» Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:56 pm Appointing a Steward, while not essential, is a nice immersion element of Hearthfire. If only it wasn't so temperatmental.
It suffers similar issues to Marraige, in some regards, where trying to change an NPC's usual daily routine never completely works, creating conflicts and resulting in a reversion to parts their originally pathed behaviour.
I'm sure that there are other threads reporting other instances and elements of tis, but I'd like to post this as a specific reproduceable issue. I currently have six campaigns running in Skyrim, five originating from the start of 2012, and a sixth started once I'd installed Dawnguard and Hearthfire. I've tested this issue in all six and it's proved 100% repeatable.
While I've had success with appointing Housecarls and Favour Followers as Stewards it seems to be that there are a whole host of issues with appointing Hirelings to the same position.
Once you've reached a decent level of reputation in a Hold if you decide to hire a mercenary follower, such as Jenassa in Whiterun, Erik the Slayer in Rorikstead or Marcurio in Riften, they may agree to follow you for free on future occasions you approach them. Dismiss them and they'll head back to their starting position. Leave them alone for a long time and they may well decide to charge you again for their services.
They're fickle. And that seems to be a problem.
I've only tried this with Erik the Slayer and Marcurio so far, but I've tested it in all six saved games - at a second stage expanded Lakeview Manor - and received the same issue.
Basically, with Erik or Marcurio as my follower at the time, I completed expanding Lakeview Manor up to having a Great Hall and repurposed small house as entrance hall. At some point after the construction, returning home from questing both would walk over and suggest that I made them stewards.
This would result in the following problems:
1) Asking either for more time to think about it, or backing out of the conversation, would result in never being able to discuss the Steward offer with them again. I've tried speaking to them in the vacinity of the house, out on quests, in Falkreath, in other towns... no joy. After many hours of play afterwards it has never come up as an option again.
2) If I accepted their offer they would deliver an acceptance response, but then do nothing more. They'd just stand in front of the new house and never go in. Fast travelling backwards and forwards they would never enter the house, and never have any of the usual Steward dialogue options for services such as lumber or Bard hiring etc.
3) If I dismissed them they would also just stand around in front of the house. Speaking to them they would only have the dialogue option to rehire them. Sometimes for free. Sometimes for their original price.
I'm thinking that the problem is probably largely down to their status as a hireling - some part of the hireling logic conflicting with the mechanics for becoming a steward.
Something similar appears to have been reported at the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Followers#Bugs
As I say, so far it's only been an issue with Erik the Slayer and Marcurio. But I suspect it may effect other Hireling followers in the same way.
Anybody else had this?
