Okay first off, apologies if this is an oft repeated topic or perhaps if it's in the wrong place. But while playing the game I couldn't help notice that at least one part of the story seems to be set up quite nicely for DLC. I'm not sure how speculation stands in regards to spoilers, but to be on the safe side I'll mark them. Bear in mind that I've not quite finished the main story, so if you need to correct me, please please put that with spoiler tags on.

Anyway, up til now I hadn't really thought about DLC, I just assumed it would be some random area picked for it's location, IE being a different climate to Skyrim, to give the players a break visually from the snow and tundra (I personally love snow and tundra) But I hadn't really thought about what the story content of that DLC might be. But it pretty much hit me that
So this kind of brings me to another point. This is something Bethesda has done before, specifically with Fallout 3. Where the original ending was not to the fans liking and predictably sold to us as an addon to the game. Fans are divided about whether this was a cynical money making ploy, or a genuinely meant "bad ending" that the player would just have to svck up because that was the creator's vision for the ending of the game. I'm personally on the fence about that, I can't say I know what any person intended, though I am suspicious in general about how DLCs and game addons are handled nowdays.

So what do you think. How should the DLC be handled, something completely separate from the main story? (a trip into Morrowind/Cyrodil) Or a form of continuation of the main story? Do you feel like you were sold an unfinished game? Story wise. Or do you feel like you paid your bucks, got your money's worth and extending the main story for a few extra bucks to be worth it?

Personally I'm good with anything, although I would prefer to see some form of resolution to the main storyline.

havent completed main story yet but i hope its a seperate storyline, maybe linked to the current one but not neccesary for you to have the completed game satisfaction storyline wise

Dragonborn kills dragons for a job and traps them for a hobby. Thalmor....? Irrelevant.

So I would like to see DLC that has nothing to do with them. A trip to somewhere nice would be good. And they could add some new stuff (spells, weapons, armor, clothes and whatnots).

SPOILERS
Maybe something with The Blades, like they go crazy and want to kill ya dragon friend and you can either allie with them or fight against them. Dunno, gimme something and I will be happy

your way off base with your spoiler'd idea because the dominon are based in another province. on the other side of tamriel. on an island that would be suicide to attempt to enter atm (cause of the war and all).

i think the so maybe be able to kill all them off instead

There are roads leading out of Skyrim. I say use 'em, and make Dlc with different flora and fauna. Give us the tools to make our own adventures. I'd like to go to a new land and bring back a new follower or three to do some adventuring in the main game, or be able to take our followers to new lands.

Uhm ... I never bought any DLC for Fallout 3 and didn't feel like its ending was pushing me towards or preparing me for it at all. Same here with Skyrim, especially since we know very well it's only one chapter in the history of Tamriel/Nirn. It's The Elder Scrolls, so we shouldn't expect every single issue and aspect to be dealt with anyways. This is even more significant considering the Thalmor had been an already existing force and theme when the game started, not one that emerged during the storyline.

I'm not saying they couldn't play a part in an upcoming DLC, well, they are already playing their role in the gameworld anyways, but I really don't think their a setup for selling us more stuff for the complete experience or anything and there was no "need" to deal with them like once and for all. Personally, I think driving them out of the land or even destroying them would've been a bit too hamed up, to be honest.

DLC for vampires and werewolfs, would also give each of them their own perk tree. Would be something like vampires vs werewolf stuff and you choose your side with one or the other...

I want Hircine's Hunting Grounds.

I like your idea I was actually hoping beyond hope that they would not make a return in skyrim and when i found out they did I just cringed many may disagree with me, but they are a dead organization and should stay dead, maybe have some wannabe groups here or there (which is what I see them as in skyrim anyway). Or in the case post MS just off them all once and for all and build something new and more meaningful. It's their view that the dragon born are dragon slayers who says the dragon born could not be a uniter?

For the record, I was fully behind Fallout 3's ending. While Broken Steel allowed me continue on, I felt it cheapened the Lone Wanderer's sacrifice.

Now that I have that out of the way, I wouldn't be surprised if the Thalmor were involved in DLC in one form or another. I'm still holding out for Orsinium and the surrounding areas being the main expansion, personally.

Yep I believe that the blades could be reformed, in both senses, like their purpose could be reformed whether the player or not. Basically the Blades have two purposes: to kill dragons when there are dragons, and to act as the Emperor's (Dragonborn Emperor, Akatosh's bloodline, basically you the Dovahkiin) bodyguard when there are none. It's not mandate of theirs per se, but it's what they've done historically.

I think the DLC would basically involve, uniting Skyrim so the war ends, the Stormcloaks would join up with the Imperials and the Blades, being led by the Dragonborn, and they would all agree that the Thalmor need a serious asskicking. Despite their location in Tamriel. It would be epic, like Ysgramor's exodus when he led the 500 companions. I think it'd be a perfectly fitting ending for the Dragonborn's story honestly.




Maybe you're right. But sometimes I like some ham, especially epic ham. There have been great heroes in the past of ES, Pelinal and Tiber-Septim, and I believe that the Dragonborn is intended as a hero of the same kind of proportions, and I think to achieve that kind of proportion he'd have to do something historically pretty significant. Wiping out a race has been done before, not that I think wiping out an entire useful baddie faction which can be used later is a good idea, but the Thalmor definitely deserve a bit of a kicking at the very least.

I'd like to see dlc based on any of these: Akavir, Dwenmer, Falmer, Deadric, Thalmor, Vigil of Stendar.

Number one thing I want, is a clear plan. I don't really want random w/e locations like Point lookout and Mothership Zeta. I would like it if it was an overarching story like it was from New Vegas' DLCs.

In New Vegas, we explored places, people, and things hinted at or not well developed in the base game.

Dealing with the Thalmor at center stage, who were only a footnote in the base game could be a good choice of DLC.

Or investigating situations with dragons on the run in other lands, where there could be conflict between those who seek to avenge/take the void left by Alduin, and those who genuinely wish to move on and integrate into society for lack of other options.

Things, that could hint at or foreshadow the state of events in the next game.

I dont think a DLC like Vampire vs Werewolf could work. People wanna play their character as they are.. Not everyone is either one of them.. A new war, a new threat, many things work really but, forcing people to side with Vampire or werewolf's do not work.. Cause that would mean you need to turn your character to any of them..

I would like to see a DLC with more joinable groups.. For example Stendarr.. AND with the detail that you can not be a Stendarr AND for example a dark brotherhood member.. Dont mix good vs evil on one character

I think the term you are looking for is "ethical", not "morality".

Is it ethical to charge people for DLCs? People have been arguing for a long time whether DLCs should already be in the main game, instead of forcing us to buy it.

The worst example would be Sims 3. My goodness, expansion after expansion after expansion, plus the online store. All the expansions and items in the online store are (in my opinion) overpriced.

Is it unethical? I would say yes, though many people would disagree with me. Some people are perfectly content to pay US$25 for a virtual mount or pet in WoW. They already pay outrageous amounts of money for a mount that does nothing, so it wouldn't shock me if they paid US$5 for horse armor.

DLCs would have been tolerable for me if they were good value for their money, using the main game as the benchmark. E.g., Skyrim costs US$60, it lasted me 130 hours before I got bored of it, so US$5 DLC should give me 10 hours. But for Dragon Age: Origins, the first DLC that costs US$5 barely lasts some people an hour. That's highway robbery.

So yes I do believe DLCs can be unethical, but not as unethical as US$25 virtual mounts. The way for me to combat this is to not buy them.

Yep thanks for that, ethics is a better word. I used the quotemarks since I didn't really mean morality as such. I'm not saying TH and the team are a bunch of immoral dollar svcking corporates, far from it. They produce great value for money products, and they are virtually the only company I support with pounds sterling anymore.

I feel like i got what i paid for... tenfold. Other games dont have 1/10 of the content but has the same pricetag. And people talk about this game being bugged?.. Go play EA NHL 12 and you'll see bugs.. heck i was unable to complete 79 out of my first 80 games online.. thats an unfinished product..

But back to topic, I would like to see Morrowind version 2011. Maybe some different looks on armours of the same materials so to say. Ex. Leather armour only has 1 look for male and 1 for female.. There was alot of talk about this to hype the game up.. seen none of that. Maybe Leather Armour the elven way? after all if you are going to play your character for hundreds of hours you would want her/him to look ok right?

The Thalmor have little to do with the central plot of the game. The main quest is the return of Alduin and the Dragonborn's destiny to try and stop him. An assault against the Aldmeri Dominion would be a continuation of the Civil War side quest, if that. There's no problem here.

Eh, until I get proof Bethesda sat down and deliberately cut sections of the core game out in order to sell it to the public as DLC I'm not going to consider it unethical. You design a game, some things aren't going to be ready by release date and they aren't vital? I can accept that as DLC. You look at player reactions and make some DLC based on that? I am also fine with.


Well Bloodmoon....

But being one of those that would like to see vampire content made available in DLC I usually think of it more as "optional" content. Not something people have to do (just like you don't have to join the mages or thieves or any of that). But at the moment vampire transformations are available and... well, that's it. You don't get any content beyond that really (compare to Morrowind or even Oblivion).

A vampire guild/faction - Great. Questlines that become available when one becomes a vampire - great. Vampire locations/equipment etc? Great.

As to vampires vs werewolves... I'd prefer to leave that to mods. There isn't really any lore justification for it (that I know of), so it would be outside pop-culture flavoring TES lore (Vampire vs. Werewolf, Pirate vs. Ninja etc). If they were competing for resources or something, or just crossing swords (remember quests in past games that had you as a member of faction X messing with faction Y etc) maybe, but dedicated supernatural wars? Really they should be teaming up to take down the questionable "monster" hunter guilds.

not to mention they ruined them once and for all in my eyes the second they came from akvir to hunt dragons (which would make them the biggest idiots of all time, every dragon was killed in akavir). hopefully we can kill off that old fool and the annoying side-kick of his, they went aganst the code of thier order when they told me to kill something and made it worse when they said they wont listen to me untill i do kill it. they desurve retribution from akastosh himself

I can see removing the Thalmor from Skyrim or aiding them as a possible DLC later on; but going off and assaulting them seems a bit ridiculous.

But based on the past, I can almost certainly say that they're probably going to release a daedric realm expansion at some point. Or at least one where a Daedric prince plays a heavy role.

When I heard the Aldmeri Dominion had taken over control of the Empire I was disgusted. I mean look how epic the Empire looked in Oblivion. Now they are running around in pathetic roman costumes, serving under high elves? I just never believed that such a powerful empire could be overthrown by anything, I hope there is a DLC involving the destruction of the Thalmor, because right now I hate their guts. The emperor was weak to have given in to the dominion, it's like Ulfric Stormcloak himself said... the Empire never surrenders. He also said the Empire had already died when they surrendered, and I agree. I say a DLC that downs with the dominion and restores glory to the Empire with a new emperor.

I sure hope we get at least one SI sized expansion but we probably won't.

Yup, I know Beth wouldn't core out some of their game to sell later, that's not their style at all. But what I am getting at is that the main story of the game is a little short, and I don't feel like rectifying that with DLC is the best method to communicate your ethical business standards to your customers. Having said that, an extension of the main story as I see it (cuz I think it's all inter-related) or the civil war storyline as another poster sees it, is the only logical next step for a dlc.

Lastly I do understand about deadlines and such, very much so. I also get that the story of Bethesda games takes a backseat to the real meat and potatoes which is open world exploration, buut I do believe they could create a more satisfying end product for both types of fans by creating a longer vanilla main story. Many new players to the series do not even approach Beth games as open world games, Fallout too for that matter. They approach in a linear way, complete all the storylines and then complain about length. I just feel like they're missing this point which has stared them in the face for awhile.

I would like the things in the base game improved. All of the guild lines in Skyrim were rather lacking in story. Yes, the Radiant quest system is great and all, lets you always have more quests, get more experience and earn more money, but the main story of them was sub-par. Granted, I'm not sure how they would expand on the guild quests while still being compatible with characters that have already completed them, in terms of ascending the ranks. Of course they could always make a Daedric Realm DLC, but when they make it for one prince, we will complain that they didn't make one for another. Unless it's another Shivering Isles, which I doubt they would do.

Now, I'd love venture through Molag Bal's Coldharbour. Wouldn't be hard to write either. You investigate something, Molag Bal traps you in his realm in a cage, you need to escape, and decide along the way whether to save other trapped people at the expense of your health, or some other form of currency or credit, or help torture them or ignore them and get benefits. Eventually, depending on your actions throughout, either help Molag Bal, or fight him. But of course, making a true representation of Coldharbour would most likely change Skyrim's rating to A.

Then there is Hircine's Hunting Grounds with the same basic storyline, but again there is a problem. We've basically already done that, Bloodmoon. I'd like to see Peryite's Pit, but not everyone is as obsessed with Pestilence as me. Vaermina's Quagmire would also be great, constant changes in nightmares. It would be difficult however. I for one would like Quagmire to be unscripted, changing randomly but most likely it would change at quest intervals. If they could get it to work, I'd love to see it.

Quagmire and Coldharbour are my guesses for DLC, although I also suspect that they wouldn't release and expansion called Quagmire, too many people would just start laughing and saying "giggity" every 5 seconds. They'd probably call the expansion Nightmare or something, obviously putting more thought into the name than me.