Skyrim has so many ways for you to role-play how you want to. You can be a mighty warrior, a sneaky assassin, or a greedy capitalist. Maybe you don’t want a life of adventure and stress, maybe you want to settle down somewhere and raise a family? Well, we’ve got you covered. This is our guide on how to adopt in Skyrim.
skyrim adopt guide Step One: Cruel to be Kind
The first step is a bit of an odd one. Before you can adopt a child, there is an obstacle standing in your way. That obstacle’s name is Grelod the Kind. Now, we have covered Grelod from a different perspective in our guide to joining the Dark Brotherhood. Long story short; Grelod needs to go.
Head to Riften, and near the far end of the city you will find Honorhall Orphanage. Go inside during the day and you will find Grelod mid-speech. She is telling all the children off, and not being very kind at all. If you really are determined to adopt one of these rascals, then wait until Grelod finishes speaking. She will head into her room, so follow her and close the door. Be very unkind to the back of Grelod’s head with your weapon of choice, then get out of there sharpish. Just to avoid any blowback with the law.
Return to the Orphanage and you will find the children much happier and quite frankly delighted someone murdered their previous carer. Now, Constance Michel, a long suffering employee of Grelod, is running the orphanage. Speak with her about adoption and she will get you set up.
There are other children around Skyrim that need a home, so be sure to look out for them! Sofie in Windhelm, for example, is a young girl who lost her parents and is selling flowers on the street to get by. She could use a proper home.
Step Two: Somewhere to Live
At this point, if you approach Constance about adopting a child, you might hit another barrier. You cannot adopt a child if you cannot provide said child with a home. So, your next goal is to go and get one!
There are numerous homes to acquire in Skyrim, we have detailed a few ways here in other guides. Depending on what kind of home life you want to live, here are two great options that are easy to achieve.
Firstly, there’s Breezehome in Whiterun. Early in the main quest, the Dragonborn becomes Thane of Whiterun and is given Breezehome to live in. It’s a modest house, but it’s right in the middle of Whiterun. If you’d like to raise a child here, where they will have other children around them, Breezehome is a fantastic option.
Alternatively, there’s the Goldenhills Plantation. This is for the Dragonborn who really wants to settle into the sedentary lifestyle. Goldenhills is the new farm that is included in the Anniversary Edition of Skyrim, otherwise available through the Creation Club. The farm is a great place to raise a family, there will be plenty to do and lot’s of open space to explore and play.
Step Three: You Don’t Have to do This Alone
You can absolutely be a single parent in Skyrim, if that is how you want to raise your child. However, single parent Dragonborns aren’t exactly likely to be around all that much. What with all the adventuring and questing and slaying dragons, it really isn’t the ideal life to raise a child alone. Your kid will end up spending a lot of time alone at your house, and that’s hardly safe let alone healthy. If you want to make sure your child always has a parent around, maybe you need to find a partner.
Getting married in Skyrim is a straightforward affair. We have covered it here, but the gist of it is that you want to find someone willing to live with you and your child. When you do, just make sure that your spouse and your adopted child are living in the same home. Having a spouse living with your child is mostly for roleplaying purposes. They will mention each other a bit in conversations. Having a spouse with fighting ability is useful too, as your home can be attacked and it’s good to have backup.
That is our guide on how to adopt a child in Skyrim. We have tips on all kinds of activities, even on more conventional playstyles like how to build your perfect warrior, mage or thief. We have tips on how to grab some powerful weapons early on, and how to level up efficiently.
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Featured Image Credit: Bethesda