Why You Should SAVE Barbas In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - A Daedra's Best Friend

In the Daedric quest 'A Daedra's Best Friend' the Dragonborn is faced with a choice: kill or spare Barbas. In this video I argue why you should save Barbas rather than kill him in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
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[@xarxesmora9738]

Ah yes my followers want a cure to vampirism here’s a cure, death -clavicus

[@xarxesmora9738]

I hope I did that sentence right

[@walkertexasranger7879]

@@xarxesmora9738 you did good

[@xarxesmora9738]

Chairdolf Sitler ok cool

[@urosbjelos8415]

*clears throat* ... while your sentence may be gramatically correct, lycanthrope refers to one being a werewolf, not a vampire.

[@Bob-bs9ok]

@@urosbjelos8415 he's referring to Haemar's Shame which has a coven of vampires worshiping Vile for a cure to vampirism, which is granted in the form of the dragonborn killing them

[@jeffbland375]

Whenever I played Skyrim, I would find Barbas and then never do his mission. Just have an immortal dog on your adventures, it's good fun, except when he blocks your way or pushes you off narrow bridges 😂😂😂

[@Cassiopea525]

Me too! He’s a great extra companion!

[@JoeEFV]

Me three !. An immortal dog is hard to top.

[@Nikioko]

And when he ruins your sneaking efforts.

[@Tall_Order]

Yeah a dog is always my favorite companion in all bethesda games. But they always have problems. Fallout 4's Dogmeat loves to run ahead of me and get grenaded... Someone should teach him not to fetch those. Its like; the moment I face any direction he runs off that way. I feel so bad for him I drag a dog house over to the sanctuary workshop so he can hang out with mamma murphy.

[@ChillExpressions]

Isnt all dogs immortal if u get them as companion in the game?

[@sebu6831]

"Skyrim is now host to giant, flying lizards and two legged catmen and youre suprised by me ?" I felt pretty stupid the moment he said that to me ...

[@shadysam7161]

He's got a good point ya definitely gotta agree with.

[@dragobane4728]

Kajeet would be normal, and dragons become the new norm. For role playing purposes it is weird to find a talking dog

[@otroweonllamadoseba]

@shortythecat Khajits are all the cats in Tamriel, the human form of them it's relatively new. And Dragons were death.

[@bonniefazman9065]

"... Would you believe it if I said 'yes'?"

[@goatslayer3160]

I'm surprised that line didn't make more people choose the axe. We all know what happens when an npc threatens Skyrim players' power fantasy. **cough Nazeem cough**

[@rango5537]

Avarti: explains why you should spare Barbas me: who wont finish the quest so i have a invincible dog as my companion

[@Karlos1234ify]

Same

[@jorkmorks]

plus you can have another companion at the same time

[@Cassiopea525]

Best doggo.

[@FallenShadowNinja]

You can't sneak with that fucker around though. He seeing you counts as being "Spotted" so stealth goes out the window.

[@Cassiopea525]

@@FallenShadowNinja True, but worth it.

[@qcumber6652]

I always see Clavicus as the devil on the shoulder while barbas is the angel.

[@dakidbiscuit624]

Therefore they should stay together

[@acrazyweeb7225]

@@dakidbiscuit624 tbf, Dogs are good boys…

[@HoundofOdin]

Clavicus Vile: What do you desire, mortal? Me: I wish for everything to be exactly how I want it all the time. Clavicus Vile:

[@Cassiopea525]

I desire an immortal canine companion! Clavicus Vile: ... well that makes things easy.

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

Well, obviously. Is anyone really going to argue against saving the doggo? Why would you do that?

[@fure745]

Probably Dio

[@NamelessKing1597]

@@fure745 you thought this was going to be another Skyrim lore video but it was me DIO!

[@44theshadow49]

Free food says the asian

[@-Banoffee]

@@fure745 *Sunbro Jonathan Wick has entered chat*

[@bonniefazman9065]

@@fure745 *summons Stand with bizarre intent*

[@thescarletcultist113]

One word: masque

[@skipee4589]

Mask youre not french ;)

[@AdmiralMcGravy]

@@skipee4589 what if they are though?

[@Franken5teinMadness]

Masque! J'ai le droit je suis français

[@callum5440]

Correction: Stonks

[@skipee4589]

Stein Les chemises de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches ? Ton temps têtu te tatoue. Lise et José, lisons ensemble et sans hésiter les usages des honnêtes indigènes de Zanzibar

[@nazzeem_4388]

Why you should save him? Easy the rueful axe is god awful

[@Ratiroth]

It's ashame to. The axe does look pretty dope

[@Gensolink]

@@Ratiroth i think that's the point. Clavicus basically robs you of a good artifact for listening to him and bargaining with him. He's not to be trusted and it shows in the quest rewards

[@supersaiyangoddess4293]

Just use amulets of Skyrim and you get a Ruthel axe amulet which makes it way faster.

[@zackattackr.p.g]

True that

[@supersaiyangoddess4293]

The mask is hidious and the axe is one of the best looking weapons in the vanilla game. And in 2020 most people playing Skyrim don't have money issues so the mask is obsolete.

[@horse_dog]

Why should you save him? The question you should be asking is why would you want the rueful axe?

[@brunoraoni]

True that, the only good thing about that axe is how it looks, the enchantment itself is rather shit

[@horse_dog]

TheRedHuskie I feel like most skyrim Daedric artifacts are rather weak compared to the other games, save Azura’s black star and mehrune’s razor

[@akumuryuu]

If you have Legacy of Dragonborn, you can put it in a museum at least. But you can just make its replica instead.

[@brunoraoni]

@@horse_dog I agree, Dawnbreaker was supposed to be an absolute undead killing machine, but you could build a much more powerful and multi-purpose weapon for that if you have the dawnguard DLC, you just need to craft a silver sword and enchant it with fire and sun damage and you basically have a werewolf/troll/undead killing monster sword. In general, most of the daedric artifacts in Skyrim are just for looks, Rueful axe suffers from that, it looks absolutely cool and would go well with the companion's steel armor but the enchantment is soo shit that is almost impossible to choose over the mask, despite, the mask itself looks fucking cool on the companion armors too.

[@LepidoliteMica]

@@brunoraoni The Rueful Axe isn't even mechanically a Daedric artifact, either.

[@Rekkenze]

Spare. I actually like the dude or dog... or demon... and it’s a little f’d up to kill someone who helps you. just for a weapon.

[@Nikioko]

Well, thats not the only such a choice in the game...

[@leenal-anzy9119]

*sweats in literally every other deadric lord i slaughtered innocent people for*

[@lionelpolo221]

I refuse to believe anymore who played Skyrim has clean hands

[@Nikioko]

@@lionelpolo221 So does anyone who played Elex.

[@NoLongerNeedThis]

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he sees the light. I trusted you, now you trust me." That last line from Barbas makes me happy in knowing that I did the right thing.

[@UntoldRelic]

I always take Barbas with me on a few quests when he becomes a follower. He's a good boy. Killing him has never crossed my mind in 9.5 years.

[@antoniocamacho4412]

I save Barbas because i would never kill a dog

[@banegas0411]

Yet barbas isnt a dog

[@GhoulSlayer_]

Meanwhile, the People Killed stat:

[@antoniocamacho4412]

@The CFG no one did😞

[@antoniocamacho4412]

@@GhoulSlayer_ that's different🤣

[@banegas0411]

@@antoniocamacho4412 if attack me i soul trap you on my lvl 109 i have 230+ filled black soul gems 500+ other filled soul gems

[@nimishagandhi6908]

The video in 5 words: He is a good boy Thanks to Altrantis I was able to correct it :D

[@Altrantis]

That's 5 words. The 's may be glued to the pronoun, but it's still a verb.

[@nimishagandhi6908]

@@Altrantis welp shit English isnt my first langage but thanks for the correction

[@Morbacounet]

The axe is the perfect exemple of Clavicus screwing the people who bargain with him.

[@brockmcintosh8003]

It would be cool if when you first retrieve the axe it is super powerful (at least on par or slightly better than other daedric weapons) and if you chose to keep it, it turned into the axe you use regularly. I feel like that really fits viles personality

[@shanetheivey]

I feel like your recommendations are usually so cutting edge and unexpected. Saving a dog is always a yes from me 😂

[@henrikpersson7279]

Next up: Why you should spare Paarthurnax. 🤣

[@shanetheivey]

@@henrikpersson7279 right 😂 "here's why this good idea is good"

[@notjimpickens7928]

barbus is lowkey the second best companion besides serana, i save him everytime because i can always just spawn in the mask later on anyway.

[@draccoonxcii1288]

That's the exact reason why I always spare him (aside from the masque being a better prize). Clavicus is a prince that REALLY should have a ball and chain on his foot.

[@Voicesinme]

Was expecting to hear something I missed from just playing the quest and while technically there was a little new info, I found this to be a 6min video with 30second content.

[@osiereyes5937]

All your videos are very well made, you’re very articulate and love your presentation!!

[@ToaOnichu]

I usually spare Barbas, but now I'm reconsidering after I learned about his role in granting Vile access to the Clockwork City (I've never played ESO, so that was news to me). Umbriel aside, Vile without Barbas is ultimately better for the mortals, since it seems the hound is smarter than his master, and a smart enemy is one to be feared.

[@mrgreen2769]

Wait until fanboys see Paarthanax as another evil Dragon. They boo hoo to save him while Paarthanax says straight to your face that it is in the nature of dragons to destroy. You cannot change the stripes on a tiger, it is in their dna to be what they are. Yes the Rueful axe sucks in terms of enchantments but design wise the Axe looks very nice.

[@DronesOverTheMoon]

Barbas is pretty much one of the few things stoping vile from causing another Dagon incident though, he was created with the sole purpose of bartering otherwise Clavicus would have gone nuts

[@IslandMan96]

So basically a god-like emotional support animal

[@shinybearevidra]

The first time I played it and I saw the offer I thought "no thanks, I'm more of a sword person".

[@krystof9826]

I've spared him and... nothing happened, he just kept vibing in the cave in his mortal form. I've still gotten the mask though.

[@vulcanitu2578]

Well he did almost kill Vivec and claim the Clockwork City. That makes him a dope doggo

[@Tre98th]

I feel like Clavicus Maphala and Pyrite would make a pretty dangeroud team if they put their minds together. Not a lot of raw power but a lot of plot power.

[@Onethirdless]

Well in ESO Vile, Mephala and Nocturnal team up for a bit...

[@Matt-md5yt]

I always save the pup, he is great.

[@Tall_Order]

I've always spared him. I know hes not a real dog but hes still a good boy.

[@bentilley747]

Better yet, why not just keep Barbus as my familiar or pet.

[@Zerum69]

It'd be a harder choice if the axe was on par with the other daedric weapons (or were even better) Malacath's Hammer is just a direct upgrade to the axe, more raw dmg, more attack speed, stronger and longer lasting enchantment If the axe had a unique dmg health and dmg stamina enchantment a normal swing speed and the dmg was on par with at least elven weaponry then it would be fair trade

[@victormanyeruke9997]

Clavicus Vile isn't known for fair trades tho, your meant to rue the day you fell for his bargain

[@thatswagguy8843]

One word: YOU DONT KILL DOGS

[@dootperfect6542]

Thats 4 words

[@thatswagguy8843]

That1Guy I was never good at math ok😔😔

[@fure745]

Dio has an Issue with this statement

[@kennykelly9735]

You don't have to convince me on this one I luv barbas

[@nerdykiwi981]

I don’t even have post notifications on and these videos show up at the top recommended when uploaded... *I HAVE GONE TOO FAR*

[@DavidJG242]

barbas on survival mode - pull me hair out to get that axe with no fast travel

[@Vman_95]

I recently encountered this quest, now he sticks with me everywhere I go, we even fought dragon together, and bunch of bounty contracts🔥

[@HeWhoHungers]

For some reason Barbas showed up to me in the middle of a dungeon while I was busy trying to sit a decapitated corpse down on a chair and make it look like it was holding a mug. I was... surprised.

[@elzueiromemes]

A immortal talking dog daedra and an artistic dunmer are perfect fit for my reformed dark brotherhood

[@dracofirex]

Or you could just leave the quest incomplete and have a permanent dog companion you can talk to and can't die.

[@Nikioko]

3:20: Well, Volsung also gevis you 20% better prices plus water breathing and its armor value can be enhanced. But the mask is still better than the axe.

[@idipped2521]

Clavicus Vile and Barbas are like Yin and Yang

[@ayeitburns1]

Why are Clavicus quests always about someone ELSE getting a cursed bargain, but you get a fetch quest with an easy choice of 2 unique items? I'd love a questline that sees the player as the victim of one of these cursed bargains, but ultimately triumphs by tricking Clavicus at his own game. - W R I T I N G -

[@jcorrance]

Just keep Barbas, he's invincible and a good distraction for dragons

[@arkanjoteixeira]

I saved Barbas because he's literally one of the coolest characters in the game.

[@zachcarpenter3903]

Of course you should save Barbus! He's pupper! Must protec!

[@bobfrancis123]

My deal was to get Barbas reunited with Vile. The only deal I made with Vile was to return the axe to him. I’ve always honored my deal with Barbas.

[@ShadowDragon-cw7wb]

Ah yes, my favorite exploitable immortal enemy attack magnet!

[@iank4028]

anybody else notice how clavicus vile is known for making pacts with people that sound enticing but the mortals involved always end up being disappointed or being tricked. when you make the pact with clavicus to kill barbas you get the axe but it turns out to be awful. i think the axe is intentionally awful because clavicus vile tricked you the same everybody else who enters a pact with him

[@martinbailey9961]

I love Avartis work, it's weird thou how different we play the game/ make decisions. Like we playing very very different games 🤔

[@mrrobovter4535]

I just started replaying Skyrim again and right now I wanted to finish this quest :D

[@deltaket6485]

Always spare. I wish there was a third option. We keep Barbas as a companion and keep the Axe.

[@zephyreagle]

As well as all the reasons you stated, the masque should be chosen because the rueful axe isn't counted for the oblivion walker achievement but the masque is counted

[@hullo8246]

You can get both if you have 2 words of the slow time shout, just use it at the correct time and you can put his masque ) in the chest behind him then fast travel to breeze home and put it on the rack

[@robertosilva2678]

I'm just sad that we can't pet the doggo ;-;

[@raw6668]

I do agree not killing Barbas is a good idea, but returning him to Clavicus Vile is not a good idea either as it severely weakens Clavicus Vile. Without Barbas, his powers are severely limited, to the point he can only interact with mortals in one specific statue found in the middle of nowhere in Skyrim. That alone weakens his influence in the realm of Mundus, but that is not taking into account a lot of his powers are diminished. Making it difficult to do things outside of giving items to mortals, and without the ability to retrieve items, which is the center of a lot of his jokes. Not to mention Barbas is not that good keeping Clavicus under control as the Daedric Lord often does the thing he is thinking about anyway regardless of how much Barbas argues against it. I argue that for the greater good, it may be best to lockup Barbas or seal him away to cripple the dangerous Daedric Lord, even if it's only for a few centuries to millennia (given how long it takes for Barbas to escape or someone for Clavicus to dopped to find Barbas if he knew where he is). Hell, giving him to a loving family to take care of him for generations may work just as well as Barbas may be tempted to never escape and return to Clavicus.

[@Hassan047]

Wow

[@Trigger99X]

I’ve always listened to the dog

[@Soggz4]

I expected you to bring up his sphere of Oblivion of making deals that people regret, in that also getting the Rueful Axe, it also doesn't count towards the Oblivion Walker achievement, so, if this wasn't your last artifact you needed to acquire, and you went and got all the rest, expecting the achievement to pop up, it wouldn't. One last prank pulled on you by the daedra of insidious wishes.

[@broccolinyu911]

3rd option: leave the quest in limbo and keep Barbas as your invincible good boi

[@christianmartinez3569]

To keep it short if barbus dies he will return but barbus is the one thing keeping klavicus in check.

[@your_god_lucifer2386]

Hey Avarti I heard somewhere that the elder scrolls universe takes place in the dreams of the godhead

[@stephfahey1101]

I had Barbas tag along with me plus Serana and Vilkas into that dungeon near Labrynthium to get the ebony bow and great sword. Barbas was the one that helped me kill the Draugr Death Lord. Barbas is best boy.

[@mrgreen2769]

So none of you know this but Barbas is a hidden Easter egg in reference to an old tv series call Dark Shadows about a 175 yr old vampire Barnabas Collins and his family.

[@EinFelsbrocken]

Because he's a good boi. Thats all the reason I need.

[@flynnrider4354]

It's a no brainer. The mask is way more useful and unique. Perfect for role playing!

[@MaryJanes-place]

Barbas sounds like Buddy Hackett.

[@Novlakain]

Gotta say I never completed this quest so I could keep Barbus and still have another companion.

[@kingced741]

Spare he is a good boi and I didn't even know about that novel so it just makes me want to spare him more

[@Frittin762]

If it makes me feel any better about the plague dogs than absolutely

[@nemerly_00]

The best reason to spare Barbas, besides the mask being OP and the axe being garbage, is - "Who's a good Doggie!!! Yes, you are!!!"

[@kl9686]

Hope I’m not the only one just keeps Barbas around as an extra companion. Tho he sometimes kill my companion when she accidentally hit him. Lol

[@mattysuwala6794]

I’d love to see you do more lore videos!

[@CursedAndHauntedMiko]

Imagine if Kratos got tricked by Clavicus Vile

[@gamerprincess9567]

I realize that I'm very behind everyone here, but I've only been playing for about a month and a half. On my 4th character now, have Barbas with no intention of killing or finishing that quest for a bit. He can be annoying but very helpful, along with Serana and the Azura priestess we are blazing a trail through my game hehe

[@LuminousWhispers11]

You know the only reason I would not recommend buffing the axe is due to symbolism. Deals where Barbas interferes normally ends well for the person making the deal of they listen to him. If you don't they normally don't go well. So, you listen to Barbas and you get the Masque which is better than the Axe. If you listen to Vile you forgo the Masque and keep the Axe.

[@40088922]

the only good thing about the Rueful Axe is its unique design

[@wilfred_ho]

My typical answer to daedric quest is to seek the route that screws me over the least. It's a Faustian bargain either way, may as well enjoy the dance.

[@jpatterson2189]

I usually don’t finish the quest at all and keep Barbas as a follower. He’s a tank in battle. If I ever finish the quest I choose the masque.

[@Altrantis]

Doesn't Clavicus Vile remain stuck in the statue if he doesn't reunite with Barbas? I would think having him stuck in a statue is good for everyone.

[@HRPNX-vl4uu]

I kind of feel bad Lod couldn't have a dog, like that. And that I had to reunite Barbas to his "master". On PC, with Proteus, I do think I can spawn another Barbas and take him using EFF. That's another way I can have fun with him around. :)

[@Vulpine407]

Nitpick time. Barbas does NOT belong to Lod the blacksmith at the beginning of the quest. Barbas did not run away, Lod just hopes to adopt him as a pet. But as others here have said, it is cool to simply don't complete the quest and have Barbas follow you around. Hmmm. I think I'll go check the Nexus to see if someone actually turned him into a follower with additional dialogue. Now that would be seriously cool.

[@juan.vasquez]

Something terrible happened to me and I did not know. if you have a side quest to go see the blacksmith Lod and when you arrive he is dead you can never activate this quest. When I arrived to see him, the arrow pointed me to the pile of ashes on the stairs.

[@sajten3761]

Perhaps you can go through some of the other deadric quests in a simalar fashion?

[@1tiptip187]

I wish their was an option to convince him to ditch Vile and stay with the black smith LOL Imagine a black smith with an immortal dog advisor.

[@bonefetcherbrimley7740]

I'd spare him just to spite Clavicus. And he's a good boi.

[@Karlos1234ify]

Same

[@Masterofmultiverse]

There should've been an option to takes Barbas away from the abusive Clavicus Vile

[@kaisotea5278]

YOU HAVE NOT AN OPPINION BUT THE ABSOLUTLY RIGHT THING EVEN IF BARBAS RESPAWNS

[@Ja1sc3L113r]

I saved Barbas my very first playthrough, not knowing about the masque, but loving puppers. Needless to say I was quite pleaaed with my choice.

[@MISAKIBeats]

On the notion of Videos, There's a quest in the Witcher 3 that I've been curious about when you help Roach to get back his insubordinate vice captain lady from a Raid that was suppose to take place at a local village, what happens when you kill the last witness and when you don't kill him. What is the best course? I usually kill him, but I don't know what happens if I don't, it seems to be one of those Witcher 3 "your decision will come to bite you in the donkey" choices

[@Keith513]

He actually made a really good point tho why would you be surprised over just him

[@Onethirdless]

The axe isn't actually a daedric artifact because it doesn't count towards the Oblivion Walker achievement. It's an axe that swings slower than it's supposed to for it's weight, and can't benefit from any shouts or player enchantments. It is literally one of the worst weapons in the game and there isn't actually a single reason besides design to pick it. The best reward is not completing the quest and keeping immortal Barbas as a follower. Second best is the helm because it looks awesome and it's great early on for more gold generation. It's also not a bad piece of armor if you're a heavy armor build with limited/no crafting skills.

[@Lexisspace]

How could I kill the doggy after he had helped me unlimited times and fought by my side against whoever attacked me?

[@pandit7130]

Who needs a mask or an axe when you've gotten an immortal dog XD.

[@ShieniLicksOnLemons]

In my first game I got a bug that made it so that Barbas never left... And I didn't realise it was a bug so when I did the quest again in another game and he left I just wanted to cry 😭

[@johnheyyuri231]

I lost him! Awk! I lost that talking, barking dog.

[@andylavreys6703]

I played the mission in Skyrim without mods and with mods. Last time. When i played the mission the blacksmith in town was killed by a vampire. You need the blacksmith to start the mission. So i used the mod revive. You can use the same mod to revive Barbara’s after you get the axe. You can use a mod to improve the weapon to. Skyrim is not fair sometimes. It’s the most beautiful weapon in the game.🤔👍😊

[@swilson5320]

Will have wild hound named barbas one day

[@enoughothis]

Barbas is the goodest boy in all of Skyrim.

[@berkledeath5645]

So I gave him back and then vile went crazy took Barbas and then gave me the mask but they both teleported away, vile saying I was foolish to ever think he’d take the dog back

[@CentralNexusPrime]

Clavicus gets his last barb in. As I remember the achievement for collecting all the deadric artifacts only counts the masque not the axe. So if you do kill the dog you have blocked the achievement. Despicable.....