Summary
- Skyrim originally allowed players to lose the civil war regardless of their chosen faction, adding realism and urgency to the quest line.
- The civil war quest line initially featured more quests, and was structured differently.
- Cut civil war content also included sieges on smaller hold capitals beyond Skyrim's major cities, as well as different troops and cutscenes.
One of the most prominent side stories in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim revolves around the conflict between the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks, led by Ulfric Stormcloak. Unlike many other factions in the game, players can only side with one of either the Stormcloaks or the Imperial Legion, thereby increasing the significance of their choice. What truly makes this choice so important is that whichever faction players choose to ally with will ultimately win the civil war for that group. However, it wasn't always that way, as much of what was originally planned for Skyrim's civil war is now on the cutting-room floor, including a victory solely based on the player's chosen faction.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skryim's cut civil war content has been a subject of contention ever since it was revealed just how much was originally planned for the quest line that didn't make it into the final product. Not only was the final civil war quest line much shorter than was originally written for it, but it also allowed players' choices along the way to have a greater impact on the outcome of the war. Additionally, there are countless lines of dialogue that were cut, and the quest line would have taken players to different locations than it does in the final game.
A Rundown of Skyrim's Cut Civil War Content
Skyrim's Civil War Originally Allowed Players to Lose Regardless of Their Ally
Most players won't turn down an opportunity to make plot-altering choices in a game, but Skyrim's entire civil war quest line was drastically altered to make it so that the player's choice mattered perhaps a little too much. In the full game, whichever faction players choose to side with automatically wins the war as long as every quest is completed. However, the story was originally designed to make it possible for players to lose the war if they didn't perform well in the battles leading up to its conclusion. Of course, this might have simply led to players save scumming more often than normal to ensure their victory, but role-playing enthusiasts might have enjoyed the realism the possibility of failure would have added to the quest line.
Skyrim's Civil War Quest Line Was Originally Much Longer and Structured Differently
The civil war quest line for Skyrim was also originally much longer and structured differently than it is in the final game. Firstly, there were initially twelve quests created for the civil war quest line, but only three of these were preserved and carried over to the final game. Some of these quests involved tasks like eliminating scouts from the opposing side, assassinating one of the opposing side's commanding officers, convincing enemy soldiers to join the player's side, and stealing enemy war plans from their headquarters.
Skyrim's civil war quests were also originally designed so that players would receive two quests simultaneously in a random order.
Skyrim's Original Civil War Quest Line Would Have Taken Players to Other Locations
The final major piece of cut content involved Skyrim's civil war quest line would have seen the player's side laying siege to some of Skyrim's smaller hold capitals, and not just Whiterun, Windhelm, and Solitude. These would have included Winterhold, Dawnstar, Falkreath, and Morthal, as well as the bigger capitals, Markarth and Riften. Upon a capital being conquered, that city would be claimed by the player's allied faction. Interestingly enough, remnants of this cut content still remain in the final game in the form of barricades that are set up outside each city.
Other, less significant cut civil war content includes magic-using troops like a Stormcloak Mage or Imperial Wizard, various cutscenes that were relevant to the cut content, and currency rewards for completing each cut quest. It's a shame that so much was cut from one of the most important quest lines in the game, but it might have been too much for Skyrim to handle.
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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
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Creation Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
- Cross Save
- no
- Expansions
- Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium (Special Edition)
- File Size Xbox Series
- 29 GB (DECEMBER 2023)
