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- Prerequisites To Complete
- Accepting Kindred Judgement
- Meeting With Isran
- Entering Castle Volkihar As A Vampire
- Speak With Harkon
- Fighting Vampire Lord Harkon
- Completing Kindred Judgement
- Rewards For Completing Kindred Judgement
Kindred Judgement is the last quest in the Dawnguard questline of Skyrim. At this point, you will either be aligned with the Dawnguard or vampires, but this quest will remain the same for both. After acquiring Auriel's Bow in Touching The Sky, you must now head back to Castle Volkihar and confront Harkon.
In this guide, we are going to go over how to complete Kindred Judgement. This quest is fairly short compared to previous quests that you have completed, but it can prove to be quite difficult. First, let's take a look at all the previous quests in the Dawnguard DLC that you will need to complete before you can start Kindred Judgement.
Prerequisites To Complete
Below, you can find the quests you need to complete before starting Kindred Judgement. This is the last quest in the questline, meaning that this list consists of every quest included in the questline.
| Quest | NPC To Speak With |
|---|---|
| Dawnguard | Agmaer
Alternatively, you just need to be level 10 and this quest will automatically be accepted |
| Awakening | Isran
|
| Bloodline | Serana
|
A New Order
|
Isran
|
The Bloodstone Chalice
|
Garan Merethi
|
| Prophet | Harkon (if vampire)
Isran (if Dawnguard)
|
| Seeking Disclosure | Harkon (if vampire)
Isran (if Dawnguard)
|
| Chasing Echoes | Serana
|
| Beyond Death | This quest will automatically be added to your journal |
| Unseen Visions | Dexion
|
| Touching The Sky | Serana
|
Accepting Kindred Judgement
Kindred Judgement will be automatically accepted once you pick up Auriel's Bow in the quest Touching The Sky. With the quest active, your first task is to speak with Serana.
After speaking with her, you will need to do one of the following quests.
- If you are a Vampire:
- Travel to Castle Volkihar
- If you are Dawnguard:
- Travel to Fort Dawnguard and meet with Isran
- Harkon's Sword
- If you are a vampire, wielding this sword will absorb 15 points of Magicka, Health, and Stamina from enemies
- Vampire Royal Armor
- Wearing this causes Magicka to generate 125% faster
- Potion of Blood
- Random Jewelry
- Random Potions
All of these items can be looted directly from Harkon's pile of ashes.
If you are a vampire, Serana will become a permanent follower. Additionally, she will have the ability to create Bloodcursed Elven Arrows with her blood. These arrows have the ability to turn the sun red and prevent negative effects from the sun on vampires until the following day.
That's all there is to know about the Kindred Judgement quest! Now that you have completed the main questline for the Dawnguard DLC, you can start the sidequests provided by the vampires and Dawnguard.
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At this point in the story, you will be able to fast travel to both Castle Volkihar and Fort Dawnguard, allowing you to quickly get to each location.
Meeting With Isran
This section will only apply to players that have aligned with the Dawnguard. If you are a vampire, you can skip through this section.
Once you speak with Serana, head to Fort Dawnguard and speak with Isran. Here, he will give a speech, mentioning that it's time to attack the vampires and kill Harkon.
From here, make your way to Castle Volkihar. Since you are not a vampire, you will need to fight your way inside the castle, slaying gargoyles that block the bridge leading to the front doors. In addition to the gargoyles, you will need to defeat vampires that will emerge from the castle.
If defeating these vampires proves to be difficult, you can shoot a Sunhallowed arrow towards the sun with Auriel's Bow. This will cause the effects of the sun to deal damage to the vampires, but this only works if it is daytime.
After these enemies have been defeated, head into Castle Volkihar and defeat the vampires that appear. These vampires are strong, but you will have the option to watch while the rest of the Dawnguard fights the vampires. If you choose to ignore these vampires and continue, they will not follow you.
Make your way to the Cathedral of the castle, where Harkon is waiting.
Entering Castle Volkihar As A Vampire
If you are a vampire, you can proceed directly into the castle and head straight to the Cathedral. Vampires will be walking around the castle, but they will not be hostile. The Dawnguard will not be present at this time, and you do not have to engage in any fighting.
Speak With Harkon
Now that you have made it to the Cathedral of Volkihar Castle, it's time to speak with Harkon. As you enter this area, Harkon will be in his Vampire Lord form and will begin to talk with Serana.
Harkon will eventually ask you to hand Auriel's Bow to him. Although you have this option, it's not recommended to hand it over. The bow will help during the fight with him, so if you get rid of it, you will be at a huge disadvantage.
After speaking with Harkon, it's time to engage in the final battle of the Dawnguard questline.
Fighting Vampire Lord Harkon
The fight against Harkon is the same, regardless of whether you are aligned with the Dawnguard or vampires. Overall, the fight will be hard, so be sure to bring any healing item necessary.
At the start of the battle, Harkon will summon skeletons and gargoyles. Kill these smaller enemies right away so they will not get in the way as you fight Harkon. Additionally, Serana will help you fight these enemies.
Harkon will use the Bats Night Power to quickly move around the room while casting Vampiric Drain towards you.
As he takes more damage, he will transform into a swarm of bats and return to the altar in the Cathedral. Here, he will create a shield to protect him while he regenerates his health. This shield can be destroyed by firing any type of arrow from Auriel's Bow.
This mechanic happens several times; whenever he appears above the altar, shoot his shield and continue to fire arrows at him.
Once his health is low enough, Harkon will travel around the room in a mist form, materializing from time to time. Follow the mist and attack whenever Harkon appears.
Eventually, Harkon's health deplete to zero. When this happens, he will transform into a swarm of bats, appear by the altar, and melt into red ash.
Completing Kindred Judgement
After Harkon is dead, you will either be approached by Isran or Garan Merethi. Isran will offer for you to become a member of the Dawnguard if you are not a vampire.
If you are a vampire, Garan Merethi will speak to you and Castle Volkihar will become your home. This means that everything in the castle is yours, and you can come and go as you please.
Rewards For Completing Kindred Judgement
As a reward for completing this quest, you will receive the following items.
