Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum and loving the world of Skyrim.

However, i think i have encountered a bug.

Whenever i try to cast the lesser ward spell as part of the first lesson with Toldfir, he just stands there and does not react.

I have tried doing it from the exact spot he would like but nothing happens.

I cannot re-load back as i have completed a vast amount of other quests after i noticed this as i assumed i didnt have the right level of ward spell.

Has anyone else seen this and more importantly knows a way to correct it?

As my player is mainly mage it is holding me back .

Any help is appreciated!

Dan.

I had this same issue when I did this quest but then I moved around and found that when I moved over to the steps in the centre of the room where the magic pool thing is he finally cast his firebolt at me. I think you just need to move around until he does it.

I had exactly the same problem but did the same as Exodan13 and it eventually workrd for me.

did u stand on the circle?

thats where he wants u to stand!

Hi Everyone,
Many thanks for the responses, i will give them a go.

I was definately standing in the right place as it is marked by the quest arrow.

Will try it again

Dan.

Hi again,
I have just tried this with no luck again .

One interesting observation is the fact many other people have screenshots showing that they completed a tour around the college before speaking with Tolfdir.

However, all quest notes say is "Cast a Magelight" then "Speak with Tolfdir".

I am guessing there has been an error in this quest .

Any ideas?

Dan.

I'm not sure if I just got lucky or if this will help you:

I couldn't trigger the event either, and tried many things to get him to cast the spell. During one attempt, I started moving around while casting the spell, and he cast a fireball (I think - I was so surprised that I'm not sure what he did, haha). I'm pretty sure I started casting my spell while standing on the steps, then moved down the steps and ended up on a circle on the floor when it happened.

At the time I thought I was just misunderstanding what he expected me to do... anyway I hope this helps you! Good luck *fingers crossed*

- Just want to add that at one point, I was moving around while "flicking" the spell on and off. One more thing to try at least.


Edit: After reading Exodan's post, I'm sure this must be the way to fix it! All you have to do is run around in a rage while smashing the spell button and it will work!

I spent a good 20 minutes trying everything suggested to no avail

Not sure what I can do now it's a pretty major issue for mage characters if I cannot do college.

I'm so sorry nothing worked.

I actually had a terrible time getting into the college initially due to a bug (long story...) - and I was fortunate enough to have been able to reload a previous save. I avoided Winterhold completely for awhile after that.

You're right, this is a major issue for mage characters. My heart skipped a beat when Toldfir didn't cast the spell at first. It's not very fun to play a TES game with the constant worry about game-breaking bugs hanging over your head.

Bethesda is releasing a new patch soon - it might fix the Winterhold College bugs. Maybe you could put those quests on the back burner and then see if the patch fixes Tolfdir, before giving up on your mage character?

Anyway I hope it works out for ya! Good luck.

Hey Katt,
Many thanks for the advice and well wishes. I wonder if it would be easier for Bethesda to develop a restart quest option in the menu to reset the current quest. Interestingly enough I encountered another bug when attempting to get the white elixir bottle from a show cave. When I reached it, it just wouldnt let me pick it up. Fortunately I could reload where it then allowed me to pick it up.
I know this is a vast game with endless routes but I don't recall encountering so many bugs with oblivion, I cannot recall a single one in fact.

Fingers crossed for 1.2 but not getting my hopes up

I noticed the Tolfdir quest is listed in the "Organized list of bugged quests" thread. This actually is a good sign I think haha - maybe it really will be fixed in the patch!

I did encounter a few bugs in Oblivion. One NPC line that still echoes in my head to this day is: "...when you find the Madstone..." (said in a pompous, musical female voice). I went through hell to get that Madstone for her, it was in my inventory, and she kept saying that line over and over...and over....augh. This was finally fixed in a patch - I was able to deliver the stone to the countess, but when she took it, I had to fight the urge to zap her to death with a spell.

But really, I agree that there seemed to be FAR fewer bugs in Oblivion than in Skyrim. I'm trying very hard to not be disappointed with this game. I love it overall, but these bugs are just wrecking the fun. I've also had two game freezes (where I had to do a hard reset on the xbox), and it's freaking me out. Although it could be a lot worse...we could be trying to play Skyrim on the PS3. Sheesh..

Anyway, if patch 1.2 doesn't fix the College of Winterhold for you, there's still hope for patch 1.3, 1.4, etc. Sigh.

ive just encountered the same bug last night. anyone else had the same and found a fix for it ?

Hi yand,
It's not ideal but this managed to resolve itself after leaving the college quest alone for a good 15 levels.

I went back and it was like tolfdir was starting the first lesson again.

Not ideal I know as I am a Mage character but as far as I know there isn't a quick fix for it.

Dan