We all know Bethesda is going to release DLC for this game, but what would you guys prefer?

Multiple DLC similar to their previous games, basically linear quest lines featuring more focused but tiny areas with fewer, if any places to explore.
Or
An expansion that adds many new areas to explore, for example they could give us a city or two in one of the other provinces, such as Sentinel in Hammerfell and the surrounding land with it's own quests, towns, and caves to explore.

Personally I'd love if Bethesda completely drops what they did for FO3 and Oblivion so they could make an expansion that adds tons of new content.

Before I answer the poll, here's my question for you: How exactly would you intend to resolve the Thalmor story arc with only ONE expansion? Regardless of how big the area is, I doubt the expansion could allow for three completely disjoint landmasses. Without going to each of these areas independently, are we supposed to accept a hand wavey "Oh, you took out the BIG BOSS, therefore all Thalmor surrender"? Ew.

Didn't they say they were going a Fallout route for DLC?

I wish there was an expansion where we would go to the Aldmeri Dominion's homeland and burn everything. I don't want to wait another 5 years for that.

Bethesda already has the DLC planned out. It will be multiple smaller DLC, but they will have more content than the biggest Fallout 3 DLC.

Expansion, definetly. In the good old days before DLC expansions were just that, expansions. They expanded not only the storyline, but gameplay mechanics too. NWN expansions are one of the best examples, they added dman lot of new stuff, some of which was usable even in the original campaign. If skyrim was to have an expansion it should work like Shivering Isles, though. Accessible at will and also able to return from it at will.

But i doubt that'll happen. DLC killed the expansion pack and got away with it. Still, if Skyrim is to have Fallout-like mini-expansion DLCs i consider that an acceptable compromise.

Well we wouldn't resolve it in an expansion that's for sure, that's for TES VI, instead whatever expansion or DLC is made should just bridge the gap between now and the next TES.

I think Hammerfell would be the perfect place for any DLC, it's independent and wanted by both the Thalmor and Empire, the story basically writes itself.

Also it's bordered by Skyrim so you aren't traveling to another continent or something equally silly.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/skyrim-to-have-multiple-dlc-releases-powerful-buckets/

Expansions are preferable to DLC's, expansions usually make it worth to play the game again which DLC's usually do not since they are to short. It's like with a good meal, would you prefer really small parts of a meal been served separately over a longer period, or a full meal at once?

@Luke Skyrimmer
Well that's good to hear, I'm glad they aren't going for the tiny DLC approach they did for FO3.

Ew. No thanks. I'll take my DLC then. At least with DLC Bethesda will attempt to resolve AN OPEN STORY ARC. Expecting to wait years to resolve the arc is just beyond awful.

I have no intention of buying small content DLC until it's bundled and cheap, the price to content ratio is definitely not worth it. I'd buy an expansion full price though, if it was good.

What I'd really like is for them to address the major issues first though, adding some semblance of balance to combat, and implementing a decent PC UI and control scheme would make me feel more inclined to throw more money at them for minor DLC.

Poll is screwed. Need multiple full expansions released every quarter

But whatever they make I'll probably grab, as long as it's a decent quest DLC. I really want them to expand the borders... don't make some new area you teleport to. Screw that, I want to go back to Cyrodiil (even if most of it was burnt to the ground in the war it would be awesome to revisit it 200 years later) and kick the Thalmer's asses.

I prefer the multiple DLCs spread out... keeps me interested in the game longer. By the time they make a longer one I'll have moved on to different games or I'll have so exhausted the base game that I won't care. I thought the New Vegas DLCs were a pretty good length and they were all different from each other thematically. I also liked that the DLCs tied together amongst themselves into kind of a story. That said, none of the DLCs should be linear, they should all have some new area to explore like Point Lookout, Old World Blues and Honest Hearts in Fallout 3 and New Vegas... or Shivering Isles of course.

Ahh Hammerfell home of the redguards... after seeing black guys wearing arab clothing and wielding arab weapons i don't want to go there, it feel silly that all the other humans are really similar to their real life counter parts but bethesda either gave up on african culture (I want a redguard Iklwa god dang it) or is going with middle eastern culture because it fits the area, either way i'd just be unimpressed or saddened, kinda like when i discovered falmer were just albino goblins.

the aldmeri dominion should be more than just nazi epxy. they should be seen as somewhat heroic. maybe freeing morrowind so long as they stop worshipping daedra?

You're right, I kinda messed up the poll, sorry.

I'm cool with multiple releases, but I'd rather they be full expansions. New map, new stuff.

Knights of the Nine was cool, but I'd like more then just a couple new locations in the same old place.

Multiple, you would get to bored with skyrim after a year. New gameplay would be nice every now and then.

Cheers

Just saying, EVERYONE I've talked to in real life who has played Skyrim to the point where they've at least completed the main quest line has said they want to take the fight to the Thalmor. EVERYONE. This isn't something that you can just leave for the next game.

I always prefer expansions purely for the hard copy.

The other lands are all open-game... This is 200 years after Oblivion, and I am not sure what time-line Morrowind was set-in...

The lands could be "adaptive", depending on what paths you have taken here. You don't have to, and should not have to, have followed a specific path. Technically, nor should any path you have taken, have any real impact on the other areas PAST...

Not to mention, there is a whole northern sea-border, possibly with another continent across the ice-cap, back into warmer waters. Hell, America was alien to England and Spain, until it was discovered. Whole new "undocumented" history of native Indians, myans, aztec, and eskimo's. Not to mention that all new population, the Americans, only had hints of England, Spain, and other nations, once they were settled. English and Spanish history had no real impact on American history, except what was forced on us, from the oppressive nations we recently escaped, who attempted to try and wedge themselves back into our lives. Major fail there.

Point being... for DLC, anything can work.

Though, I think a whole re-write of the game mechanics related to characters is strongly needed to pull away from the fourth failed attempt at auto-leveling and character-development.

Erase Skyrim, start from scratch... Giant tsunami, earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteors have wiped the planet clean. Gods had to repopulate with "people v1.4" to start again.

As I recall, Bethesda already stated that they weren't going to take the previous approach of releasing small content like "Horse Armor" from Oblivion. Todd Howard stated that they would be releasing much fuller DLC packs that focus on making the game better, not bigger.

Hopefully that includes new armors, mounts, weapons, quests, shrines/caves/dungeons/castles, and environmental changes similar to that of Cataclysm on WoW (Think of the re-modeled old zones... I.E. The Barrens)

I definitely do NOT want to see more DLC spread out all over the place: Mage Tower here, Pirate Den there, horse armor somewhere off over there shpeel.

How about both?

Full expansion, please. Take whatever time you need just pull another Shivering Isles level of atmosphere, size and content :goodjob:

I would hate it if the dlcs were all lets go kill the medieval nazis, it's a stupid idea, this isn't halo, it's impossible that any groups could actually take on the thalmor belevably and it would be a return to the old all necromancers and conjurers are evil way of doing things.