Liberate Solitude - a scary Skyrim bug

Yes it's yet another Skyrim bug. If you take up the side of the Stormcloaks the last place to liberate is the city of Solitude, but first you must remove Fort Hraggstad from the equation.

Check with Galmer who tells you to take the fort; meet up with the men, take the fort, and return to Galmer; who has obviously taken one too many blows to the head.


What's supposed to happen is he gives you 1200 gold and then you ask how you can help. In most cases you get the gold after that what can happen is rather random.

Random 1: As you approach he'll tell you that "the men are taking the city" and won't respond. The quest doesn't update and the next doesn't start.
Random 2:  You can talk to him, but can't ask to help. Again the quest won't complete and the next won't start.
Random 3: You can ask how you can help, But the quest won't finish and the next won't start.
Random 4: You can ask how you can help. But the quest won't finish, but the next will start.

On Random 4 though there's a nasty delay. Speak to Galmer get the quest and then fast-travel to close to Solitude and the quest won't start. You have to wait.

The solution is to save before talking to Galmer. If you don't get the right result re-load and keep trying until you can ask for help - that's the key point. Wait manually (not the in-game wait) until the quest starts and then you can fast-travel. I took down the fort 5 times before I worked this all out.

If you're fortunate to get the quest it goes a little awry. You're supposed to meet Ulfric outside the city and fight you're way in. Approach and the quest will suddenly update to you having met him... despite his non-presence.

Continue into the city and Ulfric, Galmer and generic Stormcloaks will materialise around you and start attacking the city guards. If you've left the Fort Hraggstad quest active it will tell you to head to the Temple of Dibella? Turn it off and head for Castle Dour. Head in and everything plays out and both quests get updated.

Oh and that doesn't count the dragon that may be attacking at the same time and which you'll need to defeat either before or when you leave.

I mean it's not as if this is the conclusion to a main quest line now is it?