I kind of cleared out Valtheim Towers (as it happened to be in my way of another quest I was on - they'd attack as I went by). I usually avoid "discovered locations" until a quest prompts me to return, but that is the one exception to my rule.

Now it turns out, one of my side quests is to take out the leader of Valtheim Hold (which I assume is the Valtheim towers?) but there's no one left there alive, and subsequent discussions with the jarl's advisor doesn't give me any options to collect the bounty or end the quest now.

Did I break this mission?

Yep apparently. It's a sad thing about skyrim.


Although, have you tried waiting away from that game cell for... Maybe 1 in game Month or somethin. That way the dungeon/ tower/ bandits will reset.

If you wait a certain period of game time they'll restock the dungeon with bandits. This happens with all the bandit camps - some annoyingly so - I've cleared Robber's Gorge a few times so far.

Valtheim still empty for some reason...and one of the first dungeons I ever cleared (if you call it that).... while Fort Amol attracts mages like flies on a dead skeever!!

(I actually didn't know they respawned! I just assumed I did something wrong at Amol... good to know! I'll check back there later).

Usually it's an in game month for the respawning to happen, I've cleared out Valtheim a few times, they'll be back

Like the towers/dungeons/etc do towns and cities respawn? I've killed many people.... Mostly because they annoyed me.

I got lucky in a cave, did the same thing, I cleared it out just while passing by, at the end there was a "Master Vampire". Then a bit later, I got a quest to go to that same cave to kill the Master Vampire. I was thinking, but I already killed him right? But I could not say that to anyone, well, I went back, and all "goons" were still dead, but at the end was a new Master Vampire, this one had a name. I jsut had to kill that one, and it was done. So in this case, it worked out, since the quest had it's own "boss", but if it's an unnamed generic boss, then maybe that's a problem.