I've done that and I'm at 80 hours. It's entirely possible. Just because you didn't do it doesn't mean that nobody else can.

At around 150 hours I had completed every guild, explored most of the map, played many different characters of each type of class, done all but 2 daedric quests, found 80% of the waystones and done almost every side(nonrepeating) quest I could.

But if I hadn't quick traveled I'd probably have been through not much more than the main quest at that point. I figured skyrim had a lot of replayability, but every time I try to replay anything I feel constricted and it takes all the fun out of it.

And sure there's 300 hours if you explore everything, but all the ruins are pretty boring once you have done 10+ of each kind... This game is far too focused around ruins and dungeons

same... mostly because

***spoilers***

the dragons didn't leave or stop attacking when I finished the game. I hate that... they aren't as fun as they were during the main part of the game and I just, want them to stop attacking stuff. I wish I was on PC so I could mod them or something. Don't get me wrong, I love the dragons in the game... but it doesn't feel like you did anything by finishing the MQ.

Character style can have almost as much to do with the time taken as fast travelling. I use the latter, but I play a solo sneak with very low defence. Consequently I have to be very careful in combat areas. Last night it took me more than two, real-time, hours to clear one medium sized dungeon (with no reloads). By contrast a big, strong, heavily-armoured warrior with a big sword has far less reason to take his/her time - they can afford to charge in and start slaughtering - and could probably clear the same place in a quarter of the time.

If its possible to do all the faction quest lines and main quest in 80 hours I expect it is a bit like running up Helvellyn as opposed to taking half a day to walk up. There is satisfaction to be had from both approaches but only one gives you the chance to enjoy the scenery and the experience on the way up.

No, but it does mean that there's no godly way you "played all the content".

Sorry, don't take this as a personal slight... but I don't buy what you're selling.
Reiterating: you didn't do all the content. Because if you're rushing through it, you're missing heaps. Abso-effin'-lutely.

Agreed. I fast travel most of the time, and traveling does get quite repetitive.

I think the caves/dungeons/etc and enemies start to get quite repetitive after a while, and this isn't helped by how the combat system is fairly shallow.

I'm at 133 hours, and the last 30 or so have definitely been less fun than the first 100. Still, 100 hours is well worth the money, especially since I got the game for 40 bucks. I expect mods will breathe some life back into the game as well.

As a mage who likes to sneak but wears plate, I definitely agree with this. When I sneak around it takes a LOT more time than just running in and blasting everything.

I don't know WHY they make the random stuff so crappy. It doesn't make much sense to me.

If every random event had like 5 elements that were all randomized, it would take forever to see them all. It wouldn't be hard to do this. Vary the size of the group, their hostility, what sort of members they have, what they are doing, etc. Take the sacrifice of a cow. Have what was being sacrificed, where it was being taken, the size of the group taking it, and so forth all random -- to say nothing of random elements about two different groups meeting. Then if you see them going to sacrifice a child, how you treat it and react would be a lot different than a cow. The size of the group could easily change how you react as well. Then of course that might spawn a random quest to stop some sort of dark ritual (which would have its own random elements).

The current system is a bit boring in how it works. Heck, the game could even have an option to never show you the same one twice until you had seen everything (which would help keep things fresh) -- this wouldn't be hard to program. Anyhow, it bugs me just how crappy the random content in the game is...because it is really lamely executed.

There is no way you completed every single main quest/side quest and cleared every dungeon, fort and cave in 80 hours. I just do not think its possible.

Even if you could finish it that fast, and I'm not saying you did, you would have to rush through so much that you're not getting the full effect.

The funnest part of the game is just slowing down and enjoying some of the details. Try sneaking through a dungeon sometime, picking off enemies with a bow. It's litterally taken me hours to clear a single dungeon before, just because I take my time and enjoy myself.

your not counting item/container management...that takes up 1/3 of my play time

Barst, I also thought 300 was a very modest estimate...and I couldn't be happier about it. We know there's a way to do a speed run but that's not my game so I'm very content.

But it is. I posted my stats earlier in the thread. Unless there are way more locations than 344, I've been just about everywhere, and I've cleared over half of them. A lot of the locations simply can't be cleared. Now, I do play on novice and I recognize that makes a big difference, but I play these games to experience the world - not spending hours fighting a dragon hoping to win. I've also played with another character before, so this isn't my first rodeo. I knew pretty much where every quest was located and what was in every dungeon, so that drastically reduced my hours as well.

I'm not complaining. Skyrim lasted me far longer than any game. I beat Dragon Age II, doing everything, in about 30 hours. I got 100 hours out of my first Skyrim character and 80 out of my second. That's damn good. However, it's entirely possible to do everything in the game and fall well short of the 300 hour mark. I don't like people calling "bs" on people who say as much because it's entirely possible.

186 hours.

Arch-Mage
Completed Main Quest, Civil War, helped all of my Daedric friends.
Completed Dark Brotherhood. Thieves Guild questline broke at Dampened Spirits and can't be completed.
Not interested in the Companions at all.
Have done most if not all sidequests, Radiant quests are at the point of repeating. Have killed the same dragon, bandit leader, giant and found the same book two-three times.
90+ dungeons cleared.

Bored as heck. I tried to hang on until the CK could be released but I didn't make it and went back to playing other games. I putter around in Skyrim for a few minutes here and there but it can't hold my attention. The first 30-40 hours were great though. Still hoping to find some of that excitement again someday once the mod community has a chance to work magic.

I stop to catch every butterfly. My playstyle couldn't be more opposite than yours but I could not agree more with your statement. The best thing about TES games is that they give the player freedom and choices. There is no "wrong" way to play.

and i really don't understand how you can possible complete everything in the time scale you're talking, but then its your $60 not mine.

I believe you but also believe you're playing wrong. Skyrim is about the journey, not the destination..if you rush through and fast travel everwhere then you're cheating yourself out of an experience. Stop and smell the skyrim roses and chase butterflies sometimes
I average 1-2 hours a night since release and still haven't seen every city/town..they're not going anywhere

I have bad multiple charters, ran through all main areas of the games & still see more content as I explore.

Currently on my Kajiit I have racked up 400+ hours.

Just love exploring, until they say they plan on using my fur. Then its war.

I'm around 70 hours into my current character (level 50), and in that time I completed the Companions, Thieves Guild, and I'm in my final Dark Brotherhood mission. I haven't even started on the College, the Civil War or the Main Quest. I have only completed the missions of four Daedric princes, and while I have already located all cities and (estimate) 75% of all dungeons, I'm not even close to finishing every single quest in the game. I also fast travel a lot, which speeds up my gameplay, but even then I don't think I'm even halfway through this character's timespan.

That's the thing. Some people play fast, some play slow. Bethesda's estimated content hour is irrelevant and arrogant.

Exactly..... i agree. Its no wonder some are bored. Rinse and repeat one after the other, fast travel here and then back again, back and forth.

These type of games are not a sprint... its a marathon. But then these sprinters have ' Lives to live ' as someone mentioned previously....hahahahaha That comment alone completes the entire picture.

Hey look , another thread about how people play single-player games differently.

For the record arrows go through this guy. What's the deal with him?

if you follow him, he'll take you to a

Ah thanks