Goldbrand is a powerful fire katana that made its debut in Morrowind and is available to Skyrim players that have installed the Goldbrand Creation. To obtain the sword, fans will need to complete a quest called A Matter of Pride, which can prove to be quite difficult indeed.
For those fans that are interested in earning Goldbrand in Skyrim, this guide details how to start the A Matter of Pride quest and the various challenges that players will face as they work to finish it.
Updated June 9, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Recently added to Skyrim A Matter of Pride is a questline that rewards players with the Goldbrand Katana upon completion. It's a fine weapon indeed, but knowing where to go to find the Skyrim Goldbrand location is only half the puzzle - there's a number of objectives in the questline, but it's well worth taking an hour to complete, especially if Goldbrand suits your build. As a one-handed enchanted weapon, it's best in the hands of a battlemage who can improve its Fire damage through perks, but really anyone can make use of this powerful fast-swinging Katana. When it comes to how to get Goldbrand in Skyrim, be sure to first level up to a good Level 30 or 40 to be able to deal with the high-level enemies in your way.
Skyrim Goldbrand Katana Stats and Abilities
Base Damage | Weight | Gold Value | Enchantments/Abilities | Improved With |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 | 17 | 3413 | Deals 30 Fire damage on hit, increased vs. Burning enemies | Gold Ingots, requires Daedric Smithing perk |
Goldbrand is a legendary Fire-enchanted Katana that most players won't be able to get until getting to a much higher level. It's one of the game's best weapons, though, and one of the few obtainable Katanas in Skyrim. For Goldbrand Skyrim makes players go through a lengthy questline that can be tough early on.
Goldbrand has a base damage of 15, which doesn't sound like much. However, it can swing faster than most other weapons in the game, and in Skyrim Goldbrand's enchantment is useful against most enemy types. Sure, the Fire damage won't affect non-organic enemies, but just about everything else in the game is weak to it. Basically, in Skyrim Goldbrans is a borderline broken weapon in the right hands (with the right perks and build).
How to Start The A Matter of Pride Skyrim Quest
The first step toward obtaining Goldbrand is to initiate the Matter of Pride quest, and that is done by visiting the Sacellum of Boethiah to the east of Windhelm. Upon arriving at this location, fans will witness the slaying of a character named Eranya, and they will trigger the start of the quest as they approach the body.
When that occurs, players should loot a journal from Eranya’s corpse and read it to receive their next instruction. That instruction is to locate the ancient warrior’s tomb, a dungeon called Sivdur’s Respite that is situated just north of Windhelm.
Skyrim: A Matter of Pride Walkthrough
First, Get To Level 40
The quest starts to become a bit difficult at this point, and it is recommended that Skyrim fans are at least level 40 with a solid set of gear before proceeding. Once inside of Sivdur’s Respite, players should fight their way through the cultists that are inside and read Eranya's Notes on Sivudr's Tomb, which is on a crate near a blocked passageway.
Eranya's Notes in the Arcanaeum
From here, fans should travel to the College of Winterhold Arcanaeum and read Eranya's Research Notes, which are found on the ground. Reading these notes will cause two new quest objectives to trigger, one of which is to obtain Sivdur's amulet from Lars Battle-Born and the other is to find Sivdur's betrayer in Shroud Hearth Barrow.
It will also cause two cultists to spawn in the room, and players should thus be prepared for battle.
Shroud Hearth Barrow and Magrathi's Skull
With the cultists dispatched, fans should head to Whiterun and speak with Lars Battle-Born to collect the amulet. They should then navigate to Shroud Hearth Barrow, which is on the eastside of the large mountain in the center of Skyrim’s map, and work their way through the dungeon’s various traps and Draugars until they can dispatch Magrathi and take his skull. Notably, this is not a particularly easy endeavor, and fans should make sure that they are ready for some tough fights.
The Final Fight And The Fire Katana
Players will now be ready to return to Sivudr's Tomb and place the amulet and skull on the pedestals that flank the aforementioned blocked passageway. This action will clear the way, and fans will once again face some tough Draugars and traps as they travel through the tunnels. Ultimately, these tunnels will lead players to a room that houses Goldbrand, and they should pickup this special sword in Skyrim to add it to their inventories.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.