Getting Breezehome for free is one of the best ways for players to make a home for themselves in Skyrim. After defending Whiterun from a dragon attack during the Dragon Rising main quest, Jarl Balgruuf will make you a Thane of Whiterun. As Thane, you have the right to purchase and own property in the city, including the Breezehome starter house.
While Breezehome isn’t necessarily the best house in Skyrim, it’s a cozy starter property in one of the most intriguing and bustling cities. It is located near various useful trading hubs, such as Warmaiden’s, the city’s local smithy and armor shop, making it a convenient property. However, the asking price of 5,000 Gold is rather steep if you’ve just started your adventures, so you can use a clever exploit to bypass this and acquire it for free.
To obtain Breezehome for free, you must have 5,000 Gold in your inventory to cover the price of the house; however, by using the exploit, you won’t have to spend any of it, allowing you to save a huge amount of Gold in Skyrim. Start by finding an NPC named Proventus Avenicci, Jarl Balgruuf’s steward, and speak to him just as he’s about to sleep or get up from bed.
Proventus’ living quarters can be found within the home of the Jarl in Skyrim, in Dragonsreach Keep. His room is the first door on the right as you enter the Jarl’s Quarters. Proventus has three different wardrobes in his room. You’ll need to position your character precisely so that one of these wardrobes is as close to you as possible.
Wait until Proventus leaves his bedside and makes his way to a wardrobe before interacting with him. Upon initiating dialogue, select “I’d like to purchase a house in the city” followed by “I’ll take it” as the prerequisite to buying the house.
As soon as you’ve selected the final dialogue option, exit the conversation and immediately open the nearby wardrobewhile Proventus is still speaking to prevent the dialogue from coming to a close. You’ll need to open the wardrobe before the jingle sound effect plays, which indicates you’ve spent Gold in Skyrim without it leaving your possession.
At this point, store all of your Gold in the wardrobe and exit. If you’ve managed to pull off this exploit, you’ll receive the Key to Breezehome for free without spending a penny. You’ll also gain access to the Whiterun Home Decorating Guide, allowing you to purchase house upgrades and decorations for your interior.
An alternative to buying Breezehome and getting a free house in Whiterun is to marry Ysolda, a local merchant in Whiterun. This NPC has her own home in the city, which players can share with her through a marriage union, and it is only available after completing her ‘Rare Gifts’ side quest.
For those interested in one of Skyrim’s best female marriage candidates, Ysolda is usually found roaming near Dragonsreach or the Whiterun marketplace. Upon interacting with her, she will request that you bring her a Mammoth Tusk, which she must give to a Khajiit caravaneer.
Fortunately, players don’t need to travel too far to find a Mammoth Tusk. In Whiterunwithin The Bannered Mare, one rests atop a shelf behind the counter. By retrieving it and giving it to Ysolda, she will become available for marriage, giving you free access to her home in the city. PS5GAMING provides a walkthrough of all the necessary steps to marry Ysolda and achieve your shared home.
When you first purchase Breezehome, it’s relatively empty and lifeless, with little vibrance to its interior. You can renovate by purchasing various house upgrades from Proventus to make your house a home in Skyrim. As such, a fully upgraded Breezehome will cost you over 1,000 Gold. However, you can use the same exploit to purchase house upgrades for free. Below is a table of all the enhancements available to spruce up your quarters:
To proceed, speak to Proventus while he’s in the room behind the Jarl’s throne, which has a war table and a chest beside it. Ask him to purchase each upgrade, exit the dialogue, and store all your Gold in the chest. Repeat this several times until you’ve purchased all your desired house upgrades.
Ultimately, Breezehome in Skyrim is likely to be just the first home you purchase in Skyrim. However, getting Breezehome for free and upgrading it for free will save you a lot of Gold. This allows you to save your Gold for other, more important purchases.
Source: PS5GAMING/YouTube