Template:SkyrimNPCs
- "Tolfdir as Master Wizard? Certainly didn't anticipate that."
- ―Faralda[src]
Faralda (Skyrim) is an Altmer mage who teaches destruction at the College of Winterhold and guards the college's bridge. Her chamber is in the Hall of Countenance.
Personality and relationships
Nirya accuses Faralda of being jealous and antagonistic towards her, although Faralda shows no personal animosity in return, and in fact doesn't even mention her in conversation. However, If the Dragonborn kills Nirya, Faralda will contact the Dragonborn in a letter, telling them Nirya will not be missed and that she will not tell anyone who killed her. However, witnessing the murder of any other member of the College leads to suspension and earns a 1,000 
bounty.
According to Faralda, Mirabelle Ervine was skeptical of her admitting the Dragonborn into the college.
Interactions
Joining the College of Winterhold
Faralda will greet the Dragonborn when they first approach the college, explaining that outsiders may not enter without permission. To become a member, the Dragonborn must demonstrate magical aptitude by performing a spell of Faralda's choosing (if the Dragonborn does not know the appropriate spell, she will sell the tome for it for 30 gold).
Alternatively, if the Dragonborn is far enough along in the main quest, they can gain entry by displaying mastery of the voice.
Containment
Following Tolfdir's advice to defend Winterhold against the Magic Anomalies released by Ancano, Faralda and Arniel Gane assist the Dragonborn in battle. Faralda dual-wields Thunderbolt spells and casts Ebonyflesh to repel melee attacks.
Destruction Ritual Spell
The Dragonborn must speak with Faralda to begin the Destruction Ritual Spell quest, whose reward is the ability to acquire and use master-level destruction spells.
Quests
Faralda specializes in Destruction
- Joining the College of Winterhold
- Containment
- Elder Knowledge
- Power of the Elements
Trivia
- She is only available after completing First Lessons.
- Although Faralda is a master-level destruction trainer, her destruction skill is only level 83.
- Faralda's "crime" tolerance is set to high; she attacks criminals who have bounties in Winterhold or Windhelm.
- If someone steals from her, she will retaliate by sending hired thugs.
- She will not offer training while the Containment quest is active. Instead, she just says "We must find a way to put a stop to this."
Lecture
Faralda delivers a lecture on The Synod and the College of Whispers and the College of Winterholds' relationship with the Synod and the College of Whispers, held in the Hall of the Elements. Most of the members of the College gather around her in the Hall to listen to her lecture. After she finishes, everyone goes back to their usual schedule.
- "It is no secret that both the Synod and the College of Whispers have recently made inquiries as to the status of our College here in Winterhold. At this time, there is no indication that either group is aware of the other's correspondence. The College of Winterhold has thus far declined requests for direct meetings. This has been at the specific request of Arch-Mage Aren.
Aren believed that although the initial communications were innocent enough, they were sent with a particular motive in mind. The Synod's harsh rules and draconian structure are maintained only by suppressing any opposition to their Council's policies. It is entirely possible that they look to our College here in Winterhold in order to find supporters for their organization. Likewise, the College of Whispers has long been driven by its desire to directly oppose the Synod. They focus on research banned by the Synod, such as Conjuration and Necromancy. The College of Whispers hopes to learn that our College also supports these avenues of research. Thus they may claim that the Synod is indeed a political minority in the Empire and should be treated as such.
Our actual position and policies are irrelevant. No matter the facts of the response, it will certainly be twisted to suit the whims of either group. Indeed, it has been jokingly suggested that we send the exact same response to both, which each will warp into support for their side. At present, these two groups do little beyond attempting to gain the attention and favor of the Emperor. They appear to have little interest in real study and research for the sake of gaining knowledge.
Arch-Mage Aren believes that their conflict poses a significant threat to the autonomy of our College, and I concur. Falling in with either would threaten to draw much unwanted attention to our College. If either group goes through less official channels and attempt to contact you directly, please refer them to the College's Master Wizard. Say as little as possible so as to avoid compromising our neutral position." - ―Faralda
Bugs
- The pillars on the bridge of the College may not light unless she is followed to each one.
- Having a bounty in Winterhold Hold may cause Faralda to not start dialogue and, thus, allow initial entrance into the college.
- Upon reaching level 90 in destruction and completing the Ritual Spell quest, she may not relinquish The Power of the Elements tome needed to unlock the master-level Destruction spells.
- Faralda can become hostile and attack for no apparent reason. Since she is marked essential, this can be very problematic.
- To fix this on PC, enter the console, target Faralda, and enter "setav aggression 0". For PS3 it seems the only way to cure this problem is reloading earlier saves.