Game-play wise, for my second playthough, I didn't have to touch Alduin at all. He was defeated by the three heroes and Tsun who decided to get involved. Well I did have to hit Alduin once because everybody else just stopped fighting. And then, Alduin’s soul was not absorbed, which basically meant that the Dovahkiin didn’t have to actually be in the battle. Anybody could have killed him if they wanted.

Lore:

Well, how about the mist? Apparently it needed four people shouting Clear Skies to be cleared. Though even without the Dovahkiin’s presence, there were five people that we know of in the Hall of Valor that can shout; the three heroes plus Olaf One-Eye, slayer of Numinex and Jurgen Windcaller, founder of the Greybeards. Heck, if you killed him, Ulfric would be there as well.

Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised upon entering Sovngarde you’re greated by an NPC, “Oh the big black dragon. He’s dead. Want some goat meat?”

was wondering tat too. But maybe its prophecised that the dragonborn must kill alduin

The Dovahkin absorbs the souls of the dragons permanently weakening Alduin in the process. If a Dragon dies other way, its soul goes back to old Alduin that can use it afterwards to rise another Dragon. It seems that the act of creating dragons involves Alduin passing onto them a sort of "breath of life", for lack of a better term. Once the dragon dies this energy flows back to him unless captured by a Dovahkin (probably because he's nearer to the dieing dragon than Alduin?). Each time Alduin raises a new dragon some of its energy is depleted like a battery.

In this respect, you can think of Alduin like a giant, living soulgem who stores the energy of creation associated with souls and distribute them to its dragon pets

Yeah, they pretty much dropped the ball here. Not once did I feel Alduin or his dragons were an actual threat to the world. And the actual fights against him felt like beating down a helpless cripple.

Wait, dragons are a threat in Skyrim? I had no idea!

Seriously that's how I feel, sure a dragon flies above you, but, all you need to do is kick back, drink a Seabreeze and watch the town guards deal with it. You absorb the soul, loot the dragon and move on.

While the Dragonborn is needed, it certainly does not give that feel in the game.

Face an Elder dragon at level 15 in unimproved armor and without enchanted weapons and it feels very different.

aye-they should of made it so only a dragonborn could do the "killing move" to ultimatley banish a dragon, not town guards or previous heros-that way there would have to be a dragonborn

A level 15 player has no business going up against a level 40 elder dragon, and that doesn't mean much anyways when I can turn the corner and fight a Draugr Deathlord or bandit chief that puts up a better fight.

Really awesome question if you consider only the Dragons as enemies of Skyrim since we were able to end the menace so well and so conclusively.

If you happen to believe that Skyrim still has enemies when Alduin has been removed from the equation, however...

Look, people. There exists something called mathematics.
Without the Dragonborn: no one alive can touch Alduin; Alduin ressurrects all dragons; result=dragons win.

Getting Alduin into Sovngard was the key, since he can be killed there. Only the DB could force him to flee to Sovngard.
Presumably, Shor decided you deserved the honor of particpipating in Alduins demise.

I heard Alduin and the rest of Skyrim were just putting on a show.
Dovakiin not doing so well, and everyone thought this would be a nice morale boost before it was too late.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz8KPw-u1U0? So thats how the dragons can fly. They know maths.

You know, I really like that idea. And it’s part of the reason why I don’t like the fact that you still have to fight dragons after Alduin is defeated.

What I would have preferred is a set number of dragons that were raised. And once you kill a dragon you get a message like

“Dragon Soul Absorbed, 19 more Dragons exist in Skyrim.”
There should be the same number of dragons in the game as souls needed to unlock every shout, which I think is around 40 something souls needed.

Of course the player needn’t kill every Dragon to face Alduin, something like 10 would suffice.


I wonder if the Dovahkiin was the only one who could force Aludin to Sovngarde? I’m sure a random band of adventurers could wound him enough so he left to Sovngarde to restore his HP.

Though you may be right about Shor decided that no hero would slay Alduin without the Dovahkiin’s presence. I’m sure the Nord’s take kill stealing very seriously