So here's the deal, I'm nearing the 400 hour mark in my gameplay and I still have a LOT of quest to complete including main mission, companions and dawngaurd. a LONG time ago I rushed through the Civil War quest and completed it (stormcloaks) by taking Solitude. I then saw that all the Jarls from the other holds were then placed in the basemant of castle in Solitude.

Well, I really didn't want to lose out on any quest from these Jarls I had not already done nor did I want to travel to Solitude to get quest from these Jarls, so I loaded a previous "saved game" and held off on completing the Civil War quest.

Fastforward a couple 100 hrs of gameplay and I go to complete this questline and now I get to Solitude and face General Tullius and Legate Rikke and I can NOT kill them, talk to them or force Tullius to surrender!

The same dialouge happens with Ulfric and Rikke and she attacks but I can't kill her. She just slumps over in the default "I'm a main character who can't be killed" slump and then gets back up. I do the same to General Tullius but I can't talk to him to get him to surrender. Plus all the doors are locked so I can't leave.

Also, since I've done all the other civil war quest and "triggered" the final battle on Solitude it is completely locked down. It is in it's "battle stage" with Ulfric and the stormcloacks waiting outside the gates, so I can't fast travel to it, I can't go in, there are no merchants to sell/buy from, it's completely useless!!

Can someone PLEASE, PLEASE help me! I've invested way to much in this amazing game to lose Skyrim's capital to a stupid glitch!

xbox? ps3?

360

No other saves, I presume?

not from 200+ hours back. I use a 5-save rotating system and I'm currently on save 1,177.

Here's the bug list:

• After entering Castle Dour, you may get stuck in cutscene mode permanently without Ulfric or Galmar joining you. There is no known fix for this and previous loading to earlier Stormcloak quests will not correct the problem. Since Solitude and the surrounding area is affected once you've talked to Galmar after taking Fort Hraggstad, you will be forced to load a previous save file prior to your conversation with Galmar.
  
• When you're about to enter Solitude, you may get locked out of the city and say it requires a key to open the door, leaving you unable to finish the quest.
  
  • http://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:Pc22.png Open the console, click on the door, and type unlock. The door will be unlocked and you can continue with the quest.
• The final confrontation with Legate Rikke and General Tullius is particularly buggy. Reports indicate a number of different things going wrong once you enter Castle Dour with Galmar and Ulfric, including:
  
  • Rikke and Tullius may leave combat mode. It is possible to carry on a conversation with General Tullius about how the war is going while Ulfric is standing right next to him with his axe drawn. It becomes impossible to end the quest.
    
  • Rikke may become invincible; attacking her until she has zero health will force her to the ground, but she will simply stand up moments later and recover full health. She is not always hostile upon standing up; it may be possible to hold a normal conversation without quest-specific dialogue. (this seems fixed on X360 in the latest patch)
    
  • General Tullius may also become invincible, as the scripted conversation that results in his death may not be triggered by beating him to the ground. Although the "Talk to General Tullius" dialogue option may still appear, the option cannot be activated, and the quest cannot be completed as a result. There is apparently no known solution to this bug.
    
  • Tullius may be paralyzed accidentally when fighting is first initiated. He will fall to the ground as if dead, but proceed to talk and blink until Rikke is killed and Ulfric gives you the honor of killing him. Though he appears dead and cannot move, the slightest damage will kill him, allowing the quest to continue.
    
  • Additionally, you may find yourself permanently locked in the room with Rikke, Tullius, Galmar, and Ulfric, unable to leave as the only exit door requires a key that you don't have (and can't get anywhere within the room). The only option is reload an earlier save.
• If you have a bounty in Haafinger and are caught by a guard prior to arrival at Solitude, you can submit to paying a fine and find yourself just outside Castle Dour, effectively skipping the entire battle.
  
• When you enter Solitude the city may be in its normal state with citizens and guards wandering around instead of Imperials. This will cause guards to attack Ulfric, Galmar, and you if you attack guards in Castle Dour along with the essential legate. The quest can still be completed by simply attacking Tullius. However, there will be no speech or cutscenes, and it is recommended that you leave the city soon after. Your bounty will not be reset until you fast travel somewhere else and then back to Solitude.

Looks like the only fix is a reload.