Skyrim: Here Is How To Reset NPC Dialogue

Skyrim has a pretty advanced AI system that tends to go rogue in the most vital moments. It’s the source of many memes and a source of great frustration for players. No matter the cause of such glitches and bugs, there has to be an approachable and convenient way to fix them without sacrificing progression. Sometimes, NPCs get stuck where they shouldn’t be, and sometimes they straight up refuse to interact with us. In today’s guide, we’re going to cover console commands most often used to reset NPCs and their AI packages. Let’s start with the basics and see how to reset NPC dialogue in Skyrim.

Three ways to reset NPCs in Skyrim:

We’ve already mentioned that NPCs in Skyrim tend to “bug out” from time to time. Sometimes, this can happen naturally as a part of a game as complex as Skyrim. Sometimes, it can be a result of some script-heavy mods that greatly impact the way in which some quest stages play out and some NPCs react to their environment. To reset NPCs in Skyrim you can try the following commands.

The ResetAI command 

ResetAi command is used when we want to reset AI packages of targeted NPCs. To use this command follow these steps:

1. Open the console by pressing “~”
2. Click on an NPC you wish to reset 
3. type ResetAI 

If everything was done right, your selected NPC should change its position and re-equip its weapons and items, it is a prime sign of AI packages being reset.

The Disable/Enable command 

Another way to reset a defunct NPC is to use a combination of disable and enable commands. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open the console by pressing “~”
2. Click on an NPC you wish to reset
3. type disable, followed by enable in the next line 

If everything went according to plan, you should see your selected NPC fade out briefly before appearing again. This is a sign that your command worked. Well, that and the fact that the NPC should function normally. 

The “say <dialog topic ID>” command

This next command should only be used in a case of emergency if nothing else worked, as it tends to make matters even worse. This command forces an NPC to say the expected line. It’s used if your selected NPC won’t interact with you even when the quest stage indicates so.

You should be careful when using this command, as not all topics can be applied to all NPCs. Using this command at random can have unforeseen consequences. 

Before using this command, make sure to check out the ID of the topic you are trying to force your NPC to discuss. You can find the list here. To use this command, follow these steps:

1. Open the console by pressing “~”
2. Click on an NPC 
3. Type say followed by the ID of the topic you wish to force an NPC to discuss. For example, clicking on a Jarl Balgruuf and typing, say CW03BalgruufAxeJustAnAxe should force him to say, “If he returns it to you it means we have business to settle. If he keeps it, then we are at peace.“

Only use this command while the related quest is active; otherwise, it will not work. 

How to reset NPC aggression in Skyrim? 

If you accidentally hit a friendly NPC, you can always stop the following aggression by using ResetAI command. The command will force NPC to revert to its original unaggressive state. However, the guards might still pursue you as this command does not wipe out the fine and crime itself. 

How to reset a quest in Skyrim?

If your quest has gone haywire and bugged out somewhere along the way, there is a way to reset the whole quest altogether. By using resetquest <questID> you set all the stages of a quest to 0. Before you try this command out, visit this page to see all quest IDs in the game. 

And that would be all. Remember, glitches happen fairly often, and sometimes you can solve your problems by using console commands, and sometimes you will make them even worse. Every time you attempt to manipulate the game through console commands, make sure to create a backup of your save file!

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