How to join the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion

Note: This guide works for both The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Oblivion Remastered.

In Oblivion, no guild is as secretive or as deadly as the Dark Brotherhood. This ancient assassin’s guild isn’t like the other factions in Oblivion in that you can’t just walk up to their front door and ask to join—it’s pretty hard to even find their front door in the first place.

If you’ve been talking to some of Oblivion’s citizens, you’ve probably heard a few of the rumors about the Dark Brotherhood, but there’s only one way to find this shadowy society if you want to join the ranks of assassins: you have to encourage them to find you.

Here are the steps to follow to join the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion:

How to join the Dark Brotherhood

1. Kill someone

The first step is actually pretty simple: kill someone.

But you can’t kill just anyone. The assassins of the Dark Brotherhood aren’t interested if you kill some fort bandit or hedge wizard or other hostile person who is trying to kill you right back. You need to commit murder by killing an innocent.

We have some specific suggestions further down the page about who to kill, but you should avoid killing people who give quests or run shops or are otherwise important to your day-to-day business. There are also lots of “essential” NPCs who can’t be killed: you can spot them by a crown icon appearing when you try to talk to them.

If you’ve done it properly you’ll see a message on your screen once your victim is dead: “Your killing has been observed by forces unknown…”

That means the Dark Brotherhood is now aware of you.

2. Go to sleep

Your next step is to go to sleep.

Find a bed at an inn or somewhere safe and choose to sleep. You’ll see a message saying “The air grows chill and a shadow approaches…” You’ll then wake up to meet Lucien Lachance, a Dark Brotherhood member, who will explain what you’ll need to do to join the Dark Brotherhood. Surprise: he wants you to kill someone else.

3. Kill Rufio

Lucien will instruct you to kill a man named Rufio in the Inn of Ill Omen, north of Bravil. You can speak to the Inn’s owner, Manheim, or look in the basement where you’ll find Rufio. Attack Rufio or talk to him first: either way he won’t try to leave the basement.

4: Go to sleep again

The easiest thing to do is sleep right there in Rufio’s bed. Lucien will return and tell you to go to Cheydinhal and look for the abandoned house near the eastern wall, enter its basement (it’ll take a lockpick), and look for the basement door (it’s marked with a skull and red handprint, very inconspicuous). When asked a question at that door, answer with “Sanguine, my Brother.”

That’s it! You’re now in the Dark Brotherhood and your first real contract awaits. Good luck, killer.

Good NPCs to kill to join the Dark Brotherhood

Part of the grisly fun of joining the Dark Brotherhood is deciding who will be your first kill to get the assassin’s guild’s attention, but if you can’t choose for yourself, here are a few suggestions.