Hi all,

I have a habit for starting over. I can't find the right time to break away and do side quests that I want to. As soon as I start a new save I feel rushed into the main quest. Following Hadvar he brings me to his family and they ask me to go to Whiterun. That then leads to the Greybeards calling me and I haven't yet ever gone to them. I really want to find the best time to break off and join the College but the sense of urgency makes me feel like I am neglecting these important events.

My question is (without spoiling anything for me ) if I go to the greybeards to continue the main quest am I going to feel like I need to follow it through or after I talk to them is there time for me to go do what I want and not feel like the world will tremble if I take time to join the College or Companions?

You have all the time in the world. Heck, you can walk past Riverwood and head straight for the College if you want.

uhh the main quest feels urgent but yeah you will feel that way there are a few times where you can break off but those times are few and you might see those times differently then I do If I was you just don't do the quest up to the graybeards but do the quest in whiterun

you don't even have to follow hadvar TO riverwood , the moment you get out of the cave if you like just leave and go off on your own

All the questlines seems to be like this. "Go there AT ONCE!" with my first character I took a loooong break between seeing the Greybeards and getting the horn.

I don't know how much you RP, but I do, and have started to pretend that people set a date, or just tell me to relax. "Get the horn for us, but take your time." "Meet me in Riverwood in two weeks." and so on. Then I feel like, ok, now I have a couple of days free here, I can do this sidequest or just exploring.

I go to Whiterun to tell the Jarl about the attack on Helgen, because that seems like the decent thing to do under the circumstances. Then he has me talk to his wizard, Farengar, who wants me to go fetch some big heavy stone tablet out of a barrow for him. He's incredibly rude and condescending so I pretty much decide right then and there that I will not be rushing off to do his bidding.

Sometimes my character has plans that take her far away from Whiterun for a while, sometimes my character stays in Whiterun indefinitely to make some coin and get some training and experience before heading out into the world. Either way I don't bother fetching that tablet until I'm good and ready, usually about the time that my involvement in the CW finally sends me back to Dragonsreach and I suddenly "remember" about that business with the wizard and Bleak Falls Barrow.

The MQ is split into three acts:

Unbound-A Blade in The Dark,
Diplomatic Immunity-Alduin's Bane
The Fallen-Epilogue

They are quit big chunks of time if you want to do one whole act, then do sides. If I'm playing a dragonborn character, I wil usually get settled in a guild before making my way up the 7000 steps in the middle of Act 1. In Act 2, after Aldin's Wall and before Throat of the world is anothe good point to split an act up. If I plan on ending the game with the MQ, I try to get everything else I want to do be done before The World Eater's Eyrie.

Hi all,

I appreciate the responses. Thanks a ton! I will either not follow anyone to Riverwood or fetch the tablet until I am ready.

I got a question concerning this issue. If I complete the MQ, do the dragon attacks stop?

No. They keep spawning unless you use a mod to correct this to your liking.

As far as functionality goes. You can basically ignore the mainquest for in-game years if you want. Even if someone says "hurry over to such and such" it is fine to completely ignore it as long as you want and pick it up later. Dragons dont even start attacking until you kill the one thats attacking the watchtower. So if you dont want to fight dragons, then you dont have to. But there are perks to getting that quest out of the way. Just like the rest of them. You will never really miss anything by being too late for the most part. (If you complete certain quests before others it may be impossible to complete the others)

For me I always go with Ralof because I really have a NEED to kill that biatch of a Captain that sent me to the block "just because". Then, if the particular character I'm playing doesn't want to pursue the entire MQ right away I usually follow Ralof to Riverwood, get the quest from Gerdur to go to Whiterun. I'll go to the Jarl and talk to him, but as soon as he says Irileth was right I exit the dialog while the steward and the Jarl argue. This results in Irileth sending troops to Riverwood, but doesn't advance the quest further. From that point on I just stay away from the Jarl and I have free access to Whiterun with all its little sidequests and the rest of Skyrim.

Give that a try if you decide to make a new character! Cheers!

The urgency is all in your mind. Relax. Play at the pace you want. I don't think there are any quests that just expire--although the completion of some cuts off others.

IF I start the MQ right away and I don't alway's. MY favorite place to stop is right after I fight the Dragon with Delphine. Because she kinda say's.... meet me in Riverwood.... and I take that as "when you can" because she has to do somethings and get others in order. I alway's have to go back to the Greybeards, but it never feel's like it's a big rush to get back to them and their is plenty to do along the way.

I like haveing dragon's with most of my characters, so I go further than nesassary in the MQ. Now when I don't want dragon's either I don't go into Riverwood at all, or I go tell the Jarl about the dragon's and exit the conversation as another poster does, Riverwood is covered, and i can do as I like. My "hunter" character 115hr's has only ever seen one Dragon. After exiting the cave out of Helgen she hasn't done any quests, hunts and explores.

start some so you can kill dragons

Yes, if you don't deliver the Dragonstone to Farengar there will spawn no dragons at all! Not sure if this is the case with the skeletal one in Labyrinthian or the dragon in Blackreach.

The downside is that you won't be able to use any shouts, note that this is on console versions. On PC you can just add souls with the console and off you go.

I like to take a break from the MQ right after getting the horn back from Delphine. Easy to rp a character who's mad enough to storm out on her especially if that character made the mistake of taking Lydia along to get the horn.

Usually, I get the Thane of Whiterun (to get a nice starter house) and never answer the Greybeards' call. But if you follow Hadvar until after the black dragon flies away, one of the first things he says is "It's probably best if we split up. Good luck." That's the perfect time to leave.
On a semi-related note, a good time to quit the main quest is right after Delphine leaves for Kynesgrove. No dragon attacks until you resume.

Provided you stay away from lairs and guarded outdoor word walls. There will be dragons at those locations after you kill the first one in Whiterun, and they will come after you if you get too close and are spotted. You just don't get the random dragons dropping in from out of the blue (or so I've heard).

First and foremost, avoid having one character who does everything.
I always run 4 different builds . Each has a purpose and each is enjoyable for different reasons. Though no one character will do and see everything, I get to experience the entire game through each. And only one of my characters did the MQ. One followed Ralof and reported to Whiterun but has never, and will never, visit Bleak Falls Barrow. The other two simply beat feet right after Helgen, with one who headed for Riften whilst the other walked to Winterhold.

It's YOUR game, so play it as you choose. I choose to create different characters based on questlines.
Sparse out the duties and interests and you'll always have a character ready to suit your current mood.
And not one will ever make you feel rushed.
One person's opinion.

Great suggestion! I can just exit that dialog and then I fulfilled my part for the time being.


Haha true


Another great idea. I can just wait on getting the Dragonstone.


That is what is so great about these games, you can play them the way you want.

That's exactly what I do, well not to the college but you see my point.

I hate dragons and avoid the main quest as much as possible.

there's a dragon in blackreach?

Yes and if you want to know how to find him