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Elder Scrolls
Brawling

A player-generated character engaged in a brawl.

Brawling can be done in many taverns across Skyrim. In this minigame, the Dragonborn fistfights for bets set by the opponent. Other instances of brawls are to complete quests if speech checks fail, or to recruit a potential follower. If the Chief of any Orc stronghold is asked if there's any work to be done, he will request a brawl. The winner receives 100 Gold. During brawls, bystanders can come and watch and may become hostile if weapons, magic, or shouts are used in the brawl. A brawl is concluded when one of the combatant's Health is reduced to zero, or, one can surrender the fight by lowering their fists.

Rules[]

Damage and healing[]

During a brawl, weapons and spells are removed, allowing only the use of unarmed combat. Using any weapons or spells forfeits the challenge and any gold wagered. Potions, Food, and healing spells can be used to recover Health during brawls without forfeiting the match. The claws of Khajiits add 15 and Argonians add 6 (12 due to a calculation problem) damage per unarmed strike, thus they have a hidden advantage. Wearing apparel with an enchantment that increases the damage dealt by fists is also beneficial here.

Spectators and assistance[]

Followers do not involve themselves in brawls, although Thralls will. Be careful of bystanders, as they can be accidentally hit during a brawl. Doing so causes them to retaliate and the act is considered assault, a crime.

Armor[]

Alteration spells such as Oakflesh or Ebonyflesh can be cast before and during brawls to bolster defense. The Fists of Steel perk can add additional boosts to the attack. Being struck by an opponent's fists raises armor skills if any armor is equipped.

Possible brawls[]

Character Location Reward
Mikael The Bannered Mare, Whiterun Progression in "A Few Words with You" for Carlotta Valentia.
Uthgerd the Unbroken The Bannered Mare, Whiterun 100 Gold
Follower
Rolff Stone-Fist Candlehearth Hall, Windhelm 100 Gold
Cosnach Silver-Blood Inn, Markarth 100 Gold
Follower
Chief Burguk Dushnikh Yal 100 Gold
Chief Larak Mor Khazgur 100 Gold
Chief Mauhulakh Narzulbur 100 Gold
Chief Yamarz Largashbur 100 Gold
Benor Morthal 100 Gold
Follower
Borkul the Beast Cidhna Mine, Markarth Entrance to the Tunnel (During the quest: No One Escapes Cidhna Mine)
Dryston Markarth, after exiting The Warrens Necessary for completing the quest, "The Forsworn Conspiracy." Must be brawled to discover the identity of "N"
Hofgrir Horse-Crusher Riften Stables 100 Gold
Free use of the horses at the Riften Stables
Stig Salt-Plank Windpeak Inn, Dawnstar Progression of the quest "Rise in the East" to get information about finding Haldyn.
Keerava Bee and Barb, Riften May be chosen to progress the quest "Taking Care of Business"
Haelga Riften May be chosen to progress the quest "Taking Care of Business."
Bersi Honey-Hand Riften May be chosen to progress the quest "Taking Care of Business." 
Ranmir The Frozen Hearth, Winterhold Progression in "Drowned Sorrows."

Trivia[]

  • After winning a brawl and telling the loser to give the money, the opponent may not say anything, but will still pay the gold.
  • When a brawl is accepted, the Dragonborn must wait until the opponent finishes the dialogue and inititates the fight (when he/she becomes hostile, marked by a red dot on the overhead map); if the Dragonborn strikes before this occurs, it will be an assault. A bounty will accrue, the opponent will draw a weapon, guards may show up, and so on.
  • A brawl may end if interfered with by some other hostile enemy, such as a dragon attack or even a wild animal. When this occurs, the wager is lost.
  • It is possible that the opponent will run off to another section, and when caught up with, start using weapons and spells. If the Dragonborn continues to only use fists it will still be considered a brawl, however, the opponent may be killed with no bounty. Bystanders will not interfere and will act like they do not know how the opponent was killed.
  • In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a brawl with Helvius Cecia is required in the master trainer quest for the hand-to-hand skill.
  • If a brawl lasts for some time, people will start gathering around the area and clap or speak.
  • A generic piece of dialogue sometimes uttered by male drunks and bandits during a brawl is "Remember... hit the one in the middle!" This is the advice given by Paulie in Rocky IV to help Rocky overcome double vision, which can be caused by both drunkenness and head trauma.

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Brawling. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
  3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
  • If a brawl is lost or surrendered to the opponent, a rematch may not be possible, even through using the same dialogue. Some potential brawlers will accept the challenge but will not ensue the fight. For some, the brawl will proceed if the player throws the first punch, and it will not count as assault. For others, it will be an assault and will accrue a bounty. Each time the dialogue for accepting the brawl is used, 100 coin will be removed, regardless of how many times it was used, but only 100 coin can be won back, the rest will be gone, not even in the opponent's inventory.
  • The game may freeze after a brawl is won.
  • Armor with damaging effects, such as the poison from the Ebony Mail, can turn the brawl into a real fight and bounties may be added. The same principle applies to the Targe of the Blooded. Similarly, the Ritual shroud of Boethiath does the "damage" counted as weapon, though it only slows opponents down.
  • After winning a brawl, the opponent might stay in a kneeling position. Reload a previous save if this happens. (On the PC, open the console in-game, click on the bugged NPC and type kill, this will make him stand up again for some reason.)
  • Sometimes right after the brawling starts, an opponent will draw their weapon, 40 gold bounty will be added and everyone in the area will become hostile, seeing it as an assault. This seems to happen if the Dragonborn has an enchanted piece of armor equipped.
  • Yielding to Hofgrir during the brawl will cause him to offer a rematch though no rematch is possible; this also disables all other potential brawls in the game meaning many follower NPCs cannot be recruited. Companions 'Hired Muscle' quests are unaffected and if the target is usually a brawl option, they will pay the 100 gold but still cannot be recruited.
  • If the Dragonborn changes equipment during a brawl (brawling equipment i.e.) the adversary may not yield and eventually die as if it was a fist fight to the death. The wager is lost and the Dragonborn may gain a bounty.
  •  PC   While participating in a brawl with Chief Larak in the Orc stronghold of Mor Khazgur, you may hear him say "So you want a real fight, eh?" as soon as the brawl begins. Soon after, he will draw weapons and proceed to fight to the death. None of the other Orcs in the stronghold will react to this, even if you kill him.

Appearances[]

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