Skyrim talk:Dragonborn (quest)

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Activation[edit]

prerequisite quest is completion of The Way of the Voice (can visit island before)

cultist will attack, note on body will hint to windhelm docks.

talk with captain

184.39.231.8 18:06, 4 December 2012 (GMT)

I believe it can also be a random world encounter since I tried a fast travel from Markarth to Pinewatch and found the cultists there fighting off a few bandits before I intervened.Soulrider (talk) 21:34, 4 December 2012 (GMT)
I didn't have to fast travel anywhere. I came out of the abandoned prison under the bridge (was inside before downloading the DLC), and was confronted while still under the bridge by the cultists, who were on top of it. 76.187.151.6 21:58, 4 December 2012 (GMT)
Entered Solitude after installation and the cultist were attacking citizens. — Unsigned comment by Windmere (talkcontribs) at 23:47 on 4 December 2012
I fast traveled to Solitude from just outside of Falkreath and was attacked by vampires. I fast traveled to Riften and they weren't there, but they were waiting for me when I fast traveled to Whiterun. — Unsigned comment by 98.157.85.96 (talk) at 22:54 on 5 December 2012

() I traveled to Windhelm and no cultists attacked me. But I traveled to Solsthiem anyway. And at some of the stones have been cultists. I still don't have ANY OF THE MAIN QUESTLINE FOR THE DLC — Unsigned comment by 98.157.85.96 (talk) at 22:54 on 5 December 2012‎

How far through the regular Skyrim main questline have you gone through on this playthrough? — ABCface 22:57, 5 December 2012 (GMT)
The Way of the Voice does NOT need to be completed, at least fully. Was attacked by Cultists on my way to talk to Delphine to rent Attic Room. Mission activated as soon as I read note on corpse. --DaedalusMachina (talk) 04:54, 10 December 2012 (GMT)
You can start dragonborn main quest without speaking to the greybeard. Pay the captain, learn the first word of bend will shout then free the skaal at wind stone then speak to their shaman to start the temple of miraak quest. — Unsigned comment by 24.122.177.199 (talk) at 00:03 on 13 December 2012
Umm in response to the DaedalusMachina you were already long done Way of the Voice by then. Way of the Voice ends when Arngeir tells you to go get the horn. Lord Eydvar Talk|Contribs 00:09, 13 December 2012 (GMT)

() I've tested the theory put forth by anon 24.122.177.199 and it does NOT work. As the only way to get the first word of Bend Will is through Miraak's Temple which is locked until the cultists exit to attack you after speaking with Frea... and Frea will not be there until the quest. Lord Eydvar Talk|Contribs 06:04, 16 December 2012 (GMT)

I completed Way of the Voice then fast travelled from High Hrothgar to Ivarstead where I was attacked by cultists. So a major city is not required. I doubt fast travel is required either though it is probably a useful way to trigger the event.203.97.105.110 22:48, 22 December 2012 (GMT)
One of the Words for Bend Will is found at Saering's Watch. anon 24.122.177.199 is correct.--Vukodlak (talk) 21:24, 29 December 2012 (GMT)
I am 24.122.177.199. This is not a theory. The word of bend will is at Saering's Watch. The only main quest you need to do is Dragon Rising. I have done this and was able to start the quest and speak to frea. — Unsigned comment by 24.122.177.199 (talk) at 03:16 on 1 January 2013

() I don't know why in the article says visiting Solstheim before completing "The Way of The Voice" prevents the player from getting the Dragonborn Main Quest. I went on my own, spent quite a while there and finished multiple side quests (Learning but not unlocking the Bend Will shout) before meeting the Graybeards, and the DLC kicked in without trouble, AFTER starting "The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller". — Unsigned comment by 186.59.117.214 (talk) at 23:32 on 12 February 2013

I think it needs to be reworded for clarification. Going to Solstheim before completing The Way of the Voice doesn't prevent you from starting the DB Main Quest, but also does not start the DB Main Quest by itself. It seems completing The Way of the Voice and starting The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller (which coincide) is necessary to trigger the Cultist attacks and "start the DB Main Quest" on this route, but going to Solstheim, learning Bend Will, and cleansing the Wind Stone is an alternative starter method if you have not yet completed The Way of the Voice. --Enodoc (talk) 14:52, 13 February 2013 (GMT)
Regarding the undo of my post "21:42, 24 February 2013‎ The Silencer (Talk contribs)‎ . . (-219)‎ . . (Undo revision 1134638 by 72.9.83.172 (talk) must read the note first) (undo)" Reading the note has no effect whatsoever, as there is no directive to read the note. — Unsigned comment by 72.9.83.172 (talk) at 21:56 on 24 February 2013
If you look at the journal entries documented at the bottom of the page you will see that you there is an directive to read the note. Regardless of this we do not document any problems that occur due to third party mods. Silence is GoldenBreak the Silence 22:00, 24 February 2013 (GMT)
There were no journal entries to look at the bottom the page, even fast traveling, waiting 24 hours did not resolve the issue and the quest did not start, manual setstage to any stage of the quest did not work, the only fix that proved successful was disabling the Dragonborn Expansion and re-enabling it, and placing it exactly back in the mod load order it was before. I am unaware if this is due to a mod conflict, howbeit rare it was still a legitimate bug.

Quest Stages[edit]

Reagarding the "verification needed" for the Go to the Earth Stone objective in the Quick Walkthrough:

Once leaving the ship at Raven Rock, you have the opportunity to talk to the townspeople about Miraak. Depending on who you talk to, some will say that there is a connection between Miraak and the Earth Stone, which will produce the objective "Investigate the shrine" (the shrine is the Earth Stone). If you go there while this objective is active, Neloth will ask you why you are not in the same state as the people who are there, and you will be able to ask him about Miraak, and he will point you to the temple. This triggers the objective "Reach the Temple of Miraak" and completes "Search for information" and "Investigate the shrine". Alternatively, if you talk to enough people in Raven Rock, some of them may mention the temple without you ever having to go to the Earth Stone. This will also trigger the objective "Reach the Temple of Miraak" and complete "Search for information" and "Investigate the shrine". If you visit the Earth Stone after this point, Neloth will still greet you in the same way, but will not necessarily also provide the same information.

Addition: Touching the Earth Stone will cause you to become enthralled as well, and Neloth will comment on this, and try to snap you out of it. Making any movement will break the spell, and Neloth will commend you on your free will.

--Enodoc (talk) 20:09, 17 December 2012 (GMT)

Extension: Not sure if this is directly related, but when I went to sleep in the Raven Rock Cornerclub after touching the stone, I woke up working on the shrine at the Wind Stone, at the other end of the island. This needs looking into in order to determine whether this would happen anyway, without activating the Earth Stone, or is a recurring result of having touched it previously. --Enodoc (talk) 21:39, 17 December 2012 (GMT)

Thanks for the info. I didn't check the second part (about sleeping after touching the stone), but I've added information about the first part into the walkthrough. — ABCface 15:48, 31 December 2012 (GMT)
Re: Wind Stone - seems it is a default location to awaken in order to put you close to the Temple and/or the Skall Village. I hadn't even gone near a Stone when I took a nap after exiting the from liberating the mine. Seems just a good nap after doing at least a simple mission is enough. - DragonTrucker — Unsigned comment by 208.54.4.194 (talk) at 04:14 on 26 January 2013
When sleeping on Solstheim, before starting the Dragonborn core questline, I've woken up at both the Sun Stone and the Beast Stone. I haven't woken up at the Wind Stone or Earth Stone. That character discovered both the Sun and Beast stones by waking up at them, so definitely had not touched them before. --Morrolan (talk) 19:08, 26 January 2013 (GMT)
Where did you go to sleep to wake up there? Jeancey (talk) 19:13, 26 January 2013 (GMT)
Mostly inside Severin Manor. Once at Wreck of the Strident Squall I think, possibly also at Bloodskal Barrow or Haknir's Shoal, not sure about those last two at all though. The location I woke up seemed somewhat random, Severin Manor sent me to both Beast and Sun Stones but usually to Sun Stone (which is sort of handy for visiting the Telvanni anyway). You wake up Rested at the stone location despite having been working in your sleep as well. --Morrolan (talk) 19:30, 26 January 2013 (GMT)
Had you touched any stones at all? I agree that the one you wake up at appears to be random, but It'd be good to find out whether it is connected to activating any stone previously, or whether it can happen without having touched any stone at all. --Enodoc (talk) 17:37, 27 January 2013 (GMT)

() Please continue this discussion here so we can keep it in one place to get it figured out. Thanks! — ABCface 21:09, 6 February 2013 (GMT)

This quest is technically optional.[edit]

It's very unlikely that anyone will skip this quest the first time through. However, if you learn Bend Will and use it on the Wind Stone, you can liberate the Skaal and get sent to meet with Frea by Storn, beginning The Temple of Miraak without ever having a battle with the cultists in Skyrim. Practically the only way this is likely to occur is if you've completed Dragon Rising and haven't done Way of the Voice. --Morrolan (talk) 19:12, 26 January 2013 (GMT)

Did you complete the entire questline? It is possible that other quests later on won't start if you haven't had the cultist interaction. It is also possible that the battle with the cultists is just to lead you to Solstheim, and that there really isn't any other purpose. Jeancey (talk) 19:17, 26 January 2013 (GMT)
Yep, did the whole thing. The cultists are just there to lead you to Solstheim, and to give you an extra Speech check getting to Solstheim. (Going to Solstheim before the cultists attack always costs you 250 gold; after they attack you can either persuade/intimidate the boat to get you there for free or pay him 500 gold. Or if you've been to Solstheim before then you can just fast travel for free regardless.) --Morrolan (talk) 19:24, 26 January 2013 (GMT)
Some more details; I'm doing the DB questline again this way. When you liberate the Skaal at the Wind Stone, no quest is added to your log. You then have to walk to the Skaal Village (the people at the stone will walk back to the village after you free them and kill the lurker, you can just follow them if you can't remember the way) and find Storn. Then you tell him "Your people are free." He then sends you to find Frea, starting The Temple of Miraak. You get an onscreen notification of this quest being completed, but since it never had any objectives assigned, it does not appear in your log. You also get a somewhat hilariously inaccurate description of the sequence of events in your quest log for Temple of Miraak, which gets assigned to stage 10 (it probably should be stage 5). --Morrolan (talk) 03:38, 21 February 2013 (GMT)
At the beginning of The Fate of the Skaal, after leaving the Temple of Miraak, Frea incorrectly points out the blue light coming from the Wind Stone (it's not, you've cleansed it already) and tells you her people are working against their will there, and need to be freed soon, even if you've used this alternate start to the questline. --Morrolan (talk) 04:36, 21 February 2013 (GMT)

No Frea[edit]

I seem to be having some serious issues with this questline. I ventured to Solstheim without getting attacked by cultists and ran around doing side quests for gods knows how long. Eventually i got tired of not getting attacked by cultists so i used the console to start the quest. (this very well may be where I screwed up) at any rate, i added the cultist note to my inventory then ran to Raven Rock to start talking to NPCs. All was going fine until I went to the temple. There was no Frea anywhere, and the quest wouldn't complete. I tried removing and resetting the quest but neither command seemed to actually perform their respective tasks. help? --24.16.65.166 08:37, 6 February 2013 (GMT)

It could well be due to the console. Since I play on Xbox, I don't have access to the console, so all I can suggest is that you attempt the alternative start to the quest-line. You need to go to Saering's Watch, the dragon lair on the north side of the island, learn the first word of the Bend Will shout from the Word Wall, and shout it at the Wind Stone near Skaal Village. Then go into Skaal Village and talk to Storn. This should throw you into the quest-line and give you the objective to find Frea at the Temple, and then you should be able to carry on from there. (I haven't tried this myself, this is a hypothetical deduction based on other comments.) --Enodoc (talk) 13:54, 6 February 2013 (GMT)
I can confirm that this "bug" occurs when you start the quest through console command. Happened to me too.--Atsuraelu (talk) 15:21, 7 February 2013 (GMT)
yes , ive experienced this myself. Two cultists attacked me , i recieved a letter and then the quest disapeard. I went to solsthiem and no quest , no frea . I travle back and fourth to skaal village and the temple , so i took matters upon myself and went to the place where you unlock bend will , then i clensed all stones and spoke to Storn . This activated the quest — Unsigned comment by 92.19.132.160 (talk) at 16:14 on 2 April 2015 (GMT)

resting[edit]

I rested, and woke up at the temple hammering away at a pillar alongside the natives. I had not yet reached the temple through other means. Indeed, I hadn't even left Raven Rock. --68.230.66.230 09:31, 6 February 2013 (GMT)

Had you activated the Earth Stone whilst in Raven Rock? --Enodoc (talk) 13:49, 6 February 2013 (GMT)
No--68.230.66.230 16:20, 6 February 2013 (GMT)
OK, cool. So that would suggest that merely arriving on Solstheim is enough to start the 'wake up at a random shrine' events, and touching the stones before sleeping has nothing to do with it. --Enodoc (talk) 19:11, 6 February 2013 (GMT)
Please continue this discussion here so we can keep it in one place to get it figured out. Thanks! — ABCface 21:09, 6 February 2013 (GMT)

stage 200 wont happen[edit]

im right here at the temple were the article says i should be, but nothings happening. — Unsigned comment by 86.141.164.143 (talk) at 19:32 on 6 February 2013

Have you started the quest per console command perhaps?
Same thing happened to me, when doing that. You'd have to load a savegame prior to starting the quest and get it by killing the cultists in Skyrim, or skip it by learning the bend will shout and then freeing the skaal-village.--Atsuraelu (talk) 15:16, 7 February 2013 (GMT)

can't travel either direction when over encumbered.[edit]

Not sure where to put this, but I found I couldn't travel back to Skyrim via ship whilst over encombered, and if you try leaving extras in either fish barrel they get reset during journey. Biffa. 90.202.87.61 22:36, 3 March 2013 (GMT)

I can confirm this still applies in the XBox 360 version - at least where I can't get to Solstheim in the first place. VFsBawlS (talk) 10:24, 26 September 2018 (UTC)

Bug upon arriving at Raven Rock[edit]

After speaking with Gjalund Salt-Sage and waiting for the loading screen to end, i experience a bug in which i get stuck in a first person camera angle without being able to move or to do anything else .the level and npcs load properly but the ship and my character dont seem to load.i can hear Gjalund Salt-Sage speaking but thats about it.Using the "TC" command in the console proves that the ship and my character dont get loaded at all. — Unsigned comment by 178.6.211.172 (talk) at 21:57 on 6 March 2013

Just for clarity, does this mean you are essentially 'stuck' in the cutscene? There is a short "This is Solstheim" scene before you arrive at Raven Rock in which Gjalund introduces the island to you. For the duration of the scene, you are in first person and unable to move. When the scene is over, you should be situated on the ship in the Raven Rock harbour with all controls functional again. --Enodoc (talk) 22:52, 6 March 2013 (GMT)
Yes and no.The cutscene never really plays .However i found a solution for this problem:When you have to speak with Gjalund Salt-Sage type "setstage dlc2mq01 20" to skip the travelling part and then "movetoqt dlc2mq01"to teleport yourself to raven rock.After that you are able to continue perfectly normal with the main quest.The cutscene was definetly the problem here but i dont know why. — Unsigned comment by 78.6.211.172 (talk) at 08:18 on 7 March 2013
OK, cool. Glad you found a solution. --Enodoc (talk) 18:56, 7 March 2013 (GMT)
I am having this same issue. Using the console commands for me worked, but now if I return to Skyrim, I can't fast travel back to Solstheim. The arrow for Skyrim is on the Solstheim map, but not the other way. So every time I want to travel to Solstheim, I would have to use the console command. Is there a command to make the fast travel arrow appear? 06:30, 27 January 2016 --Lanthanaas
You can try the following console commands and see if they do the trick. Be aware, though, that there's a lot of other initialization that goes on in the script to get you to Solstheim, so even if you get the marker by using these commands, I suspect you'll find that a lot of quests are broken or dialogue doesn't appear when it should. You'd be far better off figuring out what's causing the cutscene issues or perhaps there's a mod out there that'll bypass the cutscrene altogether. In any event, here are the console commands to try:
prid xx016fe7
enable
Replace the "xx" in the first command with Dragonborn's load order number (usually 04), as usual. See here if you need more info. Robin Hood  (talk) 17:49, 27 January 2016 (UTC)
Any suggestions on fixing the cutscene? When it happens for me, my point of view starts at the ship's docking point, but there is no ship and I have no control. I can hear Gjalund talking like the cutscene is running. I tried reinstalling the unofficial patch, but it didn't help. I would love to have a legimate fix for this. --Lanthanaas 20:28, 27 January 2016
Actually, looking more closely at the code, I think you might be able to just do this: setstage DLC2Init 100. That should do everything you need. The command won't actually take you to Solstheim, but it will give you the fast travel marker to get there yourself. You also won't be approached by Adril automatically like it says on the page, you'll have to go talk to him yourself. I tried it in a new game, and it looks like it works, but I didn't poke around too much. Robin Hood  (talk) 21:15, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
Also, if you have the chance, can you e-mail me a copy of your saved game? I'm curious to see if it's something specific to your game, or if it's computer/mod related. Robin Hood  (talk) 21:33, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
I keep multiple saves for backup in case of situations like this. Do you want a save from before talking to Gjalund the first time, after talking to him but before console commands, or after console commands? Or all of the above? --Lanthanaas 20:09, 29 January 2016
It seems to have worked perfectly! Thank you so much for the help! I'll post on here if I run into any problems that seem related as I continue to play on Solstheim. --Lanthanaas 20:16, 29 January 2016
One from just before talking to him would be ideal. Thanks! Robin Hood  (talk) 19:25, 30 January 2016 (UTC)
New glitch has shown up on Soltheim. It may or may not be related to this situation. I have been seeing monsters with standing animations, but no attack or walking animations. They move around following the ground contours, but only the idle animations. That's easy enough to just ignore, but now the elevator in Tel Mithryn isn't working. This is preventing me from continuing the Dragonborn quest and it seems to go even deeper. Once I enter Tel Mithryn, Any save with the exterior or interior nearby crashes as soon as it loads. -- Lanthanaas 15:58, 5 February 2016

Quest disappeared?[edit]

The quest has disappeared from my quest log: in one save (#245) I have it in my quest log; in the next (#246), five play hours later, I do not, not even as completed (and save #246 was many, many hours ago!).

Thus, in saves after #245, I cannot speak to Gjalund salt-Sage about travel, as he just gives a generic greeting and does not open dialog.

in both #245 and #246, "player.sqs DLC2MQ01" gives the output:

 Stage 0: 0
 Stage 5: 1
 Stage 7: 1
 Stage 10: 1 (Item 0, Item 1, Item 2)
 Stage 15: 0 [and all subsequent stages 0]

"resetquest DLC2MQ01" resets the quest values for stages 5, 7, and 10 to zero, but no cultists attack me even after fast traveling between various cities, waiting considerable time, and entering and leaving various buildings.

Placing instances of the cultists at the player does not begin the quest.

"setstage DLC2MQ01 5" (or any other number) still doesn't begin the quest, and still does not add the quest back to my quest log.

Disabling and then reenabling the Dragonborn DLC looks like my last option. Trying that... Disabling Dragonborn alone causes it to crash at the Skyrim logo screen. Disabling the Unofficial Dragonborn patch also, allows me to load my most recent save, and save it to a new save. Re-enabling them and adding them back into the load order in the same place, loading my new save, and teleporting to a city, gets me some cultists. Then the Ebony warrior accidentally gets hit and pastes me, but hey, concept proven. and doublechecked - on reloading and doing it without dying, I now get the quest in my log, and can talk to Gjalund salt-Sage. Wheee! I'm off to Solstheim!

Thank you, user 72.9.83.172, for suggesting this workaround. --72.182.18.36 07:25, 11 March 2013 (GMT)

Quest Level?[edit]

Are there any level requirements on this quest? I know the recruiter for Dawnguard won't visit you until you're a certain level (I think the rumours of Fort Dawnguard don't start circling either till you're level 10 or something?), I'm just wondering if that's the case with this quest? Is Solsthiem noticeably more difficult than the Skyrim area itself? Just wondering if there should be any kind of advisory for players on when to actually go or if it's okay to just go straight there once you've been to see the Greybeards? -- Haravikk (talk) 22:14, 26 March 2013 (GMT)

There are no level requirements on any quests (you can start Dawnguard without being told about it), but once you finish The Way of the Voice, you may get the cultist attack that starts Dragonborn. However, a level 5 character in Solstheim will get eaten. (I tried. I died. A lot.) I would suggest at least level 10; level 15 might be a comfortable time to head there. The creatures there are leveled, but they have a higher base level than most other creatures and NPCs in Skyrim. Vely►t►e 22:20, 26 March 2013 (GMT)
Exterior Solstheim is normally leveled, but if you mean the main quest of Dragonborn, then of the main locations visited, the Temple of Miraak is level 30, Nchardak is level 25, and Apocrypha is level 25. Silence is GoldenBreak the Silence 22:22, 26 March 2013 (GMT)
Seems there is an undesired bug on this. That is, on low level, the quest may not start correctly. I trigger bug #3 by visiting greybeards and fast-travel to Ivarsted, let the guard kill the cultist, read note, and nothing happen.Penuser (talk) 17:58, 17 July 2014 (GMT)
Might be a busy papyrus, save before encountering the cultists, then quit game. Load this save as the very 1st one, and the bug can be fixed. Not each time, approximately, 1 out of 3.Penuser (talk) 13:19, 22 July 2014 (GMT)

Confusion[edit]

I was attacked by cultists when I returned to Riverwood after killing the dragon with Delphine, but not after completing Way of the Voice. Just thought I'd point that out  :) Eldubya (talk) 19:43, 3 June 2013 (GMT)

Was this the dragon in Kynesgrove? If so, you have already completed Way of the Voice (Way of the Voice ends when Arngeir sends you off to find the horn). --Enodoc (talk) 21:22, 3 June 2013 (GMT)
It was the dragon in Kynesgrove. But I quote from the article: "Once you have been officially recognized as Dragonborn". Is this not when the Greybeards Shout at you? This had not happened for me at that time. Eldubya (talk) 11:13, 4 June 2013 (GMT)
Ah yes, I see your point. In which case, that line is not accurate, as that occurs (as you rightly said) when you compete The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, and not when you complete The Way of the Voice. I think it would make most sense to remove that part of the sentence in that case. Thanks for spotting that! --Enodoc (talk) 13:09, 4 June 2013 (GMT)

Gjalund doesn't start dialogue....[edit]

Hey, i just got the Dragonborn DLC, i encountered the cultists, read their orders and went to windhelm. But when i try to speak to Gjalund all he says is "hmm" "yeah" etc... it's driving me nuts since ive tried everything console commands to reset him, verify game cache, reinstalling the game.... some1 pls help — Unsigned comment by 2.109.158.11 (talk) at 19:29 on 12 November 2014‎

Just a guess, but I would try completing his related quest, It's All In The Taste. It's possible there is a conflict, since he is one of the valid recipients of the samples. --Xyzzy Talk 08:38, 27 November 2014 (GMT)
I'm getting this as well now. It can't be related to his quest, because I haven't been to Solstheim yet (and it looks like neither had the OP). The only obvious thing of note on my end is that a dragon just attacked the area, and did focus a lot on the ships. Robin Hood  (talk) 08:46, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

Random my rear[edit]

I don't know what it is, but this is NEVER random for me. EVERY single time - over 10 playthroughs - the cultists just waltz up to me in Ivarstead once I descend from completing Way of the Voice. They never don't appear, though I admit I haven't yet tried not going to Ivarstead. Request confirmation prior to editing. 68.200.101.47 04:58, 26 November 2014 (GMT)

I don't know much about Dragonborn, but judging from the earlier discussions on this talk page, it appears you can get approached by the cultists at other places. Further evidence can be seen in an older version of this image, which shows the cultists in Solitude. This image also appears to not be in Ivarstead. It's likely you get attacked in Ivarstead every time if that is where you always go after completing The Way of the Voice since this is when you can first be approached by the cultists. Traveling elsewhere after completing the quest may result in the cultists not appearing in Ivarstead. Forfeit (talk) 05:17, 26 November 2014 (GMT)
It is random, as for me they appeared outside Windhelm; they will appear near the first settlement you visit after Way of the Voice. If you always walk down the mountain, they'll always appear in Ivarstead as that's the first village you get to. However, if you jumped down the west side of the mountain instead of using the path, and went straight to somewhere like Riverwood, then they would appear there instead. --Enodoc (talk) 15:40, 26 November 2014 (GMT)
I'm not sure the location of the cultists is random. On one playthrough, I finished Way of the Voice, went back to Ivarstead, and saw the cultists approaching, but I wasn't ready to deal with them right then so I left. Later, I spotted them at the College of Winterhold and allowed them to approach. I think they always spawn at Ivarstead, but if you leave before they get close enough to initiate conversation, they will follow you all over the map until they finally catch up to you. Valeria (talk) 09:53, 14 September 2021 (UTC)
Looking at the code in the Creation Kit, it looks like it should be the first city/town you go to after completing The Way of the Voice. I've gotten the cultists in any number of locations, and while I do play with the unofficial patch, I see nothing in the patch notes indicating any changes to how/where they're spawned. By the same token, I almost never get them in Ivarstead because I have no patience for walking places and fast travel everywhere, especially after completing a main quest. Thus, for me, major cities are the most common location for the cultists to spawn. So, I have to agree with Enodoc that the most likely reason people are getting the cultists in Ivarstead is because that's where they're going right after finishing the quest, or they're getting close enough to the town to trigger the cultists, even if they're not actually going into Ivarstead proper. Robin Hood(talk) 19:38, 14 September 2021 (UTC)

Neloth Not at Earth Shrine[edit]

When I took my khajiit to Solstheim, I wanted to do some of the quests there, but I wasn't ready to confront Miraak, so I didn't explore his temple or unlock Bend Will. In the course of wandering around, I met Neloth's steward and also his apprentice. Later, I stumbled across Varona's dead body, which triggered the Reluctant Steward quest. In order to progress the Reluctant Steward quest, I had to talk to Neloth, and the quest marker directed me into his house in Tel Mithryn. I entered Neloth's tower, spoke to him, and was told to find a steward, and now I cannot trigger his appearance at the Earth Stone for the optional step in the Dragonborn quest. Is this standard and worth mentioning in the article, or did I stumble on a glitch that might prevent me from starting Temple of Miraak? Valeria (talk) 04:47, 30 March 2020 (GMT)

In my experience, Neloth is only rarely at the Earth Stone. At the very least, you have to have started Dragonborn and not started From the Ashes. There's probably more that I didn't find. Sometimes, it seems almost like you have to make a point of going to see him to find him there. That shouldn't prevent you from starting The Temple of Miraak, though. That quest should trigger just by approaching the temple, if nothing else. Robin Hood  (talk) 23:21, 30 March 2020 (GMT)
Thanks! I added a note to the article. Valeria (talk) 03:35, 31 March 2020 (GMT)