Vilkas

Template:SkyrimNPCs Vilkas is a Nord lycanthropic resident of Whiterun, and the twin brother of Farkas. He is a member of The Companions and The Circle, the secret order within the Companions. He serves as the Dragonborn's shield-brother in several of the Companions' quests. As with all Companions, he is usually found within Jorrvaskr, located in the Wind District of Whiterun.

Quests

• Take Up Arms: Prove that you're worthy to join the Companions.
• Purity of Revenge: Retrieve the Fragments of Wuuthrad and wipe out the Silver Hand.
• Glory of the Dead: Cure Kodlak Whitemane's spirit and prove to be a true Companion.
• Purity: Help a member of The Circle give up their beast blood.
• Escaped Criminal: Track down and kill an escaped prisoner.
• Rescue Mission: Rescue a kidnapped citizen and escort them to their home.
• Dragon Seekers: Defeat a dragon with Vilkas or Farkas.

Background

Vilkas and his brother, Farkas, were both raised in the Companions' Hall. Their father, Jergen, left them there while he went to fight in the Great War and never returned. Eventually, Vilkas and Farkas both officially joined the Companions. They were said to be the youngest members to ever join, though this may be a play on words by Vignar Gray-Mane, referring to the twins' young age during their residence at Jorrvaskr rather than the age at which their membership became official.

Personality

At first, Vilkas seems to think the Dragonborn isn't worthy of being a Companion, but he eventually warms up to the idea after the completion of Glory of the Dead. Vilkas is well-spoken and considered to be an intelligent man by the other Companions, the counterpart to his brother's physical prowess. Vilkas, along with his brother Farkas and Kodlak, resists the call of the beast-blood, choosing instead to refrain from transformations. However, he struggles with the side-effects more harshly than the others.

Vilkas is also thought of as a hot-tempered man. For example, during Purity of Revenge, he does not hesitate to avenge Kodlak's death. However, he does later show remorse for his rash actions, as seen in Glory of the Dead, during which he refuses to complete his journey to Ysgramor's Tomb, feeling himself unworthy.

After Main Quest 

After the Companion's questline is completed, Vilkas will eventually give the quest Purity. In this quest, he will ask the Dragonborn to cure him of beast blood. He is available as a follower and also eligible for marriage after completion of The Companions questline. Vilkas can also be selected to act as Steward for the Dragonborn if the Hearthfire

DLC has been installed.

Combat Skills

• Two-Handed
• Heavy Armor
• Block
• Archery
• One-Handed

Notable loot

• Wolf Armor (Exception of helmet)
•  Gold.
• Anything given as a follower.
• Steel Sword

Trivia

• "Vilkas" means "wolf" in Lithuanian. His brother's name, Farkas, also means wolf, in Hungarian.
• He has claimed to have killed every type of creature in Skyrim and thinks a trip to Morrowind is in order.
• If Vilkas is a follower, the Two-Handed skill can be trained in for free. Buy training, then check his inventory and take the money back.
• Vilkas usually says that he likes and prefers two-handed weapons, and he always uses them when he is the Dragonborn's follower or when he is in a quest. However, Vilkas uses a one-handed sword and a shield when training against the Dragonborn in the quest Take Up Arms.
• Vilkas may be randomly encountered out in the wilderness killing a giant along with Ria or other Companions.
• If the Dragonborn marries Farkas, Vilkas appears in the Temple of Mara as a wedding guest; if addressed, he warmly expresses his happiness for the couple.
• Vilkas was voiced by Michael Gough.
• Even if the player is Dragonborn, Vilkas will say "I've never even heard of this outsider!"

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Vilkas. 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

When asking Vilkas for some extra work, he may ask that a kidnapped citizen from the Reach is rescued. If this citizen is Eltrys and he has already died in the quest The Forsworn Conspiracy, one may just find his body in the cave. This will not allow the Dragonborn to continue the Companions questline. This can be fixed by asking him to become a follower, so long as the Dragonborn has one already. He will say that he cannot, and then go back to his normal routine, or by going to the city where the bounty is and paying it. Another option is sneaking and invisibility; with a high enough sneak skill and/or potions/enchanted items one can remain beneath his detection threshold thereby avoiding triggering his conversation script. One more option for the above is to attack him until he is in submission, go to jail, then return.  PC  Another possible way to get out of this bug is to keep doing Farkas' radiant quests after he is cured of Lycanthropy. Make sure to do the quest where Farkas wants to kill a dragon. Vilkas' Purity quest appeared after completing Farkas' dragon quest.  360   If encountered as part of a random encounter, he may remain at the scene of the battle and never return to Jorrvaskr. After being cured of his lycanthropy, Vilkas may unequip every piece of armor he has on and runs back to Whiterun in his underwear. After starting Purity, Vilkas will tell the Dragonborn to meet him at Ysgramor's Tomb, making any current companion leave. Vilkas may then remain in Whiterun and ignore the quest he gave, resulting in the Dragonborn being unable to have a companion.  PC (Fix)   Using the console command setstage cr13 100 to end the quest will help.  360   When Vilkas is a follower in Purity of Revenge, if the Dragonborn sneaks, he may be stuck in sneaking. Possible solution: transforming into a werewolf.  360   If married, rarely he may walk around in his underwear. The only fix known so far, is by activating him as a follower and taking away apparel from his inventory. That should re-activate any other armor he is wearing.  PC   360   PS3   Sometimes, upon seeing the Dragonborn, he may walk up to them with his weapon drawn, and act like he was talked to. This happens when the Dragonborn has a bounty, because Vilkas, Aela, and Farkas have guard AI packages. As such, it can be fixed by paying the Dragonborn's bounty. Vilkas may not give the Purity quest.  360   When employed as a steward, he may remain at Jorrvaskr and not at the chosen homestead. If two manors are built by the Dragonborn, he may head to the other manor at night and sleep there instead. Vilkas may attack the Dragonborn if they transform into a werewolf in front of him.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim