After what seems like ages I finally brought Skyrim through Steam...so far it has been the best thing I have ever played, it is the first TES I have played and frankly i have been missing out on it.

but I've already come across a little niggle not massive one has far as I'm concerned as after trying to do Arma 2's Campaign I am quite good at overlooking bugs and areas that have fallen short of expectations.


However the College of Winterhold...the fraction questline is way to short, like seriously short. I had hoped that there would have been some length to it and some epic quest, don't get me wrong I thought the questline was epic if not short and underwritten.
Rather then go into a long essay I'm just going to summarise what I would have done differently.

1) Make it much longer and harder (even on the easiest difficulty)
I would prefer to have about 5-10 more quests put into the timeline with increasing difficulty with Morokei being at the end with a difficulty to challenge even those with Expert level magic at least. I found it too easy to do, I defeated Morokei using adept level magic at level 15, I would rather have been dragged along until I reached Expert level magic before having to face Morokei

2) Harder to reach Arch-Mage and put in certain requirement
At the end you get made arch-mage, this for me when I'm level 15 and can just about use adept level magic didn't feel like a achievement.
I would rather have to above in more steps on your way towards Arch Mage and also put in the requirement to know at least one master level spell in any of the schools (Scrolls don't count) before being named as arch-mage, then I might feel more powerful and fitting to the role as leader of the College. The Arch Mage should be the most powerful mage there right?

3) More Magic learning classes and side-quests
For a educational facility it doesn't seem to do much teaching apart from the training they provide you with. I would like to see the other student around the college during the day being taught by the teachers in different schools of magic, rather then just blasting walls with destruction magic. Side quests which you can take which resemble field outing with the other students could also have been a good idea (A bit like the 'Under Saarthal' quest without finding the 'ultra-magical super orb of unlimited power' bit, but still something of power)

4) Greater Depth

The Eye of Magnus was not explained enough. I understand that is suppose to be this supposed Aedra artifact made by Magnus himself hence the 'Eye of Magnus' but apart from that and it power nothing is explained or hinted at, not even its history bar the inferred relevance of it to the Night of Tears, perhaps there could be side quest where the Dragonborn can investigate its purpose and its history, why nothing much could be revealed you could include bits of myth legend and rumour, perhaps tie it in to Saarthal where the player could discover the real reason behind the night of tears and why the Snow elves wanted the eye in the first place, was it to try and gain dominance over man and mer or just the Dwenmer? or was it because they feared mankind would misuse it like Arcano did

I agree.

Oblivion was my first game, but I heard in Morrowind, in order to advance the mages guild, you had to be a certain level in one of the schools of magic, this is honestly something they need to bring back. I've completed it twice, and both times I felt like I became an archmage while rarely touching magic, which ruined the feel.

You're right about that. Each rank for each guild had certain skill requirements in order to advance. I remember in Morrowind's Temple faction, I was at the second highest rank, and had finished pretty much every quest for them, and thought about trying to become the highest rank, only to find out that my Mysticism had to be 90 to get to that top level (it was already around 80 or so, as I'd had to raise it to get to the rank I was anyways, but still), as well as numerous smaller requirements, like other faction-important skills around 60 or 70 or something. It made me feel like I actually deserved the rank I was getting. If I was a big hulking warrior, I wouldn't get far in the Mages' Guild, and, if I was a pure mage, I wouldn't get far in the Fighters' Guild.

Agree with all of this but particularly #3. I'm playing another mage in a new play through with an altered start. We get that one class for the ward and that's it. There's only one lecture from Colette - more complaint sixin about restoration in which most walk out before she's finished. How about a class on how to use and craft in the Atronach Forge or enchanting.

Also, I would have preferred never to have become Archmage. It's just weird to be promoted over Tofdir. I can understand appreciation for what the Dragonborn has done, but promotion to Archmage just didn't seem well supported. What I would have preferred is possibly becoming the College's "ambassador" or liaison to the Psijics. At that point in the questline the Dragonborn has already proven his or her reliability.

I thought Mirabelle's death was lame. She's one of my favorite NPCs in the game.