After watching the trailers for the ten millionth time, I began to think. What if Dragons are just creatures? I mean, we've been told they're handled as creatures, in the game engine, but I'm talking about the actual game lore.

What if Dragons have nothing to do with Akatosh, and have nothing to do with the Dragons we know?

I fear they're going to be drastically cheapened. My major beef with Dragons appearing as a standard creature is how Bethesda have mocked dragons in the past, with M'aiq. They've clearly stated how they're avoiding that cliché. While personally, I have no problem with clichés, I really wouldn't like to have Bethesda contradict thier own lore like this.

I vote yes.

Just a friendly piece of paranoia.

EDIT: This isn't speculating whether or not they're going to be so, just acculumating the thoughts of the forums on the matter of contradicting the lore.

No? Why would I?

Since the whole premise of the game is "you should have listened.... it's already too late... they're already here..." I think Bethesda intended for the dragons to play a significant role in the entire story, including randomly scaring the bejeebus out of you when you are adventuring and suddenly have no where to run and have to face a couple tons of angry, fire-shout capable badass dragon. And the fact that you are designated as "Dragonborn" seems kind of like a dead giveaway to the notion that dragons are somehow going to be important.

short version: not worried.

nope

I didn't really expect them to be more than ancient mythical animals.

Even if they're more than that, I don't know what that would mean. All of them serve Alduin/Akatosh? They're demigods? Even if they are how that would change anything?

Todd did say that dragons was something they "always wanted to do". It wouldn't have been the first time they contradicted their own lore, and probably not the last.


BUT then again after reading. There seems to be more of the Lore in this game, than in Oblivion. Dragon shouts we knew as Tongues, we also knew that according to Nord lore that Alduin would return to eat the world.

I don't feel cheated. It seems it was done pretty well by the lore.

I didn't really understand the question/OP so I voted no :thumbsup:

They spent 2 years of development time on them.

I can't think they'll flop.

The problem is, the other major lore contradictions, such as the jungles of Cyrodiil, weren't exactly well recieved. Do we really want more of the debating?



Akatosh, Alduin, same thing. My fear is that dragons will have nothing to do with him. We've had no indication that Dragons are nothing other than mere creatures. They would be done fine, however, if they're tied in with Akatosh somehow. Especially with Nordic Lore. I've never said otherwise. I'm asking how everyone would feel if this wasn't true. Seems something Bethesda should know.

They wouldn't contradict their lore at all.

After all there were dragons as normal creatures on Vvardenfell before the cliffracers drove them away, maybe they fled to Skyrim?

Anyway, I wouldn't feel cheated, and all in all dragons would still be something special in the TES lore, just not in the game Skyrim.

This post made me think... were the cliffracers more powerful than dragons? If so, what would be the next rank of awesomeness? Maybe saint Jiub, he`s the guy who killed all cliffracers in Morrowind.

And no, I wouldn`t feel cheated. I`m not that big of a fan of the whole dragon thing, anyway. I just want some cool magic tricks and some awesome gear.

I don't think you're taking into consideration the vast amount of work they've put into the dragons. Bethesda won't let them feel cheap, I can promise you.

nope

Akatosh is not Alduin, why would Akatosh save the world from Mehrunes Dagon in Oblivion? So he could have a snack 200 years later?
I don't understand, how you can say the dragons are "mere creatures" They fly around wreaking Havoc on cities and towns. They have the ability to use Tongues/Dragon Shouts. They are here because of Alduins return(Another thing that separates Alduin and Akatosh, Alduins gone and is coming back). And when you kill them you absorb their souls, without soul trap or soul gems.

I know that the gameplay mechanics make them as random spawns, but thats for fun.

I really have little doubt that the dragons are tied to Akatosh/Alduin, everything seems to point to Alduin playing a major role in Skyrim's story, presumably as the main antagonist, and it also seems that dragons were gone from the world and are only now returning to cause havoc, it seems to me like it would be an unlikely coincidence if dragons returning just happened to proceed Alduin's efforts to eat the world. Though even if it turned out that our assumption that dragons are connected to Alduin is wrong, the truth could turn out to be just as interesting, if not more so. It seems to me that it's pretty clear that Bethesda is putting a lot of work into their dragons, I mean, they even created a full language for them, they never did that for Daedra or the Sixth House, I'd say Bethesda is probably trying hard to ensure that people aren't dissappointed in their dragons.



Actually, it isn't said that Saint Jiub killed all the cliffracers, the rumors say he drove them from Vvardenfell, which says, at least to me, that he did not kill them, not all of them, he just forced them to migrate to some other place, where? I don't know, and it's certainly possible that they couldn't survive wherever they were driven to, but who knows, maybe they not only survived, but as a result of Jiub's driving them away from Vvardenfell, they were actually able to avoid the eruption of Red Mountain and thus survived where other native species died

Regardless, though, obviously, an individual cliffracer is not stronger than a dragon, but they wouldn't need to be, they're far more numerous, and perhaps what happened is that cliffracers and dragons are the same things, and since cliffracers were more numerous than dragons they ended up eating all the dragons' food, thus keeping them from surviving in Vvardenfell, that's how I'd guess cliffracers might end up driving dragons out, anyway.

Easy enough to picture how Cliff Racers could drive a dragon away. Ever see gulls or crows mob a bird of prey? Dragons are predators and while individually a cliff racer would be food, a mob of them could injure a dragon suffiently as to prevent it from hunting.

Uhhhm.... Nah

Umm, contradicting which lore exactly? I don't think I follow what you meant exactly there, OP, so I'll refrain from voting for now.

Do you guys remember http://www.gameinformer.com/p/skyrim_wall.aspx. It confirms Alduins return, Alduin is a dragon and the Return of dragons at Alduins return is more than just a coinkydink.

Edit: Off to work now, don't expect me to reply to anything for the next 10 hours.

They aren't going to be just normal creatures. I'm sure there's going to be some really cool encounters and secrets.

If I understand you correctly I would say yes, but I think that your issue is not an issue, what I mean is that the random encounters are not the only encounters with dragons, I think it says somewhere in an article that there will be story special encounters, or boss encounters if you will, so I think everything is ok, except of course...

Todd has mentioned that, although the dragons are handled as "normal" creatures with regular spawn patterns and what-not, there are some dragons that are hand-placed to appear during the main quest. Oh, and they will also be talking. I think it's pretty safe to say they're well involved in the main story.

What has their relationship with Akatosh got to do with them being epic or not? This thread is nonsensical. A dragon is defined by her size and scope, not her family tree.

Actually, look up your lore. Akatosh and Alduin are two names for the same god. The god of time, creation, and destruction. Every so often, he "devours" the world and creates another one to take its place.

Anyhow, as far as lore goes, dragons are just regular creatures (albeit very old and intelligent ones). They've existed throughout the world for ages, but they've been dormant for a very long time, and were thought by some to be extinct. Now they're coming back, and they're a little pissy about the whole "driving them to near extinction" thing. As to whether or not they have anything to do with Akatosh/Alduin; It's more than possible that he had a hand in their return, but nothing in lore suggests that dragons as a species are specifically tied to him for any reason. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Dragons Dragons went into hiding because so many people/things were trying to kill them, and their numbers were dwindling. Now, apparently that irked them a little bit, and they're coming back with a bit of a vendetta. Anyhow, I'm sure that Bethesda will stay true to their lore, but you also have to remember that we really don't know all that much about dragons in TES since they've been dormant for so long.

Edit: grammar....tired...

Yes I would feel extremely cheated. If I see more than one unscripted dragon within an hour of play I'll feel cheated. They need some mystique.

Of course it's hard not to be disappointed at some point in the development of a franchise if you care about its lore at all.