'Touching the Sky', from Dawnguard, is my favourite ever TES quest. I'm wondering if anyone shares this view.

To start with is Darkfall Cave, which is so, so dark, and creepy. I just love it. You fly down that tunnel, closely followed by spiders if I remember correctly, then end up in the area where you meet Knight Paladin Gelebor. I was sneaking up towards him the first time I did this quest, not knowing exactly what he was - I didn't for one second think he was not one of the playable races, I thought he just had pale skin because of the light. Then, despite being crouched in dark shadows, he turned to me and told me to not be afraid, and to approach him, which I thought was pretty cool because I was sure he was going to be an enemy. Then I could not believe my eyes - a real, talking Falmer! Such an epic TES moment! He spoke for a while about what happened to the Falmer, which was really, really interesting. Thus begins the epic journey, visiting each of the wayshrines, Ayeleid-like in architecture. You pass through the rest of Darkfall Cave, full of traps, and camps of the Betrayed Falmer. Then when you get out into the Forgotten Vale - wow. Such an incredible place, one of the most beautiful TES has seen. And it's huge. There's those new dragons, Frost Giants, and other great stuff in this vale. Then you go to places like Glacial Crevice, which is massive and gorgeous. To top all of this off you finally end up in the Inner Sanctum, which looks so awesome inside. The frozen Falmer and chauruses look really creepy. Then you reach Vyrthur, who gives an epic dialogue before unleashing enemies for you and Serana to kill, which then leads to the best part of the quest, on the balcony, when he reveals the twist, and how he seeks to get revenge on Auri-El for 'betraying' him. Serana hoists him into the air, and an epic battle follows (in which I Fus'd him off the balcony to his death when he was almost dead), and then of course you then retrieve Auriel's Bow.

I know it seems like I've simply wrote out the whole plot for the quest, which I guess seems pointless, but come on - read all of that and then tell me this isn't the most interesting, beautiful, and exciting quest in TES history!

Interesting post, but nope, it's not my favorite TES quest (the main quest in Morrowind). It isn't even my favorite Skyrim quest (The Foresworn Conspiracy and the subsequent No One Escapes from Cidhna Mine). It isn't even my favorite Dawnguard quest (Lost to the Ages).

I'm sorry, but when I'm standing in the Cidhna mine, listening to Braig tell his story, and then at the end, he cries out: "I'm not Madanach! I was never a leader of the Forsworn. The only anger I can justify is my own. But every family in the Reach has a story like mine. There are no innocent onlookers in this struggle! Just the guilty, and the dead." Wow. I get chills every time I hear that.

That statement and the emotion behind it defines Skyrim for me.

You blew him off the balcony? Really? You realize he is wearing the only copy of ancient Falrmer armor available? Hope you can find his body on the lake below, or that you are on a PC so you can just give yourself a copy of his armor.

The whole Forsworn storyline is good, but I wish they'd done more with it personally. Also, 'No One Escapes Cidhna Mine' had the makings of being one of my favourites, but fell short when I found out how easily you can escape. If I'm missing something out, please tell me, but to me it just seemed like the King in Rags could have easily just broke out the mine through that door next to where he is, years ago. Cool quest though, I agree that whole stroyline is very interesting.


Don't worry, I found his body halfway across that huge ice field below

I don't know about 'the best ever', but this quest is already one of my favourites. Definitely.

I actually just did it for the first time this week. I sat down for what I thought was going to be just a couple of hours in Skyrim. I was heading for Ancestor's Glade. Next thing it was about one o'clock in the morning and I had Auriel's Bow.

Genuinely, one of the best night's gaming I've ever had. I really mean that. So yeah I share your appreciation for this wonderful experience.

Just the part where Serana reminds of all that she's a vampire by demonstrating her strength. Lol it was very Sigourney Weaver-ish

It is an amazing experience and features my favourite location; The Forgotten Vale !
And Serana(my fave follower) did look awesome lifting Vythur in the air!

Have to agree, if more questlines and locations of this quality can be produced then Skyrim may rise even further in my rating list, it shows that Bethesda have the ability to produce quality uniquae and novel quests when allowed the space to do so without resorting to too much dumbing down, lets have more of the same and possibly there is more to come from the Forgotten Vale-its big enough!