- "Dragonborn, huh? Was it your ma or your pa that was the dragon?"
- ―Hadvar[src]
Hadvar is a Nord soldier serving in the Imperial Legion. He was one of the soldiers on duty when the Dragonborn arrived in Helgen.
Background
It is likely that Hadvar and Ralof knew each other as children. Both of them are from Riverwood, and their interactions during Unbound seem to imply they are at least familiar with each other. Hadvar's uncle, Alvor, gives the Dragonborn some free materials if the Dragonborn chooses to go with Hadvar when escaping Helgen.
Personality
Hadvar thoroughly supports the Empire in regards to the civil war. Hadvar thus holds a strong resentment for the Stormcloaks, and often engages in combat with them.
Hadvar is shown to be a generally kindhearted person, and shows sympathy for the Dragonborn, even before they officially meet. Hadvar is one of the many Nords in Skyrim who have voluntarily joined the Imperial Legion, which even further proclaims his loyalty and fealty towards the Empire. It is shown that Hadvar is fighting for what he believes is the good of Skyrim, and he firmly believes that Skyrim is part of the Empire.
Interactions
Unbound
A group of prisoners made up of the Dragonborn, a thief named Lokir, and Ulfric Stormcloak as well as some other rebels, including Ralof, are being taken to Helgen. Upon arrival, he and the captain begin calling the names of the captives, lining them up to be beheaded. In the confusion ensuing from Alduin's attack on Helgen, Hadvar spots the Dragonborn trying to find cover. He tells the Dragonborn to follow him to survive, but there is also an option to regroup with Ralof, a fellow prisoner, to escape. If Hadvar is chosen, follow him through the keep to freedom and afterwards he will give directions to his uncle, Alvor. However, if the player follows Ralof into the keep, then Hadvar is never seen again.
Once the quest is completed, Hadvar suggests traveling to Solitude to join the Imperial Legion and serve under General Tullius. After talking to his uncle Alvor, Hadvar will be living in his uncle's house.
Skill training exploits
- Hadvar is invincible in the beginning of the game. After obtaining the first weapon, keep attacking Hadvar and level up quickly. Also, in the Whiterun follow glitch, attack him in the middle of town. No guards will attempt an arrest. Also, his "Quest NPC" downed recovery time is almost instant.
Conversations
Helgen
Ralof: "Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."
Lokir: "Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell. You there... You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
Ralof: "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."
Imperial Soldier: "Shut up back there!"
Lokir: "And what's wrong with him, huh?"
Ralof: "Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."
Lokir: "Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you... Oh gods, where are they taking us?"
Ralof: "I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."
Lokir: "No, this can't be happening. This isn't happening."
Ralof: "Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"
Lokir: "Why do you care?"
Ralof: "A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."
Lokir: "Rorikstead. I'm... I'm from Rorikstead."
Imperial: "General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!"
Tullius: "Good. Let's get this over with."
Lokir: "Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me."
Ralof: "Look at him, General Tullius, the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this. This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."
Haming: "Who are they, daddy? Where are they going?"
Torolf: "You need to go inside, little cub."
Haming: "Why? I want to watch the soldiers."
Torolf: "Inside the house. Now."
Haming: "Yes, papa."
Imperial: "Whoa!"
Captain: "Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!"
Lokir: "Why are we stopping?"
Ralof: "Why do you think? End of the line. Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."
Lokir: "No! Wait! We're not rebels!"
Ralof: "Face your death with some courage, thief."
Lokir: "You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"
Imperial Captain: "Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time."
Ralof: "Empire loves their damn lists."
Hadvar: "Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm."
Ralof: "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric!"
Hadvar: "Ralof of Riverwood. Lokir of Rorikstead."
Lokir: "No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this!" [runs]
Captain: "Halt!"
Lokir: "You're not going to kill me!"
Captain: "Archers!" [Lokir is shot dead] "Anyone else feel like running?"
Hadvar: "Wait. You there. Step forward. Who are you?"
- Altmer – "You're not with the Thalmor Embassy, are you High Elf? No, that can't be right... I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to The Summerset Isle."
- Argonian – "Are you a relative of one of the Riften dock workers, Argonian? I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Black Marsh."
- Bosmer – "Not many Wood Elves would choose to come alone to Skyrim. I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Valenwood."
- Breton – "You from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue? I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to High Rock."
- Dunmer – "Another refugee? Gods really have abandoned your people, Dark Elf. I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Morrowind."
- Imperial – "You're a long way from the Imperial City. What're you doing in Skyrim? I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Cyrodiil."
- Khajiit – "You with one of the trade caravans, Khajiit? Your kind always seems to find trouble. I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Elsweyr."
- Orsimer – "You from one of the strongholds, Orc? How did you end up here? I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Orsinium."
- Redguard – "What're you doing here, Redguard? You a sellsword? A sailor from Stros M'Kai? I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Hammerfell."
- Nord – "You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, kinsman. I'm sorry. At least you'll die here, in your homeland."
Hadvar: "Captain. What should we do? He/She's not on the list."
Captain: "Forget the list. He/She goes to the block."
Hadvar: "By your orders, Captain. Follow the Captain, prisoner."
Tullius: "Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like The Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne."
Ulfric: "[muffled grunts]"
Tullius: "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace."
At this point Alduin's roars for the first time, but the soldiers think little of it.
Hadvar: "What was that?"
Tullius: "It's nothing. Carry on."
Captain: "Yes, General Tullius. Give them their last rites."
Priestess of Arkay: "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved..."
Stormcloak Soldier: "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with."
Priestess of Arkay: "As you wish."
Stormcloak Soldier: "Come on, I haven't got all morning. My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" [Executed]
Stormcloak: "You Imperial bastards!"
Vilod: "Justice!"
Ingrid: "Death to the Stormcloaks!"
Ralof: "As fearless in death as he was in life."
Captain: "Next, the [player race]!" or "Next, the Nord in the rags!" (if the player is a Nord) or "Next, the renegade from Cyrodiil!" (if the player is an Imperial)
Now, Alduin roars for the second time, unsettling Hadvar, but the Imperial Captain remains unfazed.
Hadvar: "There it is again. Did you hear that?"
Captain: "I said, next prisoner!"
Hadvar: "To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy."
Alduin's third roar occurs, and he makes an appearance atop the tower.
Tullius: "What in Oblivion is that?"
Captain: "Sentries! What do you see?"
Imperial: "It's in the clouds!"
Stormcloak: "Dragon!"
Alduin: [Meteor-shower shout]
Headsman: "Hunh..."
Tullius: "Don't just stand there! Kill that thing! Guards, get the townspeople to safety!"
Ralof: "Hey, [race-dependent comment]. Get up! Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!"
Unbound
Quotes during the initial chaos:
Ralof:
- "This way!"
- "This way! Come on!"
- "In here!"
- "Over here!"
Imperial Soldier:
- "What in the Eight Divines is this thing?"
- "Yeagh!" (If hit by a meteor)
- "Keep your eyes on it!"
- "How in Oblivion do we kill this thing?"
- "It's still coming!"
- "Keep your eyes on it!"
- "By Ysmir! Nothing kills it!"
- "Die! For the love of the gods, die!"
Upon entering Helgen Keep, the next set of dialogue begins.
Ralof: "Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legends be true?"
Ulfric: "Legends don't burn down villages. We need to move. Now!"
Ralof: "Up through the tower, let's go!"
Stormcloak: "They're hurt, but they'll live. Another second out there with the dragon, and they'd both be dead..."
Ralof: "Let's go! With me, up the tower!"
Stormcloak: "We just need to move some of these rocks to clear the way!"
Alduin bashes through the wall next to the staircase as the Dragonborn is ascending it.
Alduin: "Yol... Toor... Shul!" ("Fire... Inferno... Sun!")
Ralof: "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going! Go! We'll follow when we can!"
Hadvar: "Haming, you need to get over here. Now! Torolf!" [Torolf dies here] Gods... Everyone get back!"
Alduin: "Yol... Toor... Shul!"
Hadvar: "Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join their defense."
Gunnar: "Gods guide you, Hadvar."
Hadvar: "Stay close to the wall!"
Alduin will now land on the wall above the Dragonborn.
Alduin: "Yol... Toor... Shul"
Hadvar: "Quickly, follow me!"
Tullius: "Hadvar! Into the keep, soldier, we're leaving!"
Hadvar: "It's you and me, prisoner. Stay close! Ralof! You damned traitor. Out of my way!"
Ralof: "We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time."
Hadvar: "Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde."
Ralof: "You! Come on, into the keep!"
If Ralof is followed, he will say, "Through here. Let's go!" If Hadvar is followed, he will say, "Quick, I can cut you loose inside the keep." and "Come on! We need to get inside!" The Dragonborn will still be cut loose regardless of who is followed. Just before entering the keep, Alduin will say, "Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki." ("Your soul will feed (my) hunger.")
Before the Storm
If one follows Hadvar to Riverwood, when arriving at the village he greets his uncle:
Hadvar "Uncle Alvor! Hello!"
Alvor "Hadvar? What are you doing here? Are you on leave from...Shor's bones, what happened to you, boy? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Hadvar "Shh. Uncle, please. Keep your voice down. I'm fine. But we should go inside to talk."
Alvor "What's going on? [looks at player] And who's this?"
Hadvar "He's/She's a friend. Saved my life, in fact. Come on, I'll explain everything but we need to go inside."
Alvor "Okay, okay. Come inside, then. Sigrid will get you something to eat, and you can tell me all about it."
After heading inside Alvor and Sigrid's House, he talks to his aunt and uncle about what happened in Helgen:
Alvor "Sigrid! We have company!"
Sigrid "Hadvar! We've been so worried about you! Come, you two must be hungry. Sit down and I'll get you something to eat."
Alvor "Now then, boy, what's the big mystery? What are you doing here looking like you lost an argument with a cave bear?"
Hadvar "I don't know where to start. You know I was assigned to General Tullius's guard. We were stopped in Helgen when we were attacked by...a dragon."
Alvor "A dragon? That's ridiculous. You aren't drunk, are you boy?"
Sigrid "Husband. Let him tell his story."
Hadvar "Not mush more to tell. The dragon flew over and just wrecked the whole place. Mass confusion. I don't know if anyone else got out alive. I doubt I'd have made it out if not for my friend here. I need to get back to Solitude and let them know what's happened. I thought you could help us out. Food, supplies, a place to stay."
Alvor "Of course! Any friend of Hadvar's is a friend of mine. I'd be glad to help however I can. [to player]Like I said, I'm glad to help however I can. But I need you help. We need your help. [gift options open] The Jarl needs to know if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless...You need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf to send whatever soldiers he can. If you do this for me, I'll be in your debt."
Quotes
- "'Dragonborn huh? Was it your ma or your pa that was the dragon?"
- "I don't think Rikke even knows my name. Probably because I'm not the Dragonborn.'"
- "Ever get the impression Rikke's not always sure what side she's on? I'm not doubting her loyalty. Just, she seems rather sympathetic to the rebels."
- "Better down here than out there."
- "Ever wonder if maybe we should call a truce with the Stormcloaks, join forces for just a little while, and take care of some of these dragons?"
- "Ha! You're still alive?"
- "This way. Come on!"
- "Ralof, you damned traitor! Out of my way!"
- "Who do you think killed more Rebels? You or me?"
- "What next, giant snakes?"
- "Huh. I had heard you died."
- "Still alive prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way."
- "Do colors seem brighter to you? Everything seems bigger, too... strange."
- "Haming! You have to get over here, now!"
- "I'm pretty sure I killed more than you, I was counting." (After the battle of Whiterun)
- "There's more of them somewhere around here.
- "Closest town from here is Riverwood. My uncle's a blacksmith there. I'm sure he'd help you out."
- "It's probably best if we split up. Good luck, I wouldn't have made it without your help today."
- "Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"
Unique interpersonal dialogue
If Hadvar and Ralof are near each other, they will engage in some dialogue. However, this dialogue is glitched, as it is random dialogue that occurs between two Stormcloak soldiers, followed by dialogue between two Imperial Soldiers.
- Hadvar: How'd you end up here?
- Ralof: My cousin disappeared one night. Some say the Thalmor grabbed him. It wasn't long before I found myself under Ulfric's banner.
- Hadvar: So why did you join the Stormcloaks?
- Ralof: I'm a true Nord. Simple as that.
- Ralof: So why'd you join the Legion?
- Hadvar: My father was a Legionnaire, and his before him. I guess I never considered doing anything else.
If the Dragonborn followed Hadvar during the mission Unbound and did not start the Imperial Legion quests, he will say the same dialogues as other Imperials, like:
- "Damn Stormcloak rebels."
- "Keep an eye out for trouble, it's only a matter of time."
Civil War
If Hadvar survives Helgen and the Dragonborn later joins the Imperial Legion, then Hadvar can be encountered multiple times in the civil war questline. He first appears in the quest The Jagged Crown, where he, along with Legate Rikke and other Legion soldiers, meet the Dragonborn outside Korvanjund where they then initiate an attack; eventually, they get past the Stormcloaks inside and retrieve the The Jagged Crown.
He then appears again at the Battle for Whiterun, where he is among those who fight out the rebels and save Whiterun. After the battle, Hadvar is nominated to the rank of Captain. In the quest Compelling Tribute, the player must meet Hadvar, along with two other imperials, and they then must attack a small wagon of gold and weapons which is heavily guarded by Stormcloaks, after defeating the men Hadvar and the other two legionaries stay with the wagon while the player reports back to Legate Rikke.
Later, in Rescue from Fort Kastav, Hadvar sends the player into Fort Kastav through a drain leading into the prison where the player rescues the imperial prisoners before coming out into the courtyard and attacking the Stormcloaks within. After the battle Hadvar sets up camp there while the player reports back to General Tullius, although Hadvar is upset since none of the prisoner legionaries survived the battle.
Although Hadvar is not present at the Battle for Windhelm, he can be found back in Riverwood with the rest of his family. If the player decides to betray the empire during The Jagged Crown, then Hadvar will not appear again during the quest line and can be found back at Riverwood with his family living the rest of his life peacefully.
Trivia
- Hadvar will be wearing different armor to the one he was wearing in Helgen when the Imperial side of the Civil War questline is advanced in. It's possible that he may have been promoted to a higher rank, as higher ranked Imperials wear that type of armor.
- Hadvar is the only character to be voiced by Jonas Fisch.
- After killing the frostbite spiders in Helgen Keep, Hadvar says "What's next, giant snakes?" which, in fact, appear in The Elder Scrolls Online.
- Hadvar admits he had nightmares about Bleak Falls Barrow when he was a child, saying that he was afraid of the Draugr coming down the mountain and climbing through his window while he was sleeping.
- Although he and Ralof share most dialogue concerning the Guardian Stones, Hadvar has different dialogue for The Warrior Stone: "Warrior, good. I knew you didn't belong on that cart when I first laid eyes on you."
Bugs
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This section contains bugs related to Hadvar. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- PC 360 PS3 Some players may experience a bug after taking Windhelm for the Legion, where Hadvar follows them around in Whiterun, seemingly for no reason at all, with his sword drawn. He will occasionally say things, such as, "Ha! You're still alive?" or, "Who do you think killed more rebels? You or me?" Fast traveling to Riverwood can fix this. Another method to fix this problem: Walk up to him, press right up against him, and save. Close the game. Load it back up. Hadvar will wander off to the main gate and disappear after a few moments.
- PC If afterwards you get an error trying to get a Follower to follow you, simply typing in console "set playerfollowercount to 0" will solve this issue.
- PS3 After you leave the caves just as you complete Unbound, once you come close to the Guardian Stones he may wander off the path and never initialize the conversation regarding the stones.
- PS3 A possible solution for this is to run into him so that he stops at the road corner, he will then take the correct path (to the left) and initialize with the Stones.
- PS3 Very rarely in indoor combat, Hadvar can be seen using the Staff of Magnus. It is unknown why.