While discussing my new character with a friend, he asked when I'd be starting the main quest. He was shocked when I told him I didn't plan on having this character go through the main quest.

So, I'm wondering: Do you do the main quest with every character? I always assumed it was pretty common for people not to do it with some characters, but now I'm not so sure. So share your thoughts. And perhaps help me convince my friend?

Edit: added poll.

It's pretty common for me to do so.

I have to get over that habit.

I never do it. With the dragons capable of giving birth to ghost towns, I won't risk it.

I like to at least get dragons spawning. I like fighting them.

Nope.

same

I've added a poll. Thanks for the responses!

I only complete the Main Quest with around half of My characters, I have gotten into the habit of stopping the Main Quest until My characters can get a fully powered Odahviing.

I play till they will start spawning. One in every three characters move past that point in the main quest.

Of course, I kinda prefer making my character forge her own path instead of one pre-drawn by the Divines.

...besides, they never did anything for the population and they dare ask us to help them? Like hell I am.

Sometimes I:

1. Do the whole thing

1.a right at the beginning, as if my toon's main purpose in life is the MQ

1.b gradually, slowly over time because my toon is a reluctant hero

1.c not until much later when my toon has come to grips with the fatal nature of Alduin and it is obvious I, and I alone, can stand in the way of Alduin and save my loved ones (wife+kids) from certain destruction

2. Just enough to get dragons

3. Avoid it like the plague

I rarely do the main quest.

I want my dragon parts, so I start it but rarely finish it. I consider it to be one of the worst MQ's I've played through in a CRPG.

Nope.
Can't meddle with my own headcanon now, can I?

I only do the MQ with characters other than my main when I feel like I'm not 'done' with them and I've done all I had planned for them beforehand. That happens rarely. I do, however, trigger the dragon spawns and ignore the characters absorbing souls.

Since 11-11-11, I have started 32 characters.

12 have initiated Dragons.

4 have made it to the Graybeards.

1 has made it to Parth.

0 have finished the MQ

On a side note... None have ever started the CW questline.

I usually only go up to Dragon Rising, just to get the dragons out & about. I have only ever finished it once, and I'm working on another currently. I have about...12 characters? Some have never even touched it at all. Some will go only up to the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller to get Unrelenting Force and Whirlwind Sprint. But I never actually do the entire questline.

I finished it twice, once with Imperial CW and once with Season Unending. Otherwise, I fall into one of two tendencies:

-Don't do it; or

-Get FUS RO DAH, and stop doing it after that.

Depends on how I feel about dragons at the time.

----

Ask the same question about Dawnguard MQ, and I do that every time. Since I enjoy crossbows, it's a small price to pay for access to them. (I haven't tried VL; not the biggest fan of the form's looks.)

Probably after I did everything else I wanted to do on the character.

Some of my characters do the whole MQ, most just start it to get the dragons. I love dragons.

Of six main characters so far, four have (or will do) the entire main quest.
One started it but never went to see the Greybeards.
One hasn't touched it.

Likely, more of my future characters won't touch it, either.

The main questline lost its charm after I completed it the first time around. Unfortunately, it feels like a chore now more than anything else.

I have done the MQ twice. Both times it was such a complete let-down that I just couldn't continue playing my character and abandoned them. They were both Altmer, and all the Nords-Ahoy stuff in the end made me angry and disappointed. Never gonna do it again with a character that is anything else than a Nord.

This is the philosophy I take. Nords would get butthurt if they found out that the DB was a High Elf. Oh man, they would [censored] loose it.

An Altmer Dragonborn, and also a member of the Thalmor, with the capability to bend the will of dragons. I have a feeling Skyrims' Civil War would take an ugly turn if that were the case.

Ugly wouldn't even be the word to describe the [censored]storm that would ensue......