The Dragonborn must talk to Farkas to get this quest. This is one of three possible repeatable quests Farkas will offer the Dragonborn after reaching a certain point in the Companions quest line.
The quest seems to be completely randomized each time, since its part of the radiant system present in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, if this is the first random quest taken in the Companions, it is most likely to be in Shimmermist Cave. Examples are listed below.
NOTE: If this cave is cleared out prior to accepting this quest from Farkas, the Spriggan leader will not spawn again, only the normal spawns. There is also no way to abandon the quest. However, the cave will re-spawn upon re-entering the cave, including the chests.
NOTE: If the quest for Amren's Sword which was held here at this tower has been completed and have then gotten the quest for Trouble in Skyrim for the Companions before the game has had time for the bandits to reset it will glitch and will be unable to complete the quest line for the Companions.
NOTE: If the hagraven has already been killed in the quest The Blessings of Nature, exiting the room and then speaking to Farkas again should complete the quest. If not, try traveling to Orphan Rock and back again to speak to him.
If playing with Dawnguard installed, the bandit leader in Dimhollow Crypt could also be a target. The first quest of Dawnguard (Awakening) has to be completed to gain access to the cave.
Return to Farkas once the mission is complete for a reward of 100-300 .
Bugs
This section contains bugs related to Trouble in Skyrim. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template 360 / XB1 , PS3 / PS4 , PC / MAC , NX / PS5 , XS , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
Click to see the list of bugs encountered
After completing the objective, the quest may get moved to the Quest Complete list before you've turned it in, so return to Farkas is never checked off and the reward is not received. Sometimes this completely halts the questline, making it impossible to finish. Other times it's still possible to receive the next quest from Farkas.
Resurrecting the target and killing them again may fix the issue, but it's not guaranteed to work for everyone. Sometimes the target NPC is too high of a level to resurrect. At this point the only thing which works is to reload a previous save.
PC If resurrecting and other options do not work, and the quest keeps moving to "Complete" before you talk to Farkas, you can summon Farkas to your location after killing the target. This will allow you to talk to him and complete the quest correctly:
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360 PS3 It is highly advisable to save before getting each new mission from Farkas as it seems to be the best workaround.
PC Similarly, if the target NPC has been killed prior to obtaining the quest, Farkas will never provide the option to complete the quest (even after the NPC has been respawned either naturally or manually). Consequently, other Companions will not grant other tasks or quests, thereby making further progress with the faction impossible.
PC (fix) Use the console to manually enable the next stage in the "main" quest line. Open the console and enter the command "setstage C01 0"; then, speak to Skjor to acquire Proving Honor . This seems to work, though other issues may or may not arise later (has not been thoroughly tested).
360 PS3 Possible solution: go to Jorrvaskr and trigger the glitch where the quest is moved into the completed section. Farkas will be at the entrance to Jorrvaskr, where he is normally after completing a quest. After talking to him, you will be given the option to accept a new quest. He will not mention the previous quest or give you any rewards for it.
PC Another possible fix could be applied right after killing the main target of the quest. While still on Redoran Retreat, make sure to have only the current quest active, open the console and type the command: "movetoqt CR05 1". That should teleport the player directly to Farkas, and be able to finish the quest.
Sadly, this solution can also cause additional problems. When you finish the quest with Farkas, he won't give additional jobs, and when trying to speak with Aela, she'll comment on the player still running a job for Farkas. There is no known solution to this problem.
PS3 If asked to kill the leader of Red Eagle Redoubt yet have completed the side mission that requires you to kill the same leader to retrieve the sword: Red Eagles Fury, you will not be able to continue with the companions quest line as Farkas will not acknowledge you have previously killed the leader of Red Eagle Redoubt.
PC 360 PS3 If asked to clear out the Bandits in Valtheim Towers or Broken Oar Grotto after the area was already cleared, the quest marker will lead to the leader's dead body. Since he/she is already dead, the quest can not be completed.
PC (fix) If the dead body is still present, use the console and type "resurrect", then kill them again.
PS3 (fix) Waiting a while before collecting the quest seems to allow the bandits at Valtheim to respawn. However, the quest will still be not completable. Returning to Farkas allows him to give a different quest which means progression in the Companions quests was still possible.
If asked to kill the Falmer in Shimmermist Cave, the leader may not show up, preventing completion of the quest.
360 If Uttering Hills Camp is chosen, The body of Linwe is not there, so there is no bandit chief to kill, just a quest marker in an empty room.
360 PS3 If asked to kill the leader of Knifepoint Ridge and the quest "Boethiah's Calling" was already completed, further progress with the quest is impossible.
Upon killing the Falmer leader, attempts at talking to Farkas result in a "This person is busy."
360 If Farkas is spoken to again, he may assign another quest.
When asked to kill the leader at Dead Crone Rock, and Drascua and the quest "Pieces of the Past" is already completed, she will remain dead; therefore, the quest is impossible to complete.
If asked to kill the leader of Forsaken Cave, and he has already been killed, the quest can't be completed.
360 If this quest is active, Farkas will count as your follower making it impossible to get another.
If both The Family Heirloom from Vilkas and Trouble in Skyrim from Farkas are received, it is necessary to finish The Family Heirloom first and receive the reward from Vilkas, otherwise Farkas will have no option of rewarding for Trouble in Skyrim.