It's almost impossible to avoid playing Skyrim at this point. With over a decade of re-releases, remasters, and ports, it seems as though every gamer must have given the game a go at least once. For those who do give Skyrim a go, they're likely to get immediately hooked on its vast open-world, containing innumerable compelling side quests and interesting things to discover.
Skyrim's outstanding open-world often leads to some players getting a little side-tracked. Although the main questline in Skyrim only takes around 40 hours to beat, a significant proportion of players tend to forego the main quest, instead opting to play out their own fantastical adventure, and leaving the Dragonborn's story behind. However, Skyrim's main quest has a lot more to offer players than they might think, with a story that is steeped in high fantasy tropes that somehow rarely get tiring.
A Brief Overview Of Skyrim's Main Quest
Skyrim takes place two hundred years after the "Oblivion Crisis," in which the Gates of Oblivion briefly opened, and the Daedra began invading the city of Cyrodiil. The year is 4E 201, and the High King of Skyrim has just been murdered by Ulfric Stormcloak.
Ulfric leads a faction of rebel fighters known as the Stormcloaks, who seek to free Skyrim from the rule of the Imperials. However, this civil war is not black and white, with many of Skyrim's populace believing that the Imperials have given Skyrim prosperity, and that the Stormcloaks' supposed purpose is a facade.
With the recent death of the King by Ulfric's hand, the civil war has reached a stalemate, with the Imperial Army having much higher numbers, but the Stormcloaks possessing a stronger will. These recent actions have marked the final event in an Elder Scrolls' prophecy, one which warns of the return of Dragons. It is said that these Dragons will be led by Alduin, the World-Eater. Alduin is considered to be the God of Destruction by the Nordic people, his reappearance heralding the end of the world.
Skyrim opens with the player-character being taken to their own execution, allegedly having been caught by an Imperial ambush when attempting to flee the country. Along with the player-character, a thief named Lokir, and a Stormcloak named Rolof are also in the cart, as is Ulfric Stormcloak himself.
As the player arrives in Helgen, an Imperial settlement, and is about to be executed, Alduin appears and begins to wreak havoc on the town. After a narrow escape from the town, the player must travel to nearby capital city of Whiterun, to warn the Jarl of the return of Dragons.
The player is then tasked with heading to Bleak Falls Barrow, an ancient Nordic ruin, to discover the location of Dragon burial sites around Skyrim. On the way back to Whiterun, the player encounters their first dragon, and defeats it, absorbing its energy in the process. The Jarl of Whiterun exclaims that the player has "The Voice," and says they should seek out the Greybeards, an ancient order residing at the top of High Hrothgar.
After completing some trials, the player-character is taught in the ways of The Voice, and is told that they are the prophesized Dragonborn, the one who will save the world from Alduin's destruction. The Dragonborn sets about finding the Blades, another ancient order, this time who specialized in killing Dragons.
After meeting Delphine, the Dragonborn is tasked with infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy to learn what the Aldmeri Dominion know about the current Dragon threat. The Dragonborn then rescues another member of the Blades, and the team head to the Sky Haven Temple to learn more about Alduin.
The Dragonborn heads off to meet with Paarthurnax, the leader of the Greybeards, and a Dragon who betrayed Alduin during the Great Dragon War. He teaches the Dragonborn other Shouts that will help them to defeat Alduin, but says that the final Shout needed to defeat him is hidden in Blackreach, written on an Elder Scroll.
Upon reaching Blackreach, the Dragonborn discovers the Elder Scroll, and returns back to Paarthurnax who summons Alduin. Together, the Dragonborn and Paarthurnax defeat Alduin, but he escapes to Sovngarde.
After negotiating a peace treaty between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, the Dragonborn uses their resources to trap Alduin's right-hand Dragon, Odahviing, at Dragonsreach. Odahviing agrees to take the Dragonborn to Alduin's lair in Skuldafn if he is granted freedom.
Explaining The Final Quest of Skyrim
The moment the Dragonborn accepts Odahviing's offer, they are taken directly to Skuldafn, landing just outside of the Temple. After a brief skirmish with a Dragon and some Draugr, the Dragonborn enters the Temple. Once inside, the Dragonborn faces a series of challenges, both physical, with more Draugr fights, and mental, with some environmental puzzles.
On the roof of the Skuldafn Temple, the Dragonborn will face off against a Dragon Priest, whose staff is the key to Sovngarde, where Alduin is now hiding. Once the Priest is defeated, his staff is used to open the portal, and the Dragonborn heads through.
Upon arriving in Sovngarde, the Dragonborn encounters a Stormcloak soldier who tells them that the mist in front of them is deadly, and that Alduin uses it to absorb the souls of those who are lost. As the Dragonborn makes their way through the mist, the spirits of those they have killed during their journey appear around them, commenting on their actions.
As the mist clears, the Dragonborn comes face-to-face with the Hall of Valor, which can only be reached by a Whalebone bridge. The bridge is guarded by Tsun, who is said to protect the Hall of Valor from those who are not worthy to enter it. After defeating Tsun in a trial by combat, the Dragonborn is granted access to the Hall.
Inside the Hall, the spirit of Ysgramor, the first King of Skyrim, talks to the Dragonborn, and tasks them with talking to the three heroes of old who once defeated Alduin: Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Felldir the Old, and Hakon One-Eye. Upon speaking to the ancient heroes, they all ready their weapons and head outside, ready to face their final battle with Alduin, the World-Eater.
The Dragonborn and their team uses their shout to dispel the deadly mist, causing Alduin to appear. After a fierce battle, the Dragonborn, and the souls of those before them, defeat Alduin. Following a brief conversation, Tsun sends the Dragonborn back to the mortal plane, teleporting them to the top of High Hrothgar, the Throat of the World.
Here, Paarthurnax greets the Dragonborn, but instead of words of congratulations, the ancient Dragon is melancholy, expressing his sadness that Alduin's desire for power has now led to his death. Odahviing then lands, exclaiming that the Dragonborn is his rightful leader, and that they have now earned his trust. With that, the Dragons all ascend, leaving the Dragonborn alone at the top of the Throat of the World.
Skyrim is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.