Spoiler Main questline and what you thought of it

[Buffington Battle-Born]

I FINALLY completed the main questline today! (and Mass Effect 3) I spent FOREVER trying to level up so I could kill all those centurions and falmer in Elder Knowledge.

Anyways, I thought it had a good storyline and exciting boss battles. However, I think it could have used a lot more plot-twisting, more named dragons, and a cliffhanger (such as Alduin saying "I WILL have revenge!" as he was dying). What did you think about it?

 

[Kentuckykid220]

They did a bad job of rewarding you. I was hoping for armor or a weapon like in oblivion.

Or ATLEAST a cutscene!

Second playthrough here. Im holding off the MQ and doing riften quests.

 

[lumpysolo]

I thought it was rather weak. Im not sure why, but it got rather boring. I don't know if this is normal, but I finished the main questline when I was level 12. I didn't do any side-quests though lll.

 

[bulbaquil]

The MQ is... all right, I guess. Not horrible, not exactly the greatest thing ever. Could have stood to be a few more plot twists. The Companions, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood questlines are more compelling and plot-twisty (heck, even the destroying the Dark Brotherhood is a twist, with the surprise betrayer being you).

One major disadvantage: The MQ should really force you to visit Markarth at some point. It forces you to visit all the other four walled cities*, but never Markarth, and one of the more interesting "you have to make a choice"-type sidequests is in Markarth.

*(Yes, theoretically you can avoid visiting Windhelm as well, if you pass the first persuasion check with Balgruuf or if you have sided with the Legion and conquered every hold but Eastmarch when starting "The Fallen" (if you conquer all nine, you had to enter Windhelm in the Battle for Windhelm). But these are rather specific situations, and unless you exploit... um, exploits, Speech takes a while to level.)

 

[rvk5150]

Quick question; if you finish the MQ is the game over or can you continue and finish all your side quests?

 

[bulbaquil]

Quick question; if you finish the MQ is the game over or can you continue and finish all your side quests?

The main quest is treated the same as any of the other "major" side quests. Once it's over, you can keep going for as long as you like. After all, your character's still alive, isn't he/she?

 

[Rex Prime]

It is okay....not the best Questline, i wished for a larger story and plot twists to make this questline unique

 

[Chryss]

I also wished it was longer, with intersection in other questlines. But it was fun. I have tried it at different levels of play and it does change a bit with your level making it more challenging, which is important. I also like that there is no set time to start it or end it.

 

[XbSuper]

I found it really boring, and the lack of reward was a bit disappointing. I completed the MQ once, and have never done it again.

 

[Train]

I don't like Main Quests anyway, so I hated making myself do it, it's not what TES is about at all. However, as for story, it was pretty darn good. I have to say I was more than stunned when Paarthunax turned out to be a dragon, and I was doubly stunned/excited when I found myself in Sovngarde. I spent an hour in the Hall of Valor just in awe that I was there. I think the reason people don't like the main quest is they rush everything, same reason people don't like the guild quests either. All the quests take a lot longer if you stop to admire stull, never use fast travel and take the time to ask everyone along the way every question you can; my brother can't do that at all, so he doesn't truly get to have fun on any of the games he plays. Maybe if people didn't always act like a horse with a carrot in front of it, they might enjoy stuff more...heck, they might enjoy life more (are you listening, brother? ).

 

[ChicagoBears]

I thought the main questline was pretty interesting, but too short. It would be more interesting if it was longer as I thought the dragon threat would require more effort

 

[bulbaquil]

If I had to change one thng about the main quest: Less Alftand Glacial Ruins, more Markarth.

 

[ChicagoBears]

If I had to change one thng about the main quest: Less Alftand Glacial Ruins, more Markarth.

agree, I hated all the Dwemer ruins tbh

 

[bulbaquil]

agree, I hated all the Dwemer ruins tbh

Dwemer ruins have several things going against them:

1. They are typically chock-full of Falmer, Chauras, Dwarven Spheres, and similar very tough enemies. Your best course of action, particularly if you're not a mage character (and particularly if you've been ignoring the restoration perk tree), is to spend a month in-game stocking up on potions, and Talos forbid you're playing under any sort of restrictions regarding HUD visibility or potion usage.

2. Dwarven machine enemies seldom drop any sort of useful loot, especially if you're a light-armor user, have passed dwarven armor in the heavy-armor smithing tree, or aren't doing blacksmithing very much at all. Not to mention that dwemer gear is heavy.

3. Particularly if you have to go to Blackreach, like, say, in the main storyline, they are abominably long. The only thing Alftand Glacial Ruins has going for it is that it has an escape route halfway through. It can take over an hour of real time, even at low difficulty levels, and that's assuming you know what you're doing.

4. Imagine you're a first-time player. You've just finished Blackreach, are likely completely out of healing potions, fast-travel to the Throat of the World not expecting anything but a cool cutscene of you reading the Elder Scroll to happen, and then... Surprise! You have to fight Alduin!

I just did that part of the main questline in my current game. In Sjadbek's game, and likely in every subsequent game in which I play the main quest (unless observing some sort of restriction), I used/will use the "wooden plate" glitch employed by speedrunners to get straight into the Tower of Mzark from Skyrim itself, while praying I don't ever update a patch that fixes it.

Tl;dr Dwemer ruins are torture chambers for both the character and the player.

 

[Train]

Epic, I agreed, then disagreed with you bulbaquil . I've never found Dwemer ruins to be all that difficult. I'm not really happy that every single one has Falmer, and I don't like Falmer simply because they're a bit overpowered I think, mostly the Chorus, and I hate poison, it's nasty. For the most part though, Dwemer ruins aren't that bad. My first greatest experience in Skyrim was when I finished one that was rather long, and it so brought me all the way back to TES III, and even in that situation I wasn't really ready to be there, my character wasn't powerful enough, but I didn't care, it was so much fun. I like Blackreach, but just wish it wasn't part of the main quest so much, but I have found a way to minimize the time spent in it (just start running, even on master you can get to the other side unscathed. However, I do go back and visit it sometimes, it's totally awesome, just not for the main quest.

The Dwarven Spheres are a lot of fun to fight, especially when there's two and they're trying to turn your shield into scrap metal. I don't enter Dwemer ruins unless I know I can fight the denizens, and of course you never actually have to go in one, you can avoid them completely by just not doing quests that involve them, so no, they aren't a nightmare for anyone.

For those that read the scroll and then have to face Alduin, I suggest using a previous save if you die...which you'll have to anyway. That was a bit of a surprise for me, but I couldn't care less, TES isn't suppose to just hand everything to you, that's not the point.

Opinions, so many opinions...

 

[bulbaquil]

Actually, that's a fair point. The Dwarven Spheres and such are not so bad; it's the Falmer that are the real challenge. On the other hand, that's what makes it so fun. And Blackreach is very pretty; you do kind of feel rewarded for getting to it.

And if you DO die to Alduin, if you fast-traveled to the Throat of the World you almost certainly had an auto-save when you got there, and can respond accordingly when the game respawns you there.

 

[Necromis]

Like has been said, even with stopping to smell the roses and check out the scenary, I think the MQ was a bit too short, lacked any true reward for completing it, and failed to have any noteworthy twists within in it. I mean other than Delphine stealing the first quest item you are after and finding out from Esebern that Alduin is back there were no twists, turns, or betrayals. As has been said, at least within the other faction quests like DB and TG, there are some more interesting and somewhat surprising twists within the quests. After all you first think that one person is the enemy in the TG questline to find out later that it is someone you thought you could trust.

I would have loved to have had one of the Blades be your best friend and follower by default for a while, turn around and stab you in the back and cause the plot line to go in a totally different direction. Say having you not find anything out about Alduin returning until much farther along in the quest, after your *friend* betrays you and tells you he is working for his true master Alduin. Not sure you can make any changes to the MQ with the SCK but it would be so much fun to tweak this like this example.

 

[imaginepageant]

If I had to change one thng about the main quest: Less Alftand Glacial Ruins, more Markarth.

agree, I hated all the Dwemer ruins tbh

This cracked me up. Markarth is, technically, a Dwemer ruin.

I'll echo what everyone else has said: the main questline was a bit too short and linear for my liking. What bothers me the most about it, though, is that after you defeat Alduin, you get no recognition whatsoever. I don't mind that we don't get an awesome reward, but I at least want some acknowledgement that I saved the freaking world! Instead, the NPCs still bitch at me and give me attitude. Kind of made me wish I'd just let Alduin eat them all.

 

[nordicowboy]

Apart from meeting Paarthurnax, I found the MQ pretty vanilla. The main reason I've continued it with my other characters is because of the shouts. Just waiting to see what DLC brings our way....

 

[bulbaquil]

This cracked me up. Markarth is, technically, a Dwemer ruin.

Yes, but Markarth is a Dwemer ruin in the same way the Colosseum is a Roman ruin.