Skyrim talk:Bloodline/Archive 1

This is an archive of past Skyrim talk:Bloodline discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page, except for maintenance such as updating links.

Follower Issues

Has anyone else encountered an issue with followers at the end of this quest? When I rescued Serana from Dimhollow Crypt, I fast-traveled to Northwatch Keep so we could make it to the castle on foot. I told my follower, Derkeethus, to wait on the castle's bridge. I went in, refused the vampire powers, was banished, but Derkeethus was gone. I reloaded, left him at the Keep instead, did the same thing, and he was gone again. I've tried waiting for a few hours, sleeping somewhere for 24 hours, and even going back to his village, Darkwater Crossing. He's completely gone! The last thing I could try is asking someone else to follow me, but I'm not able to play right now. Anyone else encounter this or know of a fix? Irene Metrick 12:32, 27 June 2012 (UTC)

Edit: I seem to have found a workaround, for anyone interested:

Load to the most recent save WITH your companion. Serana might be with you as well. She was tagging along with me when I did this.
Before you use the Icewater Jetty to the castle, ask Serana to wait.
Fast-travel to the place you hire your original follower. For Derkeethus, it was Darkwater Crossing.
When you get there, tell the follower 'I think it's time we should part ways.' They may move away from you only a few feet and resume their normal activities.
Fast-travel again to where you left Serana.
Resume the Bloodline quest.
(Note: I refused to become a vampire. YMMV) Afterwards, return to Fort Dawnguard to report to Isran. He will give you a recruiting mission.
After speaking to Isran, fast-travel to the place you can hire your old follower. In my case, I returned to Darkwater Crossing.
Your follower should be there, ready to follow you again!

Irene Metrick 12:34, 28 June 2012 (UTC)

I told my follower to wait as well. What worked for me was waiting about 2-3 days until I got the message that my follower has tired of waiting and left. In my case it was Erandur and he had returned to Night Caller Temple 70.26.1.159 01:39, 8 July 2012 (UTC)

I just had Lydia wait at the Jetty location. Never brought her to the island until the quest was over, and on the save where I did become a Vampire Lord right away, I just had her sit by the empty tower instead of following me into the keep just to be safe every time I went there.--Playerseekingbugs 06:43, 10 August 2012 (UTC)

I did the usual PRID/MOVETO PLAYER to get him (Kharjo) back - he "vanished" even though I left him waiting outside the castle .--98.165.130.24 17:08, 19 August 2013 (GMT)

I encountered this too, and made a note of it both on this discussion page and added a subnote on the article's bug list, but both are now gone. Anyway, my follower was Aela, and like the others, she vanished after being told to wait. But by going to Miscellaneous on the Quests tab and clicking the one about asking the Companions for work to display their locations with map markers, one of those markers appears on Castle Volkihar. This suggests that your follower has not "vanished," but is in fact somehow inside the castle.

Could someone see if it's possible to get far enough in the questline to go back into the castle before the follower has tired of waiting and has left, and see if they are inside? That would be a huge help. As always, it would have to be done with an unmodded character. --130.215.224.96 22:12, 4 September 2013 (UTC)

Just so you know, that edit is still currently the most recent one to the page, so it is actually still there. I'm guessing you're experiencing the known caching issue this wiki sometimes has for unregistered users-- when not logged in to a registered account, you may view outdated versions of pages rather than the most current version. The simple fix to this is to create an account (it's free, quick, and simple) and view pages while logged in. — ABCface^◥ 14:07, 5 September 2013 (GMT)

(←) After leaving Dimhollow Crypt went to Windstad Manor to dump loot and told Valdimar to wait (not wanting to tell him to part ways, due to his propensity for wandering), went to the Castle with Serana and declined invitation (no problems); back to Windstad, no Valdimar. Used player.moveto -- found him in the centre of the hall at Castle Volkihar (no sign of Harkon or Serana), turned around and walked out the door. Could not get through the portcullis (but you can jump anywhere from between the door and the portcullus). No mods. 180.181.32.106 11:15, 15 December 2013 (GMT)

Can confirm that the follower is for some reason inside the castle. When Lydia disappeared, I did a player.moveto command, and found her waiting where I was standing in the Hall (despite having told her to wait down by the boat). She needed to be commanded to follow me again, and we then exited the castle. A few people remained in the main hall, but they were not hostile to me. We also couldn't exit the gate (since it was locked), but I was able to fast travel once I got outside, and Lydia followed me. — Unsigned comment by 12.218.238.243 (talk) at 21:22 on 24 March 2014 (GMT)

Stuck in Dimhollow Crypt?

Once I have gotten the girl to follow me, I can not get out of the chamber she is locked in. Has anyone else had this happen? Am I totally missing a trap-door? (that's happened to me before lol) — Unsigned comment by 68.61.133.39 (talk) at 20:18 on 3 July 2012

There is a lever in the room before you go into the area with the circular alter where you get the girl vamp follower. walked around for like 45min trying to get out. — Unsigned comment by 108.87.47.155 (talk) at 04:41 on 23 July 2012

Go across the bridge in the opposite direction from the way you entered. You will be attacked by two gargoyles. After finishin them off, climb the stairs all the way to the back wall. Note there is a leveled chest to the side/rear of the last steps. Work along the pathway to the right until you find a passageway. Thru the wooden door there is a room with a lever which opens the gate you reach through the rear of the room. After going through the gate, you will have a battle with a Dragur Lord. After defeating him, find the final doorway which goes to a last gate, opened with a pull chain to the right. Then a few steps put you back outside into SkyrimLockestep 00:59, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Suspected Wrong Information in the Bugs Section

One of the bugs states that when you get bitten by Harkon and wake up in the training area, you take on a bluish sheen that disappears after a while. I don't know how to formally bring this up on the page (but I've seen it done) but I'm pretty sure that's intentional. Therefore not a bug at all. Scum 01:40, 6 July 2012 (UTC)

I would agree with you on this. It sounds like the player didn't realize the effect was intentional. I went ahead and removed it from the article. ABCface^◥ 17:01, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Werewolf to Vampire

Quick question, if you are a werewolf is is possible to become a vampire via this quest? — Unsigned comment by 98.232.81.45 (talk) at 20:43 on 20 July 2012

I don't sure about it, but I can sure even I choiced to cure my werewolf power at the end of Companion questline, but when I choice to become vampire, and right after I become vampire, all vampires want to kill me. — Unsigned comment by 115.75.44.22 (talk) at 04:31 on 5 August 2012

Yes, if you are a werewolf, you can become a vampire via this quest. When Harkon gives you the choice, you will have an additional dialogue option saying something like "I'm a werewolf, what will happen to me if I accept?" and he'll tell you he can "smell it on you" and tell you his blood will negate your werewolf blood. So if you choose this, you will no longer be a werewolf, and instead be a vampire with the Vampire Lord power. ABCface^◥ 22:19, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

Regarding the "everyone in Castle Volkihar attacks you" bug

So, I think this is caused by two NPCs incorrectly becoming hostile to the player, at which point the rest of the castle gangs up on you since they're allies with the ones that attack you initially. To test this I snuck around disabling NPCs until the aggro problem wasn't happening any more, and bingo, I've narrowed the problem to two NPCs: Hestla and Salonia Caelia. They both seem to attack me without provocation when I disabled one or the other. But when I disabled both (and only those two), I received no further hostility at all while roaming the castle. All other NPCs were as friendly as fellow vampires could be.

Correction: I missed one. Rargal Thrallmaster also attacks without provocation.

I'm still not sure what's causing them to attack in the first place, but the problem definitely seems to stem from those NPCs. Someone else who's experiencing this bug should give this method a shot and confirm it. 70.27.173.248 23:51, 4 August 2012 (UTC)

Same problem, but it's only Rargal and Salonia for me. If both are around, they go hostile. When only one is disabled, the other always goes hostile. If both are disabled, I have no problems. Tried restarting the entire quest to get Serana but ended up with the same result... Still haven't figured out a good solution and am not good enough with the CK to really look into it. Just confirming another instance of the problem. 71.60.138.92 13:03, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

This happened to me. Everyone loved me, I went to sleep, I woke up, and everyone in the castle hated me. When I woke up I got the message about being a bloodstarved vampire and everyone hating and fearing me(?) so I thought maybe that had something to do with it. I reloaded my last save, slept, and chugged a Potion of Blood as soon as I awoke. Everyone loves me again. Even vampires hate bloodstarved vampires? — Unsigned comment by 98.160.100.108 (talk) at 19:52 on 14 April 2013 (GMT)

Harkon Won't transform to show me his power, stopping the quest

I'm having an issue with this bloodline quest. When Harkon goes to transform into a vampire, he just stands there, and grunts whenever I try talking to him. I used the console to end the quest, and add the vampire lord power to myself. The problem is though, everyone in the castle says I'm a mortal. Is there any way to "add" yourself to the vampire faction so they consider me a vampire? — Unsigned comment by 67.168.246.167 (talk) at 22:51 on 5 August 2012

I get the same problem except I want to go Dawnguard and kill the vampires. As of yet I can't find a solution that actually fixes the issue permanently. There isn't an official patch for it yet and there's no mention of it being fixed in the Unofficial DawnGuard Patch ([1]), and the maker of this mentions in his posts replying to errors that he will only fix glitches that EVERYONE gets, not just a select few.

There is a YouTube video where someone was getting the same problem due to having companions with him but this isn't the issue for me. However, check out what some people are saying in the comments (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCRGMm5RTWo).

Most notably in the comments someone mentions trying the following which seems to work for some people ...

"This is how I made it to it work. Go to the keep, and when he is just standing there you type" setstage DLC1VQ02 30" in the console. After you have done that, go out and fast travel to any part of skyrim. The you type "Setstage DLC1hunterbaseintro 10" After that command you type setstage DLC1hunterbaseintro 20 and all should work! GL"

Note, some people are mentioning glitches further down the line in the game by using this to get past the glitch.

This is an issue that only a few people are getting that stops them from being able to play the Dawnguard DLC altogether after only about 20 minutes of gameplay and because so few people are getting it, it isn't likely to get solved making it even more frustrating. If anyone has found a solution to this, please post it. I've been looking forward to this DLC for months and it's just stopped me in my tracks and makes me want to punch someone in the face. You heard me ... right in the face, and that's not something I throw around lightly.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can suggest

92.28.110.31 14:44, 30 August 2012 (UTC)

I've solved this issue for the pc, without console (this is tested with Nexus Mod Manager for an easy uninstallation/installation of Dawnguard).

The DLC show this bug if you start a game with the DLC altready installed.

So to solve this start a new game WITHOUT Dawnguard installed (don't enable Dawnguard for NMM users), save, exit the game, install Dawnguard (enable Dawnguard for NMM users), start the savegame previuosly made without dawnguard and enjoy. For me worked this way. I put it in the bug section as a POSSIBLE solution.

However I can find a way to avoid the bug without this procedure; so if you have a savegame in whitch there is this bug, I don't know a way to restore it, for me (for the purpose of playing the DLC) the savegame is to be deleted.

151.40.64.24 15:28, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

Well, this was a pain. The new game solution didn't work, nor did waiting 30 days. Since I wanted to become a vampire, I had to use "setstage DLC1VQ02 40" (not sure if needed) followed by "setstage DLC1VQ02 180", while removing Beast Form ("player.removespell 00092c48") and adding Vampire Lord ("player.addspell xx00283b", "player.addspell xx01462a", "player.setrace [YOUR RACE]vampire"). Finally, "setstage DLC1VampireBaseIntro 10" to start the new quest.

It's rather possible that two fast travels could have sealed the deal, but Garan Marethi was moving around aimlessly, even going in his coffin at a certain point. Therefore, I skipped one more step ("setstage DLC1VampireBaseIntro 20") and added the chalice via console ("player.additem xx008426"). After that, all went well until I was asked to enthrall the priest in Prophet. Had to skip again due to the bite not moving the quest any further.

After that, things started getting uglier. Therefore, if another method is available, I'd recommend it.

79.21.135.13 18:45, 11 September 2013 (GMT)

Vampire Transformation Bug

I just got Dawnguard and was hoping to join the vampires, but as soon as Harkon bites me, My game will not allow my character to move! — Unsigned comment by 72.9.24.202 (talk) at 05:11 on 9 August 2012

Regarding being seen as a mortal

After reading the suggested fix as a vamp lord I couldn't talk to anyone and if I reverted back to mortal form they wouldn't speak to me as they said I was still mortal. Does anyone know how I can fix this? — Unsigned comment by 82.26.213.14 (talk) at 14:40 on 9 August 2012

So far as I can tell, what causes it is anything (mod or console command) that resets your character, since you don't start as vampire.67.0.7.129 06:09, 10 June 2014 (GMT)

Just stands there and won't "banish" me.

I've been having a hell of a time getting Dawnguard to function for some reason, (crashes, random bugs, broken fast travel) and I thought I finally got it working, until I got to the vampire lord (I forget his name...) and I get the bug where he won't banish me and just stands there, like this article mentions. Unfortunately, this article doesn't mention how to fix it. I'm on the pc so fire as many console commands as you want at me, just get this damn quest working for me! — Unsigned comment by 198.228.201.150 (talk) at 21:59 on 21 September 2012‎

Harkin won't let me refuse his "gift"

Discussion moved from Skyrim_talk:Dawnguard

When Harkin gives me the choice of accepting or refusing his gift after I bring back Serana, he glitches when I pick the refuse option. He says I'm banished from now on etc, he's transformed into vampire lord and has his hand ready to cast a spell but he doesn't do anything. I've read he's supposed to teleport you outside the castle but instead he just stands there, looking at me everywhere I go. I'm also not in dialogue mode, I can run around, I just can't draw my weapon or sneak. Also every door is locked and requires a key so I can't just walk out myself. So basically I *have* to become a vampire in order to move on with the quest line, but I don't wanna be a vampire because I've already done that one =( --81.241.141.218 13:30, 25 October 2012 (GMT)

Quest Doesn't Start

So, after rescuing Serana from the crypt, she tries to walk out the front gate, which is now closed, and never asks me to take her home. She talks about home a little, but doesn't actually ask me to escort her back. Requests to "Come with me" she acknowledges, and then goes and does whatever she wants. Ultimately, she winds up at Windpeak Inn and stays there, no matter what. getstage DLC1VQ02 returns 6.

Anybody have any ideas, cuz I'm stumped! – Robin Hood ^(talk) 09:28, 17 February 2013 (GMT)

After some tracing, the source of the problem appears to have been a DLC1_QF_DLC1VQ01COPY0000_01002F65.pex file in my Data\Scripts folder. Removing that, Bloodline starts as normal, but why it was there in the first place is a mystery to me. (So tomorrow, I get to play through Dunhollow Crypt for the fourth time in a row...oh yay.) – Robin Hood ^(talk) 09:52, 17 February 2013 (GMT)

Hi Robin Hood, I have the exact same issue, however I didn't find the fix you had so I'm still stumped, any suggestions would be great.

Thanks! — Unsigned comment by 24.130.217.219 (talk) at 17:16 on 20 February 2013

The only other thing I can suggest is looking for other DLC1*VQ01* type files and renaming them temporarily to see if that solves the problem. Alternatively, you could do a full uninstall and reinstall, which should reset any custom files that might be affecting your game. If that doesn't do it, then something has already affected your saved games, and you might have to revert to an earlier save and try again to get it working. – Robin Hood ^(talk) 23:28, 20 February 2013 (GMT)

Hi Robin Hood, thanks for all the feed back from the previous post. I actually tried reverting to a earlier save, I also reinstalled all the mods, as well as the game and started completely fresh. It still is broken, so strange. :( Exactly how you describe happened to me again. Full reinstall. I searched in my steam/skyrim/data/script folder for that file but nothing. Any other ideas? -Gor — Unsigned comment by 24.130.217.219 (talk) at 08:44 on 1 March 2013

Sorry, but you've now exhausted my ideas. Hopefully, for your sake, it's only a one-off issue and won't happen if you start a new game. If you figure anything out that might give more insight, I'd be interested to hear. – Robin Hood ^(talk) 22:28, 1 March 2013 (GMT)

Will Dawnguard take me back?

I have better characters than the one this happened with so don't mind abandoning the game but was wondering, can I get back into Dawnguard after accepting Harkon's blood? I haven't completed any quests for him, I got all the perks, got the achievement for Vampire Lords then decided to do Companion missions so that Aela could cure me, being a vampire just isn't worth it during the daytime. Speaking of that I managed to kill all the non essential vampires in the castle, started fighting one then ran outside during the day, they all chased me, I needed to swim away but managed to take down a couplebefporehand, then swam back until I was happy that every one still alive would just go down on one knee for a few seconds. So I'm not a vampire anymore, I visited the castle and everyone says how I should find Harkon, they are not happy with me for curing my vampirism. (even if it is with a better form) Where is he? I am able to ask Serena to change me but I don't want to be changed. I'm hoping I can tell him I am glad I cured myself and don't want his blood. The DG members aren't giving me quests even though I cured the vampirism before I headed back to Fort Dawnguard so technichally they shouldnt know I ever was a vampire. They aren't hostile but aren't acting as if I'm a member. As I said I don't mind abandoning this character or at least this character abandoning the qurestline but is it possible for me to continue this questline as a DG member or is the only way forward in the DG questline for me with the vampires. — Unsigned comment by Festuskreux (talk • contribs) at 22:49 on 20 February 2013

Once you choose to take Harkon's blood, you are officially on the vampire side for the DG questline. The only way to play it on the Dawnguard side is to not take Harkon's blood during Bloodline and be banished by Harkon. — ABCface^◥ 17:02, 1 March 2013 (GMT)

Gate not opening

the game bloodline quest the gate wont open for me :( im on the ps3 playing it tryed everything help me plze I need help — Unsigned comment by 123.211.66.110 (talk) at 05:56 on 5 March 2013 (GMT)

I've found a work around. I managed to glitch through a small diagonal wall (standing on the bridge rim facing north). I was then on the other side of the gate and could then finish the quest normally. To do this, I took a "wooden plate" from the top floor of the general store in Riverwood to Castle Volkihar, held it on my hands in front of the wall and ran into the plate and wall. It took 3 runs. Here is a video showing it done else where. [2] The bug with the quest happened after visiting Castle Volkihar before talking to Serana. --Philard (talk) 08:17, 31 March 2013 (GMT)

Harkon won't make me a vampire lord

I accept his gift but he just stands there in his vampire lord form and doesn't do anything. I have reloaded but it doesn't do a thing. I play on ps3. I have no idea what to really do. — Unsigned comment by 50.39.9.72 (talk) at 04:21 on 7 March 2013 (GMT)

PS3 Quest glitched

Escorting Serana, we get to the gate and the old man says "your not welcome here". She doesn't open any other dialog other than talking about her house and such. Stuck!

Ronson (talk) 00:30, 11 March 2013 (GMT)

I have this same issue, but I don't know how to fix it. I'm gonna be quite upset if I'm locked out of doing this after spending my money on this DLC... I really wanted to do this before I started Dragonborn, too.

When i transform back from vampire lord form i become a human.

When I accept the gift from lord Harkon and get bitten. I wake up in the room where he will teach you how to use your powers as a vampire lord. And after I have done all of that "training" and I am sent to talk to Garan Marethi, after I have transformed back from vampire lord form I become a normal human and can't speak with him. I belive it may be due to some mods I have got installed. Does anyone have the same problem or know how to fix it? — Unsigned comment by 85.164.108.102 (talk) at 11:53 on 26 March 2013

Try disabling your mods and see if that fixes it. ⇠eshe^talk 17:03, 26 March 2013 (GMT)

I have tried to disable all the mods I have got installed and it still didn't work. — Unsigned comment by 85.164.108.205 (talk) at 14:37 on 31 March 2013 (GMT)

From the article:

"After your vampire induction the other vampires in the castle will treat you as a mortal (This seems to happen because exiting the Vampire Lord form reverts the race of the player to what he was before being transformed, and you cannot revert back without using Revert Form, so there is no way around this bug!), and attack if you transform into a Vampire Lord in front of them (It is the act of transforming that seems to cause the other vampires to become hostile. You can still become a Vampire Lord at a distance and then approach the other vampires without them attacking you, but it does not solve the conversation "treated as mortal" issue). Since you cannot start conversations while in Vampire Lord form (same as with Beast Blood), it is thus impossible to start the next quest since you cannot talk to anyone to receive quests.

This bug likely happens when using custom mods such as Lunari, yNord, etc. The only way to progress is using the console command setstage dlc1vampirebaseintro [stage]."

I hope that helps. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 14:37, 31 March 2013 (GMT)

Moved Bug

"Travel to the Riverwood trader. Take a "wooden plate" from their top foor. Travel back to Castle Volkihar. Jump onto the big bridge's eastern rim. Walk along it up to small the wall next to the gargoyle. Drop the wooden plate. Hold the activate button to grab the plate. Face north facing the small wall directly (don't drop the plate). Run through the wall until you are on the other side of the closed gate. If the plate falls out of your hands try again, at least a few times. The quest can then be completed normally."

This doesn't seem to be true, just from looking at it. Maybe there is a glitch to phase through walls I'm unaware of, but the overly specific instructions seem to imply otherwise. Either way, I'd find it better to just ask players to reload than offer this rather complicated process as advice. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 15:04, 31 March 2013 (GMT)

Its the Whirlwind Sprint exploit, which only works in some areas. It can be simplified by pointing people to the documentation on the Whirlwind Sprint page, and the place to use it. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 15:29, 31 March 2013 (GMT)

Oh, that trick! I might of realized that if the bug mentioned Whirlwind Sprint. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 15:33, 31 March 2013 (GMT)

The Whirlwind Sprint with wooden plate trick worked on the second try. On the first try, the watchman ended up outside with us LOL. Thanks for the tip! — Unsigned comment by 24.89.192.212 (talk) at 22:49 on 26 April 2013

Follower Glitch after being banished from Castle Volkihar

This bug is currently listed at the bottom, unconfirmed. It reads: "If you have a follower along, after you are banished from Castle Volkihar, they may be stuck between the portcullis and front door of the castle when you wake up outside. If you tell them to wait before going in, they may be gone after you're banished." I experienced this bug myself, as I told my follower -- Aela the Huntress -- to wait in Breezehome, then went to Castle Volkihar with Serana. After being banished and returning to Breezehome, Aela was gone. At this point I remembered a little trick that could be applied here: the minor objective "Talk to the Companions leaders for work" will point to all members of the Circle (including Aela) even if they are followers. I enabled the objective and one of its locator icons was positioned over Castle Volkihar, suggesting that Aela must be inside the Castle. I would like to confirm the bug and perhaps change its wording to say that the follower will be inside the Castle rather than will be gone. However, all this took place with a modded version of the game. On the other hand, none of the mods I'm using interfere with Castle Volkihar, Dawnguard quests, or follower behavior -- or NPC behavior in general, for that matter. Surely this is evidence enough to confirm the bug, or should I do some extensive testing after uninstalling the mods? — Unsigned comment by 130.215.224.96 (talk) at 07:49 on 3 September 2013

There's a few issues with confirming bugs with mods installed. For one thing, sometimes mods can have unintended effects on seemingly unrelated aspects of the game, oftentimes entirely unnoticeable... until you run unto an issue. This happens even for mods made by very experienced modders, at times. Additionally, even after uninstalling your mods, testing shouldn't be done on a save in which any mods were ever installed, because the save itself could still be affected even without mods installed. You'd have to create an entire new game (from the opening cart scene, not just from character creation) in order to test accurately.

That said, it's entirely plausible that your bug isn't due to mods, and I think it would be just fine to add a subnote to that bug explaining that the follower may be inside the castle, along with a {{verification needed}} template linking to this section of the discussion page for further discussion. That way others who experience the bug may follow the link and add their input and experiences. — ABCface^◥ 12:31, 3 September 2013 (GMT)

Alright, thanks. I can't invest the time to start a whole new character to test this, but if someone reading this can, their findings would be quite valuable here.

As for the follower being inside the castle, I haven't confirmed whether the follower is actually inside, or has vanished and is simply labeled as inside; the gate is locked. What I can do is reproduce the bug and then continue the questline until the point where I can re-enter the castle and see if the follower appears. — Unsigned comment by 130.215.224.96 (talk) at 14:42 on 3 September 2013 (GMT)

serana vanished

I stepped outside dimhollow with her, fast a traveled to dawnstar and she was gone. — Unsigned comment by Lord Arioch (talk • contribs) at 04:51 on 12 September 2013 (GMT)

Confirmation on Gate Bug

I have experienced the gate bug also on the castle to Harkon and even with Serana next to me, the gatekeeper will not open the gate. I had to use the TCL cheat command to enter it. I am playing on the PC version and can comfirm this bug as a actual bug. The reason is I found it way before starting the quest. I was randomly exploring Skyrim to open locations, and this was one of them. Sadly, this bug is horrible and was hoping to fix it somehow. I just downloaded the unofficial dawnguard patch so I hope that fixes it. — Unsigned comment by 98.201.164.50 (talk) at 21:06 on 16 September 2013

Any known fix for frozen-in-place from Harkon's gift?

Reloading the save didn't work, exiting and entering didn't work, letting the cell reload didn't work. I'd rather like to be able to keep my save game if possible, as running through 5 questlines again doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as it was the first time just to fix a bug. AlfieSR (talk) 18:56, 4 January 2014 (GMT)

Found a fix myself!.. sort of. Before talking to Harkon I gave myself Vampire Lord lesser power with player.addspell xx00283D, then skipped the bite scene entirely with setstage DLC1VQ02 180. This also skips the vampire lord tutorial, but at least it works. AlfieSR (talk) 19:58, 4 January 2014 (GMT)

User: AlfieSR is right - this "fix" actually works :) Harkon said "be still", yet he didn't move or bite me. After using this "fix" you have to go see Harkon or Serana, who will then give you the "gift" back and you can proceed with the chalice quest; thanks! :) — Unsigned comment by Eleiyas (talk • contribs) at 19:40 on 19 July 2014 (GMT)

The woes of trying to get into the Castle...

I am playing Skyrim on the PS3, and have reached the point in the Bloodline quest where it is needed to get Serana back home. However, the watchman just shouts at me to go away and Serana doesn't say anything to me about keeping quiet. In fact, the only new option to speak with her about her house is the "This is your home?" option which yields very little. I have been to the Castle before the quest began and heard the watchman speak then as well. Any help would be appreciated as I'm at my wits end and cannot really find any workarounds. — Unsigned comment by Farenthor (talk • contribs) at 18:44 on 2 February 2014

From the bugs section, If you have already discovered Castle Volkihar, then after speaking to Serana for the first time when she is released from the sarcophagus she will automatically initiate dialogue with you that normally occurs shortly after arriving at Castle Volkihar. This may prevent you from entering the castle and continuing the quest." A workaround of You can circumvent this issue by clipping through the wall on the right while standing on the railing. This gets you past the gate and able to access the door. is provided. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 18:54, 2 February 2014 (GMT)

(PS3 user) I managed to clip through the wall to enter Volkihar Keep and didn't encounter any of the other bugs, but when I go to leave to fill the Bloodstone Chalice the gate is still closed and the watchman is gone. My question is this: is there a way to get the gate open, or will I have to clip through the wall every time I need to return to Volkihar? 67.0.245.177 19:29, 7 February 2014 (GMT)

I cant open the castle gate

Serana and I are standing right outside the castle gate but homeboy keeps denying our entry. Is there any way to get around this or is any hope of advancing in the quest totally gone? Im feeling that I'm screwed. I'm also on the PS3 so no wonderful console command. Cjesseg (talk) 04:03, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

How close is Serana? I've had this happen when she was a little too far away, even though she didn't seem that far away to me. Try running a little ways away and then back again, or even take the boat back to shore and then come back and see what happens. – Robin Hood ^(talk) 04:53, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

She's literally right on the gate. I even ran and bumped her right on the old guy but nothing. I've tried running away, riding the boat back and returning, fast traveling, waiting, reloading, punching her, hurting the old guy behind the gate and now I'm trying to do the walk through walls glitch. So far nothing. Do you think the bug happens because you find the place before you start the quest? I don't know how to uninstall a DLC but I will try that if I'm able since I didn't get to far into it anyways. Unless you think that could damage the game somehow. Level 56 took awhile to get to and I've still got more to go, plus legendary and werewolf.. Anyway I think my best bet now is to uninstall and reinstall the DLC. Dang bethesda and there terribly awesome glitchy games. Cjesseg (talk) 18:50, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

In that case, I've got nothing else. Uninstalling and reinstalling should be fairly safe, but my only experience is on a PC, so I can't promise it'll be as safe on a PS3. Also, it seems unlikely, but make sure that you've actually done the relevant quest objectives. There are times when the gate guard won't talk to you because you've missed doing some small thing, or you're not actually supposed to be at the castle at that point. Good luck! – Robin Hood ^(talk) 19:17, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

The only objective is to bring her home. But ill go back to the place I found her and shove her back inside her grave. Haha nah.. ill just check around and if nothing ill uninstall and reinstall. Thank you though. Cjesseg (talk) 19:21, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

(←) It worked and nothing is wrong. Besides a few quests ill need to redo it works. Thank you though for helping me. Cjesseg (talk) 01:05, 17 March 2014 (GMT)

Great, glad to hear it worked out for you! – Robin Hood ^(talk) 01:52, 17 March 2014 (GMT)

Ah dude me too. But being a vampire sucks. I can't wait until its finished so I can turn back into a werewolf. Unless I can do it now without it interfering with the quests.. The quests are more for the vampires then for the dawnguard. The vampire hunters. In the beginning, can you even join the dawngaurd or do you have to join the lame vampires? Cjesseg (talk) 06:28, 17 March 2014 (GMT)

Changing to a werewolf might interfere with some of the quests, I'm not sure. Yes, you can join the Dawnguard, though the storyline doesn't make that obvious, I find. I haven't joined the Dawnguard in a while (I will be with my next character), but as I recall, you drop Serana off, refuse Harkon's gift, then run back to the Dawnguard headquarters and tell them all about the sleeping vampire you found. You can find more information on the various Dawnguard pages as to what your options are.

Finally, any posts like this last one that are more seeking advice than reporting/resolving problems should be posted to our forums. We don't like to clutter up talk pages with topics that aren't directly related to improving the information on the page. – Robin Hood ^(talk) 15:27, 17 March 2014 (GMT)

I had a problem with the castle gate. Originally going in, but then I did a glitch and it worked. But then it was actually going out after starting the Chalice quest. I'd go out of the castle, and in front of me was a closed gate, while behind the door to the castle. I tried glitching again here but it wouldn't work. I rang up someone and he said that if I re-load to a save before I get bitten as a vampire, that just before I do, my character should 'get naked'. And by that he means unequip everything. No rings, no clothes, no necklaces. So its just your character in whatever automatic under briefs the game has for him/her. Also disable auto saves, as sometimes that might mess up a bit. - RowanCharlton 24 June 2014. — Unsigned comment by 2.98.162.55 (talk) at 14:29 on 24 June 2014 (GMT)

Can you do part of the Dawnguard faction storyline and then all of the Vampire Lord side?

The article says the following:

You can still become a Vampire Lord if you choose to side with the Dawnguard, though it will not be possible until later in Dawnguard's main questline.

Does that mean I can follow the Dawnguard faction quest line (nominally to Chasing Echoes) and then revert to the Vampire Lord side to maximise the number of quests I can do with a single character?

Sorry if this is a stupid question; I simply want to ensure I do the most possible in one go and like to plan ahead... Maybe this can be clarified in the article? Thanks in advance. — Unsigned comment by Chaosworrier (talk • contribs) at 02:40 on 28 March 2014 (GMT)

No. You can become a Vampire Lord again, but you will not be able to switch sides. You are either on the side of the vampires or the Dawnguard, you can't switch after your initial decision. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 02:40, 28 March 2014 (GMT)

Okay, thanks. Chaosworrier (talk) 03:44, 28 March 2014 (GMT)

Serana follow forever !?!?!?!?!!!

If I never advance the quest, it seems that Serana will follow me forever. And, I can have a regular follower (like Lydia) as well. This seems pretty cool -- and I think it should be mentioned in the article. — Unsigned comment by 72.66.3.18 (talk) at 03:32 on 9 January 2015 (GMT)

Harkon won't turn me

I'm having a weird glitch. I accepted Harkons invitation to become a vampire lord, but he says "Be still" and the animation doesn't play and I can also move around. He just stands there in his vampire lord form and does nothing.

I have a similar problem with things like mining where I just stand there and it looks like I'm going to mine, but it just spits me out back into the game.

In Dimhollow Crypt when you activate the hand...dagger...thing before you free Serana it didn't play the animation either. I just stood there like when it loads the animation, the grunt sound plays, but no animation.

This is on a fresh install of PC Skyrim and I've redone FNIS so many times, I just can't figure out what's going on. 50.169.197.200 06:03, 16 January 2015 (GMT)

Are you sure you have the latest official patches installed? Do you have any mods or unofficial patches installed? —MortenOSlash (talk) 06:35, 16 January 2015 (GMT)

I'm having the same problem. I was able to see all the other animations however. I'm running the latest version of the game. I have a few mods but none of them have ever given me this problem before. I can still do the dawngaurd story line if i want too but i've already done that one. I'm kinda annoyed with constantly having to cure myself to play that story. — Unsigned comment by 204.116.163.86 (talk) at 12:41 on 4 February 2015 (GMT)

Different gate issue

Having read the above, I can report a variable to the gate bug.

The gate is already open when we arrive at the castle, the gatekeeper and Serana have no interaction, and I cannot enter the keep - I can reach the door, but not activate it to go inside.

I did visit the location prior to starting Dawnguard. My version is the Legendary Edition on Xbox 360. No plate will grant my entry from here.

I'm going to attempt a few other remedies and will report my findings. 71.61.174.190 04:03, 1 March 2015 (GMT)Imbalance

So, this appears to have broken my Dawnguard quest. This duplicates consistently, with one variable regarding the actual gate. If I engage in conversation with Serana at Dimhollow to the point where the quests update, but exit the dialogue then, the gate is down when we arrive at Volkihar. But if I get the full branch about what to expect when we get there, the gate is up. In any event, I can go no further, even if I clip through the closed gate. There is no quest update beyond Lead Serana to her home.

Based on this experience and prior reports, that bit of her dialogue seems to be the key to entry, and the key to the dialogue is the discovery of the castle location, which is at a point midway up the bridge to the gate. This desynchronization seems to be the root of the bug, and on the 360 there appears to be no workaround.

This is especially frustrating due to the length of time and number of quests that have transpired since I discovered this place, and now I'm torn between choosing to go all the way back to a preceding save or continue on with a permanent follower whose quest is broken. Hopefully this note saves someone else the headache.

71.61.174.190 06:42, 1 March 2015 (GMT)Imbalance

A New Order may fail to start: Possible Fix for some.

After refusing Harkon's gift I was teleported to the jetty as normal, but the quest A New Order would not start. Any attempt to use the console would not properly start it either: NPCs would not spawn, quest markers would not appear and so forth. Doing some investigating I found a script in my Skyrim/Data/Scripts called "DLC1_QF_DLC1HunterBaseIntro_01004E24.pex". I am not sure why that script file was created as I have both downloaded mods that modify that quest (including Unofficial Dawnguard Patch) and I have made my own mod that changes that quest's parameters.

Most importantly this could be one reason why the quest does not start: if any mod or error changes this script it causes this bug and might be something to investigate. As soon as I cut it and pasted it into my Skyrim/Backup folder the quest started properly from an earlier save (leading Serana up the castle ramp) and the bug no longer exists for me. Anubis Priest (talk) 18:06, 10 May 2015 (GMT)

Prev: None

Up: Skyrim talk:Bloodline

Next: None

UESPWiki β