Letter from a friend

[KonRAD-X]

I've killed the first dragon near White Run, and I've heard that by shouting within the city that a courier will show up with a "letter from a friend". Well I tried it, but no courier. I first tried it after I did some quests for the companions, just to see if it would work, which it didn't. So I went back to a save right after I got unrelenting force, and tried it again, but it still didn't work. Is this normal? (Both times I tried it was nighttime, if that makes a difference)

[KonRAD-X]

Originally posted by Toast:

Give it time? It's random. The courrier won't show up right away. Some people have complained about it never happening though, so it's possible that it's a bug.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Letter_from_a_Friend

You can go see the greybeards if you're getting impatient. They'll give you word wall quests just like you'd get from the letters.

How long did it take for you?

[Docsprock]

It is completely random. Dont try and wait for it. I have had complete playthroughs without any, and others with many letters.

[Rafael Freeman]

The letters are random. I get them a lot because I procrastinate. In my experience the couriers are a game mechanic to move things along if you dally. If you do a lot of quests, the letters aren't necessary.

I tend to ignore them anyway, because I stumble on the relevant quests anyway.

[KonRAD-X]

Ok I got the letter. I shouted in Ehiterun for a while to no avail, so I left and walked around the countryside for a while, just in case it needed time, but when I go back there was no courier, so I fast traveled to Riverwood to give even more time, and there I saw a dude running towards me. It was the courier. So I guess you have to shout in one city and go to another, for me at least. Either way it worked

[KonRAD-X]

Almost a year later and I'm having the same problem. Hopefully this method still holds up.

[Docsprock]

Originally posted by KonRAD-X:

Almost a year later and I'm having the same problem. Hopefully this method still holds up.

You said it worked in your previous post.

Dont try to 'force' it. It is one of those things that will happen when it happens. There is no 'formula' to make it happen predictably.

[fauxpas]

I'm pretty sure you have to have witnesses when you shout; I know that I seem to get them shortly after I'm scolded by a guard for making people nervious.

[Zsrai]

Originally posted by KonRAD-X:

Almost a year later and I'm having the same problem. Hopefully this method still holds up.

That's because you have to wait for the courier to actually walk to your location. When you fast travel they basically fast travel to the same location; that's why they run right up to you. If you just walk around the province you can meet them on the road and so on.

Why are you so hellbent on getting that generic letter anyways?

[Mringasa]

It's a good way to get Lilly, the courier replacement, to show up. And she does have a pretty voice. :)

[Duneman]

Just Shout where humans are nearby and the letter will come in time. You can even get some of the lesser-known names for places in the game that way. E.g. references to Doom Stones or the Sons of Skyrim.

[KonRAD-X]

Originally posted by Zsrai:

Originally posted by KonRAD-X:

Almost a year later and I'm having the same problem. Hopefully this method still holds up.

That's because you have to wait for the courier to actually walk to your location. When you fast travel they basically fast travel to the same location; that's why they run right up to you. If you just walk around the province you can meet them on the road and so on.

Why are you so hellbent on getting that generic letter anyways?

It's just the way I play. I have yet to complete a full game, so I make it a point of doing everything I can to experience everything the game has to offer. Sure, the letter is pretty much worthless, but so too are all the other random encounters in the game. It doesn't make them any less enjoyable to experience, especially when experiencing them for the first time.

And that's when I first started this thread. When I started my first game, I saw on the wiki that a courier should be showing up. I had no idea what the letter would say, if it would unlock 5+ hours of content, or if would be a reference to another Bethesda game, or what. I didn't care. I wanted it no matter what it offered. Because this game does that to you. I gets you mesmerized and wanting to experience it all. Even if some of it ain't worth jack.

[KonRAD-X]

Originally posted by KonRAD-X:

Almost a year later and I'm having the same problem. Hopefully this method still holds up.

Yes it worked.