It feels like I'm being forced to join ALL the factions/guilds and that I HAVE to use the strategy guide.

I know you don't "have" to finish any particular side-quest.

Point noted.

However, if you're doing a quest for a Word Wall and "have" to use a dragon claw to proceed...is it fair that the claw is a "quest item" for a Mages Guild quest? It's stuck in your inventory until you finish its' related quest if you can even figure out what that quest is.

If you're going through a dungeon and stumble across a...what is it? A strange gem or peculiar gem? Whatever, it looks like loot but it's not - it's a guild joining trap. That slick looking dagger with the cool name...gotcha...want to get rid of it? You have to join a guild. Want higher level training? Right in one, you have to join a guild.

For example...

I'm going through this dungeon, another Word Wall hunt, and stumble across a dead mage I search him and find a dragon claw and a journal. I hesitate on both because I'm leary of becoming entangled in...the stuff that can go on in Skyrim (I just tried to get a man his dog back) and the guild traps. I take a chance assuming it'll be a side quest within the same dungeon which I've also experienced and was willing to do. Two birds one stone and all.

Oh but wait, what looked like a nice fat fastball down the middle of the plate was a change-up.

The quest is to reconstruct an amulet that was broken into three parts. I was a little...surprised...at that but it wasn't so bad, I figured I'd get some loot from the dungeons and maybe learn another Shout in the process. Everything was going fine until I came to the last dungeon...

Key Required: This door is locked and can not be picked

I wasn't too annoyed because I distinctly remembered NOT picking up a big fancy looking key from the corpse of one of the main people involved in the quest so I figured that key opened this door. I went back and got the key...

Key Required: This door is locked and can not be picked

I still wasn't too annoyed because this dungeon, unlike others, looked like an active archaeological site and since I was there in the middle of the night I didn't think much of it. I was curious as to why there were bedrolls but noone was in any of them but again I wasn't thinking too much about it.

In any case, I searched the whole site but found no key or people. I did the only thing I could do - saved the game, closed it out and searched the internet.

What did I discover? In order to gain access I have to join the Mages Guild.

That annoyed me.

Not only does it feel like I'm being nudged to join a guild again how, without an internet search, would I have ever figured that out?

With the gem I at least got a quest marker so I knew where to take it. With the claw and dagger they were just "quest items" and couldn't be stored/sold but there was no, in-game, way to find out what quest they were associated with. It's the same with the door how, in-game, does a player find out about opening the door?

I'm not trying to be critical/sarcastic I'm just asking for comprehension - are you now supposed to pre-read the quests/situations before you do them so you already know the outcomes? Put another way, is using the Strategy Guide the only way you'll know you're about to get svcked into a Thieve's Guild quest, etc?

To me it just feels like freelancing is impossible in Skyrim. I mean, if it's not quest items related to guilds it's locations and when it's not locations it's people. I can understand the Daedric quests being that way but not the guilds. Honestly, it has me hesitant to do anything. I'm trying to freelance and my character doesn't want to join any factions (except the legion later) at all. These "guild traps" are almost game breaking because they lead to...nothing.

Again, I'm not trying to be critical/sarcastic about the strategy guide question. I'm assuming that it's a trade off from adding more voice acting. They can't provide as much detailed information so now a strategy guide is mandatory for playing the game.

They might be guild quests, but none of them will make u suddenly join a guild. For all the guilds it's pretty obvious when ur about to join one.

The other point u had about the strategy guide. Yes u need one if u want to know what everything is right away. Otherwise things will start to slowly open to u as u do quests and eventually join guilds and so on. It's a huge world and personally i think it's nice to return to place you've been before to do other quests, and maybe get some new depth into the dungeon through a new key you've just gotten.

Yes they do. I absolutely have to join the Mages Guild to get access to this dungeon. The "access" is one of the first quests you get after joining the Mages Guild.

See, I don't want to join guilds.

I don't like the fact that I started off seeking a Shout and ended up on a Mage's Guild quest. Now I can't drop any of this crap until I join the Mages Guild and finish the quest.

The real annoying part is that it was "required" for me to use the Mage's Guild quest items in order to get the Shout. If I would've known that before I picked up the claw and those amulet pieces (and all the other quest items forced on you) I wouldn't have done it.

I don't get what the problem is? But to be honest withe the glitches in the game at the moment if you continue cave delving willy nilly you're going to pick up pieces of quest related equipment. Doing this will break some quests as you have the item but the quest giver will refuse to acknowledge you have them, these items will remain in yourunventory, I don't think they take up weight although the menu lists them as having weight though. They just clutter the inventory up.

Joining Guilds is part of the game, what's the big problem? You don't have to complete a lot of the guild quests, but some quests from a guild may have to be completed in order to gain levels and items of weaponry and armour which can be upgraded with smithing and enchanting later as you gain levels and perks. I have an axe which at the moment does 64 ordinary and 28 fire damage which I've had from the start of the game and continually upgraded with smithing.

The problem is, I didn't want to join any guilds and somewhat being trapped/tricked into taking on guild specific quests is...not cool.

I wasn't dungeon diving "willy nilly" In the example in the OP I was sent to the dungeon by the Greybeards to get a shout. In order to actually reach the shout I had to use a claw found on a dead NPC. The claw triggered a Mage's Guild quest and became a "quest item." Now I can't drop the claw.

I'll double check to see if the registered weight is actually added to me or not. That doesn't make a big difference but it would help a little.

The problem is, I didn't want to join any guilds and somewhat being trapped/tricked into taking on guild specific quests is...not cool.

Also, while joining guilds is a part of the game it shouldn't seem mandatory or forced. If/when I want to join a guild I'll join it don't coerce me by sticking me with quest items that can't be dropped.

If there's a dungeon that can only be accessed by a certain guild, fine. However, don't put an item in the dungeon that's needed for a freelance quest. That forces the player to either join the guild or abandon the quest. Why?

I have 3-4 items in my inventory that I picked up while dungeon crawling. When I tried selling them it said "no can do, quest item." You also can't store them in your chest (if you purchased a house.)

So, eventually, I'll get there and use it for what it's designed.

Meanwhile, dungeon crawling continues. And if I have to join a guild to use that quest item, so be it. I had planned to eventually join all the guilds anyway, so what's the big deal?

My miscellanious quest page is going on two pages lol. When I go questing, I take the one at the bottom of the list.

It's interesting to read what some people worry about.

sigh.

While I can understand your frustration I do think it's kind of a minor thing. If you don't join guilds you probably won't have acess to all the shouts in the game etc. It's just something you'll have to learn to live with. I don't like feeling like I have to join a guild in order to have full access to a dungeon, but I more than likely will. I RP it more as a means to an end rather than me actually giving a damn about the guild itself.

You're a freelance adventurer, play the role. You used guilds to further advance your status and wealth in Skyrim.

That's how I do it anyway on my orc. He sides with no one, but if having to form a temporary 'alliance' with a group in order to better his status and personal fortune, so be it. He could care less about the Companions and their dog problems, but they don't know that.

I didn't want to join any guilds. Is is it really that weird?

My character is not a thief so why would I join the Thieve's Guild?

My character is not an attack dog so why would I join the Dark Brotherhood?

My character is not an idiot barbarian looking to hack/slash everything in site so why would I join the Companions? Nor do I want to be a werewolf.

My character doesn't use magic or want to learn about magic so why would I join the Mage's Guild?

I had the same issue with the same quest just yesterday-- my PC is not one for Magic, but was hunting this 'dangerous magical item' to destroy it-- only to find out he had to go join the 'Mages Guild' to access the tomb; it is quite annoying since it can force you to act outside of your character's normal development. However, I agree that RP is a good way around it-- I 'reimagined' the first part of the MG Quest line as my Character being a hired strong-arm incase of unexpected dangers, so he was 'not really' joining the guild, just going along and helping out

Yes to both questions, sadly. At present, all you can do is ignore these "guild traps". In due course there will probably be mods that address all these issues.

It svcks, I know, but at least you can take solace in the fact that there are only a handful of these "guild traps".

OK, thanks! That's what I wanted to know.

A "handfull?" OK then, in one playthrough I got stuck with the Ruby Claw in this one it was the Ivory one. I managed to avoid Kahvozein's(sp) Fang this time but it was feeling like more than a handfull.

Fair enough - several handfuls!

I agree with this, as it happens. I think it's a very strange design decision by Bethesda to "encourage" (I don't want to say "force", because it doesn't really) you to join all 4 guilds with one character. From my perspective, doing that makes absolutely no sense. It strikes me that the Dark Brotherhood wouldn't be joined by any character on the "lawful" or even the "good" side of the D&D alignment spectrum; the College obviously wouldn't be joined by anyone who isn't a mage (i.e. roughly 2/3 of all characters), and it makes very little sense to me to have someone join the Companions and the Thieves' Guild with the same character.

I was very surprised, and a bit disappointed, to discover that I had to join the College to enter Saarthal (the amulet quest you refer to in the OP). I'd have thought it would be far easier to either make that College or amulet quest take place in a different dungeon, or make it so you could access the amulet part of the dungeon without needing the key from the College (but leave the College-quest-related part inaccessible without the key).

I also took the "unusual gem" bait - so my main character, who's primarily a warrior (with a bit of magic), abhors sneaking and has all the subtlety of your average brick, is stuck with a gem that he'll never use because he'll never join the Thieves' Guild. Not only for RP purposes, but because it just makes no sense to me for a lumbering brute of a heavy-battlemage to become a sneaky thief.

For most factions if not all you have to FIRST get a quest from a high ranking member to join sort of an initiation test. AN ITEM you pick up will not join you to a faction that is plain silly..
If you see an ornate door, stones with carvings or anything similar you can guarentee its more likely a puzzle and that there is an item you need on the ground/a thing you have to kill OR you have to play tic tac toe to get the answer

In the mage quest at the Saarthal ruins...at the very end the last baddie drops a nice staff that is more useful than the one you get when you finish and return to the college. That nice staff doesnt lead to anything what so ever except making you look sixy and annoying Auncon? (is that his name gosh he is annoying).

I have never been forced to do anything and Im loving doing the go anywhere do anything style. It suits me to a tee

Those things don't bug me, I'm a completionist. I do everything anyway. Though it does seem like folks are upset for seemingly pointless reasons. Generally more things to do in a game are good, I'm always sad that there's not enough to do but around here people seem to not want to do anything. Or that they just want to have the choice not to do it, even though they probably will anyway. It's not like any of the factions conflict with each other, you're not screwing yourself out of anything substantial by doing them all.

I know, it's about that choice it seems. The freedom to do nothing in a world that allows you to do anything.

I never said that.

I have a "quest item" that can't be disposed of until I complete its' related quest. In order to complete/receive the quest I HAVE to join the specific guild.

The issue is the inability to get rid of the item. I had no intention of joining ANY guilds whatsoever so why am I stuck with this item?

A "nice staff?" To my PC that's an oxymoron. There is no such thing as a "nice staff" because he abhors all things magical. The prospect of a "magical" reward wouldn't move him in the slightest.

Unless it's worth a lot...he likes expensive magical things that he can trade for a lot of septims.

Almost.

You're not doing "nothing," IMO, you're freelancing. You can play how you want go where you want do it how you want WITHOUT constanlty being saddled with quests/items that can ONLY be resolved if you join a guild.

Everyone doesn't like their Pizza with the works.

Some people don't want to do everything with one character. They only want to do things that make sense for their characters.

It's kind of like... they want to role-play in a role-playing game. What a concept!

It does seem like it's a weird concept doesn't it?

PACHO Im not saying you should get that staff...and I really have no idea what youre trying to say there but I was trying to show that you can pick up named items and nothing happens...you DONT get magically joined to a faction/guild. It can only happen as the result of a deliberate or conscious effort to do so by a player.

The mages guild is probably the worst entity for "locking" locations. There's 2 or 3 dragon shouts, and at least 1 side quest which are permanently unfinishable unless you do their story arc.

No need for the attitude friend, that's still not a problem with the game. Sure they could have done it differently but really it doesn't break the game. It's unfortunate that you can't pretend your character is exactly who you want them to be but there's nothing you can do about that now.

At least not until the construction set comes out.

What you seem to not fully realize is that you have to already be in the Mage's Guild to even get into the dugeon.

In order for me to complete a quest totally and completely unrelated to the Mage's Guild...I have to join the Mage's Guild.

That is the problem.

Regardless of the reason, I don't like being coerced into joining a guild. Period. If/when I want to join a guild I'll do it.

Like someone else said, make the Mage's part sealed but at least give access to the other part for other people. The WHOLE dungeon is sealed.

I'll ask again, why do I HAVE to join the Mage's Guild to complete a side-quest that doesn't have anything to do with the Mage's Guild?

EDIT:
Also, I never said the "item" makes you a member. However, in order to get the item out of your inventory you HAVE to join the guild and complete the related quest. Until then you have this claw, piece of amulet, note, etc stuck in your inventory.

Maybe you're the type that runs around with a bunch of stuff in your inventory, fine. Do you.

I don't want to. I especially don't want crap that can only be disposed of by joining a guild. Side-quests, I can deal with those but guild quests? That crosses a PC line.

This is a non-issue, except insofar as picking up some quest items before you recieve the quest can break the Radiant Story for some factions.

There is one way, and one way only, to do all of the main content in this game on one character and that is to join all of the Guilds... and even then you can't do everything and will need to work on at least a second character. The simple, and unavoidable, fact is that there are a limited number of locations and an unlimted number of quests. You don't even have access to most Radiant Stories until you start a faction's questline. Hell, there is at least one dungeon I can think of off the top of my head that is the target of a Random World Quest (gained by reading a fairly common book), a Side Quest (which relies on you completing part of the Main Quest to progress beyond the initial stage), a Jarl's Quest (maybe Townsperson, can't remember) and at least one Radiant Quest.

I don't get why we couldn't gain entry to these places another way, like doing a quest for the mages guild (Without joinning) or just outright killing someone who has a key. Options.