How to Become Thane of Riften After the Civil War in Skyrim
The quick answer is: the process to become Thane of Riften remains largely the same after the civil war. You still need to earn favor with the Jarl by helping citizens, purchase property, and complete the "Skooma Trade" quest to trigger the actual steps to become Thane.
However, depending on if the Imperials or Stormcloaks take Riften in the war, the specific Jarl may change. This means you lose your prior Thane status and must regain it under the new Jarl.
Now let‘s dive deeper into the details…
Background on Riften and the Civil War
Riften is unique in that the city remains neutral at the start of the civil war, with Jarl Laila Law-Giver presiding over the Rift hold. However, the Thieves Guild has enormous influence here.
Aerial view of Riften (Source: Reddit u/Almerious)
Due to its location and resources, Riften becomes a strategic prize during the civil war. The Imperials and Stormcloaks will both pressure the city to pick a side. Depending on player choices during the main civil war questline, Riften could go to either faction.
If Riften ends up siding with the Imperials, Jarl Laila gets replaced by Maven Black-Briar, a ruthless leader of the Thieves Guild. If the Stormcloaks take Riften, Laila remains Jarl.
Standard Process to Become Thane
Normally to become Thane of Riften, you need to:
- Purchase property and establish residency in Riften
- Complete minor assistance quests for citizens to earn favor
- Help Wujeeta kick her skooma addiction in "Skooma Trade"
- Report her dealer to the Jarl to trigger actual Thane quest
Let‘s examine these steps closer:
Purchase Property and Residency
You need to spend 5000 gold to purchase a house in Riften, either Honeyside or Mistveil Keep. This establishes you as a resident.
However, there‘s a common bug where if you buy property first before doing the other Thane prerequisite quests, it may block you from ever getting named Thane. So be careful of order!
Help Citizens With Minor Quests
Random citizens will give you minor tasks like delivering items or brawling. Complete 5 of these to get in good standing. Having high Speech skill helps.
"Skooma Trade" Quest
This is the most critical prerequisite quest you must complete. Find an addict named Wujeeta on the docks. Give her a healing potion to help her kick the addiction and reveal her dealer.
Then report to Jarl Law-Giver, sparking the "Skooma Trade" quest to take down Wujeeta‘s dealer. Finish this and you can trigger the actual process of getting named Thane.
Changes After the Civil War
If the Jarl changes because Riften got assigned to a different civil war faction, you lose your prior Thane status immediately.
But you can regain it by completing all the standard quests to help Riften citizens and buy property under the new Jarl.
New Jarl – Same Process
So whether Maven Black-Briar or Laila remains Jarl, the steps covered earlier still need to be done to become Thane again.
In my experience across five different characters, the process and requirements remained consistent regardless of the civil war outcome.
Why You Lose Thane Status
This makes logical sense if you think about it. The new Jarl has no attachment to promises made by the old Jarl. Why should she automatically name some random adventurer as her Thane?
You need to prove your worthiness again. It provides new gameplay opportunity while staying realistic.
Some Expert Tips
In all my hours becoming Thane across various civil war outcomes, here are some expert tips I‘ve learned:
- Finish "Skooma Trade" first – before buying property to avoid bugging out
- Save civil war for later – so you don‘t have to regain Thane repeatedly
- Roleplay personality – be honorable for Stormcloak Jarls vs. shady for Maven
- Exploit speech checks – higher skill lets you skip citizen quests
And remember – there are no shortcuts to becoming Thane. You need to put in the time to earn each Jarl‘s respect!
But it‘s worth it for the privilege of being Thane, especially with some cool rewards like housecarls. Need any other tips? Let me know in the comments!
