quest bug- esbern sends me to kill the dragon in mount aNthor

[GU_striker]

i got a side quest by esbern to kill the dragon in mount anthor and it told me to go there but when i got there .there wasent any dragon and in the map it showed me that i needed to go close to the azora shrine and in the map ingame not on all over the map just when im playing and in up in the screen there are all of the closest houses or caves and all that it showed me that i need to get into somewhere like get into a cave or a house but on the map it showes me to get to the azura shrine. what do i do?

[GU_striker]

the only thing i can do is get into an old save? or finish the misson? and how do i do that? please help me.

[Ilja]

This is a known problem that is not yet fixed by Unofficial Skyrim Patch Project Team.

Currently this bug is avoided with console. Command is listed in UESPWiki safe to use to solve this issue.

The dragon at Mount Anthor may not spawn, and the quest target will point to an incorrect location.

Use the console command setstage BQ04 100 to skip to the next stage, or setstage BQ04 200 to jump directly to quest completion.

Skyrim:Bounty: Dragon UESPWiki
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Bounty:_Dragon

[GU_striker]

but the misson i got was from esbern and not the jarl of winterhold
and i may have killed this dragon once/

[Ilja]

If you have killed it recently, then it may take time to reappear. Each area location has refresh time between 10-30 days. It resets, if you visit the area during that time.

[GU_striker]

i havent killed the dragon recently, but it still didnt appear there but you can't skip the misson in console or something?

[Ilja]

You are right. I did give you the wrong page. I remembered that Esbern's radiant missions from Sky Haven Temple were tied to Bouny missions, but I was wrong.

Here is the correct UESPWiki page of this quest, with possible solutions.

Skyrim:Dragon Hunting UESPWiki
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Dragon_Hunting

[GU_striker]

that didnt help as i wished it was... it probably not the same quest. when i tryed to type the console command it didnt do anything, and i couldent set the stage. any other options?

[pedantic_roc]

Anthor is a special case. Besides using setstage freeformskyhaventemple8 to what ever you like, you also need to setlocationcleared. There's a lot of locations at Mt Anthor though. The uesp wiki suggests going to Markarth to reset the wayward pointer where it does indeed update itself - according to my scribbled notes. Whatever you decide I'd reload an earlier save, for example the save you made just before talking to Esbern, having messed with the console.

[Ilja]

Damn. It should be the same mission: Esbern really does not have many of them.

As I mentioned above, that specific area itself is bugged. There is no command to fix it directly, if setting quest stages do not help.

I have gone through all articles I found. Nothing new pops up. Let me ask from others though. Someone might remember or know something that I do not.

Edit: Well, ninja'd by pedantic_roc.

[GU_striker]

i went to markarth but it didnt help... when i did the console command i thought it didnt do anything but the point of the marker just disappear and the misson is still there. there's still no dragon there and when i went to see esbern he gave me another misson to go kill a dragon in another place but the problem was that i couldent press on the misson of killing the dragon in mount anthor, and then i did the console command and the marker of them both disappear. do you need me to upload any screenshots that might help?

[pedantic_roc]

Are you just hacking away at this or did you indeed load a save from before you messed with the console, GU_striker?

Edit: and by reload I mean quit to desktop and reload, NOT reload while still in-game.

[GU_striker]

i have tryed to load a save from before but my last save wasent from before this mess.. and that kinda means i can't do anything about it right now? and no im not hacking away at this im just trying to figure out something to get over this alright? and yes i did quit to desktop it didn't do anything.

[pedantic_roc]

That's rather unfortunate, having no backup save. Pressing onward and indeed not saving before using the console IS hacking away - lol :D

Because there is something like six or seven locations at Mt. Anthor it will likely make things worse for you if you use the usual workaround, which is using the setlocationcleared function.
I suppose with nothing left to lose you could visit the uesp Skyrim Mt. Anthor page and write down each of the locations, or maybe in the console type.. help anthor, and try each location individually. The format is SetLocationCleared ######## 1. I'm assuming you already used a relevant setstage command on the radiant quest from Esbern.

Failing that, I guess you'll just have to run with it, annoying as it is. FIO - due to this bug I always visit Mt. Anthor before I return to Arngier with Jurgens Horn, if not before. Likewise I pre-visit Arcwind Point so that he doesn't hear a whisper there. I also save before any radiant quest so that I have a choice. I hope I'm making sense.. still on my first coffee here, GU... :-)

[GU_striker]

Well have a great day and i hope something will turn right in this and thank you for all of your help (IIja and pedantic_roc) :D