Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Is it more important for a TES game to have more/better faction content or more/better main quest content? If you had to choose a TES with no factions or no main quest which would it be?

Personally I feel factions are more important as they provide content appropriate for multiple character styles while the main quest almost requires a sort of generic hero and "chosen one" character. Morrowind so far is the only TES that made it easy to ignore the main quest and was a better game for it - even though the main questline and story was IMO better in Morrowind than Oblivion or Skyrim.

Edit: I realize I'm in Skyrim and not TES general, but I'm mostly trying to get at how much of an issue Skyrim's more limited factions was for other players.

I'd say factions. Considering net gameplay, they potentially provide more hours of entertainment and also cater to a wider range of players and play styles.

Personally, I think the game could have no Main Quest content and I would be happy. The unfortunate truth in most cases is that anything that isn't "Main Quest" just means it is trivial or poorly implemented. There usually is nothing that makes it special. It really has nothing to do with storyline differences. Some, or most, side quests are far more intriguing than the main quest. I agree, factions should have been a bigger focus.

Honestly the factions are pretty weak.
Wearing storm cloak armor does not agro imperials, and vice versa. Nor do they help you if you wear "their" armor. I think FO:NV had a superior faction system, with more variable and interesting factions. Also the fact that your dealings with the factions impacted the ending of the game made it feel like your actions actually mattered.

If not more important then just as important. Thats why I am dissapointed that more effort was not put into the mage guild. I loved the whole, young mage learning the ropes theme the guild had, however only 1 class? And my rise to the top was too fast. The quest line needed more classes, more learning, and more researching for the location of magic sercrets and items etc

I agree with that, I wish they made the faction questlines longer.

I agree with this ho le shizzle the mage quest line was so small

I agree with the part about the factions, regarding the ignoring the main quest it was just as easy for me to ignore OB and SK's MQ as it was to ignore MWs. MW's main quest was better because it was easier to tell using the texted based dialoge system.

I'd agree with your statement. I only played the main story just to say I played it. I didn't play the MQ in Oblivion for about two years as I didn't care or find a character worth doing it. I'd like to see a more open TES where there is no MQ but all the side factions and quest you do determine what the overall out come is.