Summary
- Skyrim's cities are praised for their well-designed hubs, packed with interesting NPCs and quests, making them stand out compared to other Bethesda games.
- Skyrim's cities showcase a variety of architectural styles, adding to their charm and character.
- While there is no consensus on the favorite Skyrim city, Markarth's Dwemer stonework architecture and Whiterun's cozy atmosphere are highly valued by the community.
Though small in scale, the cities of Skyrim are widely considered to be one of the best-designed hubs in a Bethesda game, and players are debating which city from the Nord province stands above the rest. When comparing New Atlantis from Starfield to Skyrim's towns, a considerable amount of players would argue that places such as Windhelm and Solitude possess a bit more charm. A big advantage that the hubs in Skyrim have is how densely packed they are with interesting NPCs or quests for players to pursue.
Akila City in Starfield embraces the traditional way of designing a Bethesda city, and it's for those reasons that many consider it their favorite. However, another part where Skyrim's design shines is how varied its urban hubs are when compared to Oblivion, the predecessor game. Whether it's the stone halls of Markarth, or the layout of Whiterun that so strongly resembles Edoras from The Lord of the Rings, the cities in Skyrim exude plenty of character.
Skyrim Fan Makes Real-Life Dragon Priest Staff
A dedicated Skyrim player meticulously carves an impressive real-life Dragon Priest Staff with an admirable level of detail.
Players gathered to discuss their favorite Skyrim hub in a thread posted by Intricate1779 on the game's official subreddit, and given that no consensus was reached, it speaks well of Bethesda's effort in giving each city a strong visual identity. Even smaller towns such as Dawnstar were given a nod, though there have been concerted efforts from the modding community over the years to expand upon the cities of Skyrim, injecting them with even more detail, and widening their overall scope and splendor.
However, given that the thread specifically asked people to decide their favorite Skyrim town based on architecture, there were plenty of strong arguments cast in favor of Markarth due to its Dwemer stonework architecture. Unfortunately, the blatant corruption that grips the city has done little to endear it in the eyes of the community. Windhelm suffers from a similar issue, as the beautiful Nord architecture starkly contrasts against the racism permeating through its streets. If one were to rank cities by how they feel, then the community seems to highly value Whiterun, as its coziness and atmosphere are second to none in Skyrim.
Even though Skyrim came out eleven years ago, plenty of people still play the game as they anxiously await the release of the next Elder Scrolls game. Skyrim's powerhouse of a modding community has taken Bethesda's original vision much farther than anyone could have predicted back in 2011, and hopefully, it may end up doing the same for Starfield in the months to come. As for the future of Tamriel, fans hope that cities of the next Elder Scrolls province end up surpassing those of Skyrim, though that has proven to be a feat easier said than done.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.