It has always been like that in Elder Scrolls games. At least Morrowind did it, and Oblivion did it. That said, I don't really see a huge problem with Skyrim doing it as well.

You can "part ways", as your traveler suggests, and go off and do whatever you want. You'll just have to ignore certain people and quests. You may be told about certain things, but you can pretty much ignore them.

But I understand what you're saying. With my first character I thought, well, I'll just follow the main quest a little bit, what could it hurt? Then I got to where I was like, "I don't want to be dealing with dragons yet!" But you can even listen to the Jarl and then forget about what he says and go your own way.

.

Its because a large part of the game is built around Dragonshouts and stuff. Bethesda is trying to control the first few minutes of gameplay, so that way they can introduce you to the aspects.

After you speak to the Greybeards, I don't believe you're steered that blatantly, are you? You're given a quest, but that's just standard fare.

What part of 'open world' dont you get?

Not true.

I completed the Stormcloak questline without ever killing that first Dragon.

Meh, no more than you're pushed in Oblivion.

-"The emperor was just assassinated! Quickly, you must take the amulet of kings to Juaffre in Chorrol!"

-"Nah, I think I'm going to go join the Dark Brotherhood instead. See ya!"

If you want to do the civil war but you don't want to do the main quest that's called being forced into it. That's what. I think Skyrim does a great job not compelling you into the main quest, especially compared to Oblivion, but there's still one or two things that could've been done better.

Perhaps I'm too much the jaded gamer, but I just see those as pointers. Not being "compelled". As it is, I was in the low teens by the time I did the first MQ stages in Whiterun, didn't make it to Hrothgar until the low 20's, didn't make it to Solitude until the low 40's, and am just heading back to the part in Whiterun now in the low 50's.

:shrug:

But, then, like I said - I've been playing RPGs for so long that even things like "OMG, giant meteor in the sky! World is doomed!" isn't going to distract me from doing whatever the heck I'd rather do. Unless there's a timer on-screen, or I've been saddled with some escort that I'm going to get rid of ASAP, I don't really feel any pressure from quests.

There are so many quests and questlines in the game you dont need to do the main quest at all really or even be pointed toward anything in particular in order to play the game. Even someone new to Elder Scrolls will find things to do. I think they thrust the main quest too soon/ too fast on you. Like the dragons appearing... yeah they can start when you are level 5 and barely even have any combat skills really. It goes a bit too soon, too fast definately I think. Of course. it is possible to ignore it, which is what I do most of the time. I am a bit biased now because I played into the middle of the main quest before, but I followed the game and even though it doesnt bind you into following the MQ is does push and prod you into it a bit too much.

How? I've only done the Imperials but I imagine it's the same and I saw no way to get past Balgruuf.

I'd imagine that once Farengar sets you on the mission to bleak falls barrow, you can stop there (before the dragon attack), and never have problems with the stormcloak/imperial questline

:lmao: So much time used to grind levels and materia to beat the Weapons while a giant meteor is hurling towards the planet.

Yes, the main quest does have a sense of urgency, but as there's no consequence for delaying the quests as long as you wish it's easy to get distra... Hey look, a cave. I wonder what's inside?

I have to agree to disagree with the OP on this one. I actually felt the game steered you more toward the civil war than the dragons with the opening sequence. All the way up until Whiterun its all about the civil war and how you should join up with the Legion/Stormcloaks. Only after you get to Whiterun do you feel that dragons are a threat, and even then you have to do a couple more quests to even initiate the dragons. This game pushes you into the MQ the least out of the TES games that I have played and pretty much the least out of any RPG I've played. They did a great job of giving you what I think is what TES games are all about, exploring a world. They pretty much tell you to do whatever you want directly after the tutorial. How much more free can you get?

I find the topic's complaint an odd one.

I'm new to these types of games and from my vantage-point, I was not pushed into anything: I did not know what was the main quest line and what wasn't anyway. It wasn't until my character's level was in the low 20's that I stumbled back onto the quest line. Soon after that, by reading this forum, I realized I was on the main quest line; otherwise, I would not have known I was on the main quest. I realize there were plenty of options and branches for my character and my choices set me out on my own path but there was no pushing me into any particular direction.

However, even if the game did push you onto the main quest, is this really something needing complaint?

I hate how you have to start the main quest to complete the civil war quest line :/

Yeah, it really forces you to follow him?! I chose to go with Hadvar (imperial) and when he said this, I buggered off from that point and did my own thing. I have done loads and I'm yet to even do Bleak Falls Barrow, and I'm over 150 hours in at level 40 playing MASTER. As with Oblivion, I didn't even deliver the amulet. So, yeah, they really force you to follow the guy, who just appears at his destination anyway, like anybody else, regardless of what erratic behaviour is witnessed on the road?!!!

If it did it would be yes. Your character options become greatly limited otherwise.

Not true. AT all.
You're not told anything like that.

I find it all too easy to ignore the call to Hrothgar. It's on top of a mountain, and the path to said mountain is about as far from ANY Main city as physically possible. It gets put on your "To Do" list, but if the Greybeards really wanted you, they'd extend a bridge to Whitrun and get rid of that

I can somewhat relate to what your saying here, you pretty much can't help but stumble right into the main quest line at the start. Your first companion (whoever you end up escaping with) does say you should part ways. What he means is this: "We should probably part ways, but I'll stick around in case you decide to continue onwards with me). Kind of badly written there. it is a good idea to join him at least for the first bit as he leads you to your first main birth sign stones - which help much in your game. There are a lot of sub quests that all kind of lead you to the main quest at the start, so if you want to avoid the main plot, or any mention of it, avoid the entire first area and just go over that hill over there lol. I started a couple times to get it right before I was satisfied.

the game pretty much pushes every damn quest in your face, but the main quest is the worst. he says to "part ways" but he sits waiting for you on the only road out. your naturally gonna go to riverwood eventually because its the closet merchant, at which point that scene plays out whether youre there or not and gerdur/ alvor approaches you and begs you to go to whiterun. whiterun being the trade capital of the damn province, you will probably end up there at some point, and what do you know, the court wizard in dragnsreach is by far the best place to get some spells for those schools you cant level yet because you know enough to have them at level 25 but not enough to cast anything in them. of course you cant go 10ft in dragonsreach without that the housecarl getting up in you face, at which point blagruuf goes on a long-winded speech whether you care or not, and walks over to the court wizard, instructing him to pester you about the freakin dragonstone every time you talk to him until you get it. but since farengar is an annoying [censored] as it is, if you can deal with that, NOW you dont have to worry about the main quest.

granted i havent seen what just exiting some of those conversations might do, but OB and morrowind handled this much better. you received a letter of warning not to f**k around, but its just a letter, and even then caius basically orders you to just f**k around early on. you could pass off the tutorial dungeon in OB as the mad ramblings of an aged emperor afraid for his life. chorrol wasnt important. even then, weynon priory had no real purpose outside the main quest, so you will hardly accidentally progress it. and then kvatch has no real purpose outside the main quest either; you can just ignore that. or once you take martin to cloud ruler... he is safe with the blades, your work is done. its not just about NPCs interrupting me about some crap i never cared about the moment i enter their general vicinity, its the whole structure of the questline. all they had to do was at some point have arngeir say "well if you really want we can train you, but i really think you should go out and get a feel for the way of the voice hinthintnudgenudge". not only does it remind the player that this game is about running around doing what you want, but its also completely fitting with his character.

at any rate, its not about being physically forced into a quest; you people are so quick to assume the obvious extreme that we all know isnt the case. its about a feeling of "do it NOW" every time your within ear shot of something quest related whether you care or not. TES games have always, as they should, provided excuses at points in the story to support your running off and doing what you want. in fact id say thats the whole point of the main quest in TES; to give you an excuse to run around the province. the only time skyrim does that is when it forces you into a thieves guild quest.

This pretty much.

I was intent to do the main quest right off (anticipating mods to distract me from it) however once I was told to go to High Hrothgar...well, as Scow said it went on my To-Do List. I ended up spending a good 30 hours exploring before I made my way there. Even just getting there was wrought with distractions that took me two real days to get through. This, even after I had decided to actually make it there for a change.

Then once you make it there you're tasked to raid a dungeon on the other side of Skyrim... Yeah... I didn't do that until two days ago and I'm around 120 hours now...

I've not felt forced or rushed at all.

I completely skipped the Riverwood portion of the MQ the first time I played because as soon as I got out of the tutorial dungeon, the Imperial guy said, "We should probably part ways here" and I just took off to find a dungeon.

Several hours later, I stumbled into Whiterun and got a dialogue option to tell the guards about a dragon attack on Helgen and they directed me to the Jarl. It wasn't until my second play through that I went through Riverwood and was told by those people to ask the Jarl for protection. For some reason, even if you skip them, when you talk to the Jarl, you're given the dialogue option to tell him how Riverwood needs his assistance. There are a LOT of quests that give you dialogue options relating stuff you may have not even encountered.

Yes, and then after you deliver the package to Caius, he tells you to come back later on after you've educated yourself and leveled up a bit. That right there puts the main quest at a halt until you've been on your own for a while. TESIV gives the player that "sense of urgengy" pretty much the whole way through. TESV I haven't played that much so I don't know how "rushed" it feels.