I used to look at my quests and map out a circuit to minimize the travel between the areas (I don't fast travel), then go into any dungeon that I came across on the way to each quest.

Now I simply go wherever I feel like, explore everything in the area, then go someplace else. If a quest happens to be in that area, then I do it too.

I find the game much more enjoyable this way. I think it's because quest-hopping feels very 'gamey', whereas free roaming gives more of a feeling of travel and exploration.

I mostly just explore or just run around like a headless chicken now.

A Hybrid.


I collect quests, find some that are generally near each other, then -walk- to that location and explore as I do the quests

i do a little of both, i set my quest target then look on the map for it, then i just wander in that general direction untill i either find the place or find soem other adventure to go off on

Depends how I feel for that play session... If it is short, I'll just crank out a quest or 2.

If it is like on a weekend, I'll head out towards a quest objective, but tend to stop off and least pick up the location to anything along the way.

I free roamed, till all my quest got broken. Now I try to loot & explore dungeons only when the location is revealed to me via quests.

The only fast-travelling I do is using carriages. I don't want to devaluate the world by getting to know it TOO well. But I usually walk (run) between quests. Sometimes I might go off course a bit to do a little hunting however, only for RPG purposes.

The more I play roleplaying games the less interested I am in doing quests. I like to make my own adventures. The stories, dialog, and quests I invent myself are deeper and more interesting than anything I have seen from a developer.

I mostly have a free roam character.

I do what I want, cause I'm rockin' in the free world.

after quite some hours of game play, a level 74 dual wielding dunmer and a level 50 altmer mage, i feel like i'm ready to commit myself to level cap and quest-freaking. The only problem i have is deciding what i want with my toon skill wise and what lore i should put behind him (race will factor that its undecided also) When i do start the golden toon, i will be doing all the quests and only that, untill im done with all 500 of them (the`re a bit less than 500 i know). That way i will ruin as less quests as possible. I will however, discover all the dungeons and spots in my travels, so i can, after my pc is a respectable citizen of skyrim with many dragons souls laying useless in my ui, visit the ones that are still not marked as cleared. from what i gathered, they will have creeps scaled to my level so the challenge will be hopefully high.

I free roam when I am between quests. That is when I walk around and just explore. I have found some cool areas that way.

Usually, with Quests, I am Fast Traveling. Even then, I still find cool areas.

First thing I do is free roam. If while roaming someone asks for help (like when I ventured randomly into a lone tavern) then I`ll help.

It actually bores the pants off me having to follow the MQ that I know will last a short time when there`s a huge world to explore.

What I do like about Skyrim compared to Oblivion is that this time you aren`t expected to rush onto the MQ straight away.

I love to free roam. The freedom to go where I want is what drew me to this series. But I do a little questing now and then, too. When I remember.

Free roam could be cool, but I can't think of any valid reason for a person to go wander in the damn woods "just because" (Free roam, right?) in the first place. I don't just wander aimlessly anywhere personally.

I do one quest at a time and try to walk there if I have the time.

In real life, I'm not a cat/man fireball slinging, killing machine. If I were, I'd go where ever I damn well wanted. Which is what my Khajiit does in Skyrim. I go places because there isn't anyone bad enough to keep me out of them.

I'll normally do a quest then will go explore and wander about for a while, then back to another quest and repeat. I've never gone quest,quest,quest in any Elder Scrolls.

I kinda do this. I prioritize quests in order of importance to my character -- so my mage intended to put Winterhold as a priority after establishing herself in Whiterun (she figured she owed it to the people to warn the Jarl of the dragon and get them some protection)...but then a poor choice in drinking companions has left her with some blanks to fill in first.

So I have an idea of where I'm headed (I also don't fast travel) but I'm very flexible and I tend to get lost seeing what's on top of a hill or what that little building is etc.

I'd lead the same life I lead now. Except sending slaves to do everything I don't want to because I'm a fireball slinging killing machine.

I will rule them all with an Iron Fist.

YOU! OBEY THE FIST!

I tend to alternate exploring and questing in my gaming sessions too. When I first go to a new area via carriage, I tend to explore the general area before picking up quests.

I do a bit of both. Depends on the back story I come up with. 1st char I followed alot of the quest lines I really didn't give her a great back story.

The one I'm playing now does alot of free roaming, But I stay in one area kinda. She's "looking for her Uncle" who was a guard in Whiterun and "retired" and may have went towards the Markarth area to start an Inn or mine. So she's following rumors of her Uncle, and exploring the area.

So I also do quests that originate in the area she is in. Sometimes she will ride in the carriage to a large town and run the rest of the way, when a quest is along ways away... ie from Whiterun to the other side of Riften. sometimes not. ie Whiterun to near Winterhold. depends on how I feel.

I don't see how they differ. I did numerous playthroughs of Oblivion without following the MQ at all.

I free roam mostly, but I will do a quest if I run across one that's interesting. I have the game modified to skip the intro & MQ so I don't have to worry about seeing it in my log and I also never have to see dragons since they don't show if the MQ doesn't start.

Me too. If you wanted the MQ to feel even remotely epic, you had to wait until level 25 at least. Otherwise, it wasn't anything but a bunch of scamps and maybe an atronach.

I've only had one character in Skyrim so far, but I waited to do the main quest with him as well. I've been too busy exploring to bother with the whole dragon thing.