Upon reaching level 30, an attack by a Boethiah cultist may occur in the wilderness. The cultist carries the book "Boethiah's Proving," and reading it provides a map marker for the shrine, which starts the quest. The book can also be discovered during exploration, though not before reaching level 24.

Find the shrine of Boethiah / Find the cult of Boethiah
When approaching the shrine, one is addressed by the Priestess of Boethiah, who oversees a duel to the death in a makeshift arena.

She speaks cryptically about the cult and Boethiah herself, concluding that the player is a nonentity, an empty breath. One should respond by stating a lack of fear and a burning desire for action. She then reveals the requirements to establish contact with Boethiah: one must prove that one's tongue is made for lies. A companion must be found, their trust earned, and then they must be brought here to be deceitfully betrayed and murdered. The treacherous aspect of this brutal ritual is that the follower will stand no chance - they are rendered immobile and must be stabbed defenlessly. If the required strong will is demonstrated during this brutal ritual, Boethiah will appear.

If all of this can be reconciled with one's conscience, one agrees and receives the Blade of Sacrifice from the priestess.

Ultimately, every future Champion of Boethiah will weigh their own options and make their specific choice.

Once one has arrived at the shrine with the follower, the companion must be commanded to touch the Pillar of Sacrifice. When they approach the pillar, it reacts and pulls them in. Finally, the follower is magically bound to the pillar - submissive and defenseless. A translucent dome forms around the pillar, which can be entered to deliver the death blow with the Blade of Sacrifice.

As soon as the follower drops dead, Boethiah possesses the body and uses it to speak to those assembled.

Speak to Boethiah's Conduit
The opportunity is given to ask a few questions, which Boethiah answers. He explains that Daedra are far more powerful than gods, and among his brothers, he is the most feared. It is advantageous to conduct this conversation just as cold-bloodedly as the disposal of the follower was carried out. Boethiah then turns to the cultists who have meanwhile gathered around the pillar. While descending the stairs to the arena, he proclaims that he requires a warrior. He wants everyone to measure themselves against one another, as a special task awaits the one who remains at the end. Boethiah then leaves the body of the dead follower, which collapses again and remains lying there.

Slay the other cultists
In other words, Boethiah has ordered a massacre among his followers. Everyone draws their weapons and attacks one another. One can plunge directly into the fray or wait a short while until only a single cultist remains. Weakened from combat, that survivor poses little threat. As soon as they fall, Boethiah possesses their body to address the player.

Speak to Boethiah's Conduit
Following a few words of praise, Boethiah explains the final trial. It centers on the dishonesty that must now be proven. Boethiah's current champion is to be replaced. Having become a bandit king, the champion is said to devote himself only to his own pleasure - but the only pleasure Boethiah tolerates is his own. One must travel to Knifepoint Ridge and murder everyone there deceitfully and in cold blood. No one is to be left with the dignity of fighting back. The approach must be quiet and stealthy, as this task is not about oneself - one is merely a tool of the great Boethiah.

Slay everyone at Knifepoint Ridge stealthily
Knifepoint Ridge is a fortified bandit camp that was originally constructed and used by the Forsworn. All bandits guarding, working, practicing, or sleeping here must be killed. Some can be taken out from a distance, while others can be sneaked up on surprisingly easily. Once everyone in the camp has been eliminated, one must enter Knifepoint Mine, where the leader and additional bandits are located.

For this quest, the entrance area of the mine is expanded by several chambers and corridors. The location of Boethiah's Champion is usually in a wooden shack above the central cavern. One can attack him with a bow through the door or gaps in the wall, although he is heavily armored with the Ebony Mail. Sometimes he steps outside, making it slightly easier to sneak up from behind.

Retrieve and equip the Ebony Mail
Once the bandit leader has been defeated, the armor can be stripped from him. As soon as it is equipped, Boethiah's voice is heard. One has earned his respect and survived - a rare feat. The Ebony Mail may be kept, and one is now Boethiah's new champion, whose name is inscribed upon the Slate of Absolute Darkness. One is told to go their way, and the quest concludes.

Known Bugs

• If one inquires with the priestess about Boethiah first, the dialogue tree may terminate prematurely, halting quest progression. In this case, the conversation should be restarted, selecting only the primary dialogue options: "Is this some kind of cult?" ⇒ "I'm not afraid of you." ⇒ "My heart is full of purpose, and my life is full of deeds."
• While Boethiah occupies a host body and the blurry visual shader is active, opening the menu or journal should be avoided. The visual blur effect can occasionally become permanent.

Tips & Notes

• The shrine is remotely situated in the Velothi Mountains east of Windhelm and can only be approached from the north.
• Visiting the Sacellum of Boethiah before reaching level 30 reveals the location to be entirely abandoned.
• If the Sacellum of Boethiah is visited after level 30 without having read "Boethiah's Proving," the quest initiates directly at the location, and the preliminary objective "Find the shrine of Boethiah" is bypassed.
• If the map marker is specifically desired, the book can be found as random loot starting from level 24. However, it is guaranteed to spawn at specific locations from level 30 onwards:
  • Septimus Signus's Outpost (located in the ice fields north of Winterhold)
  • Hob's Fall Cave (in the glacier exactly between Dawnstar and Winterhold)
  • Fellglow Keep (exactly between Whiterun and Windhelm)
  • Abandoned House in Markarth (adjacent to "Arnleif and Sons Trading Company")
• During conversations with the priestess and Boethiah, responses should mirror the traits of the champion in the book: deceitful, treacherous, diabolical, and infamous. Boethiah despises heroism and servility, demanding respect, malice, and cunning in their name.
• Occasionally, the follower fails to stick to the Pillar of Sacrifice and instead jogs in place. This does not disrupt the quest; it simply indicates that the pillar failed to properly snap and rotate the NPC. As long as the target remains within the magical dome under the pillar's influence, the assassination can be executed.
• Although conceptually appropriate, using the Blade of Sacrifice is not mandatory to kill the follower. Any other weapon or spell suffices to complete the task.
• While Boethiah demands a stealthy approach at Knifepoint Ridge, failing to remain silent and choosing a loud, aggressive combat style does not negatively impact the quest outcome.
• Prior to starting the quest, only approximately 20% of Knifepoint Mine - essentially just the entrance area - can be explored.
• The mine contains an unexpectedly high number of corundum ore veins. These become fully accessible during and after the quest when the entirety of the mine opens.
• The genderless nature of the Daedra is particularly emphasized with Boethiah in Skyrim. The statue is cleverly designed to be completely neutral, and the priestess switches between "him" and "her" within the same sentence (though this shifting of pronouns does not strictly equate to "genderless"). Nonetheless, conceptualizing this fluid nature remains a subject of intense debate among both cultists and players.
  Molag Bal refers to Boethiah as "her" in TES V, and the in-game book „Boethiah's Proving” aligns with this perspective. Conversely, in TES II, III, and IV, Boethiah was depicted as a male warrior.
• Evidence in the game files reveals that the original iteration of this quest followed a vastly different narrative. The cut content included a task titled "Boethiah's Bidding", which required the assassination of Jarl Elisif the Fair. The scripts and stage objectives - such as Stage 50: Slay the Jarl of Solitude - remain embedded in the data but cannot be triggered through normal gameplay.