Found http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/632986848182157735/600E70053D93B0AB825A966A39294CA9F90457DE/ when I visited the Helgen ruins. I thought it was a nice touch.

Me too, i treated it like pure gold imagine..there are only those bottles left. Although i returned to helgen sometime later and found out that they respawned. But still pretty rare all the same, rarity's comparable to daedra hearts.

???

I returned to Helgen, too, and I never found that.

Oh well. Doesn't fit in with this character's personality to dwell. Next one.

I didn't even know you could go back to Helgen. Are there still npc's there?

Only bandits, at least in my game.

I went right back in after the attack (I was trying to get the headsmans axe) I saw corpses nothing else

Hmm. OP's link doesn't work for me.

Fixed! I completely missed them when I went back there. Very cool find.

If you haven't found them they sometimes seem to go flying though the world or fall though it during the switch in the helgen your at. Theres usually 5 bottles I think at max. It's such a shame you can't give them to Ralof, nor can you find lokirs body and the executioners.
If they weren't there when you went try back after how long it takes to reset (30 days max I think) the bottles do respawn.

The bandits seem to spawn based on some condition. Might be your MQ progress, or a timer. Personally, I've seen them with two of my five characters.

I did not find them, I must go back and get that rare mead. I have a compulsion to get rare stuff.

Ancient nord bow? LOL NOOB

Really? I only found bandits. Maybe I should return immediately with my next character, see if it's any different.

If you return right after you leave Helgen, you find corpses and a few throwaway items. If you return later, you find bandits. Either way, I've never found what OP highlights.

I wonder where the survivors are (if any are left).

I found a couple of survivors wandering around asking for gold.

Keep trying I don't think them not being here is decided at the start of the game but just the usual collision issues these games have had, maybe something alduin does. A in game month at most. I don't think you not being able to collect them you make them not respawn because it's more of a cell reset anyway. Ie. I went shortly after the start, still on fire no bandit found 3 of the 5 that are set there, went back in a week, bandits had spawned fires out, potion and chest added no drink, passed though an in game month later and decided to have a look, the bandits where back and so were all 5 of the bottles. They could not be there again I guess though for the same reason entering your house things go flying about and mounted weapons drop though the world.

Not intended to be form helgen are they? just a random farm that has been attacked.