Should I Let Cicero Live?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: You want a specialized assassin follower. If you spare Cicero after the Dawnstar Sanctuary confrontation, he becomes available as a follower later in the Dark Brotherhood questline. He is skilled in One-Handed, Sneak, and Archery, scales with the player’s level, and carries the Assassin class behavior package. This makes him mechanically strong for stealth-oriented Dragonborns and a flavorful companion for players who enjoy the macabre tone of the Dark Brotherhood storyline.
• Good fit: You are roleplaying a loyal or merciful member of the Brotherhood. Cicero is a devoted, if unstable, Keeper of the Night Mother, and sparing him reinforces the idea that the Dark Brotherhood is a family rather than a simple employer. Because the main questline continues in nearly identical fashion regardless of whether he lives or dies, the choice is primarily about character values, faction loyalty, and the kind of story you want to tell.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: You want the Jester’s Clothes armor set for collection or character build purposes. Cicero wears the unique Jester’s Clothes, Jester’s Boots, and Jester’s Hat, which are a distinctive light armor set with useful enchantments and a visually striking appearance. The only legitimate way to obtain these items in the base game is to kill him and loot his body. If you spare him, this outfit becomes permanently unavailable without console commands, mods, or a new playthrough.
• Warning sign: You find his personality, voice acting, or commentary disruptive. Cicero’s shrill laughter, constant talking, and erratic behavior can become grating during long play sessions or stealth missions where quiet is valuable. If you prefer minimal companion dialogue or want a follower whose tone matches a more serious character, Cicero may be a poor fit despite his combat usefulness.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Gain a unique and mechanically capable follower. Beyond his personality, Cicero offers strong stealth combat skills, decent damage output, and a level-scaling follower package. He can carry gear, draw enemy attention, and complement a dagger-or-bow assassin build. His availability also means you do not need to search for or hire another companion.
• Preserve the Dark Brotherhood’s narrative integrity. Letting Cicero live keeps the Night Mother’s Keeper within the faction and supports a redemption- or loyalty-focused storyline. For players who view the Dark Brotherhood as a found family, sparing a troubled but devoted member feels more thematically consistent than executing him.

Cons

• Permanently lose the Jester’s Clothes set. The outfit is one of the more visually unique light armor pieces in the game and includes enchantments that boost Sneak and one-handed damage. Missing it can be frustrating for fashion-focused or completionist players, especially since there is no guaranteed alternate source.
• His behavior can undermine immersion and stealth. Cicero’s frequent laughter and theatrical dialogue can break the tension of stealth gameplay and annoy players who prefer quiet, stoic, or lore-consistent companions. If you plan to use him as a long-term follower, his personality is a significant trade-off against his combat utility.

Decision Checklist

• Does your current character build need a stealth-focused follower, or would you rather invest perks and gear into a companion of your own choosing?
• Are you trying to collect every unique armor piece, or is the Jester’s Clothes set merely a nice-to-have?
• Have you created a hard save before the sanctuary confrontation so you can reload and compare both outcomes without starting over?

Alternatives to Consider

The simplest alternative is to save immediately before the choice and test each outcome. This lets you see Cicero’s follower behavior and the Jester armor for yourself before committing. On PC, console commands can allow you to obtain the armor and still keep Cicero alive, though this requires familiarity with the command interface and may disable achievements depending on the version. Console players may look into creation club content or mods, but availability varies by platform and edition. Another roleplay alternative is to spare Cicero but never actually recruit him as a follower, keeping him alive for story purposes while avoiding his commentary during gameplay. Finally, if you are playing a Dragonborn who rejects the Dark Brotherhood entirely, you can destroy the faction through the alternative questline, which resolves the Cicero question by removing the context in which it arises.

Final Recommendation

Let Cicero live if you want a distinctive assassin follower and prefer a loyal, merciful resolution to the Dark Brotherhood conflict. Kill him if the unique Jester’s Clothes armor set matters more to your build or collection goals, or if you simply cannot tolerate his personality. The decision has no long-term impact on the main questline, so treat it as a flavor and equipment choice rather than a world-altering moment. Save before deciding, experiment with both outcomes, and choose the version that best serves your current playthrough. If you are using mods or console commands, verify their compatibility and achievement rules before altering the intended outcome.