Skyrim: Should You Keep or Return the Skeleton Key?

Skyrim has its fair share of powerful artifacts, and one of the most famous of them all is Skeleton Key. Skeleton Key is acquired during the Thieves Guild questline, and, to the surprise of everyone involved, you don’t actually get to keep it. Well, you don’t get to keep it if you want to finish the Thieves Guild questline, that is. Since Skeleton Key is pretty powerful and among the most overpowered artifacts in the game, a lot of players have been wondering if they should keep the Skeleton Key or return it.

Skeleton Key is a Daedric artifact you don’t get to keep

Skeleton Key is a daedric artifact appearing in The Elder Scrolls games and is the most commonly associated with daedric prince Nocturnal. Most of the time Skeleton Key takes the form of an unbreakable lockpick or key that has the ability to unlock every lock in the game without breaking. Skeleton Key so far appeared in seven Elder Scrolls games, the first one being Arena and the last one being Elder Scrolls Online. Skeleton Key has a tendency to disappear from the current owner, which is a trait all daedric artifacts share to explain their appearance in multiple installments over the years. 

In Skyrim, Skeleton Key is involved with two quests, Blindsighted and Darkness Returns. Mercer Frey, current Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, has stolen the Skeleton Key, effectively sealing the portal to Ebonmere. Since Ebonmere is closed, no luck can trickle to Skyrim and thieves have a hard time. By the time the Thieves Guild has figured out what’s going on, the guild is almost destitute and has fallen onto some hard times. You, with the help of a legendary group dedicated to Nocturnal’s worship- Nightingales, are tasked with killing Mercer Frey and returning the Skeleton Key to its rightful place.  

During Blindsighted, you travel to Dwemer ruin Irkngthand; you need to confront Mercer Frey, who is on his way to steal the legendary gems “Eyes of a Falmer”. After killing him, you are able to loot Skeleton Key from his body, and the next quest begins. In Darkness Returns, you are tasked with returning the Skeleton Key to its rightful place to open the portal to Ebonmere through which the Nocturnal blesses the thieves. After you’ve returned the Skeleton Key, there is no way to undo this (except, of course, reloading the save game). Returning the Skeleton Key is a must if you plan on finishing The Thieves Guild Questline. 

What happens if I don’t return the Skeleton Key?

The main consequence of not returning the Skeleton Key is the fact that you can’t finish the Thieves Guild questline. There isn’t a real penalty, so to speak; you are free to use the Skeleton Key as you see fit until you decide to return it. If you don’t return the Skeleton Key

• you never become the Guild Master of Thieves Guild 
• You are unable to restore the Thieves Guild to its former glory
• You don’t become Agent of Nocturnal and you forfeit powerful rewards. 

It’s probably not wise to delay returning the key forever since you’re missing out on an important part of Thieves Guild (and the Nightingale storyline). However, you can keep the key until you’re able to unlock the “unbreakable lockpick” perk which is essentially Skeleton Key but without all the drama. If by the time you’re doing the Thieves Guild questline you already have an unbreakable lockpick perk, you should absolutely return the key. 

What do you get for returning the Skeleton Key?

Essentially you get to restore the Thieves Guild to its former glory and unlock additional quests. Nocturnal also grants you her blessings as you become the Agent of Nocturnal; you can choose three paths to walk, each one having a different reward. 

• Walking the crescent moon path unlocks “Agent of Shadow.” Agent of Shadow allows you to be invisible for 2 minutes while you are sneaking. 
• Walking the half-moon path unlocks Agent of Subterfuge. You can use Agent of Subterfuge to make all enemies around you fight each other for 30 seconds. 
• Walking the full moon path unlocks Agent of Strife. Agent of Strife power gives you a powerful drain life effect. 

Should you keep the Skeleton Key or return it? 

The answer to that question depends on how advanced your lockpicking skill is and whether you want to rush the Thieves Guild questline. 

If you already have an unbreakable lockpick perk, you should probably return the Skeleton Key as it’s useless to you, and you get a powerful reward when you finish Darkness Returns; if your lockpicking skill is low, I would advise you to delay returning the key and using it for as long as possible. 

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