Personally, I think the original main story of Skyrim should be switched with Solstheim. It is far better, far more intriguing and interesting. [mind you I haven't beaten it, quite just yet, except the main storyline with another character, but haven't beaten the Solstheim questline just quite yet].

But hands down Solstheim is far better storyline, a far better world. Solstheim is my Shivering Isles. But even then Oblivion was more fantasy than Skyrim. All my fantasy elements in Skyrim were all hiding away in Solstheim this whole entire time.

Out of curiosity, how do you come to the conclusion that Oblivion had more fantasy elements than Skyrim?

well, Oblivion IS more Knights in shining armor fantasy, while Skyrim is more Barbarian hero style fantasy. Most people think of the first as more "Fantasy" than the second.

Oblivion

-Imps

-Glow Wisp

-Trolls

-Unicorns

-Minotaurs

Skyrim, I know there are dragons, but for the majority of the time I fight:

-Wolves

-Bears

-Bandits of any kind

-Draugr are not considered fantasy, imo

-Sabre Cats

-Trolls

-Frostbite spiders [not fantasy either]

Very rarely rarely rarely do I ever encounter

-Ice Wraiths

-Ice Witches

-Hagravens [really a lot hang out in the forsworn]

The argument is, well it has Dragons so it becomes fantasy. I'm going to disagree because, Dragons don't just make it fantasy. You have to have more. And I fight more of the common drabble than I do the fantasy stuff.

There should have been the option to

and It was a bit too short, but still great.

It was a lot better.

Imo, what I really wish for. And this is just my imagination going wild on me, but:

When we get to the epic battle between Alduin and Dragonborn. There should have be no weapons allowed. I shouldn't been able to pump him full of common day enchant arrows. Instead the only way to truly do damage was if you and Alduin battled for the world with our Thu'um. No weapons. Just Dov v.s. Dovakin. Shout against Shout

I remember reading in one of the lores, that a battle between dragons was actually a very powerful verbal debate. That would have been awesome if the final battle came down to that. Instead of the secret super special shout

no offense, but then the battle would have been near impossible.

The Shouts in Skyrim are too weak to justify a shout-only battle against him.

There are unicorns in Oblivion?! Why did I not know this. Amazing.

there is one, and you can only go near it with 50 fame. anything that pulls a weapon out will then be attacked by it. otherwise, it acted like a horse.

Imagine your lungs. They wouldn't be able to take it.

The lethal shouts like Fire and Frost Breath are actually quite powerful when all the words are unlocked. It's the long cool-down times that really make them weak.

Depends on the mechanics and scripts associated with the battle. Could be that Sovngarde the Dragonborn's true nature comes out and he/she could shout at Alduin easily like any other dragon without the cooldown barrier.

Also with the fantasy argument. Oblivion is more generic fantasy, but Morrowind is more fantasy than any other Elder Scrolls game imo.

Eh, one of the reasons why I couldn't stick to Oblivion was because the setting and the enemies were unimaginative and rehashed from generic watered-down fantasy.

Skyrim sort of fixed this, though there were still too many bandits, necromancers, and giant spiders for my taste in the vanilla game. Morrowind was the best when it came to art direction and uniqueness IMO.

I wish i would be attacked by keepers from the soul carin once in a while. we have enough undead, but its fun fight giant monsters.

SNAKES i wanted GIANT SNAKES, even hadvar seemed to think it would happen.

Well I don't see what's so imaginative about wolves and bears. Comparing Oblivion and Skyrim in terms of the enemies, neither of them are very unique to what has already been done in fantasy. But I can at least appreciate Oblivion for having something like giant Minotaurs than some bland bears.

I don't mind the bears and wolves in Skyrim because they are of cultural and religious significance to the Nords.

But what I do have a problem with is Bethesda not giving the latter more depth, and thus relegating bears and wolves (and dragons as well) to nothing more than fodder enemies.

Giant spiders spitting poison is something of a fantasy. Or something.....

I love solstheim, They just upped the quality of most of the dungeons there. If all the dungeons in skyrim were just as good, i'd never leave the room.

What you aren't taking into concideration is the Dragonborn DLC storyline is a branch off of the MQ. Without the MQ you can't have Dragonborn.

Yes I agree that the first Dragonborn vs the last was better than the Dragonborn vs Alduin. It was kindof like a vs self situation and I loved it.
But without the story of Dovahkiin vs Alduin, you couldn't have the epic ness against Miraak.

The Dragonborn story needs the Vanilla story, of it would not work.

In the Dragonborn DLC there is a shout, called Dragon Aspect. Which increases the strength of your Thu'um. This would be the key to destroying Alduin instead of Dragonrend.

And the ice, fire, thu-um are quite strongs. And most shouts are definetely stronger when you get all three words.

the elemental shouts are not that good thanks to a high cooldown, Dragon aspect's main thing is melee damage and just as a general buff, also, not everyone does Dragonborn before the MQ.

Also, putting something that MIGHT be helpful against the final boss of the game in a DLC is a stupid idea. Sorry, but Shouts are bad in vanilla Skyrim and it would be impossible to defeat Alduin with them alone.

Well I disagree. I feel there was some way they could have written it into the story that would have made them useful.