Delphine is a significant character in Skyrim’s main quest as the current leader of the Blades (an ancient organization in service of those with Dragon blood).
After ages of fighting Thalmor, The Blades have been reduced to a handful of warriors hiding out in Skyrim – waiting for the day when their service will be needed again.
In Delphine’s case, that means pretending to be an innkeeper while gathering information in secret.
Despite her evident dedication to the cause, it’s hard to like Delphine. She’s old, cranky, and her actions seem fueled by hate against the Thalmor rather than dedication to the Dragon blood.
Many mods aim to make Delphine more likable, and I’ll show you some of my favorites – from quest expansions to appearance overhauls.
Delphine has seen her fair share of bugs for a main quest character.
The most obvious is that she doesn’t know basic innkeeping procedures. When you rent a room from her, she’ll often just stare at you instead of leading you to the room like a typical innkeeper. What gives?
This mod by DayDreamer provides a quick fix so you can stay at the Sleeping Giant Inn normally.
It also fixes her repetition of outdated lines after advancing the Blades storyline.
A fine way to improve Delphine is overhauling her equipment.
As you know, Delphine is part of the Blades, and she starts wearing their distinctive armor after a certain point in the main quest – so anything improving that set automatically improves Delphine.
Creator Esmm40 brings us a lighter-looking version of the Blades armor. It has a sleek design and looks easier to move in.
It’s also a little bit sexy.
While the mod was originally meant as a crafting option, the modder provides instructions on how to use this to replace the vanilla set.
Alternatively, you can replace Delphine herself with a slightly younger blonde bombshell who’ll look great in whatever risqué outfit you choose.
This mod changes Delphine’s face to look like Christie – a custom character by creator Somollig that looks like your average sitcom suburban housewife.
Christie looks like an actress playing Delphine in Hollywood’s adaptation of Skyrim, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Just model your character after The Rock and you’ll have an all-star cast.
You’ll find a more realistic improvement of the Grandmaster’s appearance in Delphine Makeover by Rocl.
This mod respects Delphine’s identity as a warrior woman dedicated to her cause.
Her gaze looks stern and fearless, and she has a new face scar – courtesy of the High Elves.
Gamers have different feelings about changing the apparent age of characters in Skyrim, so Delphine Makeover includes two versions of its improved face: young and beautiful or old and immersive.
You also get to choose whether you keep her vanilla hairstyle, or replace it with Geralt of Rivia’s from The Witcher 3.
I’m a big fan of the fierce and powerful women that Geralt attracts. This includes Ves, an elite soldier in the Temerian military with whom Geralt can share a moment of passion in TW2.
Veselified Delphine by Maniman303 makes Delphine look a lot like Ves.
It makes her hair shorter, gives her more delicate features, and turns back the clock around 25 years, by my rough estimate.
Both Ves and Delphine are soldiers and agents who’ve given their life to duty, so this feels 100% appropriate.
Delphine doesn’t know how to make a good first impression. Or a second. Or a third…
All I’m saying is that she can be annoying, especially if you’re not 100% convinced by the whole “Blades” thing.
They’re supposed to be servants and protectors of the Dragonborn, but Delphine treats you like an errand boy.
Hell, if you refuse to slay the lovable dragon Paarthurnax, she’ll go so far as to banish you from Sky Haven Temple!
Killable Delphine by Yodamui offers a simple solution to Delphine’s constant disrespect: the pointy end of your blade. Time to see if she can back up her barking with combat prowess!
Alternatively, you can get The Blades Can Die for Esbern to be a potential murder victim too.
Rxkx22’s Bijin series is one of the easiest and most glorious ways to beautify Skyrim’s female population.
Bijin Warmaidens focuses on the warrior ladies of the land – including Delphine.
It completely overhauls her appearance to make her younger and much more attractive. She still retains some scars from years of fighting the Thalmor, but time hasn’t left its mark yet.
Call me the Thanos of NPC overhauls, but I like it when there’s a fair balance between beauty and respecting a character’s general concept.
Eekie’s High-Poly Real Delphine does this by basing Delphine off Kate Winslet in the Mare of Easttown.
Instead of looking downright decrepit like vanilla Delphine, this face model looks like a hardened middle-aged woman who’s carried the weight of an ancient order on her shoulders for a long time.
This is one of the most nuanced and detailed faces I’ve seen in Skyrim modding, and I love it.
We already covered a way to resolve our differences with Delphine by the sword – but what if you could take a more diplomatic approach?
Paarthurnax Quest Expansion by JaySerpa opens up new possibilities by letting you remind Delphine that the Blades are supposed to follow the Dragonborn, not the other way around.
Once you’ve talked some sense into her, you may choose to spare Paarthurnax without being expelled from Sky Haven Temple.
The mod also gives the Blades much better arguments for trying to kill Paarthurnax that they’ll use to try and convince you.
This way, choosing the boss fight is a lot more immersive too.
Either way, you’ll like Delphine a lot better by the end of the quest – guaranteed.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
