I've just finished the trip from Sovnguard (sorry if I spell these places wrong) and killed Alduin. And at the end of this I have a couple gripes. I'm not debating the ability of Bethesda's design when it comes to their games. They are the best in the world at what they do. So don't read this and think I'm bashing them at any point. I simply was left unsatisfied when I saved the entire World from being destroyed. Also, I just finished this part, I don't know if there is a continuation so the below may be unwarranted. But I was not prompted to do anything else after this point so I assume I've finished the main story quest.

Firstly - I travelled into the land of fallen soldiers to kill Alduin the same way I killed a Skeever or a Troll. I hit Elemental Fury, equip two daggers, and hacked Alduin to death. Pretty unsatisfying. I've Fought bears and sabre cats several times harder than this. I would have appreciated somthing more than shout clear skies 3 times and PWN Alduin with a stick.

Secondly - I chose NOT to kill Parthunax. I personally believe that he was responsible for guiding the Dragonborn to saving the world. Even though Parthunax lead Alduin's army against the humans, I feel as if he had redeemed himself. Now, that aside, I cannot express that in the game to Delphine. As such, I'm a criminal with the Blades. After I lead them to accessing Skyhaven temple (they wouldn't have even gotten there without the dragonborn) I cannot take anything in the temple. You save the world and still it isn't enough for Delphine to take your opinion? I'm not welcome in Skyhaven temple? What the hell? I wanted to slap Delphine and say "Your not welcome in MY temple GTFO!". At that point I took out my blade and tried to kill them both. They also seemed corrupt, and I personally did not want the blades in the world to control things behind the scenes. So I felt they needed to die. But low and behold, they are immortal.

I give kudo's to Bethesda for making a game where I can become immersed like this. But I hate the fact that I cannot do anything. The side quests in the game are more satisfying than the main quest. The world leaders don't even care that I killed Alduin. I was not prompted to go report my Triumph to the world. And there was no gratification after doing so. As such, I've dropped the game entirely. I just don't see the point in playing, because saving the world is not worth anything. Alduin didn't even drop anything. Why do any other quest with that character? I may make a character and forego the entire main quest arc. No shouts, just a character doing quests in the world.

Anyways. In the end I was just disappointed. And I wanted to share this opinion to see what others thought. Again I'm not debating this, nor am I bashing Bethesda. I have a collection of books in my house in Whiterun, and I've read most of them. Bethesda is the best, hands down, at creating believable worlds. They go to no lengths when it comes to design. Which I guess in this aspect played against them for me, this time around, as I've described above.

Thanks for reading.

I have a feeling that the reason some NPCs are essential after we seem to be done with them (ie TG and Black-Briars) is because Bethesda may have plans for them in expansions. If not, then yeah, it's kinda' lame that we can't kill them.

Some NPCs stay essential due to Bethesda's plans of having them in the lore.

Anyways. I personally love the Main Storyline in Skyrim but it needs to be longer.

Sovngarde ftw!

One way this can be looked at it is that no one else knows what is really going on with Alduin and the potential end of the world. Yes they have bits and piece with the return of the dragons and the summons of the Greybeards and some people know or think they know what is happening but when it comes down to it no one else knows as much as you as the main character do. You're the one doing all the main quests that reveal the central story line of the game, other characters play small or occasionally larger roles in it but no one else has the full picture to understand the WHYs of the main quest rather than what actually happens. Because of this, there is no big reward or end celebration that "yay we won" because the real reward for you and indeed everyone the entire world over is more along the lines of "yay, we're not all dead/non-existant as the world has ended" even if no one really knows how close it was to being over.

If you talk to guardsmen in Whiterun after you trap Odahviing and release him, they'll remark with things like "is it really true, you trapped a dragon... and let it go? why? why would you do such a thing??" and so on. Even in the very city it happened in, no one really knows exactly what happened and they certainly don't know why you did what you did in that quest. There's no Internet or 24/7 cable news channels to have cameras and reporters watching and letting people know every little detail of what the Jarl is up to these days and boy did he actually have one of those winged monsters trapped on his front porch that burned Mary Sue and Uncle Joe to a crisp 2.1 miles outside of Rorrikstead last Tuesday at 3:47 PM in the afternoon??? The Elder Council had better launch a fact-finding inquiry to make sure our tax septiums are being spent wisely... yeah, that isn't the reality of this game universe.

Stopping Alduin in Sovngarde, where by the way you aren't even on the planet / alive / in existance at that moment as far as the real world is concerned seeing as you're in the Nord version of the afterlife, isn't about getting some grand material reward or a great loot drop or the glowing accolades of the common man for allowing my very existance to continue. What your victory in the final main quest means on a basic level is that the world continues to exist as it does even if most of the world will never even know of let alone understand most of what you've done and why you did it.

The ending for this game was intentionally somewhat more vague and less certain in that aspect than in previous Elder Scrolls games for whatever reason you care to speculate on - future full ES game hooks or DLC hooks for this game, or whatever. I actually kind of like it that you're obviously the Chosen One again and yet this time you're a somewhat unknown one even at the end of the story.

My 2 septiums on the matter, take it or leave it I suppose.

I never understood the whole Blades vs Paarthurnax thing. If a human squishes some ants, big deal! We humans feel we are the dominant species, and surely the dragons thought so back then? They probably didn't think of us as moral and rational beings. Would anyone try to get a 70 year old main thrown in jail or executed because he killed lesser creatures when he was young? I'm bringing real life here, but when I was 6, I brutally ended the life of a robin in front of its mother. It was horrifying thinking back to it now, but should that honestly be held against me today? I'm not the same person I was when I was 6.

Alduin really was weak, it was so anti climactic for a fight that was supposed to be of legend! Delphine and Esbern really have their priorities mixed up. Would they refuse Uriel the 7th because of something he decided not to do? No, because it's not their place. Delphine and Esbern grew arrogant and stubborn in their old age.

At least Beth did a good job painting the Blades as a bunch of losers.

I know, right? Why can't we get an Expert level Illusion spell for that?

Not the same...you're probably worse...you might want to get that checked out.

lol...

Eh I wont go into the debate over whos right between the blades and paar, time will tell. BUT as far as the temple, thats not urs, thats the blades. It was an old blades temple hideout thingie in the past and if u decide to side against the blades, welll thats their place. It has the seal because they built the wall in a protected area, because it was part of ghe blades job to show the dragonborn the profesy. That was it, now the past blades figured that when the dragonborn came back that he would lead them onto ridding the world of dragons....u decided otherwise. It was ur blood that got everyone in because it was protected only suppose to open in the dragonborns time of need. That way it couldnt get demolished or destroyed by unknown sourses. But it was and since the blades are still kicking, is the blades hideout. Not urs if u decide not to go with the blades. The blades did their part by giving u info and showing u the wall, after thats been done then the blades have the rigjt to reuse the temple for a base and records and pretty much all the info u need. They held up their end, and if they dont get the dragonborn at least they have a safe haven to start rebuilding to start atkimg dragons again.

Not going to quote anyone but in response:

If the World is Ending, there isn't any urgency at all. You can literally do "x" amount of quests until you go after Alduin. So the reward of self-gratification is a hard one for me to take up (the fact that YOU stopped the World from ending). Although it was a good point mentioned above.

I just feel as if the last bits of this Main Quest were rushed. It is kind of odd how the Quest prompt's just abruptly end when you leave Sovnguard. And I guess I'm a looter, because I really would have liked some sort of "thing" from doing all that.

I realized the Blades Temple is for the Blades... It's just that after doing what even Delphine and Esbern thought was impossible (stopping Alduin, they even said they didn't expect it would have been done) they still don't take your opinion to not kill Parthunax. It is just frustrating in the RP of the game.

Another odd thing is that (sure there is no TV/NEWS in Skyrim) but you cannot even tell anyone that you've ended Alduin. Just The Grey Beards, the Blades, and Parthunax. None of the world leaders really recognize the fact you did what you did. I think the Yarl of Whiterun says a bit about it. Again, doesn't seem to matter you saved the World.

So in the end. As the Dragonborn. Your no better than anyone else. At least in Oblivion, after closing all them gates, you got stuff. Recognition, fame, loot, etc.

As Dragonborn, you get a new shout at the end of everything. And that shout isn't even special. I may as well just bypassed the entire main story quest after getting Fus from the first dragon (from that point dragons spawn).

So like I said, just disappointing. I understand others had fun with it and that's cool, but I just can't swing it that way.

I have to agree that the Main Quest is a huge downer and Alduin as well. Only good part about the main quest is Blackreach. Esbern has to be one of the worst characters that Beth has ever created and they wasted Max Von Sydow's talent.

Dafuq? why would you brutally murder a robin?

Blackreach was awesome. The multiple dragon battles were fun. I wish the Draugr had more than that annoying Fus shout though. Hearing "Fus...... ROKA!!!" got very old, very fast....

Yeah, I would've liked some kind of trophy. Even for being named Thanes we get specially-named weapons.

Technically you can only "murder" another human, but the most disturbing part is the age: 6. That's some Damien Thorn $*** right there.