Helgen

It is one of the only Friendly settlements located in Falkreath Hold, apart from the City of Falkreath itself and Half-Moon Mill. Other settlements can be added as you progress through the Story line, e.g. Stormcloak / Imperial camps.

Helgen is the very first place the player will experience once they start the game.

Background
Helgen was a thriving town and keep on the southern border of Skyrim with Cyrodiil. Before its destruction, the Keep was controlled by the Imperial Army.

On the 17th of Last Seed, 4E 201 Helgen was attacked and destroyed by Alduin, which allowed the Dragonborn to escape the execution. The named residents of Helgen, besides Haming, are not seen again after the Dragonborn's escape, and it is assumed that they either perished during the attack or were led to safety by the Imperial troops. A few in-game days following the events, a small group of bandits will begin to take refuge among the ruins of the town (to reach them, the lock on either gate must be picked, or one of the bandits can open it ). The damage caused by Alduin's attack will be evident, with most of the town razed to the ground, and blackened corpses lying amongst the ruins. The bandits are led by a bandit chief, and the gear used is randomized. If the player does not kill the bandits themselves, they will be slain by the Thalmor if the Main Quest progresses far enough.

It has a few distinguishing features; a wall, which is unusual for smaller towns, when certain Hold Capitols do not have a wall. It also has a large keep, which is unusual for anywhere but forts and walled Hold Capitols. When you add in the lack of Hold Guards in a settlement, the increased amount of Imperial Soldiers and Banners, it is more likely the (former) headquarters of the Imperial Army than an actual town controlled by a jarl.

Related Quests

 * Unbound

Characters

 * Gunnar
 * Ulfric Stormcloak
 * Hadvar
 * Ralof
 * Vilod
 * Matlara
 * Torolf
 * General Tullius
 * Dragonborn
 * Imperial Captain
 * Imperial soldier
 * Stormcloak soldier

Behind the Scenes

 * Refugees may be seen in camps around Helgen after its destruction.
 * The gate after you exit Helgen has a Apprentice level lock.
 * Bandits will occupy the ruins of Helgen after a while.

Trivia

 * In Swedish, "helgen" means "the weekend". However, the Swedish counterpart is pronounced "heljen".
 * In Norwegian, "helgen" means both "the weekend" and "saint". The latter being the most probable name.
 * As with Norwegian, "helgen" means "saint" in Danish.
 * If you return to Helgen after escaping, you will find that the destroyed tavern has barrels containing Mead with Juniper Berry. This is most likely a reference to the journey through Helgen at the start of the game in which Ralof states, "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with Juniper berries mixed in."
 * This item is only found in Helgen, apart from items found in the keep, and bone meal on burned corpses
 * If you stand in front of General Tullius too long while Alduin is attacking he will shout "Run, you idiot."

Bugs
{XBOX} Sometimes in the opening cinematics the gates of helgen will shut causing the cart in front of the players cart to halt, causing the player's cart to collide with it. The carts will then shake and possibly be flung in random directions. To resolve this, simply restart the game.

{PS3/XBOX} Sometimes the burnt house's and wood will glow a bright orange even after the fires have ceased months ago. To resolve this just fast travel back.