Kindred Judgment Kindred Judgment is a quest in . It serves as the final quest of the main storyline for the add - on . Background . The quest begins with the acquisition of Auriel ' s Bow at the conclusion of " Touching the Sky " after which Harkon must be confronted . The stages of the quest vary slightly depending upon what faction has been joined . Preparing the attack . Dawnguard alignment . If the Dawnguard questline has been followed , instructions are received from Serana to return to Isran to formulate a plan of attack . After speaking to Isran , he will agree that now is the time to strike the Vampires and will call all the members of the Dawnguard into the main lobby for a rousing speech : After the speech , Isran , Sorine Jurard , Celann , Durak , Gunmar , Florentius Baenius and an Armored Troll will leave the fort and begin their long trek towards Castle Volkihar to join in the final battle . Upon reaching the shores of the island , they will wait for the Dragonborn before storming the castle . Heading across the bridge will cause the Gargoyle statues that line the bridge to animate and attack . Several vampires will pour out of the castle , including Rargal Thrallmaster , Modhna , Namasur , Stalf and Garmr . These are the court ' s lesser members and can be challenging in groups but pose little threat on their own . This is one of the few opportunities where firing Sunhallowed Arrow s into the sun with Auriel ' s Bow will provide additional help , provided that it is daytime . Once these foes are dead , Castle Volkihar can be entered . Inside , the remaining vampires will attack , namely Hestla , Salonia Caelia , Fura Bloodmouth , Orthjolf , Vingalmo , Garan Marethi , Ronthil , and Feran Sadri . These vampires are the higher - ranked members and are very dangerous , but tend not to congregate . Fura , Hestla , Orthjolf and Salonia all wield leveled weapons along with their Vampiric Drain spells and tend to stay in the main hall . Vingalmo , Garan Marethi and Feran Sadri are all powerful spellcasters and prefer to run along the upper balconies while hosing the area with powerful Destruction spells and Ronthil will take refuge in the room full of coffins and use a levelled bow and arrows if confronted . The Dragonborn may choose to join their Dawnguard allies in cleansing the castle of its vampire presence , or hide and watch instead . Alternatively , it is possible to ignore the vampires and rush into the cathedral directly , skipping the entire fight until the final confrontation with Harkon . Once Harkon is killed , all the vampires outside will be found dead afterward . Either way , proceed to the door to the Volkihar Cathedral , where Lord Harkon waits . Vampire alignment . If the Volkihar Vampires have been sided with , then after speaking with Serana head directly to Castle Volkihar . Several members of the court will be loitering around the castle as usual , each with some additional dialogue relating to the finding Auriel ' s bow . Follow the objective marker and enter the castle ' s cathedral . Confrontation with Harkon . Upon entering the cathedral , Harkon will be waiting in his Vampire Lord form and will initiate a conversation with Serana : At this point he turns to the Dragonborn . The following conversation between Harkon and the Dragonborn will vary slightly depending upon what faction has been joined : Dawnguard alignment . This in turn leads to three options to choose from : Vampire alignment . This in turn leads to three options to choose from : Finally , the last set of options is the same for both alignments and they end in having to choose between giving him the bow or refusing . Both options result in him becoming hostile . Final battle . Lord Harkon uses the Bats Night Power when damaged enough and begins attacking from above on the balcony . After his health is depleted , he will retreat to the blood fountain and be invincible while he heals , unless Auriel ' s Bow is used , which will cause his barrier to vanish . He will summon Gargoyles , which will necessitate close range combat . The process repeats itself until he dies with a unique death sequence of an explosion of bats and his final words calling out to his daughter : " " No . . . Serana . . . your own father . . . " . " If the bow was given to him , it can be looted off his body along with his Vampire Royal Armor and Harkon ' s Sword . Epilogue . Once the battle is over , Isran or Garan Marethi , depending upon alignment , will walk into the cathedral and congratulate the Dragonborn for ending Harkon ' s plans . Garan Marethi . If the Dragonborn is a member of the Volkihar Vampires , Castle Volkihar becomes a home , with every item there belonging to the Dragonborn . The quest ends with Serana saying a few words about her father and asking if she can come along on future adventures , with the Dragonborn ' s permission . If the Dragonborn returns to the Soul Cairn after slaying Harkon , they can speak to Valerica and inform her of her husband ' s demise . She will thank the Dragonborn and will be in her laboratory on arrival to Castle Volkihar . She will offer an explanation of how the Dragonborn can survive return trips to the Soul Cairn and offer any potions or ingredients in her freshly restocked lab for free . She will decline to provide blood for Bloodcursed Elven Arrows .