I have just completed the Peace Council at High Hrothgar, and Esbern has told me that if I want to stay friends with the Blades, that I will have to kill Paarthurnax. So, I go up to the Throat of the World to kill him, and he's marked as essential. I have not completed the Main Story yet, and from what i've read on the UESP, he is only suppose to be marked as Essential if you finish the main quest.

Am I the only one experiencing this?

Also: I am playing on Xbox, so no Console Commands to fix it D:

Not a bug, also you don't need to kill him

I know I don't need to, I want to, but I cannot.

yeah, but problem is the blades won't talk to u until he is dead. i want to see what happens if u kill him.. is it even possible?

I have killed him on my mage, I did the Civil War before the main quest, so no Peace Council, so right after I defeated Alduin at the Throat of the World, Esbern was like, we know who he is, kill him, so I did. Just means they let you take stuff from Sky Haven Temple without it being theft, can make companions Blades, and Esbern will make Dragon Bones/Scales into a potion.

By the guide I think you have to kill him before the council quest. My book is in the car with the wife, so I can't confirm....LOL

T_T Really? They only gave me the quest after the Council. I couldn't get it before it... And if I had done it before, than the Greybeards wouldn't have held the Council, since they would have hated me.

Well, I just found an Elder Scrolls wiki, and it says I can try getting him off the Word Wall, then attack while in the air, get a follower to attack him, or use Mehrune's Razor.