Vittoria Vici, the Emperor’s cousin, is a high-profile target in Skyrim’s Dark Brotherhood questline. Her assassination during her own wedding in Solitude offers a unique and challenging scenario. This comprehensive guide provides detailed strategies and step-by-step instructions on how to successfully eliminate Vittoria Vici while maximizing the chaos and creativity Skyrim allows. From meticulous planning to flawless execution, we’ll cover everything you need to know to complete this memorable contract.
Understanding the Contract: A Delicate Situation
The Dark Brotherhood’s contract to assassinate Vittoria Vici is unique in several ways:
- Public Execution: The assassination takes place during her wedding ceremony on the docks of Solitude. This provides both challenges and opportunities, as numerous guards and wedding guests are present.
- Bonus Objective: Astrid, the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, offers a bonus if you make the assassination look like an accident. Achieving this significantly increases the reward.
- Multiple Approaches: Skyrim’s sandbox nature allows for a variety of creative solutions. You can choose a straightforward approach, a stealthy infiltration, or a meticulously planned ‘accident’.
Preparation is Key: Gearing Up for the Kill
Before attempting the assassination, proper preparation is essential. This includes gathering the necessary equipment, scouting the location, and formulating your strategy. Here’s a breakdown:
Essential Equipment:
- Weapons: Choose your preferred weapon based on your playstyle. A powerful bow is ideal for ranged attacks, while daggers are perfect for stealthy assassinations. Consider enchanting your weapon with damage or paralysis effects.
- Armor: Lightweight armor or clothing is recommended for stealth builds, allowing for quieter movement. Heavy armor provides greater protection but hinders stealth. If you plan a direct assault, heavy armor is preferable.
- Potions: Carry a variety of potions, including healing potions, stamina potions, invisibility potions, and fortify archery/one-handed potions (depending on your weapon choice). Potions of resist fire/frost/shock can also be useful if you anticipate a fight.
- Poisons: Poisons are invaluable for stealthy assassinations. Paralysis poisons, damage health poisons, and lingering damage health poisons are particularly effective.
- Lockpicks: A supply of lockpicks is essential for accessing restricted areas and opening locked containers.
Scouting the Location: Solitude Docks
Thoroughly scout the Solitude docks before the wedding ceremony. Familiarize yourself with the layout, guard patrol routes, and potential entry points. Key areas to investigate include:
- The Wedding Platform: Note the location of Vittoria Vici, her groom Asgeir, and the wedding guests. Observe the positioning of the guards around the platform.
- The Cliff Above: The cliff overlooking the wedding platform provides an excellent vantage point for ranged attacks. This is the ideal location for the ‘accident’ approach.
- The Storage Room: A small storage room beneath the platform can be accessed via a locked door (Adept lock). This room provides a concealed location for planning or waiting for an opportunity.
- The Docks Themselves: Observe the general layout of the docks, including the presence of any patrolling guards or civilians. Note the location of any barrels or crates that can be used for cover.
Strategies for Success: The Art of Assassination
Several strategies can be employed to assassinate Vittoria Vici. Each approach offers a different level of challenge and requires a unique set of skills. Here are a few of the most effective methods:
The ‘Accident’ Approach: A Bonus Reward
This approach involves making Vittoria Vici’s death appear as an accident, thereby securing the bonus reward from Astrid. This is arguably the most challenging but also the most rewarding method. The key is to use the environment to your advantage.
- Climb the Cliff: Ascend the cliff overlooking the wedding platform. This provides a clear line of sight to Vittoria Vici.
- Locate the Loose Statue: On the cliff’s edge, you’ll find a large statue that is precariously balanced. This is the key to the ‘accident’.
- Prepare Your Attack: Choose a ranged weapon (bow or spell) and aim at the support holding the statue in place.
- Time Your Shot: Wait for Vittoria Vici to be directly beneath the statue. This is crucial for making her death appear accidental.
- Release the Statue: Fire your arrow or cast your spell to destroy the support. The statue will fall, crushing Vittoria Vici and, hopefully, creating a suitably chaotic scene.
- Escape the Scene: Quickly descend the cliff and blend into the crowd. Avoid drawing attention to yourself.
Tips for the ‘Accident’ Approach:
- Accuracy is Crucial: Missing the support will alert the guards and ruin the plan.
- Consider Invisibility: Using an invisibility potion can help you escape undetected after releasing the statue.
- Save Before Attempting: This approach can be tricky, so save your game before attempting it in case things go wrong.
- Account for Crowd Movement: The crowd’s position might shift slightly during the ceremony, affecting your aiming point.
- Magic Users Beware: Casting destruction spells is louder than using a bow, so try to have high sneak and/or a silence spell.
The Stealth Assassin: A Silent Demise
This approach focuses on stealth and subterfuge, allowing you to eliminate Vittoria Vici without alerting the guards or wedding guests. This requires a high sneak skill and proficiency with daggers or bows.
- Infiltrate the Docks: Use stealth to approach the wedding platform undetected. Consider using invisibility potions or spells to aid your infiltration.
- Access the Storage Room (Optional): If possible, enter the storage room beneath the platform. This provides a concealed location to observe Vittoria Vici and plan your attack.
- Wait for an Opportunity: Observe Vittoria Vici’s movements and look for an opportunity to strike when she is alone or separated from the guards.
- Silent Takedown: Approach Vittoria Vici from behind and use a sneak attack with a dagger. A high sneak skill and a powerful poison can ensure a one-hit kill.
- Escape the Scene: Immediately after the assassination, use stealth to escape the docks undetected. Consider using invisibility potions or spells to aid your escape.
Tips for the Stealth Assassin Approach:
- Invest in Sneak: A high sneak skill is essential for this approach. Invest in perks that improve your stealth capabilities.
- Use Daggers: Daggers are the preferred weapon for stealth assassinations, as they are lightweight and silent.
- Apply Poisons: Poisons can significantly increase the damage of your sneak attacks.
- Master the Shadows: Stick to the shadows and avoid being seen by the guards or wedding guests.
- Consider Muffle: Use the Muffle enchantment on your boots to further reduce your noise while sneaking.
The Direct Assault: A Bloody Massacre
This approach involves a direct confrontation with the guards and wedding guests. This is the most risky approach and is not recommended unless you are a highly skilled warrior. However, it can be a fun and chaotic way to complete the contract.
- Prepare for Battle: Equip your best armor and weapons and stock up on healing potions.
- Engage the Guards: Initiate the attack by confronting the guards directly. Use your most powerful attacks and spells to quickly eliminate them.
- Eliminate Vittoria Vici: Once the guards are dealt with, focus your attention on Vittoria Vici. Use your most powerful attacks to quickly dispatch her.
- Escape the Scene: After eliminating Vittoria Vici, escape the docks as quickly as possible. Be prepared to fight off any remaining guards or pursuing enemies.
Tips for the Direct Assault Approach:
- Use Power Attacks: Power attacks can stagger enemies and deal significant damage.
- Utilize Shouts: Dragon Shouts such as Unrelenting Force and Fire Breath can be very effective in combat.
- Summon Allies: Summoning a Dremora Lord or other powerful creature can provide valuable assistance in battle.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Run: If you are overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to run and regroup.
- Carry Health Potions: Keep your health high, you will need it.
The Illusionist: Mind Games and Mayhem
This approach leverages Illusion magic to sow chaos and create distractions, allowing you to slip in and eliminate Vittoria Vici with minimal resistance. This requires a high Illusion skill and mastery of spells like Frenzy and Invisibility.
- Cast Frenzy: Before approaching the wedding platform, cast Frenzy on a group of guards or wedding guests. This will cause them to attack each other, creating a diversion.
- Use Invisibility: Cast Invisibility on yourself to move undetected through the chaos.
- Approach Vittoria Vici: While the guards and guests are distracted, approach Vittoria Vici from behind.
- Silent Assassination: Use a sneak attack with a dagger to eliminate Vittoria Vici silently.
- Escape in the Chaos: Use the ongoing chaos as cover to escape the docks undetected.
Tips for the Illusionist Approach:
- Invest in Illusion Perks: Invest in perks that increase the duration and effectiveness of your Illusion spells.
- Use Quiet Casting: The Quiet Casting perk allows you to cast spells without being detected.
- Experiment with Different Spells: Experiment with other Illusion spells, such as Calm and Fear, to control the crowd.
- Maintain Invisibility: Keep your Invisibility spell active to avoid being detected.
- Watch Your Magicka: Illusion spells can be magicka-intensive, so manage your magicka carefully.
Alternative Methods and Creative Solutions
Skyrim’s open-world nature encourages experimentation and creative problem-solving. Here are a few alternative methods and unconventional approaches to assassinating Vittoria Vici:
- The Poisoned Gift: Poison a bottle of wine or food and place it within Vittoria Vici’s reach. Wait for her to consume it and succumb to the poison.
- The Falling Chandelier: If you can access the rafters above the wedding platform, sabotage a chandelier or other heavy object to fall on Vittoria Vici.
- The Animal Attack: Lure a wild animal, such as a bear or wolf, onto the docks and let it attack Vittoria Vici.
- The Dragon Intervention: Use a Dragon Shout or summon a dragon to attack the wedding ceremony and eliminate Vittoria Vici in the chaos. (Requires mods or console commands to reliably control a dragon’s target).
- The Necromancer’s Gambit: Reanimate a powerful corpse, such as a Giant or Draugr Deathlord, and command it to attack Vittoria Vici.
The Aftermath: Claiming Your Reward
Once you have successfully assassinated Vittoria Vici, return to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary to claim your reward from Astrid. If you successfully made the assassination look like an accident, you will receive a bonus reward.
Conclusion: A Contract Fulfilled
The assassination of Vittoria Vici is one of the most memorable and challenging contracts in Skyrim’s Dark Brotherhood questline. By carefully planning your approach, gathering the necessary equipment, and utilizing your skills and creativity, you can successfully eliminate Vittoria Vici and claim your reward. Whether you choose a stealthy infiltration, a direct assault, or a meticulously planned ‘accident’, the possibilities are endless in the world of Skyrim.
Final Tips for a Successful Assassination
- Save Frequently: Skyrim is known for its glitches and unexpected events. Save your game frequently to avoid losing progress.
- Experiment and Adapt: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches and adapt your strategy based on the situation.
- Use Your Resources: Utilize all the resources available to you, including potions, poisons, and enchantments.
- Have Fun: The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the experience.
- Observe the AI Behavior: Watch how the characters interact, when they are more separated, and their patterns of movement.