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Skyrim: How to join the Imperial Legion Army Faction

Alex Donaldson avatar
Guide by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor
Published on

I mean, their symbol is on the game's cover. Of course you want to join.

With Skyrim out on Switch and PlayStation VR now, it's a good time to revisit the different factions available to you in the game.

The Imperial Legion is a part of the armed forces of the world of Skyrim that's led by General Tullius. Some in Skyrim might have secession on their minds, but the Imperial Legion are quite against that. If you are too, you can join them.

One of the first things that can happen in Skyrim is that a friendly character can suggest you join the Imperial Legion, but it's also quite easy to miss this recommendation and skip out on joining them entirely. Here's how to find the necessary people and how to join the legion if you miss that early-game pointer.

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How to join the Imperial Legion

  • In order to join the legion you'll want to head to one of their outposts, Castle Dour. Castle Dour is found in Solitude, which is found in the Northwest of Skyrim. This is their main base. You'll know the castle when you see it, as it's guarded by imperial soldiers.
  • Once you arrive at the castle you'll want to find General Tullius, the boss of the Imperial Legion. Speak to him.
  • Tullius will now point you to chat to Legate Rikke. Engaging in this chat will then kick off your the quest line to join the legion with the appropriately-named quest Joining the Legion. How about that?
  • All you now have to do is follow the quest given for Joining the Legion. It's pretty simple - you have to head to a fort and clear out a bunch of bandits. Go and do that.
  • Once the fort is cleared out and the bandits killed, head back to Rikke. You'll then be directed to go and take the oath to join the legion proper. Once you've taken the oath, you'll then be told to visit the blacksmith - do, and you'll be rewarded the legion's armor.
  • With that, you're in! You now have access to the legion's quest line. Keep in mind that the Imperial Legion is directly in opposition with the Stormcloaks, so joining one will lock you out of the other. All related achievements can be unlocked with either of the factions, however. At one point both sides will seek out The Jagged Crown in a quest titled the same. At this point you can switch sides if you're so inclined - grab the crown and return it to your faction of choice. This choice is final.

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