Oblivion > MW > Daggerfall > Skyrim > Arena

I just think an invasion from hell is the classic end of the world scenario.. a lot more threatening than a few dragons.

I agree. Oblivion and Morrowind's were simply genius.

Oblivion was pretty good, but closing those darned gates got tedious.

Morrowind > Daggerfall > Skyrim > Arena > Oblivion.

I'm kind of biased though due to the fact I really don't like Oblivion.

Morrowind and Daggerfall didn't really thrust you into the "save the world" role and the sheer intricacy of Morrowind's MQ and how many [censored] ways you could do it can't be taken lightly. You may not have been preventing an invasion from a Hell-like dimension but man, you did some serious stuff.

I feel like Arena should be higher up the list since it's the progenitor of the entire series but you could spend so much time lost and accomplishing nothing (as opposed to the lost and accomplishing something that makes the rest of the series so nice) it just falls apart on me.

Oblivion > Skyrim. I didn't play the others so I can't accurately rank them.

Oblivions MQ was genius?...

All of them were rather lame but while Oblivions MQ certainly wasn't genius it was the most mildly interesting MQ imo out of the lot. Skyrim's was just plain crappy tbh.

I still haven't completed Skyrim's MQ. There's just too much distracting me in the wild.

4>5>3

Morrowind was just too tedious for me. It never grabbed me enough to finish it the two-ish years I had it on my Xbox. I did play through Tribunal and Bloodmoon many times.

Oblivion just barely beats Skyrim because the quest just felt a bit more pressing. Those gates were everywhere and the Deadra were hungry where as the dragons don't always attack and you can go a nice bit of time with out seeing any.

Try fast travelling to Winterhold.

I haven't completed the mainquests of Arena and Daggerfall so I can rank only the three latest games. It goes like this:

Skyrim>Oblivion>Morrowind

Because Dragons are so epic and there are many nice quests before you'll get the awesome visit in

Oblivions mainquest felt like a real serious danger and I felt like I need to hurry if I want to save Tamriel. I liked many things in it but I hated that there were generic gate threatening every city at one point in the quest line.

Morrowinds questline has some nice things like dreamer activity raising, dreams for your character and becoming Hortator in three great houses and Nerevarine in every Ashlander camp. The main spoil in it was the incarnate thing which made you to feel like your character is not yours but you are just someone else who has died once - it killed much of the feel of roleplaying freedom. It also made the mainquest to feel ridiculous for every non-dunmer character.

2>4>3>1>5

I don't like Morrowind and Skyrim MQs because they so blatantly favor the races native to their respective provinces. Playing an Argonian Nerevarine or Altmer Dovahkiin feels incredibly awkward and out-of-place. Morrowind MQ was well written though so it gets far in my list.

I like Daggerfall since I'm an entirely mundane person doing an entirely mundane mission in a land where I don't turn out to be some HERO OF GREAT LEGEND. Oblivion I like because of its good ending, and overall storytelling was IMO catchy and going. Too bad Shivering Isles ruined it for me.

Oblivion > Skyrim

I can't really rank the rest because I haven't played them yet.

Oblivion, Skyrim, Morrowind.

I haven't played Daggerfall or Arena.

MW > Oblivion > Daggerfall > Skyrim > Arena

Granted DF bugged out on me hundreds of hours in, but I was almost there.

Oblivion>Skyrim. Even though I like Skyrim better overall. Martin was very likeable and you wanted to help him, plus the whole saveing the world thing. Don't get me wrong Skyrims MQ was epic, but 1/2 the characters you are suposed to help or help you, you want to blast off a mt side. Ya'll know who I mean. Also "not" starting Oblivions MQ is a lot less annoying, all those things I take into account, I've only played those two.

In what way was Oblivion's MQ genius?

Morrowind > Daggerfall > Oblivion > Skyrim. I haven't played Arena.

Morrowind ranks first because the lore surrounding it really was genius. The quests themselves were so-so, but disovering the intricacies of the Tribunal's rise to power, Nerevar's death, a prophecy that makes you only one of many who tried to be the chosen one - it was a wonderful experience. Dagoth Ur is also the best antagonist in TES. Oh, and also because of nostalgia.

Daggerfall's second because it's the only one that doesn't throw any prophecies and divine quests at you. You're a more or less ordinary person who gets involved in local politcal affairs that eventually grow bigger and bigger, but during this time you're not hailed as hero, you don't save the world from imminent doom or anything. It was very refreshing after playing Skyrim and Oblivion.

Oblivion ranks higher than Skyrim because it was a bit more "friendly", I think. NPCs were more likable, I wasn't the center of attention but I felt like I was doing something very important. I prefer helping than being helped, so I like Skyrim MQ a bit less. But I have to admit I liked dragons much more than Oblivion gates...

I'd have to say MW>DF>OB>SK

Still haven't played arena so =/

Morrowind > Daggerfall > Oblivion >>> Skyrim > Arena

The lore in Morrowind's was incredible with Dagoth and the Tribunal, Daggerfall was one of TES's few attempts at political intrigue, Oblivion had only a few decent quests but a heavy dose of Sean Bean, Skyrim's was a disaster after Mirmulnir, and I never played Arena but I also have no intention to after reading the plot.

And fighting those damned dragons every ten minutes doesn't?

personally, I'd put Oblivion and Morrwind well above Skyrim's quests. Skyrim's greatest flaw (IMO) is that damned infernal thing known as Radiant Story. Without that, it may have met or even exceeded both games, sadly, it did not live up to it's potential.

Arena > Morrowind > Daggerfall > Skyrim > Oblivion.

Arena mainly because best main villain.

Morrowind and Daggerfall mainquests are pretty much masterpieces. Skyrim's mainquest is good and likable. Oblivion's is also good and likable but too many "Go get this" crap. Only good parts of Oblivion's MQ are Kvatch, Mythic Dawn, Great Gate, Paradise, and Finale.

Fortunately, the gates can be easily ignored. There was only a small number that had to be closed. Dragon fights are harder to ignore, they're more frequent (as you noted), and they don't stop after the MQ is over.

I rarely fight dragons personally. You must be unlucky.

I love the Radiant Quests. I'm glad they brought it back in Skyrim. Morrowind and Oblivion was greatly missing out. Heck, one of the main reasons why I like both Skyrim and Daggerfall a lot is cause of their Radiant Quests.

Morrowind>Skyrim>Oblivion.

Hated Oblivions. Urgh.

I'd throw in stealing the Xarxes from Mankar's cave and teaming up with Baurus in the sewers as decent moments too. I loved Paradise, one of my favorite TES MQ moments.

In terms of Story line?

Oblivion>Morrowind>Skyrim>Arena>Daggerfall

In terms of gameplay?

Morrowind>Oblivion>Skyrim>Daggerfall>Arena

I say that Morrowind's main quest is better than Oblivion's but I feel that Oblivion is a better game overall.