So You Want to Become a Nightingale? Here‘s Everything You Need to Know

As a hardcore Skyrim thief who‘s invested hundreds of hours into the game, becoming a Nightingale stands as one of my most memorable gaming achievements. When that ominous black armor materialized around my character for the first time, it felt like I had finally reached expert-level status.

But what exactly happens when you become a Nightingale? Is it worth swearing your eternal soul to Nocturnal in exchange for these awesome abilities? That‘s what we‘ll dive into today!

A Quick Primer on Nightingales

For those unfamiliar with Skyrim‘s extensive lore, Nightingales serve as supernatural protectors of the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. Along with Karliah and Gallus, the player completes an elaborate ritual within the Twilight Sepulcher to become a fully-fledged Nightingale during the Thieves Guild questline.

You‘ll receive access to exclusive powers and the highest tier Thieves Guild quests. However, your soul now belongs to Nocturnal – you‘ll continue serving as her sentinel even after death.

Now let‘s get into the exact rewards and drawbacks of this fateful decision…

Sweet Nightingale Armor

Completing Trinity Restored awards you with the legendary Nightingale Armor – fitted leather gear with a dark, mysterious aesthetic. As a Light Armor set, it perfectly complements stealth-focused characters.

At standard level, the Nightingale Armor comes with a total rating of 69, on par with late-game heavy sets. Upgrading it with Void Salts pushes the rating over 100! To put that into perspective, the iconic Daedric Armor only starts at 48 rating, as you can see below:

The Nightingale Armor also fortifies Stamina, muffles movement noise while sneaking, and stacks with other enchantments. It‘s hands down one of the best thief/assassin armors out there.

So from an aesthetic and statistical standpoint, the protection granted here makes becoming a Nightingale worthwhile on its own. But your rewards don‘t stop there…

Unparalleled Nightingale Powers

Upon completing your initiation, Nocturnal gifts you powers based on your chosen archetype: Agent of Stealth, Shadow, or Subterfuge. Let‘s break down what each one does:

Agent of Stealth

Grants the Nightingale Subterfuge power, enabling you to make NPCs fight alongside you for 30 seconds. This works on nearly all humanoids, though effects can vary. Extremely useful when you‘re outnumbered against difficult enemies!

I used this constantly while clearing out bandit hideouts – it works wonders drawing attention away while I backstabbed targets from the shadows.

Agent of Subterfuge

You receive Nightingale Strife, a power that drains armor ratings of enemies within 25 feet for 60 seconds. Against heavily armored foes like Dwarven Centurions, this really helps soften them up before landing attacks.

My Nightingale Build relied on this heavily when tackling late-game content. I‘d cripple enemy armor ratings by ~50%, allowing my Chillrend sword to shred through them like butter!

Agent of Strife

Gains permanent muffle effect + Nightingale Subterfuge power mentioned above. Playing as an Agent of Strife Nightingale, I was able to sneak nearly unseen through even the most crowded cities in Skyrim – it made pickpocketing a breeze!

As you can see, each power provides unique bonuses catering to different playstyles. I‘d highly recommend the Agent of Strife or Subterfuge for min/maxed builds – but feel free to roleplay your character‘s specialty!

Advancing the Thieves Guild Storyline

Shortly after initiation, Karliah inducts you into the inner circle of the Thieves Guild and assigns the high-stakes Special Jobs quests.

These elite heists allow you to move up the Guild ranks and unlock fantastic rewards – we‘re talking rewards of over 2000 gold per job!

I won‘t spoil all the details here, but suffice to say the Special Jobs contain some extremely fun and challenging content for veteran thief characters. Becoming a Nightingale unlocks this exclusive progression system otherwise inaccessible in vanilla Skyrim.

Between the Special Jobs and restoring the Thieves Guild to its former glory, you‘ll invest dozens more hours as Nocturnal‘s champion.

Weighing the Downsides

Now, swearing your soul to Nocturnal‘s service isn‘t all epic gear and EASY money. As part of the oath, her soul-claim remains in effect even after your character dies.

This means your soul becomes her property in the afterlife and you must continue serving as a guardian spirit. Some players argue this locks your character into Nocturnal‘s indifferently malicious nature.

Personally, I think it also provides some great roleplaying opportunities if you envision your character joining the heroic Nightingale Sentinels. Perhaps you believe Nocturnal will return your soul after centuries of loyal duty – or value protecting the Twilight Sepulcher over personal freedom.

But I can understand those who see it as a step too far into sinister occult rituals! At the end of the day, becoming a Nightingale requires accepting some morally grey areas – so make sure you‘re comfortable with this decision.

The Verdict? 100% Worthwhile

Despite the heavy Nocturnal pact, unlocking Nightingale powers and equipment make becoming a sentinel extremely rewarding. The late-game armor remains best-in-slot for thieves, while the abilities prove universally useful against all enemy types.

Advancing the Thieves Guild questline introduces fantastic new content and epic loot for veterans. And from a roleplaying angle, fighting as Nocturnal‘s elite agent oozes personality and prestige.

So if you ever rolled a stealth archer in Skyrim, seek out the Pilgrim‘s Path quest and take the oath without hesitation! Becoming a Nightingale stands tall as one of the most badass gaming achievements out there.