Hadvar

Hadvar is a Nord soldier in the Imperial Legion and one of the very first faces you see in Skyrim. He is the soldier with the list of names at Helgen – the one who looks genuinely uncomfortable that you are about to be executed without even being on his list.

Escaping Helgen

When Alduin attacks Helgen during Unbound, you can choose to follow either Hadvar or Ralof into the keep. Choose Hadvar and he frees your hands, helps you find gear and guides you through the tunnels beneath the keep – with a fair bit of grumbling about Stormcloaks along the way.

Riverwood and Before the Storm

Hadvar comes from Riverwood, and his uncle Alvor is the village blacksmith. If you escaped with him, he sends you there in Before the Storm, and Alvor helps you out with supplies.

Personality

Hadvar fully supports the Empire and sees the Stormcloaks as traitors, but he is not a cruel man. He is kind to you from the start and, if you join the Legion, he is honest about how hard it is to fight fellow Nords. He and Ralof grew up in the same small village – which makes their choice of sides in the civil war all the more bitter.

Civil War

If you join the Imperial Legion, Hadvar becomes a familiar companion during the war quests. If you side with the Stormcloaks, you may end up facing him on the battlefield instead.