Battle for Windhelm is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in which the Last Dragonborn must assist the Imperial Legion in attacking Windhelm, the headquarters of the Stormcloaks, to end the rebellion and the Civil War. This quest is only available if the Dragonborn joined the Imperial Legion.
Background[]
I am to join General Tullius in the final attack on Windhelm, putting an end to the Stormcloak rebellion, once and for all.
Objectives[]
- Get your orders from General Tullius
- Force Ulfric Stormcloak to surrender
- Execute Ulfric Stormcloak
Walkthrough[]
- "All right. It's time to deliver the final blow to the Stormcloak rebellion. You have all fought bravely, and sacrificed much to bring us to this point. Ulfric thinks he can hide behind the walls of his castle. But we will fight our way in and drag him out through the rubble to face justice."
- ―General Tullius[src]
The Battle for Windhelm is the final Imperial Legion quest, ordered by General Tullius, who wishes to take over the city of Windhelm to find Ulfric Stormcloak and force him to submit. After liberating all other holds and taking Fort Amol, the main fort defending Eastmarch, Legate Rikke will order you to meet them outside Windhelm for General Tullius' speech, with the city already being besieged by catapult fire from the Eastmarch Imperial Camp:
"All right. It's time to deliver the final blow to the Stormcloak rebellion. You have all fought bravely, and sacrificed much to bring us to this point. Ulfric thinks he can hide behind the walls of his castle. But we will fight our way in and drag him out through the rubble to face justice. Because this is the end for them, the Stormcloaks will fight like cornered rats. They will be fierce and crafty. But they are no match for Legionnaires. You are the best and the brightest warriors in Tamriel. Professional soldiers, fearless and devastating. The Emperor will be paying close attention to what happens here today. Men who distinguish themselves will be well rewarded. Ready now! Everyone, with me! For the Empire! For the Legion!"
After the speech, the Dragonborn will have to fight through waves of Stormcloak soldiers making a final, defiant stand to protect their capital and leader alongside Tullius, Rikke, and the Legionnaires. The Palace of the Kings is then raided, where Ulfric and his right-hand man Galmar Stone-Fist await.
Tullius: "Secure the door." Rikke: "Already done, sir." Tullius: "Ulfric Stormcloak! You are guilty of insurrection, murder of Imperial citizens, the assassination of King Torygg, and high treason against the Empire. It's over." (Galmar draws his iron battleaxe) Galmar: "Not while I'm still breathing, it's not." (Rikke sheaths her steel sword, refusing to fight Galmar) Rikke: "Step aside Galmar. We're here to accept Ulfric's surrender." Ulfric: "I'll never surrender Skyrim into the hands of a corrupt and dying Empire." Rikke: "Skyrim doesn't belong to you, Ulfric." Ulfric: "No... But I belong to her." Tullius: "Enough! You are traitors and will die traitors' deaths. Stand down and face public execution, or advance and face summary execution by my hands. It matters little to me. Either way I'll be sending your heads back to Cyrodiil." Galmar: "Well? What are we waiting for?" (Ulfric rises from his throne, draws his enchanted steel war axe, and attacks Tullius, Rikke, and the Dragonborn with Galmar)
Once Ulfric is defeated, he will request that the Dragonborn be the one to kill him, as it would "make for a better song," although the Dragonborn can refuse and allow General Tullius to strike the final blow.
Tullius: "Well Ulfric, you can't escape from me this time. Any last requests before I send you to... to wherever you people go when you die." Rikke: "Sovngarde... sir." Tullius: "Right. Well?" Ulfric: "Let the Dragonborn be the one to do it. It'll make for a better song." Tullius: "Song or not, I just want it done."
After Ulfric is killed, General Tullius allows the Dragonborn to keep his leveled sword as a reward.
Rikke: "Talos be with you..." Tullius: "What was that, Legate?" Rikke: "Nothing. Just saying goodbye." Tullius: "Well, the men will be expecting some kind of speech. And we'll need to hand the city over to that Free-Winter fellow." Rikke: "Brunwulf. Yes, I've sent men to protect him and bring him here. Windhelm will need a government quickly if we are to prevent more violence." Tullius: "The Legion will be staying here for quite some time. I don't expect there to be any further violence."
The Dragonborn must then follow Tullius and Legate Rikke outside. The Legionnaires will be waiting outside, and Tullius will make another speech:
Rikke: "Attention! General Tullius has an announcement!" Tullius: "The rebellion is over! Ulfric Stormcloak is dead!" Imperial Soldiers: (Cheer)
Tullius: "His head will be sent to Cyrodiil where it will adorn a spike on the walls of the Imperial City! Let this day be a final warning to those who still call themselves Stormcloaks! We are turning the city over to Brunwulf Free-Winter, an honorable and faithful man! Many of you will be staying in Windhelm to aid the Jarl in restoring order and stamping out any embers of rebellion that may still smolder here! In appreciation for your exemplary service, I am doubling your pay and compensation for the widows of your fallen comrades!" Imperial Soldiers: (Cheer)
Tullius: "I am proud of all of you! All hail the Emperor! All hail his legionaires!" Imperial Soldiers: (Cheer)
Upon returning to Windhelm, Brunwulf Free-Winter will become the new Jarl and will offer the Dragonborn the title of Thane of Eastmarch, as well as the opportunity to buy Hjerim, the house available in Windhelm (12,000). At this point the city is now under Imperial control, and thus the Stormcloak guards are replaced by Imperial soldiers, ending the Skyrim Civil War in the Empire's favor.
Journal[]
Battle for Windhelm – CWSiegeObj | |
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ID | Journal Entry |
1 | I am to join General Tullius in the final attack on Windhelm, putting an end to the Stormcloak rebellion, once and for all. |
1000 |
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4002 |
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4102 |
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8999 |
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9000 | We have captured Windhelm, killed Ulfric Stormcloak, and destroyed the rebellion.
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Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- After completing this quest, it is possible that going to the docks causes "Windhelm Docks Discovered" to be shown and marking an icon for it on the map. It should be noted that the icon will not disappear when using the console command
tmm
. - During this battle, Stormcloak soldiers will keep spawning if the Dragonborn stays in one area too long, or if the Dragonborn goes into an area without breaking down the barricades for the Imperial soldiers to join the fight.
- After Ulfric has just been killed is a good time to loot the palace if desired. A room upstairs via the first door on the left after entering the palace is filled with the Stormcloak-aligned Jarls and their housecarls, many of whom are tagged as "essential."
- After General Tullius is done making his speech, both he and Legate Rikke will leave, but the group of Imperial soldiers will not.
- Once killed, the bodies of Stormcloaks de-spawn almost instantly, making looting them very difficult.
- It is possible for a dragon to spawn during the battle outside the palace.
- If Tullius and Rikke and all the Imperial soldiers are killed using console commands after the speech, Ulfric and Galmar's body will not disappear from the Palace of the Kings, but Tullius, Rikke and all the Imperial soldiers' bodies disappear.
- After the quest is over, if the Dragonborn talks to Rikke she'll say she expects them to clear out any Stormcloak camps they come across, however, the Stormcloak officers in those camps will still be essential so they can't be killed.
- After General Tullius' speech, Legate Rikke mentions that another war with the Aldmeri Dominion may happen.
- There are catapults at the Windhelm Military Camp which can be activated to launch catapults at the city. This has no known effect on the quest, however.
- During the siege, the Gray Quarter is blocked off on both entrances by rocks, which means it cannot be entered if the city is entered through the main gate.
- Likewise, it is impossible to climb over the rocks if the city is entered from the docks, though this will still trigger the fighting to start inside of Windhelm.
Bugs[]
This section contains bugs related to Battle for Windhelm. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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Appearances[]