alright. allow me to make a formal introduction; i am a morrowind fan. i liked the depth, the difficulty and the fact that you could conjure up a dozen skeletons to fight for you. i generally dislike the way other people play the elder scrolls games (primarily because they play it on a much easier difficulty to which i simply roll my eyes). i won't argue that I'm the best elder scrolls player but i have never shied away from a challenge in any of bethesdas' games mostly because of the overwhelming feeling of satisfaction i get from beating a big badass with a character i myself had customized.skyrim is the [censored], however as i progress through the campaign there is one thing which continues to bother me. the intrinsic characteristics of the aldmeri dominion. now when i first heard a group of elves say they were apart of the aldmeri dominion my initial reaction was "oh shiiiiiiiiiiii, the aldmer!" later reading into it i of course realized they were altmer BUT THATS NOT MY PROBLEM. stay with me. my problem with the aldmeri dominion besides the fact that they have such a strong inexplicable hatred for humans that they needed to INVADE the empire is that all the thalmor in skirm look fudging stupid. ok, i can understand that bethesda wanted to allow the player an opportunity to take revenge on the altmer for them causing the civil war and that perhaps the altmer may have feared the empire would latter attempt to invade their newly established independent dominion, but i have some serious issues with the ways that the altmer are portrayed. let me list them in the order from least irritating to most irritating.

1. the justicars are equipped like common foot soldiers. oK? THEIR ELVES! they don't have high birth rates or as many numbers as the humans. most of their numbers were wiped out in a huge battle! they'er hated by everyone in the province of skyrim! why are they wearing light weight armor and carry nothing else other than one one-handed weapon. i guess they're supposed to by so overconfident that they've completely overlooked the practicality of carrying good equipment. even at level 9 on expert, they're pretty lame.

2. their entire involvement in the main quest. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ok, so you sneak into their embassy because the lady thinks they have something to do with the return of dragons, so you convince everyone that your some super influential and powerful person (because you have nice clothes) and a wood elf helps you sneak around back find documents on what they know about the dragons returning. turns out they don't have the slightest f**king clue, but instead they want to find some old guy who lives in the sewers to tell them about the dragons. even though the whole thing ended after the old guy killed every one of the elves searching for him (because he's so incredibly bad-ass) nothing ever explained why they didn't just trespass on the high hrothgar and inquire the grey beards as to what they knew about dragons or something you know smart (provided they were actually concerned with the returning of dragons and such). the whole thing was just really corny and i'm surprised that bethesda would throw their elves short like that.

3. their policy about hating everyone. ok, so they're supposed to be bad. they're the bad guys. i can understand that. i could identify that the first time they threatened me. what i can't understand, however, is what the f**k their problem is. the load screens tell me that theirs looming animosity between the two races after the war ended. the journal about delphene says that they had a bunch of hit squads for killing off certain human as the great war began. sure the empire might have caused allot of trouble for them, but the elves are just going start being a bunch of bastards. its pretty lame for the great high elves.

any way. i thought the elves were really really cool and fun to fight until this game. now i think they're just fools. perhaps i just a fan of the older elder scrolls, and should stick to those. i hope thats understandable.

... :facepalm:

1: The lightweight elven armor is their own racial armor so it makes sense that they use it, and since they often use magic too compensate they could be quite dangerous too non-super-badass Dragonborn such as the player.

2: The Graybeards are very selective about who they talk too(and only one of them can speak without killing those not trained in the Thu'um) and they didn't know much more than Esbern about the dragons returning.

3: Well, they are called the Aldmeri Dominion and they basicly want humans exterminated and the elves put back in charge. And they are in a huamn land where they are hated. Makes sense too me that they seem hateful.

That is just how I see it though.

i don't know where your getting at. but...ok

I dont feel the way about many NPCs on Skyrim as I have since Morrowind. It was truly fascinating and I really felt part of it and the mysterious Dunmer altogether especially the Telvanni. Its clear to me though that the feel of the old Elder scrolls wasnt intended to be included and I dont recognize any characteristics except maybe from Maiq The Liar. I think we ought to just forget the past and focus on the all new future of Elderscrolls. Theyve failed with reminiscence and nostalgia, Skyrim has been almost a completely new game to me and Ive spent easily 1000 hours between Morrowind and Oblivion.

Universal-Shot

I actually want to join them =(.

1. How do you know how common aldmeri dominion foot soldiers are equipped? Besides, they are a peace keeping or rather a secret police force of sorts. Seeking out Talos worshippers and the likes. Aldmeri dominion isn't in an open warfare with the empire at the moment so why would they have soldiers posted in Skyrim?

2. They can't exactly go waltzing up to high hrotgar and force the Greybeards to divulge all their information about dragons. I get the feeling they'd get shouted back down the steps or side of the mountain pretty quick.

3. They are quite simply racists, as are many other people of Tamriel. Aldmeri Dominion and the empire were at war before, now that the empire is weak, the dominion just saw that as an opportunity to take back what's "rightfully" theirs, and then some.

good points but they don't address my problems with the thalmor.

1: if they have light armor they should be carrying better equipment to compensate for it

2: i'm not sure about that but you may be right. besides how was it delphine could learn so much about dragons just by making an estimated guess that they might be being resurrected and yet the elves didn't have the slightest clue of their return.

3: they aren't trying to destroy human life they are trying to destroy the empire. the humans don't like the elves because they're taking people away and interrogating them by beating them with maces. plus the whole fight for freedom thing seems ridiculous, because the thalmor want some sort of tyrannical empire, its just silly.

3. The Thalmor are Tamriel's Nazis.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Rising_Threat,_Vol._I
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Rising_Threat,_Vol._II
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Rising_Threat,_Vol._III
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Rising_Threat,_Vol._IV
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:The_Great_War

You are not supposed to like them.

I'm with you on this.


I think it's because, based on in-game observations, someone well trained in light armor can get decent protection. They might not "need" heavier armor.

One handed weapons are faster than two-hand. So a well trained person in light armor who is also well trained in one-hand weapons would be more than a match for almost anyone.


I think Bethesda pretty much has given up on trying to recreate the depth of Morrowind. I had hopes when I saw the Todd Howard interview where he specifically addressed the crappy writing in Oblivion and Fallout 3.

This was a far better attempt than Oblivion and Fallout 3 but it seems to me that the "story" is no longer a priority.

They did add bunnies, butterflies and chickens... :confused:


I read some of the lore and I think the current Aldmeri should be looked at as the result of an older resurgence of Elven nationalism. IIRC, it says that the Aldmeri were a different group of elves or a group that held stricter views of how things should be. They became the ruling class after the Oblivion crisis consolidated power and formed the dominion.

They then broke off relations with the Empire. This lasted for years.

When the war finally broke out the Aldmeri viewed the Blades as a serious threat so they began a campaign to hunt them down.

They probably always disliked the notion of Talos becoming a god and when they got the opportunity they did something about it.

From what I can tell most of the races don't really like/trust each other or at least have strong biases against a particular group. So the Aldmeri attitude isn't so weird to me.

Also, what race is your character? I think different races are treated differently in the game.

1: it is true they weren't at war but there is no question that they soon could be. they should be equipped with better resources

2:yea thats probably true

3: they're elves! they live a thousand years! yet their philosophy is that they should attempt to enslave all of humanity by direct force?

Delphine could find all that stuff out because she was a Blade. The Thalmor are not Blades.

I think it's better to think of them in terms of the Spanish Inquisition than any kind of military force. They act far more like this than any other "organisation".

Nobody expects the Aldmeri Dominion.

ok. it was really cool that they caused a civil war within the empire by banning one of nine, thus allowing them to detain common folk for interrogation (not cool but you know)

Oh hells yes, need a mod for this with voice clips from monty python

Incidentally, Light Armor is better at mitigating damage than Heavy Armor in high-level play, and the only thing blocking better than a one-hander is a shield.

They don't want to conquer anything really. Their long term goal is to wipe out men and attain divinity. the outlawing of talos is part of that, if he is no longer worshipped he no longer exists according to their logic. Anyway I can't really explain it that well but as I understand it that's their goal.

yea, because they were blades. they really had them by the balls with that one. you know what? i was a blade once, and i didn't know sh*t about dragons until skyrim. so even with her extremely detailed map of dragon burials (which were located everywhere) it wouldn't have take much effort from the altmer to actually spy on a dragon rather than beating a bunch of homeless folk.

Fairly sure that the altmer consider themselves to be one step removed from Aedra, just waiting for Akatosh to give them the heads up to return to (heaven).

Humans have decided that Talos is now one of the 'Nine'

This is pretty much considered the same, by the altmer, as someone performing a Satanic rite in a Christian Church, or someone drawing a certain muslim prophet.
It may not make sense to someone not of that particular faith, but believers take themselves really seriously.

The Altmer are not so much Nazi's as religious fundamentalists.

wait......what?.......really? this is the first time i'm hearing any of that. can you refer me to any source material?

yea i know. they're pretty stupid

they do have the killer outfits

they're not nazis the're elves

i know i'm not supposed to like them i just wan't to know why they don't like me :cold:

The Justiciars are decently equipped, and as Altmer are heavily reliant on magic. When one fought me, he immediately summoned something, got away while his two well-armored henchmen (at least equivalent armor to me, although not smithing-improved or maybe it was, who knows lol) went at me along with the summon. The Justiciar then flung massive amounts of spells at me, and those are a royal pain if you haven't ensured you have the appropriate magic resistance/can dodge spells well (armor is easier to acquire early on as opposed to magic resist). I found them fairly reasonable.

Also, you're the PC? You're supposed to be kind of special.

Lastly, there was something really cool plot-wise to be gained from that mission involving the embassy. Unless you found it irrelevant to your discussion, it seems to me like you missed it. It didn't pertain to the main plot, but rather one of the other more significant plots in the game. And it is juicy, indeed.

The Thalmor are a faction in the Aldmeri Dominion. At one point, the Dominion went silent for like 70 years, which may have implied a huge amount of internal strife/civil war. However, the Empire didn't have any intelligence to work with on why they sat still for as long as they did.

To explain their perspective, the Altmer (or many of them) have this perspective that their immortality/essence was robbed of them and they are trying to return to it. Part of that involves things like worshipping the Eight true Divines, and not Talos who was only a man and not worthy of deification. And as far as they are concerned, they view themselves as better than everyone else (many do, not saying all Altmer believe this).

yea i know, but i'm getting kind of tired of needing to alter my opinions of elder scrolls series.