I am interested in seeing how everyone chooses to progress through the various questlines - more specifically; the order.

I know it probably changes from character to character, but:

With all 3 DLCs installed from the beginning, what order do you approach the quests?

example: I have generally gone with --- Main Quest - Civil War - Dawnguard (I suppose you could fit Hearthfire in here) - and lastly: Dragonborn.

Really, for me, the order mostly comes down to RPing, and what I feel makes the most sense for my character story-wise.

However, I feel like maybe I could use a change of pacing, so I'd like to see how you guys - taking into account your different characters of course - generally prefer to progress through Skyrim's content (including the DLC).

I'm also interested in how - for the other RPers out there - you deal with quests that initiate a while before you want them to (for instance; the cultist encounter occurring immediately after Horn of J.W. when following a progression like the one I listed above).

Fire away.

I only do what fits each character.

^ Yeah man, I get that.

My idea was more to share the different orders and the 'reasoning' behind them.

I wanted to see how other people decide what order best fits whatever character they're playing.

ie, explaining the order in relation to your character build.

Broadly speaking, I'm mostly talking about RPing here.

I can only play the game by roleplaying.
If I do multiple guilds on a character then the order they are done is based on my characters backstory.

^ That's cool, but do you have an example?

such as:

My shaman-warrior Sload prefers to do the _____ quests after the ______ questline because he prefers to prioritize ___ - or - would never do _____ before _____ was taken care of.

Sorry, maybe I'm not sufficiently getting my point across.

I had a Dunmer mage/assassin who joined the college of winterhold because she wanted to learn more magic and stuff. She then joined the DB because she started to enjoy killing.

Okay, I have definitely not explained the point sufficiently or simplistically enough

So here goes:

Regarding the major questlines (Main Quest, Civil War, DLCs etc.), what is your favorite order to do them in - and this can spread across different characters.

an example could be: I prefer waiting until after the Main Quest to finish the Civil War - maybe due to Season Unending - but I atleast pursue the Civil War up until the Battle for Whiterun.

or: I actually like to finish Dawnguard early to curb the constant vampire attacks. etc. etc. (these are just examples)

Do ya get what I'm saying? this sort of thing.

I apologize, I did not realize I wasn't clear enough in my initial post.

I agree with you that Dragonborn feels more like a post-Main quest thing, especially since it's out of Skyrim. So much so that I hate it when I get sent there because of a radiant quest say during Dawnguard or Thieves Guild - I load a previous save.

For the rest it really depends on the character. Some characters don't do Dawnguard, some don't do the civil war and/or main quest.

I would generally tend to finish Dawnguard before the main quest though, sort of you get side-tracked because of the bloody vampire attacks in cities. I usually pause the main quest when Delphine asks me to meet her at the inn before the Thalmor Embassy. I feel it's a good time to pause in order for her to prepare something (plus at that point you have the full unrelenting force shout which I never get tired of).

On another character I paused the civil war to do Dawnguard. I roleplayed it like Ulfric was sick of all these vampire attacks and sent me as an agent in order to terminate the menace.

^ Cool. thanks for sharing.

I didn't actually realize that radiant quest in Skyrim could send you to Solstheim (hasn't happened to me). I can see that being annoying.

I tend to have trouble deciding whether or not to do Dawnguard before or after the MQ.

The vampire attacks certainly become a pain, but I've also started to enjoy running through the MQ much more quickly than I used to (this way I can wait until post-Alduin for Dawnguard & everything else).

But I'm certainly not set on that order, and I might want to switch things up for my next playthrough

Sorry I'm a kinda tired.
My last Dragonborn started the war then after kling her first dragon she went to Solstheim and done the dragonborn stuff. Then she done the rest of the war and then dawnguard then the rest of the MQ and died in Sovngarde.

Depends on the character. I tend to do at least on of the guild quest lines first (if i am planning to do one at all), then plod around until i get around to the main quest, then before i go to the greybeards i sometimes do Dawnguard (though it depends). Dragonborn is then after the main quest. My Blackguard Altmer for example is going to do the College and the Companions (same time depending on what is closer/feels right), then the Civil war (not sure which side to join though), then MQ (because he wanted to stop the war to deal with the dragons, then Dawnguard and dragonborn.

Yeah, the guilds usually come first for me too, if I plan to do one.

Starting with Dawnguard can also be an option. You end up in Skyrim, looking for a job, someone offers you to kill vampires. Sure, why not. Then you realize that this dragon thing is really serious and it's your destiny blah-blah. Plus you get some nice loot with Dawnguard at early level.

I went MQ->Dragonborn->Dawnguard with Heartfire stretched between all three on my main character.

It actually takes a while to get into the main quest since I usually stop after Dragon Rising. Sometimes I don't even finish the main quest because some characters really don't have much motivation to go see the Greybeards.

My main character in particular stayed at the College of Winterhold for two weeks or so before things started to fall apart and he was forced to attain more power (he wasn't that great of a student). He was pretty confident in his combat ability until he was attacked by a Dark Brotherhood Assassin and nearly died while on his way to the College. It wasn't until a little accident that got him arrested that he decided to stop living in fear and go see the Greybeards about this Dragonborn thing and how he can get more cool shouting magics.

When the quest trigger for DG showed up, he kept it in mind but decided he was too busy to bother. I completely ignored the DB quest trigger since it felt like it was way too early for anyone but the Greybeards to know he really was a Dragonborn and RP'd that it happened much later after Alduin's defeat.

From a gameplay perspective it felt like a drag to suddenly pick up and leave Skyrim, even though from a RP/lore perspective it's supposed to be the same thing as moving from city to city, especially considering Whiterun hold by itself is much, much bigger than Solstheim. (The travel part is what aggravated me the most, especially since I was keeping a character journal at the time.)

I originally wasn't going to do the Dawnguard questline, but I guess it was a good way for him to redeem himself after some of the nasty things he had done (the worst one was setting a bunch of terrorists loose on Markarth and eating Thonar Silverblood's corpse). I still think I bombed the early part of the quest where you pick up Laura Bailey the Angsty Teenage Vampire. It's really difficult to justify escorting her home unless you're stupid or insane. But that entire questline had some exceptionally bad writing anyways, so I figured if I can headcanon myself out of the game's terrible opening, I could headcanon out of this.

Other quests were scattered in between, but the only other faction quest was the Bard's College, and even then it was only because he had entered the dungeon and found the verse. I didn't bother with the Civil War because of the connected continuity with my other characters. I completed it for the side that the other character took in it, but I pretended it didn't happen.

What about the Guild questlines?

^ Absolutely. Sorry I didn't mean to exclude the guild quest lines, I was just more focused on the 'big picture'. But by all means include the guilds (I tend to spread the Companions or whatever single guild my character is involved with throughout the course of the MQ)

@michaelpk:

No worries man. That's quite the epic progression you got there. So you officially retired your character in Sovngarde? I guess that's as good - if not better - a place than any

Anyways, I'm definitely inclined to leave Dragonborn for last (saving the best for last imho). My main problem - from an RP perspective - is how I can justify my character ignoring the cultists and the significance of their attack ALL THE WAY through the MQ, Civil War, and Dawnguard.

This is a huge topic - I'm just beginning to understand the scope. Sure, you can go with the MQ from the vanilla game first but what if you want to play a thief, or a mage, or a hybrid? Suddenly, there are many, many options once you postpone the MQ. The only thing I can tell you is that I first did the Thieve's Guide for my stealthy illusionist, I plan to do the College of Winterhold for my pure mage, and I'm doing the Companions for my two-handed, heavy armor Orc. In general, I try to buy a Hearthfire house fairly early for safe storage and for a sense of stability/being rooted. I'll raid Embershad Mine, Pinewatch Cabin, Halted Stream Camp, Valtheim Towers, and various small bandit camps to generate cash and level. After this, it depends greatly on the build. Solstheim is a good destination even if the vanilla MQ hasn't been started. There are several, excellent quests out of the bigger cities (Man Who Cried Wolf from Solitude, Forsworn Conspiracy/Cihdna Mine and Lost Expidition from Markarth). I think my focus targets artifacts/apparel/equipment that suite the build. It always feels natural to go on a quest for a certain bow, or circlet, or pair of boots that compliment the build's skills.

At some point, usually before level 30 and after finishing one of the guild quest lines, accumulating a few dragon - priest masks, and uncovering the secret of several black books, I'll target the vanialla MQ but only as a means of starting the Dragonborn MQ first. After Dragonborn, I'll do the Vanilla MQ.

^ Good stuff man. I know, the logistics can get quite overwhelming depending on how you approach it.

I think the trick is, for me at least, to have a general plan as far as the major quest-lines go - combined with an intentional lack of hindsight in regards to the other quests.

without a doubt, I enjoy the game SO MUCH MORE when I'm not going through a character and just ticking off quests like a to-do-list.

Trying to force yourself to just let side quests occur organically can be surprisingly tough, and it's something that I strive to get better at.

I have no problem limiting my characters to one or two guilds (at most) each, but when it comes to the individual side quests - I find it hard not to think 'Oh, I should drop everything and head to Markarth to get those quests out of the way, etc."

Anyways, that's what I'm working towards with my next character - allowing myself to miss quests that I am fully aware of, unless my character has a very specific reason for pursuing them, or they fall in my lap (so to speak).

Side quests that fit the character>Travel to every Hold>Guild that fits the character>If Dragonborn, does MQ until you meet Delphine>This time I did Dragonborn>Dawnguard>Maybe a bit of the CW and MQ

I was just thinking about this, because my current character has decided she doesn't want to follow my original plan. They are all different, with different priorities, and she's no exception. So, after some thought...

It will probably go CoW > Main Quest > Dawnguard > Dragonborn, though the last two might switch. Because:

She's done Dragon Rising, but has not gone to see the Greybeards yet. She's a Breton Mage, and she wasn't sure if she was Dragonborn material. She figured she should be able to hold her own in any fight if she was going to be some kind of a fabled hero. So, she went to the College of Winterhold. She's doing the CoW main questline there now, while also doing College-related and Winterhold sidequests. By the time she's done there, she will feel worthy of presenting herself to the Greybeards.

(Some of my characters are completely unimpressed by the Greybeards / Dragonborn thing, but this one is both impressed and humbled by it all.)

After visiting HH, she will dive into the main questline. She will definitely make note of it when the cultists appear, but what's happening here and now in Skyrim will take precedence.

Following the MQ, if I still feel momentum to continue her character (not all of them last) she'll either go to Solstheim, or check out Dawnguard. She's already talked to the Orc, but she's only had two vampire encounters, so she's having trouble buying into the whole "vampire menace" thing at this point. So, if she has more encounters that make her believe there really is a vamp threat, then she will probably go to Ft. Dawnguard because, again, what's happening at home in Skyrim will take precedence. If the vamp presence is still at a minimum, then off to Sostheim to check out the creepy masked freaks.

(This is all assuming she has the staying power and doesn't dig her heels in. Not long ago, I had a thief character that I had grand plans for. She made it as far as Riften, where she met a man, fell in love and decided she wanted to settle down and live a quiet life in Honeyside. She still turned out to be one of my best characters, but for entirely different reasons than I expected.)

Now, the side quests that pile up... Well, I tend to ignore them if I don't see a correlation to my "grand plans". Some I pick up on purpose - doing favors for the residents of Winterhold is good PR for the College, for example. When I have to travel across the map, I turn on all my journal items, check the map to see what's on the way, and whether or not it makes sense to do them. If not, then they just languish in my journal. After all the hours I've played this game, they no longer bother me.

And of course, some things can't be resisted. I took an early detour and got Sanguine Rose just because I wanted it. It's been helpful, as she doesn't use followers, and fire atronochs get boring after a while. Eventually she'll be able to summon the dremora without the staff, but for now it makes for nice backup.

Good stuff @Mahnogard

You hit the nail on the head with the whole 'what takes precedence' thing (what's the most urgent).

That's the key, for me, is figuring out how my character can justify delaying things like finding out what the deal is with those cultists or the vampires.

Anyways, I totally agree with your approach.

On another note, I find it kind of interesting (personally) that many people it seems prefer to do 'Dragonborn' earlier - potentially even before everything else.

Not that there's anything wrong with that of course - and maybe it's just my personal opinion - but I can't help but approach Dragonborn with the 'best for last' mindset.

Of course that's entirely subjective, but DB - in my books - trumps everything else (thus why I save it for last)

Nevertheless, it's cool to see how you guys approach these things differently

I tried doing the DB quest before the MQ and it just felt odd to me.