Better outcome? You kill him if you think that the Blades are right and every dragon must be killed. You don't kill him if you think otherwise. Just make up your mind.
spoiler tags could probably be used here
But ya, it really comes down to personal choices. No real ramifications either way.
This thread should be in the spoilers section anyway.
I killed his sorry ass as I don't want my adopted kids to grow up in a dragon infested place #dragonhater
Alas, you've come to the wrong place if you want to know whether or not you should kill Paarthurnax. There's far too many people with the, "He's a Dragon, he's so cool, with his dragon-ness" to get an objective answer to the question.
In terms of game mechanics;
The better outcome is what you think is the better outcome. Most here will say that Paarthunax is better off alive, but that's in no way an ultimate right choice, just preference.
Play the game, see for yourself.
Spare him, if you have the even a sliver of a conscience.
Then ride him to Sky Haven Temple and wreak havok.
i find meditation and shout locations better than drag
another thing about sparing him is they greybeads will give you shout locations. if you kill him they wont do it anymore
on location (i mean they are easy to find anyway) and a bunch of companions i will never use anyway.
Keep em alive. I'd rather have the Blades shun me than Greybeards.
At a certain point in the Game Paarthurnax becomes,
1. A Perk Reset.<--- Applies to both sides of the decision.
2. A source of Scales and Bone for crafting that extra set of Dragon Equipment to fill another mannequin in a Mod added Home.<--- I think doing this is wrong, but I also have had characters kill Paarthurnax, but they never looted the body or "used" the Soul to unlock a Shout.
I will add that a Dragonborn does Age and is Mortal, a Dragon is Immortal.
For another outcome, use this great mod, "The Paarthurnax Dilemma": http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/18465
Made by Arthmoor himself.
Having a choice of your own crew of blades to help you fight dragons is really epic, kill parthumanx and give it a go trust me you'll feel it was the right decision. They wait for you near the dragon wall and jump out and help you fight, because their not really followers on a permanent basis you cans till have your own follower. 5 man crew against every dragon in skyrim.
I made Marcurio, Uthgerd and Janessa to be my chosen 3 blades, a perfect balance of magic, battle tank and finesse.
You don't even need the Blades. My 300 damage Imperial sword cuts through Revered dragons quite nicely on Legendary, without the help of some dead organization.
Please don't kill him. Sure it may be cool to have a bunch of Dragon slayers go on dragon slaying quests with you, but is it worth killing a dragon who has managed to put aside his evil nature for many thousands of years to embrace peaceful enlightenment? Is it worth killing a dragon who sacrificed so much to help mortal kind overthrow his evil brethren? Is it worth killing a dragon who did all of this by a commandment of one of the Divine? The Divines, who the Blades claim to love and worship so much...when in truth, they are defying the gods they claim they worship by forcing a chosen vessel of the Divines (the Dragonborn) to kill Paarthurnax (another chosen vessel).
I say it is not worth it. Paarthurnax may have committed many atrocities in the reign of the dragons, but he has done more than enough to repent...especially if chosen by the Divines. Indeed, Paarthurnax is not so different from Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted many Christians (even to their deaths). But on the road to Damascus, Jesus Christ appeared to him and confounded him, but choose him as a vessel to spread his word to the Jews and Gentiles. Saul (now Paul) would then do as instructed and soon become one of the most beloved of any of God's prophets/missionaries.
Paarthurnax and Paul both were chosen vessels who in their pasts committed great atrocities, but their positive actions and their actions of putting aside their evil nature proves that they both deserve forgiveness.
It's a roleplaying game. You should do whatever is most appropriate for your character.
Strictly gameplaywise, leaving him alive lets you meditate upon the Thu'um, and meditating upon FUS is damned helpful. Enemies stagger more, and you stagger less. This benefits mages as well as archers/melee warriors. Killiing him allows access to Esbern's potion which reduces melee damage from dragons, and that only really benefits melee-types. If you're an archer or a spellcaster, Esbern's special concoction is pretty useless. In those cases, letting a dragon chomp on you is besides the point.
But if you believe, from an RP perspective, that Paarthurnax must die... have at it.
if you choose not to kill him, and then complete the mq the quest will disappear from your log. not sure if it can be completed afterwards but i am just glad to see a quest i have no intention of completing not getting stuck in my log
Shame on you for racial stereotyping. He seems a much more agreeable person than those blades.
Have you no faith in repentance?
"Have you no faith in repentance?"
No, not really