterJoshuaTree]

The way Christopher Plummer delivers the line "Begone! Before even MY philosophy is tested beyond the breaking point. We are men of peace, and you are not." Gives me fucking chills every time. The Greybeards are so fucking cool.

[@enderfire3379]

fun fact: if you just dont kill Parthuunax then the quest will disappear by itself

[@lupuskeenway8866]

Wait is this true

[@foxymaster87]

I beated the main story and the dlcs with Parthuunax alive and the quest is still active

[@enderfire3379]

@@foxymaster87 strange. it dissapeared for me. the wiki also says that it should dissapear

[@knightr0685]

@@enderfire3379 Do you play with mods?

[@nightshroud9671]

@@enderfire3379 Same

[@KainCarthyst]

I've killed him once, but it was much after I killed Alduin. I never realized there was another ending without talking to Paarthurnax

[@GaloreInfernoLionGaming]

I do know of a different option it's abandoning the blades Quest at the right time before they even ask about Paarthurnax and all of that you have to avoid them completely after the "so called" peace treaty and then the Paarthurnax Quest won't pop up then of course you lose the blades but I'm okay with that just make sure you grab blades stuff after you first find Alduin's Wall or wait until you get to the right level so dragonsbane is worth having that's up to you

[@OsuchinRiberu]

If you wait long enough after he talks to you and flys off. The dragon that flew you to the temple to take the portal to fight Alduin, will arrive and have dialogue with you as well. He basically tells you that you can summon him whenever and that he respects your thuum. BUT also says that majority of the dragons will not follow Paarthurnax and will denounce his teachings regardless. I thought it was kinda interesting. On one of my play throughs, I used that as my “reason” to kill him, because I wanted to explore the blades quest line (which is so unrewarding and not worth killing Paarthurnax.)

[@schteusciarrotta6433]

Yeah, and also I have always found his first sentence in that speech: "Paarthurnax's Voice Tiranny is not that different from Alduin at the end" (dunno the original english since I play in my language) very funny

[@MrFantocan]

@@schteusciarrotta6433 Yep, for Ohdaviing Paarthurnax is a tyrant like Alduin, just one wanted power and the other peace, and in Ohdaviing's mind it is both opressing, as being a DRAGON peace and compassion must be extremelly hard, and need a lot of self control.

[@thegametroll6264]

I love that if you receive the quest to kill him and completely ignore it until you kill alduin it doesn't show up in your quests anymore. Parthranax is one of my favorite characters of all time. Never in ten long years of playing skyrim have I lifted sword or sorcery against him.

[@Little-She-Devil]

I think parturnax is actually the good guy and the blades are the evil ones. Ive never killed him. And when I got bend will shout I don’t kill any dragons just as a curtesy and fellow dove.

[@TRafael82]

I did one time but regretted it right away.

[@slinkyslink5161]

@@Little-She-Devil the blades are definitely not evil. Delphine is a bit unpleasant but the blades are good. The player characters of Morrowind and Oblivion become members of the order.

[@Little-She-Devil]

@@slinkyslink5161 well maybe they are not truly evil. But they aren’t very morally good in Skyrim. They literally say: you are either with us or against us.

[@slinkyslink5161]

@@Little-She-Devil wanting to kill paarthurnax isn't evil. It's something you could reasonably argue against doing but there is reason behind their stance towards him.

[@roridaniel8938]

What’s crazy is that after getting into their little hq, I never even had the conversation with them about killing him. I just kept going without even knowing he was meant to die

[@HilohaGaming]

so i chose the right ending by following my heart and love for this amazing character

[@Zarvain]

This is why I downloaded the mod to bypass killing him by tell the Blades to get in line and obey their oath or you'd shout them to Oblivion. Then I still ignored them for the rest of the game and just left them to rot in the cave as I am to sickened by them. Only other mod I have ever used is the alternate start, at least i got use out of it. =)

[@chriss____]

Where?

[@MarioFlynnCr33]

Can I have this mod

[@deadeyedarwin]

@@MarioFlynnCr33 Parthanax dilemma, I'm pretty sure it's available on pc and console.

[@deadeyedarwin]

@@chriss____Parthanax Dilemma. Nexus mods and a few others I'm sure, I Think it's available on console too.

[@joshuahardee8837]

That's one thing that always bugged me in Vanilla Skyrim. It's not just the Blades. You aren't really the LEADER of any of the factions, you're just their number one hatchet man. You don't get to order minions around or change policies. Delphine telling me the Blades were basically created to serve the Dragonborn and then basically treating me like her number one gopher always ticked me off.

[@drewholmstrom8340]

I never seemed to notice this before, but if you look at Parthurnax's and Alduin's wing shapes, Parthurnax's are shaped like angel wings and Alduin's like demon wings

[@joeyabraham9159]

ive seen something similar in ff14 with hraesvelgr and niddhog

[@anontwentytwo1380]

@@joeyabraham9159 ewwwww that's a nasty weeb game

[@jackelss5853]

@@anontwentytwo1380 thats like saying Wow is a toxic neckbeard game

[@Okarabouzouklis]

@@jackelss5853 what's wow?

[@jackelss5853]

@@Okarabouzouklis look it up

[@bambangbudiprayetno2701]

Delphine: "All dragon must be extinct, including Parturnax" Dragonborn: "Well.. you're also realized that me too.. is half dragon right? So in the end you're gonna kill me too, right?" Delphine: 👀

[@animalcrossing7475]

i wish that paarthunax gave you a counter quest to kill delphine

[@d1nodray]

same

[@neowolf09]

In all my playthroughs even the most evil of one's that destroyed cities for fun, I could never kill big P. He never did me wrong, not once, and helped to end the reign of big A.

[@jesseleeshoemakerjr5461]

Right. After my first heroic playthru years back, every subsequent playthru I have been legit evil. I make all the horrible choices. I kill Braith's parents just so she's sent to honorhall orphanage... she is more annoying than Nazeeem. I murder Aerin because he's a cringe loser, and I laugh when Mjoll discovers his body. I marry the psycho girl from the first Dark Brothehood quest... and I make her a vampire. I choose the Stormcloaks because I can't stand Ulfric Stormcloak and his victory, with his idiot Jarls, only ensures the Thalmor will conquer Skyrim. ...but I NEVER kill Paarthanax. I'm not scum.

[@carolynchurch4642]

And this is why I got the parthurnax quest expansion, it lets parthurnax live and you basically get to tell the baldes: stfu, the baldes serve the dragonborn, and I am the dragonborn, and I say let him live, if you got a problem with that then just go to oblivion!

[@chuckhouse5179]

Take them to a cliff and tell them to Fus off lol.

[@mirceazaharia2094]

That was the mod that made me want to mod this game. Such a pity that it was damn near impossible for me to do it. But now, years later, there's a few new mod managers I haven't tried. Time to try again.

[@itsnei6711]

After n years I still love this game and up until now I haven't finished it. lmao.

[@everythingsalright1121]

"The past doesn't equal the future. It can be easy to judge someone that way, but it doesn't always lead to the truth."

[@dolofonosesostrefis]

First time the blades told me to do this I was doing an Assassin run... Never give someone with the ability to instantly kill you an ultimatum. *ESPECIALLY* in a hidden cave no one knows about and only said Assassin can access.

[@onepunchsaitama5081]

Wait a minute. You can kill Delphine?! I've always thought she was an essential NPC.

[@huyhoangnguyensy5058]

@@onepunchsaitama5081 you can use console commands to make those two bitches inessential

[@dolofonosesostrefis]

@@onepunchsaitama5081 well she was at one point, after telling me to kill Paarthurnax I found this little console command that just so happens to remove essential NPC's invincibility. Unrelated: Delphine and Esburn suddenly had acute heart failure and passed away shortly after...

[@Cheesercake]

@Bri. F. Someone else commented that there's actually a mod for that!

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

It’s really weird how you never get a chance to sort out the Blades one way or the other. It’s like the game just assumes they sit there with empty threats at their designated commander and then nothing happens between them again.

[@caseygray2328]

I love the mod where it lets you do something similar to the greybeards and use your shout on the Blades telling them that they will follow your lead and follow YOUR orders, not demand shit like Parturnax's death

[@surreal9583]

Whats the mod name

[@kivimik]

@@surreal9583 There are a few. I've used two. One is "The Paarthurnax Dilemma." I'm currently using "Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion."

[@Cheesercake]

I quite the game many years ago because I refused to kill Parthanax but also refused to play on without all the cool stuff the blades give you... This mod is perfect!!

[@TaurusTheCrazyBull]

I would love to tell them "The Blades were founded to protect and listen to the Dragon Born, not order them around, so either listen to what I say or admit you aren't Blades"

[@rebeccalambert3240]

I mean I have Bend Will for a reason xD

[@franksn6647]

This made me cry 🥹

[@itsbruce6305]

I installed a mod that has multiple quest lines within it. Convinced the blades that paarthurnax is good and still the blades provide service for you. Brings a bit of a new perspective to the blades

[@simontmn]

I've never had the slightest temptation to kill Paarthunax.

[@chaisekarateka5254]

Me neither friend He simply doesn't deserve to die

[@Lusyphel]

I never killed Parthurnax but in this last line, you can sense his natural thirst for domination when he's speaking of dominate dragons under his will. He is not evil, no one is truly evil in the TES universe. But he still a dragon. Funny enough, when I finished the game and saw that I were the leader of every guilds of the whole province, I realised that the dragonborn being technically a dragon, he is wired for domination too.

[@scorp8576]

Technically it’s a good way of using his thirst for domination, basically his followers will be that way through being peaceful

[@Lusyphel]

@@scorp8576 I think too, but let's not forget that Parthuurnax haven't erased his pulsions, he still is fighting against it. Someday he could lower his defenses for some reasons and be back to his old self.

[@praxiann7615]

@@Lusyphel it's not a curse or something, I think you mean his temptation much like how a vegetarian may crave meat

[@_spooT]

not really. Dominating is one thing. to lead is another. never confuse the two. The dragonborn was always destined to be a leader, not only in skyrim, but to all races. He is even the rightful heir to the Imperial throne. Even the current emperor knew that very well.

[@Lusyphel]

@@praxiann7615 no it's different. Dragons are naturally wired to dominate. For a dragon to repress his nature it would more be like a carnivorous animal that refuse to eat meat even if his instinct told him that he must

[@Thebros4356]

Using the beautiful power mods it actually give me and new mission if i select the spare option where i can either kill the blades or put myself in power over them

[@I.Odnamra]

12 years later and Paarthurnax still lives in my world. It makes sense to kill him but I will not.

[@MegaJacko4]

My reasoning was "if Parthunaax ever steps out of line, I will deal with him then. But until that day arrives if you want to kill Parthunaax Delphine, you will have to go through me. I am the Dragonborn, I answer to no one!"

[@V1489Cygni]

But do you recruit someone else to keep an eye on him after you die or is the immortal-being-to-thom-time-is-meaningless off the hook if he can wait around a few decades? And _are_ you going to follow him around? Or just hoping that middle ages CNN will be around to report in real time on what's he doing anywhere in the globe, even on different continents people in Tamriel literally know nothing about? I do get the last part though. You'd think _the_ dragonslayers would fall in line behind *the* dragonslayer when he's finally facing off against THE dragon specially after being uncerimoniously fired by the non dragonslayers that turned them into glorified bodyguardd, but no. "fIrSt YoU nEeD tO pRoVe YoU'rE wItH uS"

[@MACE_HINDU]

There is a mod that seems to bring back cute out voice lines that makes it to where you can force the blades to not kill him and basically forces the quest along so you can rebuild the blades and keep parthanax alive its one of the best mods because I'm not going to ever kill him rather wipe out the blades

[@deadeyedarwin]

Those lines were added by the mod, there's a voiced version too.

[@facundomontivero2299]

They're not cut voiced lines. It's spliced audio.

[@shalizzle793]

Those aren’t cut voice lines. They’re made up.

[@jitsuzombie2549]

Forgot about the Blades after Alduin's Wall and completed the main quest without them. Didn't even know killing Paarthunax was an option.

[@Savipra]

Damn, just watching this made me cry in 2023. Skyrim is a masterpiece, and I can’t state that enough.

[@inuyasha0413]

They need to, after saying that you won't kill him to Arngeir, give you the option to kinda scare the blades, as a simple reminder that The Greybeards, even though they're not as powerful as the DragonBorn, can still kill anyone with just a whisper, and make the mountain shake, and rattle all around them

[@moethelester-un9vk]

There's a mod for this. The Paarthurnax Dilemma, it's so much more satisfying than the original.

[@randyrandom3358]

​@@moethelester-un9vkwhat's it about? Does the Dragonborn absolutely bitch slap Delphine? Do they have voicelines?

[@romeoalpasthor5187]

Oh no, the Graybeard's voice is far stronger than the level the Dragonborn ever reaches in the game. They know and practice the voice, meditate over it.

[@randyrandom3358]

@@romeoalpasthor5187 in what source?

[@romeoalpasthor5187]

@@randyrandom3358 Arengir is the only Graybeard that is still able to speak while keeping his voice low. Even while whispering "dovakhiin" the other Graybeards shake up their environment. They also can shout so loud and yet so clear that we hear them calling us up to the mountain while we are at Whiterun.

[@Ulysses626]

I've played through this game at least 4 times. I didn't even realize there were other ending besides the one with Paarthurnax. He's the entire reason you are able to defeat alduin in the first place.

[@sejithevoid2059]

I didn't even realise there was an option to kill him. I got to the end of the game after the "good" ending and went online. "did you kill Paarthernax?!!" im like wait.. wtf!

[@JohnDoe-id8si]

Yeah... I didn't realize this was an option, I thought the blade temple was cool and all by ole parthy is one of the boys.

[@GreenBastard646]

Ole parthy is indeed one of the boys. Ride or die with that muhfucka

[@greycegordon1597]

I never thought there is another options. Man, i am at peace right now

[@pucknorris3473]

If you kill party snacks You get a super sick a**, radient quest. Where you bring 4 of the blades you recruit to word walls and fight dragons as a squad! Plus the blessing.

[@rndmpinkiepie64]

I can't kill him. He's redeemed himself by helping others

[@winzlow125]

I didn’t want to kill Paarthurax, but as I began using my bound bow, he wouldn’t die. His HP would refill and he wouldn’t move so I said whatever and fast travelled to whiterun. Once I get there I get a message that he died and Miraak stole a soul. So now my game is bugged and about 25% of the time when I fast travel Paarthurax’s skeleton shows up on top of me to remind me of my actions

[@transcendsall]

What a curse

[@elvenalonly]

Literally haunted by past actions.

[@genostellar]

Wow, that's pretty freaky.

[@krankkid7394]

Good. The game gave you what you deserved 😂

[@barthonisgiantslayer5208]

Is it really bugged though, or just reminding you that you're a murder hobo and need to change your ways? 😛

[@marianomaza8941]

In the main quest you are given the option to go talk with the greybeards instead of the blades. That what I did. I never had to kill paarthunax as I never will. Id rather kill those crazy fanatics.

[@silverrealm2945]

Ok, so I am still learning the lore. Played skyrim to completion a while back, but just finished the first tutorial cave in oblivion for the first time. If the Blades are the Emperor's guards, and the dragons are allied with the Emperor, what changed? The Emperor and he line ended, but how did the Blades come to hate dragons and serve the dragonborn?

[@TheZamaron]

Paarthurnax is a trope I love in fiction. Someone who's done evil due to the society they are from, but through 1 reason or another has to be accepted as an ally, often because an almost extinction level threat is at hand and allying together it the only chance to survive. my favorites being the Arbiter from Halo, and Mithraax from Destiny, both were from an alien race that began a war with Humanity, a war of extermination where pretty much everyone of that faction wanted Humanity dead, but through their experiences saw that allying with Humanity was the only way both groups would survive what is coming. They did horrible things you could never forgive them for, but I'd say they are atoning for in some way by becoming wiser and changing, each build a new faction for their people ad allies to Humans, and go on to face any new threats together. Paarthurnax was evil because that was normal for Dovah, but he eventually saw Alduin's evil and allied to Humanity, since banishing Alduin through time he became the leader of the Greybeards and through them taught many Humans the Thuum, then when Alduin returns in ES5 Skyrim he allies with and teaches the Dragonborn. If he was still evil he's had thousands of years to attempt to conquer the world. He could have made the Greybeards his own Dragon Cult. He could have made these guys powerful warriors to conquer the world for him, but he didn't. He built up the Greybeards as a group for peace and non violence unless necessary.

[@CountryMetal01]

Except when you're viewed as a Racist

[@TheZamaron]

@@CountryMetal01 Ok you really didn't need to bring race into this.

[@CountryMetal01]

@@TheZamaron except RAce is in it

[@TheZamaron]

@@CountryMetal01 Oh right. I did mention race, my bad.

[@tarheelpro87]

When I heard you mention Arbiter I knew you were a man of culture

[@illusiongmroxas4742]

I happen to have not killed parthanax but not due to morals or storyline. When I happened to be talking with him a weird glitch occurred where his body contorted and he slowly and surely disappeared in the clouds. I think he went to the moon.

[@spartan7852]

He used the secret shout "disappear"

[@Quickstein]

A similar thing happened to me, but he just flew straight upward, spinning on his axis while ascending into the reaches of space. Or, as Space Core put it, SPAAAAAAAAACE!

[@Stella_Valentine]

​@@spartan7852nah, he use the ancient secret shout called Bath 'Es Da

[@brandonhuber7490]

Thank you for this

[@bradhedgehog12]

I hope I can still hunt for dragons. Even with Parthinaxx is spared. There Bones and scales are awesome to make my Dragon Weapons and Armor

[@lawliet617]

I actually accidentally got this path during my first play through All because of my habit of talking to every npc i encounter amd skipping dialogue Until my cousin asked me if i enjoyed the parthanax battle And it confused me because i never fought him I thought i made a mistake until i played it the second time this time reading the dialogues and glad that i didnt kill him

[@tortellinifettuccine]

Can I ask why you play like that? Is that fun? Never even knowing what you're doing, literally just mashing buttons is your gameplay basically. I'm not judging, I'm just asking because I have a few friends that do the same thing, and it seems very very unfun to me

[@charlescooper1664]

@@tortellinifettuccine some people love to smash dialogue button because killing enemies in main mission sometimes more fun and enjoyable than side mission. While people who want exclusive reward is more enjoyable in side mission.

[@gavinshirley]

@@tortellinifettuccine I spam the button on everything and quicksave before talking to them incase I did something bad, I also did things like what if I kill them, like the dark brotherhood mission where you have to kill 1 of 3 guys and I attacked the lady on the shelf and got a ending I never got before.

[@kobjgdewschucrvtubnkm]

@@tortellinifettuccine because I'm afraid that if i don't ill miss something, but still find it kinda boring to do so rush through it and end up missing stuff that way

[@burgessgamers298]

there's a mod called the Parturnax dilemma that I use basically let's me tell Delphine as Dragonborn I am in charge, an effect I like with it is when she argues it makes out you use your power (shaking camera ad sound effect) to intimidate her back into her place as your subordinate after that everything goes back to normal like she never brought it up in the first place.

[@Cheesercake]

I wish that existed when I rage quit the game all those years ago after refusing to pick a side!

[@Nukestarmaster]

Basically a mandatory mod for me. I don't mind moral dilemmas, just so long as they aren't forced on you by your insubordinate minions (yes, Delphine, that's what you are, a _minion_ ).

[@Roccondil]

Unfortunately, that mod is unvoiced, as far as I know, so you will need to have subs on (if you don't normally) to get through the dialog. There's another, Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion, that does a similar thing but gives Delphine and Esbern voices in response (using modified and edited voice clips, but for the most part the dialog feels fairly natural for what it is.)

[@angeleyes4us200]

Yes I have that. and i tell them off

[@Howlingburd19]

I will never kill a dragon who’s voiced by the same actor of Super Mario!!!

[@jamessnedeker4799]

Thank you. And thank you Charles for voicing two+ iconic characters.

[@glishev]

I've read some really good comments under this fine video. I agree that not killing Paarthurnax creates another layer of satisfaction within the game story. My own personal fanfic understanding of the lore is that eventually the Dragonborn and Paarthurnax reach an agreement. The Dragonborn becoming the unificator of humankind against the Thalmor and Paarthurnax gathering dragons through the Way of the Voice. At the end of the day, surviving dragons live on mountain peaks, hunting for beasts like bears and saber cats but choosing willingly not to attack humans. And humans choosing not to attack dragons. In a way, the dragons following the Way of the Voice become a part of a new society led by both the Dragonborn and Paarthurnax.

[@stancamp278]

Paarthurnax has always been one of my favorite characters, and remember the sense of sadness I felt the first time I heard him bid me farewell. I thought that was it, he was out of he game, and I would never see him again. What a relief it was to see him respawn the first time I returned. True, he didn't have much dialogue after that, but it was nice to know that I could return to the Throat of the World, and "visit him" whenever I wanted. I never killed him, and I never will. Oblivion take Dalphene and the rest of the Blades!

[@raymondraptorclaw2901]

He returns?? THANK AKATOSH!!! I was scared… the rest of his dialogue isn’t much, but it’s significant!

[@jerimiahbey5797]

Father Akatosh. My mentor. I became the 10th divine because of him. Paarthurnax used the way of the voice not to enslave,, but to teach and guide. Were it not for him? I wouldn't have defeated Alduin. To hell with the blades, I don't need them anyway

[@monkeyt2675]

I love how they refuse to serve us when we don’t kill Paarthurnax, like bitch i am the dragonborn YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE IS TO SERVE ME

[@eagleblue9039]

With Parthunax alive dragons appear by surprise, sometimes two or three attacking. He changes his nature or grows weak (at times) holding back.

[@Rawarart]

I quickly load previous save files after killing paarthurnax and talking with the greybeard, i was clueless and just do the quest. Never again

[@Machemik]

I have never killed Paarthurnax, and I actually discovered the dialog with Arngeir by accident. Paarthurnax is definitely my favorite character in the entire game 😊