The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Stones of Barenziah quest is, by far, one of the game's longest side quests. Sending players out to pick over Skyrim's dungeons, the quest has Dragonborn searching for 24 unusual gems to complete Barenziah's crown. Though spread out they may be, the game doesn't provide much help in pointing out useful locations, making this quest one of the most time-consuming in the game.
With such a long fetch-quest-y nature, why do so many people still attempt to complete the Stones of Barenziah quest? Two words - Prowler's Profit. Players only get access to this ability by completing this quest, and its benefits far outweigh the laborious gem collecting.
In fact, one Skyrim player shows off just how useful this ability is - and why everyone should be completing Skyrim's Stones of Barenziah quest.
Skyrim's Stones of Barenziah Quest - Tedious, But High Reward
Piles and piles of gems - sound enticing? Reddit user u/MagicPuffIsCool certainly thought so! After collecting all 24 unusual gems and Barenziah's crown itself, MagicPuffIsCool presented the crown to the quest holder, Vex. Though players will automatically get this quest once they find a single Unusual Gem, it is Vex that explains their significance.
Vex first reveals to the Dragonborn that the completed crown would boost a thief's abilities. For Dragonborn who tend to have sticky fingers, this makes this item one of the most important thieving bonuses you can get.
As previously mentioned, players receive the ability Prowler's Profit upon completion of this quest. Prowler's Profit greatly increases a Dragonborn's chance of finding multiple precious gems during looting. That means anything from chests, urns, people, and random dungeon containers could hold up to 2-4 gems of high value. MagicPuffIsCool discovered just how many gems this could be, after going through just two dungeons.
Since Dragonborn will have to be a part of the Thieves Guild to complete this quest, this provides an easy way for them to max out their earnings. Dungeons suddenly provide a much higher monetary reward, making the risk just a bit more worth it. Additionally, if the player is at a high level, they'll have a higher chance of finding Flawless-type gems. This means that Prowler's Profit could potentially net a pile of expensive Flawless gems.
While players can sell gems for a nice profit - especially this many - gems particularly come in handy for skill leveling. Smithing Gold Rings is a surefire way to power level to 100, but adding gems will make the process faster. Gems increase the value of the crafted rings, giving you more Smithing experience compared to a regular Gold Ring.
For anyone still on the fence about completing Skyrim's Stones of Barenziah quest, there are several mods out there to make finding them easier. Some will mark their locations on the map, others will teleport you from gem to gem. Either way, there are ways to remove the tedious nature of this quest, giving an easy road to high earnings!
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