So...

If you haven't seen the Dawnguard trailer and don't want even tiny spoilers, best not read further.

...

The main goal of the Vampires seems to be blotting out the sun somehow. How is unimportant for the sake of this discussion. It is also assumed that we will be able to choose between working with the Vampires or the Hunters. If we side with the Vampires, then they will likely succeed. Except I don't see that happening.

However, this is TES.

Bethesda are not going to want to jump through hoops to 'fix' a vague recap of the events of Skyrim for TESVI. For example, I don't think its going to matter which side you picked in the Civil War. Something will happen to invalidate the choice or the end result through future DLC will wrap everything up nicely and the same no matter your choice.

If the sun is blotted out permenantly thats a tad different. That can't really be retconned, or ignored, and could 'cast a shadow' on any future TES games.

I personally don't see the plan succeeding on either side. You will likely stop it as a member of the Dawnguard. But what do you suppose stops it if you are working towards it yourself? Betrayal? Intervention by a more powerful force?

Probably the Vampire's Leader will betray his own organization and you will need to kill him by un-blocking the sun.

azura fixes it in between games

azura hates it when people mess up what shes all about

My hope: no matter what you do, the sun gets blocked out.

My expectation: Tullius Stormcloak (Talos 2.0) fixes it as part of his ascension. This either happens during the DLC (when the Dovah is still his own person), or afterwards (when he's pulled into the amalgam).

Actually, I suppose (at the very least if the Vampires win) it will have a chance of succeeding. Thinking about it from a gameplay angle, it would make playing as a blood-svcker attractive since you wouldn't spend half your gameplay hiding from the sun.

And even if it only happens on a Vampiric victory that may very well be how its 'fixed'. Hm, does add another side to the idea. (I'm still holding out hope that we don't become Talos 2.0, as it would mean retiring my character that i've carried all the way from Arena. But it does seem like its being built up to it.)

Didn't think about that. I was planning on joining the dawnguard, but now I think I'll join the vampires just to spite Azura.



How'd he make it past SI? If you just said it was someone else mantling Sheo, can't you just do that again with Tal-dos?

Edit: And didn't the agent get squished?

Only according to the strategy guide. I don't think it's actually possible to get that ending in-game.

Well, first of all, who knows - maybe Bethesda will incorparate those decisions (Such as the Civil War, etc.) sort of like Mass Effect did (You're decisions in past games would literally determine the outcome of the next game). I mean, the companies only get more and more creative as their series progresses (normally...). Nonetheless, I'd have to agree with you sadly...somewhat. Bethesda commonly likes to twist our desicions in the end so they don't matter which path we took.

Most likely not since everybody's game has the same history to it. This has been true since the beginning. And it's a typical ES formula that keeps the history and lore from falling apart into multiple events that happened but didn't happen at the same time. Also, a dragon break isn't the most popular retcon tool.

As you say, I had a companion do the mantling there. My PC was just there to assist and witness the events. The problem with doing the same thing is that in Skyrim, being the Dovahkiin is completely unavoidable, and thats potentialy why you are a third of the mantling process if the theory pans out. Its not like I can just 'throw a companion at it' like questlines I don;t want to do. Its vital to the entire plot. To get around it I would have to make a companion, find out how to make them get the 'absorb dragon souls' effect, how to remove it from my PC, and bleh.

It wasn't going to be a problem before, being Dovahkiin, because I could just have used mods in future TES games to have shouts. Or have their Voice get too strong, with none of the Greybeards control, and pretend the character had the words magically wiped from their mind so that they didn't flatten cities.

If it comes down to it, i'll just have to have an heir continue the family business of being Tamriel's whipping boy. Then again, Tiber Septim lived to be old. Did he ascend once he died or before, while staying seperate from Talos? Because if the ascended stays themself and a seperate entity, there is no reason I couldn't just keep playing the character.

As noted above, about Daggerfall, that ending doesn't technically exist as far as i've ever seen anyone experiance. You can't even go after the Mantella until you hand someone the Totem. I actually DID include it in my characters backstory though, but since they died in only one possible reality, they ended up alive with memories of the death. After all you read about the ending in Nuulfaga's book, you never actually experiance it. Drove my PC insane for a decade, until they were carted off to Morrowind.



I actually really like how Bethesda handles it. I'm just hoping they arn't making a Daggerfall-style mistake again with all these choices with large consequences.

I think that the sun will be blocked out no matter what side you choose but will be said to have mysteriously reappeared. Either the Dragonborn makes it reappear immediately or something else makes it reappear later.

I doubt that no matter what course you take in the quest line the world will plunge into eternal darkness for the rest of the game. I bet either there will be a big deus ex machina at the end of the quest, or the lead vampire will go "Good work lackey! We are this close to our goal. Take this leveled enchanted weapon while we spend the next 20 years trying to do some crazy ritual and epically fail and be hunted to extinction by the time the next game rolls out."

fixed


Warp in the North. There's enough Draconic nonsense there for it to happen.

I'm still betting on Elsif becoming High Queen of Skyrim, considering that she is "essential" and stays in a position of relative power no matter what side you take.

Maybe it wont be permanant. Maybe it's a greater power you can cast like changing the weather in the Shivering Isles.

Half of Skyrim will be blotted out.

If you go Vampire, the Dawnguard interrupt the ritual at the last minute and disrupt it.
If you go Dawnguard, you kill the Vampire leader just as he almost finishes his ritual.

She originally was supposed to be killed in Boethiah's quest. Erikur becomes the new Jarl.

Thats a unsettling thought.

Lol Erikur is slime. He ruined my first character. I was on the last thieves guild quest and I had to talk to him to take a mission, but he was outside the cell of solitude, but inside the cell at the same time. So I restarted.

Yep. I bet Boethiah was planning that Erikur would be so hated that he would be betrayed and murdered by the new Jarl. Overthrowing two kings for the price of one.

I'd kill him myself. Shout him to pieces.

Actually that would be an interesting way to handle it, and if they 'keep' it a nice potential for a Vampire kingdom to arise. Only having it be a section of Tamriel would allow for magic to stay around and life to go on as normal elsewhere at the same time. Nice theory. I like.

Yeah that idea is pretty boss. A permanant vampire kingdom would be quite interesting. Though I liike Skyrim, and don't think the Nords deserve to have something like that within their borders.

Yeah, just send it on over to Highrock. One more cranky faction won't hurt em.

Aw, c'mon. Badass Viking Vampire Slayers, Slaying Badass Vampire Vikings! It could, like, become part of their culture and stuffs!

But, no. I agree. High Rock would fit better for it. Still, if it pans out that way I won't complain. Its a nicer thought than it happening and then getting retconned post game or fizzling all together.