I'm happy with combat and character development but i am finding myself in a massive mess with multiple quests all over the place?

Some of these quests i really dont want to do 'i.e fetch so & so a pair of socks etc'.

I think there are about 240 quests and and 150 dungeons, how is everyone approaching this.

I want a full skyrim experience without looking under every rock.

I have thought about simply clearing out all the dungeons whilst progressing the main quest at a steady pace.

Any thoughts?

It's a bit daunting. I tend to keep all the quests active then take a look at the world map to see which ones are closest to me and tackle them first. When I played Oblivion I used to follow the compass to locations of note to see what's there but in Skyrim it seems you get sent to them all via quests anyway.

I'm quite happy 'clearing' one big area at a time, the quest log doesn't get quite so cluttered that way.

Pick one two guilds at most, that suit that character. Leave the others for a different character.

Don't view your quest log as a list of things you simply have to do. The game is to be played, not won, beaten of completed. Instead look at it as a list of things people want you to do, whether you actually do them or not is up to you.

Don't think you have to go everywhere, and explore every dungeon. Again, as with the factions, no harm in leaving a few surprises for another character.

This is pretty much my recomendation as well...

I play a Redgusrd Thief... and I aproach the world from that perspective... oh what? an NPC's son has been kidnapped and they need a hero? Sorry wrong guy... good luck with that. Being from Hammerfell and a self centerd guy I dont like the Imperials and dont care about the Nords... I'm in it for me....

So.. yeah my suggestion would be to aproach the game from a narritive perspective... starting with your character.

I take it a chunk at a time. I do a little bit with one character, a little bit with another character. I don't try to do everything with one character. Eventually I get around to just about everything in the game.

And by the time I finish doing all that, it's time for the next game!

Head-on with a battleaxe, like a true nord should.

I usually pick up several quest in 1 city/village and than do the fast travel thing to fetch them and complete them upon returning.

Like i did yesterday with my new playthrough, accepted 5 or 6 misc quest in Whiterun and finsih them in the fastest way possible.

I second that...

Don't look to "do everything" or you will be overwhelmed and possibly get a little bored once you hit 30+. Don't do all faction quest lines with one character, and try and develop a story or role for your char to play which focuses u thru out the game world and helps to bypass or ignore some quest lines .

I activate all quest markers and usualy look for a path between two cities (preferably starting with where I am) that is covered with biggest number of quests in order to sell loot at destination or store at player house. I also plan in advance if posible 2 or 3 routes like this each statring whre the last one left me. If not posible what I described I go for an area with most markers grouped or do another main story quest or go for one for a guild I wish to finish.
I don't mind if they are just fetch quest...in the end is just another dungeon to explore, but I don't care where I have to return it (not for those, not for more important quests)...I just do that when my method takes me to where the quest finishes.

If you go into the same dungeon at a different lvl, the dungeon itself is the same, but the loot and the enemies you run into are different. So they can be done again and they will play out different, unless you go into them at the same lvl. IE I went in to a dungeon with my "test" char ( almost a battle mage type) hit a certian spot in the dungeon...2 restless draguer, Wright and a Deathlord. 2nd char went through 15 lvl's lower, only the restless draguer was their. And that wasn't even the end of the dungeon. It made a big difference.

BTW I turn off all quest maker's but the one or two I am doing at that time. I limit my fast travel and never fast travel into a city, alway's the stables or some nearby point.

I make all quests inactive, then mark one that I want to finish now and go for it until I finish the quest. Then I pick another from the list and do the same. Sometimes I end up accumulating more quests while travelling from place to place during the quests, but I stick to that method and the game keeps me fed with things to do while I keep entertained with loads of things to do.

I take a random city, a random direction, and walk straight forward fighting any dungeons and quests that come by.

I do many of the quests I find and on the way to complete them I sometimes stop by caves and dungeons.

I also go out of my way to discover any location I find because I like to fill up my map.

I treat it like real life once it dawned on me how big Skyrim was. I don`t try to take everything in at once. Too many people let themselves get overwhelmed because they try to eat the proverbial chocolate bar in one go and start to choke! That`s the worse way to do it. Take a random quest job you like the sound of and explore as you go along the way (You can say no to many jobs). Seriously, things will often bump into to you to give you more to do. I advise not Fast travelling for the real journey.

But take it easy and be in for the long haul.

^ This man gets what life is all about

Like someone else mentioned, do the quests related to your character (thieve's guild for roguish types, mage college for casters etc...) If you side with the stormcloaks, focus on the part of the game world centered around Windhelm, if you side with the empire focus on the Solitude side. Refuse quests that your character would morally object to or does not fit in his mindset.

My first character was a rogue/hunter type and I never obtained a horse, never got married or did the Companions or Mage College quests because they were not his kind of thing.

It's all about immersing yourself into the character, this is where you get the most enjoyment from IMO.

That's one of my main gripes with the game - it feels like I'm at work organizing my staff's workload and assignments as opposed to playing something I should be enjoying.

At first, I talked to everybody and ended up with a HUGE "To Do" List. It was rather overwhelming at first. I decided to start at the bottom of my list and knock out a few side quests, but I followed the main quest primarily.

On my following characters, I usually pick ONE guild and focus on that first. Then I do a few side quests here and there. Plus, I figure out what my objectives are. Like my Assassin went straight for the Dark Brotherhood and she is also the one to gather all the Daedric Artifacts. My Thief went straight to Riften and joined the Thieves Guild, plus she focused on the Riften side quests.

Once you have a focus and you know what sort of character you are playing, Skyrim won't appear that big. Plus, you will come across various locations on your travels and it doesn't hurt to take a break and just go dungeon diving for a bit.

I usually just wonder around till I feel like my quest log is getting cluttered, then just start at the top and work down. When I get bored of the Line quests, I'll jump down to the Misc section and run a few of those. They're usually shorter, and good if you're just looking to run around in the wild. Eventually I'll get tired of picking flowers or fetching socks and will return to the main list. It helps if you only talk to people (outside of quest requirements) in one city at a time. Another good way I've found is to forgo fast travel and use a horse when you can afford them. They inevitably die half way through where-ever you're going, there-by forcing you to walk the other half, and you usually find something of interest to side track you before you get where you were originally headed.

that's interesting you say that because i love doing that in fallout3/vegas and other elderscrolls, but, in skyrim i am finding that method to not work.

with skyrim, i feel very forced to strictly roleplay because so much of the gameplay is weak. if i just start roaming i get very bored and detached from my character and the game. it starts becoming a grind and, simply, meaningless.

now, depending on my character i start with 1-2 towns and explore the immediate surroundings and travel/do quests, etc. then, i expand and move on.

I'm thinking who my character will be before starting the game.

I'm even playing with a character that isn't interested in exploring at all.

Ask your mom...

In all seriousness you can approach it in whatever way you want. It still is a toss up for a gentle bit of touch or a raging bout of 'sword' wielding.

Okay in all Seriousness for real this time.

Having several characters is a good start. But having one you are dedicated to is another. Just wander about and try to get IN the world. I find doing multiple quests in whatever areas I happen to be going in to help. Check whats around you. Oh I wander if I can slay that troll and get those Nirnroots on my way to saving that person.

Give up the notion that you have to do everything. It's more fun to do what comes naturally to a character. Give up the notion that you need the best of the best... it's more fun to play with what comes to your character naturally. So create a person. Create goals for him. My next character is going to be an orc interested in finding which Skyrim hold would be best to settle down in and find his place in the world. Finding out he's dragonborn is going to make it interesting, but not his total destiny. I've not decided prematurely what side of the civil war he'll be on, or anything like that... just let him be him and he'll take me through his story.

Pretty much the same as a lot of you here, although I've only been playing for a couple of weeks. I get what quests I have from the local town and go do those, and pay attention when I'm near to the spot for the main quest. I have done some Companion quests, and lots of Whiterun quests. I've been up to High Hothgar and am progressing nicely through the main quest. I gather all sorts of stuff along the way and make sure to level my Smithing.

I haven't even been off to Join the Legion yet, but that's my next task. I'm level 10.

Cheers.

I'm almost 75 hours in and lv 41, and I have yet to visit any of the major cities besides Whiterun. I've finished the Companions questline, and have been doing bounty quests, along with a few others that I picked up from talking to people. I haven't been to High Hrothgar yet or started the Civil War questline.

If I was going everywhere, picking up quests, I'd feel quite overwhelmed, and would have a mess of quests to sort through.

Don't be in such a hurry to get everything done. If you prefer doing everything with one character, then just do quests in one hold at a time.

Skyrim isn't a game that you beat, rather one that you experience. Pace yourself and "finish" the game, whenever that time may happen, if it happens.