- For other uses, see Battle for Whiterun.
- "This is it men! This is an important day for the Empire and for the Legion. And for all of Skyrim. This is the day we send a message to Ulfric Stormcloak and the rebel Jarls who support him."
- ―Legate Rikke[src]
Battle for Whiterun is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in which the Dragonborn must defend Whiterun against the Stormcloak offensive and ensure Whiterun's allegiance to the Empire and ability to fight against the Stormcloaks.
Background[]
The Stormcloaks are attacking Whiterun. I have been ordered to defend the outer walls and keep the rebels from taking the city.
Objectives[]
- Meet with Legate Rikke
- Defend the barricades
- Defend the drawbridge
- Destroy attackers
Walkthrough[]
Once you finish talking to Legate Quentin Cipius, your objective is to meet with Legate Rikke. She is outside near the gate of Whiterun.
Upon exiting Dragonsreach, the severity of the assault will become blatantly obvious. Flaming catapult rocks are raining down upon the Wind and Plains districts of Whiterun, and its populace is in a state of pandemonium, running about the city seeking shelter. City Guards are heading towards the city gates to aid the defense, and the sky has turned a sickly orange from the smoking buildings. Imperial Legionnaires are manning several catapults along the wall of the city facing the direction of the Whiterun Stormcloak Camp to return fire on the Stormcloaks as they bombard the city from the safety of their camp.
Proceed to the staging area just outside the main gates. Legate Rikke will be giving a short motivational speech to the combined forces of Whiterun Guards and the new reinforcements of Imperial Soldiers.
"This is it men! This is an important day for the Empire and for the Legion. And for all of Skyrim. This is the day we send a message to Ulfric Stormcloak and the rebel Jarls who support him. But make no mistake. What we do here today, we do for Skyrim and her people. By cutting out the disease of this rebellion, we will make this country whole again!" "Ready now! Everyone, with me! For the Empire! For the Legion! Rrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!"
Once the speech is done, your new objective will be to defend the wooden barricades from the invading Stormcloak soldiers. If you enter the city at all during the battle, terrified citizens will be seen fleeing from the taverns and shops to their own homes, where they will lock the doors to prevent anyone from entering. All shop owners will lock their doors, including the taverns; stall owners will flee, as well.
Defend the barricades by killing the Stormcloak soldiers trying to get in, which consist of both regular Stormcloak infantry and generals. If you fail to defend the barricades, you will have to fall back and defend the drawbridge instead. Failing to defend the drawbridge has little consequences, as the quest is impossible to fail unless you die. There will be a percentage count of how many Stormcloak soldiers are left. Once that count reaches 0%, your new objective will be to meet with Jarl Balgruuf the Greater to hear a short victory speech.
Victory speech[]
Upon being victorious, Jarl Balgruuf will deliver a speech to the men after Irileth makes an announcement.
Irileth: "Everyone, on me! The Jarl wishes to speak!" Jarl Balgruuf the Greater: "Revel in your victory here today, even as the gods revel in your honor! They already sing of your valor and skill! The halls of Sovngarde are no doubt ringing with your praises! In defeating these Stormcloak traitors, you have proven the hollowness of their cause and the fullness of your hearts. The citizens of Whiterun are forever in your debt! But Ulfric will not stop here. No, he will continue to strike out against any true Nord who remains faithful to the Empire. He will continue to sow discord and chaos wherever he can. And so, we must each one of us, continue to fight this insurrection, lest our fallen brothers have died for naught! Lest our honor be lessened should we allow these bloodthristy beasts to prowl our lands! Carry on men, my gratitude and blessings go with you! For Whiterun! For the Empire!"
Journal[]
Battle for Whiterun (Imperial) – CWSiegeObj | |
---|---|
ID | Journal Entry |
1 | The Stormcloaks are attacking Whiterun. I have been ordered to defend the outer walls and keep the rebels from taking the city.
|
8999 |
|
9000 | We have successfully defended the city of Whiterun. Demonstrating the weakness of the rebels' cause and the excellence of the Imperial Legion.
|
Trivia[]
- Your horse can easily be killed if it is waiting by the stables.
- Summoning Durnehviir will help immensely as he can quickly slaughter large numbers of enemy soldiers and will also summon Mistmen, Bonemen, and Wrathmen. Summoning Odahviing will also help greatly with similar results.
- This is a good time to loot steel arrows, as almost every Stormcloak Soldier will have 10+ arrows on them.
- This is also one of the few opportunities to acquire several full sets of the Stormcloak Officer Armor by looting it quickly off the killed Stormcloak Generals before they vanish.
- Severio Pelagia will be killed in the battle and his house will be destroyed and inaccessible after the battle. The same thing happens if the Dragonborn is with the Stormcloaks.
- Heimskr's house is sealed after the battle with debris and is missing most of the roof. This means that The Sweep Job from Vex might not be able to be completed.
- Hadvar takes part in the battle, clad in a new set of Imperial Armor. He will greet you during the speech, and joke that he killed more enemy soldiers during the victory speech.
- If you have children and they live in Breezehome, talking to them during the invasion will not open any dialogue. However, they ask you to make the invasion stop while expressing they are scared.
- Whiterun's citizens will stay locked inside their homes, taverns or shops for the duration of the siege.
- If you married Ysolda and she is currently living in your house, she can be seen running back to her original home even if your house is located in another hold. This will also occur with Lucia.
- The leading cause of barricade destruction appears to be the arrows of Whiterun guards. If you destroy the barricades yourself, before the speech concludes, you will successfully defend them during the battle, since what is not there cannot be destroyed.
- After the quest is finished, all forts in Stormcloak-controlled holds, being Fort Dunstad, Fort Kastav, Fort Greenwall, and Fort Amol, will be garrisoned with Stormcloak troops in place of their original tenants. Fort Greymoor will be occupied by Imperial Legionnaires if the fort was not cleared earlier.
- Following the Battle for Whiterun, the Dragonborn can ask Balgruuf why he sided with the Empire, and he will reply, "Mutual advantage! Any fool can see that. For centuries, we have benefited from the Empire's protection, and prosperous trade with the south. In exchange, the people of Cyrodiil sleep peacefully, knowing that their northern border is guarded by the fiercest warriors of all Tamriel."
- Similarly, after the quest is completed, the Dragonborn can also ask what it will take to end the war. His response will be: "Ulfric Stormcloak's head on a pike. Do you think Ulfric really cares about Skyrim's independence, or the welfare of its people? I promise you, he doesn't. He's nothing more than a barbarian renegade, whose lust for power has cost the lives of countless innocents."
- The objective numbers for this quest, like some others for the civil war questline, follow a significantly different progression than most other quests. These numbers are only visible in the creation kit and do not affect gameplay.
Bugs[]
This section contains bugs related to Battle for Whiterun (Imperial). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
|
Click to show |
---|
|
Appearances[]