Skyrim Walkthrough: diplomatic immunity

By now you are probably realizing how important character development is. Simply becoming a pure warrior probably isn’t the easiest way to win the game – I’m sure some hardy players will do just this, but for me I find I am relying more on magic than any other RPG out there.

With all the magic that comes your way it’s important that you have decent magic to protect yourself and counter-attack where necessary. I am also finding that I need to really think about the equipment I wear – enchantments are far more important than I thought giving me protections that I never really used before in prior Elder Scroll games.

Skyrim is definitely one of the more challenging games, and rather than being downhearted I am actually encouraged that it’s not a walk in the park. I love the way I am forced to really think about strategies, especially when fighting dragons or the odd troll you’ll meet!

Your next quest takes you to Solitude in the northwest. While you can fast travel to Ustengrav, I did a little grinding along the way to boost my character a little. Once in Solitude, find Malborn in the Winking Skeever. You’re going to need Malborn to smuggle equipment in for you – you can trust him – give him any equipment that you normally use in combat and on a quest – potions, armor, weapons etc. Move outside and speak to Delphine – she will give you clothes to change into.

You’ll use a wagon and will have to give a letter to the guard to get inside. Once inside you’ll talk to Elenwen.

Now you need a distraction – get a drink from the waitress and take it over to Razelan – he’s sitting on a bench – as him to make a scene. When he does, go and speak to Malborn – you’ll move through the kitchen and give you back your gear.

This is a tricky part of the game – sadly I’m not the greatest sneaker so I was inundated with Guards – it’s a tough fight – the enemies use fire magic! I’d suggest that you sneak as much as possible. After killing all the guards (or perhaps sneaking past them) you’ll move up to the next floor – you can loot if you want; the best loot seems to be on the guards. You’ll come across some more guards and a wizard – like most combat it’s always best to tackle the ranged attacks first – this wizard is particularly tricky.

Move into the inner embassy through the courtyard and deal with the guards and mage in the same way. You’re going to meet a lot of enemies along the way so be ready for an arduous battle!

Move northwest and loot – there are plenty of potions and a couple of dossiers to read, you should also find a key – go down the stairs and open the door with the key. You’ll come across another guard and another mage. Again these are a little tougher than normal, but proper use of magic and Shouts, combined with good strategy should see you through these battles – the mage has a few nice items.

You’ll find another dossier in a chest. Go talk to Etienne in the cage – you’re going to encounter quite a few more guards and a couple of spellswords – this shouldn’t be a problem, but beware of the fire spells that will come your way. Loot the guards to find a key – return to Etienne and move towards the exit.

Meet up with Delphine and move on to your next quest.