Growing the Guild and Gaining Influence

An Overview

As you become continuously successful with your jobs, you can inquire during conversations with Delvin Mallory or Vex about the reasons for these jobs and how they help the Guild. The reasons are simple: Years ago, the Guild had a foothold in every major city in Skyrim—folks wouldn’t dare lifting an apple without checking with the Guild first—but as the Guild collapsed, they lost Fences, influential contacts, and, most importantly, respect. With your help, the Guild can be taken seriously and start to take the cities back again.

Thanks to Maven Black-Briar, you have some pull in Riften, but if you’re caught in a nefarious act in Whiterun or another Skyrim city, you should expect an extended jail stay. But once you complete a unique job for an influential and powerful individual within each prominent city, you can expect a much more lenient attitude. However, these city leaders won’t approach the Guild until numerous smaller “jobs” have been completed—the tasks you’re undertaking already.

To activate the following City Influence Quests (one per city), you must complete a total of 5 Additional Jobs within that city. After you successfully finish 5 Additional Jobs in a particular city, contact Delvin Mallory inside the Ragged Flagon and begin one or more of the following jobs. Continue to complete Additional Jobs until you successfully finish 5 or more in every city. Obviously, with the random nature of the jobs, you may have to complete more than 10 before receiving a job for a city you haven’t finished all the necessary jobs in yet. The cities that the Thieves Guild wishes to gain influence in are: