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Though The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has been available to players for over a decade, even some of the most die-hard fans of the game may be unaware of how surprisingly deep the adoption system is. There are lots of variables and prerequisites before the Dragonborn can adopt a child. In the original release, the only family-building aspect present in-game was the ability to marry an NPC. It wasn't until the introduction of the second Hearthfire DLC that adoption became possible as well.
There are many different children in Skyrim the player can adopt during their travels, so gamers should have no issue finding the perfect candidate. These children are available for adoption in a number of different ways. Some can be found homeless in major cities, and others are found in the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. Yet, even that latter option has prerequisites that the player must accomplish first. Lastly, there are over a dozen kids that only become available for adoption after something happens to their in-game parents or guardians.
Updated August 13, 2023, by Justin Flynn: The addition of the Hearthfire DLC made it possible for players to build and decorate their very own homestead. Not only that, but it also allowed players to fill their in-game homes with children if they chose to pursue adoption. While adopting a child in Skyrim serves to make a house feel more lived-in, it also comes with a few additional bonuses that players wouldn't have access to otherwise. Children will often give the Dragonborn gifts whenever they return home, and sometimes an adopted child can even bring home an unusual pet. There are many reasons why adopting a child in Skyrim is a good thing to do, but since the adoption process isn't made overly clear, some players may struggle with figuring out how it works.
How To Adopt A Child In Skyrim
The Dragonborn will not be able to adopt a child until they have acquired a house of their own. Any house will suffice, so it's entirely up to the player which property they choose to build or purchase. Once a place of residence has been secured, players will need to either purchase a Child's Room for the house they bought or construct both a Child's Bed and a Dresser for the homestead they built.
Players can build the Child's Bed and Dresser in their homestead by interacting with the Carpenter's Workbench in the room they want their adopted child to sleep in, but those who wish for their child to live in a house they purchased will need to approach the Steward who sold them the house and purchase a Child's Room from them directly.
On top of this, players will also need to complete the "Innocence Lost" quest as part of the Dark Brotherhood questline. This quest tasks the Dragonborn with speaking to Aventus Aretino in Windhelm and agreeing to kill Grelod The Kind, the owner of the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. After some time has passed after completing this quest, the Courier will approach the Dragonborn and give them a letter entitled "Consider Adoption," in which the new owner of Honorhall Orphanage, Constance Michel, will invite the Dragonborn to adopt a child.
So long as the Dragonborn has received the Consider Adoption letter, they can travel to Honorhall Orphanage in Riften and speak to Constance Michel to begin the adoption process. When the conversation is over, the Dragonborn can approach any of the children in Honorhall Orphanage and speak to them to receive the "I could adopt you, if you want" dialogue option. Whichever child the player chooses can then be found back at whatever home the Dragonborn chose to send them.
All Adoptable Children In Honorhall Orphanage
Players will have the option to choose between four children during their initial visit to Honorhall Orphanage. Each child displays a unique personality, and players are free to speak with each of them before deciding who to adopt.
- Samuel, an Imperial whose mother worked at the orphanage before dying while in labor, has become the leader of the kids in true Imperial fashion.
- Francois Beaufort may have a Breton-sounding name but is also an Imperial like Samuel. Francois was left at the orphanage by his parents a year ago and has been waiting for them to return.
- Hroar is a Nord boy who doesn't share how he came to end up at Honorhall Orphanage but does explain that his mother named him after the roar of a lion, which inspires him to become big and strong.
- Runa Fair-Shield is a Nord girl who claims the other boys pick on her and force her to do all the chores.
All Adoptable Children Skyrim's Cities
If the player doesn't want to engage with the Dark Brotherhood storyline at all, then there are still several adoption options available. However, just as with the orphanage, the player must still have a home with a Child's Bed and Dresser or Child's Room in order to adopt them. There are initially just four children in four of Skyrim's major cities: Dawnstar, Solitude, Whiterun, and Windhelm, and all the player must do to initiate adoption is ask about their circumstances and how they ended up where they did.
- In Dawnstar, the player will find Alesan, a Redguard boy who worked on his father's ship. One day, his father became sick, and the pair were left at Dawnstar's port only for the father to die shortly after. Now, Alesan delivers food to local miners in order to survive and sleeps on the floor of the local inn.
- Sofie is a Nord child in Windhelm and can often be seen wandering around the city selling flowers so she can feed herself. Her mother died when she was young, and her father was in the Stormcloak army before dying in battle.
- Blaise is a Breton whose parents died in an Imperial Legion ambush. Afterward, Katla took him in to help out at the stables on her farm outside Solitude. She generally doesn't care for him, as Blaise is forced to sleep with the horses he looks after.
- In Whiterun, players will find the Imperial, Lucia, near the giant Gildergreen tree. She seems to have a similar agreement with Hulda at The Bannered Mare as Blaise does with Katla on her farm. Both can be seen working at their respective locations, but largely without thanks or appreciation. Lucia's mother also owned a farm, but her aunt and uncle kicked her out after the mother's death, and she ended up in Whiterun.
Other Adoptable Children in Skyrim
If those eight options don't seem to be the best fit for a specific playthrough, there are fifteen other children that can be adopted. These kids will get sent to Honorhall Orphanage if something happens to their parents. This can either be through the Dragonborn's actions directly or through Dragon and Vampire attacks in Skyrim's cities. It's worth noting that if either guards or the child itself sees the Dragonborn killing their parents, adoption will not be possible.
These children include Braith in Whiterun, Aeta in Skall Village, Britte and Sissel in Rorikstead, Clinton Lylvieve at Dragon Bridge, Dorthe in Riverwood, Eirid at The Frozen Hearth, Erith at Left Hand Mine, Frodnar in Riverwood, Gralnach at Heartwood Mill, Hrefna at Darkwater Crossing, Knud at Katla's Farm, Minette Vinius at The Winking Skeever, Skuli at Old Hroldan Inn, and Svari in Solitude. After the death of their parent or parents, the children will shortly arrive at Honorhall Orphanage with the original four.
Skyrim has always tried to champion player choice and agency, and the huge amount of adoptable children featured in the game is proof of that. The upcoming The Elder Scrolls VI could improve and expand this system in unimaginable ways, in addition to other gameplay systems.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
