The very first characters we get to really know is Ralof and Hadvar. We can escape Helgen with either of them, fight by their side then and in the civil war for Skyrim.

Which of these two men do you like more and who is the better warrior?

I like hadvar, though I don't like to choose factions.

Really wish I could single handedly destroy both Stormcloaks and Imperials :<

Ralof is a way cooler character, a true Nord hero

Hadvar is boring, but I think he would win in a fight. Trained soldier, better armor (studded leather), better weapon (Imperial sword is way better than iron war axe). Ralof is one of Ulfric's top lieutenants, but Hadvar seemed to have some high standing at the execution and kept his cool during the dragon attack way better than Ralof did. Ralof kind of ran away, while Hadvar took the time to get people to safety.

as much as i hate the stormcloaks, i like ralof more. He's more of the goofy type, LOL which is kinda funny. Also i remember ralof prefers that everyone should unite against the dragons until the threat is gone or something. Which is quite perceptive of a stormcloak stormcloaks are usually morons like ulfric.

Ralof is a duelwield fighter so that could cause problems for Hadvar. My pick is Ralof and I usually side with him although the perks from Hadvar are just as good.

Yes, but in game we see Stormcloaks win against Imperial soldiers all the time. Ralof uses either a 2h weapon or duel wields axes which is seems more deadly to face then a 1hand weapon and a shield. Also, the differences in the stats of the equipment we see Hadvar and Ralof use is rather small.

I always liked Hadvar because he really seems sorry that you got mixed up in the whole stormcloak ambush mess and are going to get your head cut off.

last i checked hadvar jsut used a single weak sword, ralof likes 2-handed weapons more (iirc) and could easily over-power hadvar. and ralof is an all around fun guy while hadvar is a boring guy

I had to go with Ralof, didn't figure running off with a guy who still calls you "prisoner" was a good idea. Despite that, Hadvar is a nice guy afterwards.

Which makes no sense. Trained soldier vs. supremacist nationalist with a weapon?

I guess in Skyrim, EVERYBODY is already a warrior so I can't really use that logic. Fair enough.

Half of the stormcloaks, and I think EVERY high ranking member, are ex-legionnaires.

I totally agree with you that the trained warrior is superior, but as you said, pretty much all of the Nords are warriors already plus they are the bigger guys so they have that advantage.

HELL yes! im so glad to see hadvar is in the lead. hes such a nice guy. ralof is too but hadvar is just awesome sauce.. ralof just loses points because of his blind faith in ulfric.

It seems we have more Ralof supporters from the posts, but the polls favor strongly favor Hadvar.

Hadvar is a nice enough guy I guess. I mean I like him as a character but he was still going to let them cut off your head with no argument at all. Stood there like a thug making you put your head on the chopping block... Its very hard to side with the Imperials at game start unless you are a high elf or something. Would you really run away with the people who were going to kill you for being in the wrong place at the wrong time or run away with the people making a jail break? If I am playing a Nord I am making a jail break dag-gummit.

My votes:

Hadvar is probably the better warrior.
Reasoning: Ralof ended up captured. A true Nord would have gone down swinging. He's just your average Stormcloak foot trooper.
Hadvar, meanwhile, wears Studded Imperial. This denotes him as a Legion trooper of some importance.

Despite this, I like Ralof better.
Reasoning: Ralof helps you out of genuine concern. He could have run out the courtyard at anytime, but returned to guide you to safety.
Hadvar merely follows orders blindly like a good little puppy. He isn't helping you escape. He's just keeping possession of his prisoner...you.
'Til he needs your help, of course.

Exactly what I was thinking. When I first got the game, I wanted to be a super imperial supporter, and I just ran a test character with Ralof to get the feel of the controls without going into the storyline for how I would RP. Of course, I ended up liking him better than Hadvar. I feel like we went through a lot, and my firendship with Ralof is one of the factors in my decision of who to support in the civil war...and I'm stumped now.

Yeah this. Ralof is like, hey you, jump through that hole and distract that dragon for me while I make a run for it!

I like the voice actor for Hadvar... I think it is comically similar to Jean Claude Van Damme. And he was nice, he even offered to ship my remains home.

I used the console to make them fight. Ralof has been moped each of the times with ease. Hadvar has better armor and uses shield and sword style, while Ralof uses two axes. All the combats were more or less the same: Ralof gains advantage by using flurry of blades, Ralof blocks (sometimes he takes a blow or two) until Ralof guard is open, then he start bashing and slicing him mercilessly until Ralof is on his knees.

Anyway, I think Advar is a moron who only knows following orders.

yeah, i always hated that. Ralof's just like " Jump to the Inn I'll follow you!" and when you jump I can just see him saying " Good, now you distract the dragon while I run away with Ulfric."

I like them both. In terms of likability though, I choose Hadvar. The problem is, his voice annoys the crap out of me, so I normally choose Ralof.

I find Ralof a likeable fellow, but I just can't dislike Hadvar. He seems so sympathetic, and I get the feeling that the genuinely feels bad for the hero, whom the captain wants executed even though Hadvar knows it's not right. Somehow I also think Hadvar would be the better fighter, although the fight between the two would probably be quite even - and epic as hell.

Same here.

You weren't in a position to save me Hadvar, but the fact you were the only one to point out I wasn't on the list in a questioning way was much appreciated, as was the regret you seemed to have about it.

Thanks Ralof, your sentiments about dying with dignity are nice and all, but maybe you'd like to try and tell them I'm not with you. No? Well, ok, but you wont be be getting a letter telling you I have left you money in my will.

And yes, I did like the Legion guys there tried to do more for the villagers. I can't hold it against the Stormcloaks for scarpering, considering the situation (well maybe the ones that decided to try and kill me and Hadvar in the keep while a dragon was attacking), but Hadvar didn't seem to think twice about helping you and the Empire didn't seem to think twice about helping the villagers over trying to kill Ulfric (well, except for the ones that try and kill me and Ralof in the keep while a dragon was attacking).

Using console codes to make them fight each other, I can say with 100% certainty that Ralof would win in a fight. In 10 bouts, he won all of them in 1-2 blows.