So, since this is in the spoilers section I shall rant about my opinion on the College of Winterhold. Firstly, the questline is rather short, 1/6 of the time was spent actually getting to the places needed to move on. I was surprised, it took literally 5 hours to beat the entire questline of the College of Winterhold for me, which in comparison to the Mages Guild in Oblivion is rather short.

Another disappointment is that upon becoming archmage, you're not given some of the things you were given in Oblivion. Firstly, the person who made you the archmage went on about how much of an honor it was, you were given coin, discounts on spells, and companions. I've yet to see a single companion, discount, and way of getting coin or anything really cool like the Alchemy Chest.

Anyone else disappointed?

My dissapointments were storyline related.

Hello. I just walked in here and was told to go fetch some stuff.
Through a miracle I survived and because two seniors are dead, I am now archmage.
Despite more senior members in the college.

I do not know what the item found that caused all this ruckus was for, nor do I know why anyone was interested in it.
I have no clue as to why I was so important and why none of you better mages couldnt have done this.
But Im archmage now.
Oh well.

Hi I am a new student here.

You want me to come to an excavation? Ok cool!

Hey look I found this huge glowing magicorb wow! Also I've been hallucinating....

(insert montage of book-hunting and frivolity with a talking ball of blue energy)

WHAT? THE THALMER SPY IS EVIL?! SAVOS/MIRABELLE, NOOOOOOOO!!!!

My first day at college has been somewhat eventful.

There can only be one solution to the huge crisis I've apparently caused: I will go to the ancient dungeon of Labyrinthine (lol), solo, where I will destroy an ancient evil to recover the STAFF OF MAGNETS! You guys stay here and make sure the evil elf doesn't do anything evil with the artifact of incredible power. I'll be RIGHT BACK! Did I mention I've been hallucinating?

(3 days pass as I treck half way across Skyrim etc etc also I took this opportunity to marry/bang Ysolde)

Meanwhile at the college: the elf channels his spellofdoom while the faculty [censored] about the nords hating them and also whether restoration is real magic

FEAR NOT, I HAVE RETURNED!! Also I am wearing the face of an evil guy as a mask because it gives me 100% mana regen AWW YEAH

Lol stupid elf my staff kill u

(DEUS EX MACHINA!!! Or was it all in my head?)

And that's how I became the arch-mage of the College of Winterfell. Now where on earth is my face?

To be fair, the dungeon crawls were awesome.

The loot was good and I like the two mage gear rewards and the arch mage's quarters.

Its just that the story sort of svcked.

Hey, I agree that the dungeons were great, and the loot is cool.

I'm just saying that the story is incoherent and crazy (plus too much deus ex).

Yes, the intention was good, but the execution (Minus the Dungeons) was not so good. Average-ish, but not amazing.

I honestly disliked how your sent to retrieve the Staff of Magnus, an extremely powerful and ancient artifact, like it's the newspaper on the front lawn. Although Morokei was a tough fight, did take a few retries...until I melee'd it to death.

Had it been a longer questline, with a longer Labrinythian, I probably would have been satisfied. The first, and only, disappointment I had playing Skyrim was finishing the College of Winterhold's questline. Also I asked this in a thread I made earlier, but is there any unique services similar to Oblivion's Herb Duplicating Chest for being Arch-Mage?

Well, the two item rewards are really handy for a mage.
And the archmage's quarters have ample storage space, nifty items on display, an alchemy and enchanting station, and a direct door to Skyrim worldspace for fast travel even though it takes two loading screens to enter.

I do really like those rewards.

Also there are still more quests to do in the mage's guild, including an aftermath.

The staff is...nice.

It would be better if it's drain would scale with the level of any magic school.

Does it?

how do i kill the guy after you come back with the staff?