You can ruin the lives of the worst lords in Skyrim (without killing them)

Maven Black-Briar in Skyrim is easy to hate and unbeatable, but there are other ways for players to break Maven's hold on Rift City.

It's no secret that Maven Black-Briar is probably the most hated character in Skyrim, but even though the Dragonborn can't kill her, players still have ways to get revenge on her. Maven is known for his iron grip on the Riften due to his wealth and criminal connections. While she's powerful, dedicated players can find ways to loosen her grip on power.

Maven is notorious among Skyrim players for a number of reasons. Her brash personality and random cruelty are the main reason, but how untouchable she seems to be is overstated. She's essential, which means she can't die, and in addition to her ties to the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood, she has her own criminal organization. Worse, if the civil war favors the Empire, Maven will become Lord of Riften, further cementing her power. She's easily the most hateable unkillable character in Skyrim. She is seemingly invulnerable, but players can weaken her power in subtle ways.

Taking Over The Thieves Guild Can Damage Maven's Income In Skyrim

The Thieves Guild is one of Skyrim's shadier groups. As their name suggests, they specialize in burglary, pickpocketing, and robbery. The Thieves Guild is based outside the Riften and its headquarters are hidden under the city. Maven's ties to them give her access to a criminal network that makes it easy for her to blackmail Riften. Thankfully, players have a side quest that lets them take control of the Thieves' Guild.

When the player first encounters the Thieves Guild, they are stuck, barely making ends meet. It turned out that their misfortune was due to the fact that their leader, Mercer Frey, was proven a traitor, and their goddess Nocturnal had betrayed the guild during Frey's leadership. All that intrigue makes joining Skyrim's Thieves' Guild not only lucrative, but satisfying.

At the end of the questline, the player unmasked Mercer and brought him down once and for all, becoming the new guild master. Not only did the Dragonborn save the guild from a duplicitous leader while avenging their former guildmaster, but they also returned the blessing of Nocturnal to the guild. From then on, that was enough to convince the guild of the Dragonborn.

Since players probably hate Maven as most players do, it's easy to believe that as a Guildmaster, Players will stop providing her with guild services. This would deprive Maven of the most skilled thieves in Riften, and perhaps all of Skyrim. As a result, she'll have to use her henchmen for the work she's supposed to be contracted to with the guild, which could lead to diminishing returns. Selling stolen items in Skyrim ensures that Riften's Thieves Guild always has a purpose, even without the work of Maven.

Losing Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood Would Take Away Maven's Killers For Hire

The Dark Brotherhood are the most feared faction in Skyrim, and for good reason. It is made up of some of the most dangerous assassins on the continent, ready to execute any contract offered to them. In addition to Maven's threats of being connected to them in the dialogue, there is also evidence in Maven's mansion that she is performing rituals to connect with them. They're a powerful and dangerous tool at her disposal, but thankfully, players have two ways to remove them as her asset.

First, similar to the Thieves' Guild, players can complete the Dark Brotherhood questline to become their leader. Again, this means that players can simply stop respecting their connection to Maven. one more secret Ending in the Dark Brotherhood questline in Skyrim, players can destroy the order instead of joining the Dark Brotherhood. This is a quicker quest to remove the Brotherhood from Skyrim entirely.

Even if players do join the Dark Brotherhood, they will be attacked by the Empire towards the end of the mission, killing most of them. Either way, the Dark Brotherhood will suffer big losses in Skyrim if players get involved.

By destroying the Dark Brotherhood or taking over its remnants, players can deprive Maven of access to Skyrim's most sophisticated killers. Again, this would require her to rely on her possibly far less skilled followers to do the punching for her. By limiting her resources and making her use low-quality muscle, Maven's ability to make an impact becomes less impressive. Those who would rather side with Morag Tong than Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood will be happy to know they can fight Maven and Brotherhood at the same time.

Skyrim Gives Players The Opportunity To Make Riften Better Without Maven

Riften has one of the worst reputations of any city in Skyrim, a lot of which may be due to Maven's influence and how she manages in the city. One of her guards can be seen standing guard near the town entrance, with numerous NPCs commenting on her control of the town. Thankfully, there are things players can do outside of her influence to help the town.

Mjoll the Lioness is an NPC and potential follower eager to protect Riften from the Maven and the Thieves Guild, players can find her lost sword and give themselves a powerful ally as well as an immortal Skyrim follower. Additionally, players can accept quests to help two of the city's friendlier shopkeepers, Brand-Shei and Madesi, with their businesses without having to resort to Maven for help. Players can also take down a gang of drug smugglers on their way to becoming Lord of Riften, showing the people of Riften that they are a reliable and incorruptible figure.

Players who want to go further can use mods to make Ingun, Maven's alchemist daughter, a marriage candidate, potentially setting themselves up as Maven's future heir. Even without modifying the game, players can Work hard to make RIften a better place. After all, if the player's influence grows, Maven looks worse by comparison. With a little work, players can prove that Riften isn't the worst city in Skyrim after all.

Players may not be able to directly affect Maven Black-Briar's position in Skyrim, at least not in the way the game shows, but they can still take steps to destroy her empire. By controlling or breaking Maven's connections, players can make her hold on power even more tenuous. Although Maven seems invulnerable in Skyrim, it only takes one clever player to wreak havoc on her plans.

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