time before Main Quest starts : V

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:56 am

Buying the game in the next couple of days.
I'm wondering how long until the main quest goes "active" Is it like Oblivion where as soon as you exit the sewers the main quest starts.
Is there a "trigger" or it's when you get done with the "starter dungeon"?
No spoilers please.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 5:14 pm

Starts soon as you get out of the starter dungeon. No clueless-you-have-no-idea-whatsoever morrowind, unfortunately.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:46 pm

After the opening scene, you are asked to go a town and talk to someone. If you talk to them then you will start the events of the Main Quest in motion. I think you can do a couple of things with them before all the real stuff starts, but that is the point where the MQ takes off or not is when you start working for that one person.

So, if you want to delay the MQ, then just stay away from that one person, or if you do talk to them, don't choose the dialog options that get things going.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:34 pm

What CCNA said. This can be role-played much more easily than the "Deliver Amulet to Martin" quest in Oblivion because it is easier to role-play it as a "I went on with my life and now it is too late" rather than a "Hey, the Daedric Lord of Destruction is waiting for me to begin fighting back" like in Oblivion. Of course, Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine together made it seem a little easier to roleplay.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 12:39 pm

actually you can avoid the main quest even if you talk to the person in the first town you are told to go and speak to. It doesn't really kick off till you take the message from the first town to the next town. So just don't deliver that message until you are ready. You can even do that bit if you want to fight dragons, otherwise don't

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:42 pm

I've played over 100 hours in the game and still haven't started the main quest. So I can't tell you exactly where to trigger it, but just don't go straight when you get out of the cavern. Just go to the right or left and start walking.

ETA: This also means I haven't seen a dragon (except the scripted one at the beginning) and although I do stumble across 'shouts' I can't use them. Of course that's the way I'm roll-playing the game. This game is far easier to roll-play, imo, than Oblivion. I just wish they gave us a tent and a roll-up bed to sleep on while out in the wild that we can carry around with us, I mean an adventurer in real life carries these things.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:56 am

just wish they gave us a tent and a roll-up bed to sleep on while out in the wild that we can carry around with us

Me too. Maybe a mod could do this once the CK is released, shouldn't be too hard.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:53 pm

I can tell you when it triggers. It triggers after the 2nd quest in Whiterun that you do for the Jarl. So if you don't want the main quest to truly start don't finish the quest for the mage. I know that it doesn't trigger after that quest but you won't accidently wonder into the scene that causes the main quest to really begin if you completed the quest.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:36 am

I've wandered off by myself. If you look on your quest journal take note of the quest name that pops up and what it says. If you follow that quest you'll be on your way to triggering the mq.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:42 pm

I'd recommend doing the main quest until you fight your first dragon, that way it unlocks the random dragon spawns. After that, do whatever you want to do.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:10 am

In OB the MQ didnt start as soon as you exited the sewers.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:03 pm

My husband has not only managed to not trigger the MQ he's also not found one Dragon Shout. I'm a little impressed.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:43 am

You can get the main quest and put it off as long as possible. I was level 36 before I did the quest after the first dragon battle on my orc.

On my Nord, I talked to the guy in Riverwood, then left the main quest and I'm currently level 30.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:00 pm

I'd recommend doing the main quest until you fight your first dragon, that way it unlocks the random dragon spawns. After that, do whatever you want to do.

So if I don't start the MQ, I won't see a dragon while exploring? If I do (and kill one) do I get the dragon soul or something?

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 5:31 pm

Once you give the dragonstone to Farengar I believe.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:48 pm

In OB the MQ didnt start as soon as you exited the sewers.

Ok. It started when they opened your cell to escape.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:37 pm

So if I don't start the MQ, I won't see a dragon while exploring? If I do (and kill one) do I get the dragon soul or something?

There's only one dragon I know of outside of the MQ. So there will be no random dragons until you start the MQ. You can get words of power, but cant shout.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:20 pm

The MQ is a primary quest... just like many other quests. You can just not do that quest.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:39 pm

Cause in order to shout, you need a dragon soul and those dragons are quest related?
Thanks Erandur

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:27 pm

Ok. It started when they opened your cell to escape.

Didn't start there either. Not until you spoke with Jauffre did the MQ start and OB gates didnt pop up until after Kvatch.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:05 am

It picks up the moment you give the Dragonstone to that one court wizard person in Whiterun. Technically, it starts when you first talk to the person Riverwood but until you give the stone to the person in Whiterun, there's really no huge thing going on with the dragons.

All I recommend is doing the quest for the Jarl of Whiterun, finding out you're Dragonborn and then just not doing the main quest. I personally tanked through it and finished at like level 26 or so. I'm Level 39 right now and really not doing much in the way of quests.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:54 am

Cause in order to shout, you need a dragon soul and those dragons are quest related?
Thanks Erandur

I think something within the MQ needs to be triggered. I have a bunch of high level characters in Skyrim, but none have gone through the MQ yet, so I don't know when exactly you get the power to shout. Most likely after meeting the Greybeards.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:19 pm

I think something within the MQ needs to be triggered. I have a bunch of high level characters in Skyrim, but none have gone through the MQ yet, so I don't know when exactly you get the power to shout. Most likely after meeting the Greybeards.

No, you just have to kill the first quest dragon. So like I said, do the main quest up until you kill the that one.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:16 pm

Thanks for the info.
Should be buying buy it tomorrow.
It'll keep me busy for a while.

Being home all the time (back injury) svcks.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:22 pm

Well then did it start when the first gate opened in Kvatch?

I feel that when you left the sewers the game kept pushing you to complete the next mission, then the next missing. It felt like i was rushed.

It pushed a whole lot more than Morrowind for example, but you didnt have to go to the priory, or Kvatch. Which triggers the actual Oblivion crisis.