Skyrim Solitude Guide: Merchants, Loot, Quests, And More

As the capital of Skyrim, there’s a lot to do and explore in the city of Solitude. This guide will lay out the essential locations, quests, and more.

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Solitude is without a doubt the most magnificent city in Skyrim. While Whiterun is the center of all commerce, Solitude holds most of the political power within the province as the capital city. It was here that High King Torygg once ruled until he was shouted to death by Ulfric Stormcloak, an event that spelled the very beginning of the brewing civil war.

As such, Solitude is very much an Imperial dominated city, with a heavy Thalmor presence nearby, as well as a substantial port nearby from which the Empire can effectively trade with the rest of the continent. As a large and prosperous city, there’s quite a bit to see and do around here, but many of the quests can be fairly challenging early on, so Solitude is definitely not an early game city to visit. That being said, once you have some experience under your belt, here’s what to focus on during your visit.

Factions

Solitude’s biggest faction is the Imperial Legion, the very enemy of the Stormcloak Rebellion and the same people who nearly execute the Dragonborn at the beginning of the game. Once out of Helgen, you effectively have a choice whether to head to Windhelm to join the rebellion or to join the Legion in Solitude instead.

The Legion is much more organized than the rebellion in terms of rank and behavior. It has a more military feel, versus the family or brotherly-like feel of the rebellion. Just like joining the Stormcloaks won’t grant you anything fancier than a set of their armor and weapons for free, the Imperial Legion will also equip you with their signature gear. This can be nice early in the game, but later on the equipment becomes easily outdated.

To join the Legion, head to Castle Dour once in Solitude and speak with General Tullius, who will have you complete a test in order to see if you’re truly worth the Legion’s time. This involves clearing bandits from a location in order for the Legion to use it as an outpost.

It won’t be until the taking of Whiterun and the rest of Skyrim that you’ll get to really get involved with the war effort. The final quest culminates in Windhelm, where you have the chance to slay Ulfric Stormcloak and replace him with someone else on the Jarl’s throne.

There’s another minor faction in Solitude known as the Bards College. It’s perhaps one of the least developed factions, however, as it lacks a long quest line most regular factions have in the game. In fact, it’s possible Bethesda cut much of the content out late before release, which is why the Bards College feels so lackluster.

Joining the Bards College is simply a matter of walking in and saying you’re interested. As per usual, the head of the faction will put you through a test, which involves finding and restoring King Olaf’s verse. This will lead to the Jarl restoring the old tradition of burning an effigy for King Olaf, a festival which was momentarily halted due to the civil war.

All that being said, completing the three radiant quests that have you searching for the musical instruments of some of the members will give you +1 to each skill category. For example, finding Pantea’s Flute will gift you with +1 point to all Mage-related skills. Finding Finn’s lute gives you +1 to every Thief skill, and Rjorn’s drum boosts your Warrior skills by +1.

Merchants

As one of the biggest cities, Solitude has a wide variety of merchants. There’s something for just about any type of character build.

• Solitude Blacksmith: a classic blacksmith located just by the entrance of Castle Dour which services the Imperial Legion as well. It carries everything needed for Smithing, including a tanning rack, grindstone, workbench, and a forge.
• Fletcher: right next to the blacksmith, the Fletcher is ideal for any archer and sells various bows and arrows.
• Angeline’s Aromatics: for all potion-making and Alchemy needs, this shop is located on the main street next to the Winking Skeever.
• Sybille Stentor: find her at the Blue Palace, in the room left of the Jarl’s throne, for everything related to magic and soul gems.

For more miscellaneous things, general stores or even a clothing and accessory store, make sure to check these spots.

• Bits and Pieces: the city’s go-to general store, located on the right side of the main street, right before the wall and the marketplace.
• Radiant Raiment: the first shop on the right as you enter Solitude and walk past the execution block, it sells clothing and accessories.
• The Winking Skeever: the local inn that sells food, drinks, and a room for rent.

Right before the ramp to Castle Dour, next to the large well, there’s a small and modest marketplace with food vendors.

• Addvar: he sells mostly food items, as well as a woodcutter’s axe.
• Evette San: she’s a regular spiced wine merchant.
• Jala: she sells a variety of general food items.

Trainers And Followers

While Solitude is filled with merchants and quests, it’s a city that lacks quite a bit when it comes to trainers. Only two trainers can be found within the city.

• Expert-level Destruction trainer: Sybille Stentor, the court wizard of the Jarl, found in the Blue Palace, usually in a room on the right of the throneroom.
• Master-level Speech trainer: Giraud Gemane, a member of the Bards College, which is located next to Proudspire Manor.

Followers are also few and far between in Solitude. Only two of them can be recruited within the city, one of which is a reward for becoming Thane.

• Jordis the Sword-Maiden: once you become Thane, she will be your Housecarl and can be taken along as a follower.
• Belrand: found at the Winking Skeever, he’s a mercenary with a level cap of 40 who can be recruited for 500 gold.

Marriage Partners

Although there aren’t that many followers, there’s plenty to choose from when it comes to spouses and marriage. Make sure to wear the Amulet of Mara before speaking with these NPCs, and ensure that Maramal in Riften has explained how marriage works.

• Jordis the Sword-Maiden: she can be married once you’ve become Thane.
• Sorex Vinius: a merchant working at The Winking Skeever. Agree to deliver some rum for him, after which he becomes available as a spouse.
• Taarie: owner of the Radiant Raiment. After you agree to showcase her clothing in front of the Jarl, she can be married.
• Belrand: a mercenary at the Winking Skeever. You can marry him after hiring him for 500 gold.
• Octieve San: occasionally seen wandering around or at the Winking Skeever. He can be married after helping him with his debts, and he also offers some Two-Handed training as a reward.

Becoming Thane And Benefits

Solitude is one of the best cities to become Thane due to the immense benefits the city offers. However, the quests needed to achieve the position are not easy by any means. Jarl Elisif will require you to do two things:

• Complete the Potema quests, The Man Who Cried Wolf and The Wolf Queen Awakened.
• Have Torygg’s war horn put on the Shine of Talos.

On top of aiding Elisif, you also need to help a total of five people in Solitude. Here are the easiest ones to complete:

• Deliver rum from Sorex Vinius to the Blue Palace.
• Give some gold to Dervenin at the Temple of the Divines.
• Help Octieve San get rid of his debts.
• Ask Vittoria Vici for some spiced wine for Evette San.
• Talk to Captain Aldis about Angeline Morrard’s daughter.

Finally, you need to purchase property in the city to qualify as Thane. Proudspire Manor is the most expensive home in the game, but well worth the purchase. The house is full of loot, mannequins, and other valuables. You get an arcane enchanter and an alchemy lab as well. The downside is that it’s far from merchants, and lacks facilities for players specialized in Smithing.

The house itself costs 25,000 gold. On top of that, to upgrade it fully you need to rake in an additional 11,000 gold, which totals to 36,000 gold. Speak with Elisif after your purchase and she’ll grant you the status of Thane, as well as assign Jordis as your Housecarl.

Notable Quests

Depending on which side you take during the civil war quest line, Solitude either becomes your headquarters or the site of the final battle. If you’re looking to join the Legion, Solitude is the place to go to. All Imperial matters are handled within Castle Dour, where Legate Rikke and General Tullius can be both found for the majority of the time.

Since Solitude is a major merchant port, there’s a quest that will have you deal with local thieves looking to rob the wreck of a ship. Lights Out! can be started by speaking with Jaree-Ra when first entering Solitude, as he’s usually standing in the main street by the shops. The quest will have you assist his bandits, until you get betrayed by him and his sister.

The main reward for the quest is a ton of gold (up to 500) found in Jaree-Ra’s hiding spot in the Broken Oar Grotto. The fight against him and his bandits can be tough since you’ll be severely outnumbered, so having a companion along might be a good idea.

In order to become Thane, you need to deal with Potema, the Wolf Queen that is being awakened by necromancers in a nearby cave. To start this quest off, speak with Falk at the Blue Palace and offer to check out the cave where strange sounds are coming from.

The first quest will be followed up by The Wolf Queen Awakened, which has you dig deep under Solitude’s catacombs to retrieve Potema’s remains and have them properly buried. The fight against Potema is difficult, so make sure you have a tanky follower with you who can resist some magic damage.

A Daedric quest, The Mind of Madness, can also be started within Solitude and will reward you with one of the funniest weapons in the game, the Wabbajack staff, which casts a random spell. To start off, speak with Dervenin, a beggar found in the city, who will give you Pelagius’ hip bone.

In order to get access to the Pelagius Wing, Falk, the Jarl’s steward, needs to trust you enough to do so, so make sure you’ve completed the Potema quests by now. You’ll be transported inside Pelagius’ mind where you’ll meet Sheogorath, who will ask you to finish three riddle-like quests using the Wabbajack in order to escape Pelagius’ mind.

Notable Loot

If you’re looking to get your hands on some skill books in Solitude, be sure to head to these locations to collect these tomes.

• Archery skill book: The Gold Ribbon of Merit, found at the Fletcher shop next to the blacksmith and by Castle Dour.
• Light Armor skill book: The Refugees, found at the blacksmith just next to the entrance of Castle Dour.
• Two-Handed skill book: Song of Hrormir, found at Jala’s House, one of the homes on the way to the Blue Palace.
• Speech skill book: Biography of the Wolf Queen, found at the Blue Palace inside the Jarl’s room.
• Lockpicking skill book: Surfeit of Thieves, found at the Blue Palace, at the end of the Pelagius’ Wing area after returning from Pelagius’ Mind.

Other miscellaneous loot ranging from alchemy ingredients to potions (and even a special weapon related to a quest) can also be discovered at the following locations:

• Various alchemy ingredients and some Strength potions inside Erikur’s house.
• More alchemy ingredients and potions inside Vittoria Vici’s house.
• Unique bow, Firiniel’s End, available during and after the Dark Brotherhood quest Bound Until Death, within one of the towers of Castle Dour overlooking the main balcony.

The stones of Barenziah or unusual gems are another rare collectible most players will be desperately hunting for. In Solitude, there are two of them.

• A stone of Barenziah, inside Proudspire Manor.
• A stone of Barenziah, inside the Blue Palace, next to the Jarl’s bed.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/skyrim-solitude-location-guide/