As an open-world sandbox RPG, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim can feel intimidating for new players. Common advice for new Skyrim players is to avoid the main storyline, which can make it even more overwhelming as there's so much to do and endless possibilities. When stuck, following the main quest until a certain point can be a good place to start, but finishing it all in one go is also not recommended because of pacing and leveling issues.
As a sandbox RPG, Skyrim is a game that the player makes of it, and much of the enjoyment comes from creating a character with motivations that are fun to play out. As the main questline unlocks some of Skyrim's core mechanics, such as dragon Shouts and certain useful Shouts, common advice is to play through the main questline until these mechanics are unlocked, and then to abandon it until a later point.
Skyrim: The Most Powerful Enemies, Ranked
From the Nightmaster Vampire to the dreaded Miraak, here are some of the most fearsome and powerful enemies in all of Skyrim.
Skyrim's Main Questline
Skyrim's main questline is the elephant in the room for most players. It often gets abandoned very early in most playthroughs, and rarely gets played at all until the Dragonborn has done most of the other things in the game. This is partially because the main questline is arguably one of the worst written quests in the game, and is largely uninspiring. It's also easier to do after completing the Civil War questline, which streamlines Skyrim's main questline.
One of the most common strategies is to complete Skyrim's main questline until The Way of the Voice and the visit to the Greybeards on High Hrothgar. Upon completing it, the main questline can be ignored in favor of exploration, guild quests, building a house, quests for the Daedric Princes, and the Civil War questline. This unlocks some useful Shouts and triggers dragon attacks, but doesn't start the main questline in earnest.
An Alternative Route for Skyrim's Story
Another strategy is to complete the main questline until The Throat of the World, where the Dragonborn meets the leader of the Greybeards. This strategy progresses the player until halfway through the main quest, but also unlocks Solstheim, one of the best playable areas in Skyrim. If the main quest has been focused on, it's best to take a break at this point and focus on side content, especially resolving the Civil War questline, which becomes a blocker in the main questline later.
When to Start Skyrim's Expansion Packs
Dragonborn Has the More Epic Story and Higher Level Areas
Dragonborn's content is unlocked after The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Visiting Solstheim is recommended for high-level players and makes for a great change of scenery if Skyrim's is beginning to look monotonous. However, it's recommended to complete Skyrim's main questline before embarking on Dragonborn's actual story, especially when its villain makes his appearance. Dragonborn's story is arguably more compelling than Skyrim's, and it feels better to face its villain after facing Alduin.
Dawnguard Has Good Loot And New Gameplay
Dawnguard isn't concerned with the story of the Dragonborn, and so can be started whenever the player wants. A good time to start is at the halfway point after completing some of the guild questlines, so that there isn't a long lull between interesting things. If the player does not want their Dragonborn to be a vampire, it is recommended they complete the Companions storyline, at least until the point that they become a werewolf, before beginning Dawnguard. Dawnguard rewards the Dragonborn with some great spells and items, and is worth completing before beginning Dragonborn or the main questline.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
