As an open-world sandbox RPG,The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimcan feel intimidating for new players. Common advice for newSkyrimplayers 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,Skyrimis 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 ofSkyrim’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’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 aftercompleting the Civil War questline, which streamlinesSkyrim’s main questline.
One of the most common strategies is to completeSkyrim’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 untilThe 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 inSkyrim. 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 contentis 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 completeSkyrim’s main questline before embarking onDragonborn’s actual story, especially when its villain makes his appearance.Dragonborn’s story is arguably more compelling thanSkyrim’s, and it feels better to face its villain after facing Alduin.
Dawnguard Has Good Loot And New Gameplay
Dawnguardisn’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 beginningDawnguard.Dawnguardrewards the Dragonborn with some great spells and items, and is worth completing before beginningDragonbornor the main questline.
