Whiterun’s Jorrvaskr is more than a mead hall, it’s the starting line for one of Skyrim’s most rewarding factions. The Companions questline blends Nordic honor, werewolf curses, and Skyforge-only loot into roughly four to six hours of focused storytelling. Whether players are running the original 2011 release, the Special Edition, or the 2024 Anniversary patch on PS5, Xbox Series X
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S, or PC, the path to Harbinger remains one of the cleanest questlines in the game. Here’s the full breakdown.
Key Takeaways
- Joining the Companions requires no skill checks or level gates—simply visit Jorrvaskr in Whiterun and speak with Kodlak Whitemane to begin your initiation.
- The main Companions questline consists of five tightly paced quests that introduce lycanthropy halfway through, culminating in the Harbinger title and Glory of the Dead.
- Skyforge Steel weapons from Eorlund Gray-Mane offer elven-tier stats with steel-level weight, making them an S-tier choice for early-game players.
- Radiant side quests from Circle members provide five recurring job types (animal hunts, heirloom recovery, criminal tracking, assassination, and dungeon clearing) that scale with player level and never run dry.
- Beast Form grants 1.5x movement speed and devastating unarmed damage but disables rested bonuses; you can extend the timer by feeding on corpses and unlock advanced perks through the Dawnguard DLC.
- Cure lycanthropy by completing the optional Purity quest after the main storyline, but you can be re-infected by Aela later if you choose to embrace the werewolf path again.
How to Join the Companions in Whiterun
Joining the Companions is refreshingly simple, no skill check or level gate required. Players just need to travel to Jorrvaskr, the upturned-longship mead hall on the eastern edge of Whiterun’s Wind District, and speak to Kodlak Whitemane in the basement quarters.
Kodlak will size up the Dragonborn and, regardless of class or race, agree to a trial. From there, Vilkas takes over for the combat test in the training yard out back. A few solid swings (or staff casts) and the initiation is locked in.
For players still mapping out which factions to chase first, this complete guide to every adventure in Tamriel pairs nicely with an early Companions run, since the faction sits within fast-travel range of most starter zones.
The Main Companions Questline Explained
The main arc is five quests long, tightly paced, and impossible to fail through dialogue choices. It’s one of the shortest faction lines in Skyrim, but it hits harder than most thanks to the lycanthropy twist roughly halfway through.
Take Up Arms and Proving Honor
Take Up Arms is the induction quest. After Vilkas’s duel, the Dragonborn delivers his sword to Eorlund Gray-Mane at the Skyforge, runs an errand for Aela the Huntress, then bunks down in Jorrvaskr as a Shield-Sibling.
Proving Honor ramps things up. Farkas joins the Dragonborn on a trip to Dustman’s Cairn to retrieve a fragment of Wuuthrad, Ysgramor’s legendary axe. Mid-dungeon, Silver Hand ambushers reveal Farkas’s secret, he transforms into a werewolf on the spot. It’s one of the better scripted moments in the game and a strong hint of what’s coming.
The Silver Hand, Blood’s Honor, and Glory of the Dead
The Silver Hand sends players with Skjor and Aela to inherit the beast blood at the Underforge, then raid a Silver Hand camp at Gallows Rock. Skjor dies, Aela goes full vengeance arc, and the tone shifts hard.
Blood’s Honor follows Kodlak’s death and the theft of Wuuthrad. Glory of the Dead caps it off with a trip to Ysgramor’s Tomb, a fight against Kodlak’s wolf spirit, and the Harbinger title. For a deeper beat-by-beat breakdown, this detailed Companions questline walkthrough covers every dialogue branch.
Radiant Side Quests and Repeatable Jobs
Once initiated, the Circle members start handing out radiant quests, procedurally generated jobs that scale with player level and never run dry. There are five recurring types:
- Animal Extermination (Aela): Hunt a specific beast in a randomized cave.
- Family Heirloom (Farkas): Recover a stolen item from a bandit camp.
- Escaped Criminal (Skjor/Vilkas): Track and kill a fugitive.
- Striking the Heart (Vilkas): Assassinate a named target.
- Trouble in Skyrim (Farkas): Clear a dungeon of its boss.
These pair well with other faction grinds, completing a Companions hunt near Dawnstar can easily overlap with the local mystery in this Dawnstar secrets and quests guide. For a step-by-step list of every repeatable contract, this Companions questline reference breaks down each giver and reward tier.
Radiant jobs also feed straight into the golden claw style of dungeon-clearing many players love, expect plenty of draugr, puzzle doors, and word walls along the way.
Best Rewards, Shields, and Skyforge Weapons
The Companions’ loot pool is small but punchy. Eorlund Gray-Mane forges Skyforge Steel weapons, which carry the stats of elven gear while only weighing as much as steel, a quiet S-tier deal in the early game.
Key rewards include:
- Wuuthrad – Two-handed axe, +20% damage vs. elves. Display-only by default, but console/PC mods make it equippable.
- Skyforge Steel Greatsword/Sword/War Axe – Best non-magical steel-tier weapons in the base game.
- Aela’s Shield of Ysgramor – +20% magic resist, +20% block. Quest reward from Glory of the Dead.
- Nordic Carved Armor – Eorlund’s signature heavy set, sold after main questline completion.
Collectors chasing every unique drop should cross-reference this hidden treasures and artifacts list, since several Companions rewards qualify as one-of-a-kind. Outlets like Game Informer’s ongoing Skyrim coverage have noted that Skyforge gear remains relevant well into the mid-30s before Daedric and Dragonbone overtake it.
Tips for Curing Lycanthropy and Mastering Werewolf Form
Beast Form is a once-per-day power granting roughly 1.5x movement speed, a stamina-based health pool, and devastating unarmed damage. It also disables sleep-based rested bonuses and locks the Dragonborn out of standing stone effects while transformed.
A few practical tips:
- Feed on corpses to extend the timer, every fresh kill adds about 30 seconds.
- The Dawnguard DLC adds a full werewolf perk tree, unlocked by feeding repeatedly.
- Howl of Terror is the early standout: Savage Feeding unlocks late-tree healing.
To cure lycanthropy, players complete the optional Purity quest after Glory of the Dead, killing a Glenmoril Witch and burning her head in the Companions’ brazier. The cure is one-time per Circle member, but the Dragonborn can be re-infected by Aela later.
For those juggling the curse alongside settling down, this guide to finding the perfect spouse is worth a read, Aela herself becomes marriageable after the questline wraps. Players exploring darker storylines might also want to compare the Companions arc with this Daedric Princes complete guide, since Hircine’s influence ties directly into the beast blood.
