How to Escape Helgen in Unbound in Skyrim

Make sure you stay close to Hadvar. As long as you are within about 3 feet of him, the dragon’s attacks cannot harm you. However, if you linger, you can be hit by fire.

Follow Hadvar. Hadvar will proceed northeast, across the area that the dragon just attacked with fire. As the two of you pass between a building and stone wall, Hadvar will suddenly stop and tell you to stick close to the wall. The dragon will land atop the wall, and breath fire a few feet away from you, around the corner.

• As soon as the dragon takes flight again, follow Hadvar up the steps and north through the gap in the wall. Head left once inside the building until you exit out into an open area, where a group of Imperials are attacking the dragon.

Choose to continue following Hadvar or Ralof. After passing through the open area, Hadvar will proceed north and turn left at the entrance to the keep. Run through the archway and you will be stopped by Ralof. The two will draw their weapons but agree that getting away from the dragon takes priority, and run to two different entrances.

• You are now given the choice of who to follow. The path your character follows is identical between the two, with the only variations being which enemies you face. Hadvar is an Imperial, so you will fight Stormcloaks if you side with him, while Ralof is a Stormcloak, so you will face Imperials. This decision does not impact the plot of the game later on. Choose whom you want to follow by running over to their entrance and following him into the keep.

Equip for battle. You will be facing opposition during your escape, so it is important to arm yourself. Your guide will cut your bindings, allowing you to pick up items. If you chose Hadvar, walk around the keep and pick up equipment. There are iron swords hanging on the walls and armor in the chests at the beds. If you picked Ralof, you’ll have to loot the Stormcloak corpse lying in the room. Approach the body, and hit the interaction button to scroll through his inventory. Select whichever items you’d like to take.

Follow your guide. Once you’re ready for battle, follow your guide through the next door. You will enter a store room with two soldiers inside; they will attack you on sight. Your guide will help you defeat them. Once the brief battle is over, be sure to loot the bodies and scour the room for any equipment.

• Follow your guide out of the room, down the hall, and you’ll reach an interrogation room with more soldiers. After a brief bit of dialogue, you’ll have to fight once more and will be given the chance to loot the room for valuables

Enter the cave. Continue through the corridor following your guide, and you will eventually come to a cave being guarded by enemy soldiers. Dispose of them, and enter the cave. There will be a raised drawbridge preventing you from moving any further. Look around to find the lever, and interact with it to lower the bridge. As soon as you cross the bridge with your guide, it will be destroyed by a shower of rocks

Go through the cave. You will now be in an even larger cave teaming with frostbite spiders, which will attack. After you defeat them, head through the passage to reach the next chamber. There will be a sleeping bear near the underground river in this part of the cave. Your guide will advise you to sneak past it, but will give you a bow and some arrows in case you want to kill it. Once you have either snuck past or killed the bear, you will reach a crevice in the rock.