Staying neutral

[76561198339959406]

I am trying to stay out of the civil war quest line if possible as I really dont want to join either side is there any advantage to joining either imperial or stormcloak ? I am currently a level 55 Khajiit in skyrim remastered . Can the game be finished without joining either side ? I am playing using no mods of any kind only using the occasional console command on my PC when needed like reviving a dead NPC to finish a quest if required.

[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

Yes, the war is optional.

[JDaremo Fireheart]

reviving the dead isn't always the best thing to do. the game may and will almost always still see them as dead and it most often will corrupt your game.

[76561198339959406]

Thanks for warning about reviving the dead I didnt know it can corrupt the game and also for the war info as well I don't think I will join either side in the civil war

[avenger]

By one hand, choosing a side forfeits the other side's quest line. By the other hand, not choosing any side effectively forfeits both sides' quests.

What I'm thinking it to play the most I can and maybe unlock every quest before I create a save point then play the Stormcloaks side, reload it and play the imperial side.

But that's a little "lore-unfriendly". Immersion could be best enjoyed if I chose a side and lived my player's role with it. hehe That's been a dillema to me all time I played skyrim! I read about the fight for Whiterun everywhere and I still didn't do it!.. :/

I think whiterun is the most affected part of the game depending on which side you take. And not taking any side, is like whiterun is "stuck in time", maybe. :/

[76561198339959406]

You make a valid point avenger by not choosing a side I foreit the quests for both imperial and stormcloak however at the present time I am enjoying staying neutral as I play out this khajiit warrior of mine. I still have many quests to do as of yet as I am only level 56 .If I had to choose sides at the present time I would probably side with the imperials as I prefer whiterun to sell any collected items I wish to sell to various vendors . I seem to stop there the most so far, however I do sell goods in every city in skyrim to the various merchants in those cities too .

[Sonny Mastrangioli]

There WAS going to be a neutrality penalty system included in Civil War Overhaul, but Apollodown got butthurt over the election and Hillary losing and disappeard. His loss, as we don't need his out of control Civil War mod anyway as it was hard to tell what bethesda really cut out, and what was Apollo's madness. And besides someone could come up with a simpler, MORE STABLE civil war mod anyway once SKSE 64 releases...

[Red Bat]

Not picking a side or even just delaying the civil war actually does impact the main quest slightly. As does completely finishing the civil war storyline before tackling the end of the main quest. You'll have to make 3 save files to see every permutation.

The benefits of the civil war questlines are... Very minor in comparison to nearly every other questline. I'll say that the legion gives slightly better rewards earlier on and causes fewer plotholes in the story than if you won Skyrim for the Stormcloaks and going with Hadvar at Helgen gives you a more noticable early game advantage due to free respawning iron and steel ingots and a better weapon selection.

[Melletch]

Originally posted by lionbaron:

I am trying to stay out of the civil war quest line if possible as I really dont want to join either side is there any advantage to joining either imperial or stormcloak ? I am currently a level 55 Khajiit in skyrim remastered . Can the game be finished without joining either side ? I am playing using no mods of any kind only using the occasional console command on my PC when needed like reviving a dead NPC to finish a quest if required.

You should join one as the division weakens skyrim for the next great War. And the Thalmor like it that way. Finish the main questline and you will see what I mean.

Militarily, it doesn't matter what side you choose, despite the raging debates and empire fanatical propaganda about survival without morals. Read the Great War book in game and find out who really was winning the war before the Empire gave up. And how hammerfell beat the Dominion alone still. Skyrim doesn't need Cyrodil to fight, Cyrodil holds it back fro, fighting, and the war is coming soon anyway. Not every nord is racist or dumb, hence the Empire recruiting them. If not for one comment from one argonian you don't even hear unless you played the Imperial side, I would have said that Ulfric was free of racism. Fact is most cultures who are not Imperial are racist. Refusing to give nords freedom and a better choice than the morally treacherous empire is racist, if it's because they are nords, therefore racist! They threw in some modern hot topics and tried best to confuse the players. Even suggest fighting dragons beats the civil war. But then the Dominion doesn't have to worry about skyrim in the next war, one way or another.

So we are down to morality, and even the high king and Emperor agree that what the emperor did deserves death. Pay attention, sky guide you!

[Melletch]

Originally posted by Pidgeotto:

Not picking a side or even just delaying the civil war actually does impact the main quest slightly. As does completely finishing the civil war storyline before tackling the end of the main quest. You'll have to make 3 save files to see every permutation.

The benefits of the civil war questlines are... Very minor in comparison to nearly every other questline. I'll say that the legion gives slightly better rewards earlier on and causes fewer plotholes in the story than if you won Skyrim for the Stormcloaks and going with Hadvar at Helgen gives you a more noticable early game advantage due to free respawning iron and steel ingots and a better weapon selection.

Okay, as a fiction writer I often hear the word plot hole and know it's a mistake. Can you tell me what continuity problem you see in the Stormcloak side in a game that isn't realistic enough to be more than an approximate of size and scope at times, purposefully leaves things vague like I described, and for goodness sakes we don't even know anything about the last war besides one book called the Great War written by an Imperial and heresay and loyalties.

Ever notice how somehow Hadvar and Ralof notice each other. Now this is what the audience thinks. How does Hadvar know Ralof's name? Plot hole. Or you remember that his name was on the list. But why so personal? Later the audience is told that they are from the same village, so knew each other as children.

See, sometimes people call what another thinks is a plot point is a plot hole, but they have no belief in it, so they say the point is a hole and needs another plot point to fill it in, and call it a plot device. None of it is real in the story or matters, as plot is just a vague concept by which we judge things too much for less real and tangible facts in a given story. But occasionally, for some reason it's rare, a plot hole is a real contradiction. But the very use of the word somehow makes it less likely. Don't ask me. But what do you see wrong here? Just asking.

[Shellbie]

How you cannot support Skyrim version of William Wallace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lObWM14kmNg

[Rotiart]

On one hand, the Empire may make Skyrim stronger. On the other hand, the Empire sits back while letting the Thalmor abuse their citizens. Depends on how you see it.

[Red Bat]

Originally posted by Melletch:

Originally posted by Pidgeotto:

Not picking a side or even just delaying the civil war actually does impact the main quest slightly. As does completely finishing the civil war storyline before tackling the end of the main quest. You'll have to make 3 save files to see every permutation.

The benefits of the civil war questlines are... Very minor in comparison to nearly every other questline. I'll say that the legion gives slightly better rewards earlier on and causes fewer plotholes in the story than if you won Skyrim for the Stormcloaks and going with Hadvar at Helgen gives you a more noticable early game advantage due to free respawning iron and steel ingots and a better weapon selection.

Okay, as a fiction writer I often hear the word plot hole and know it's a mistake. Can you tell me what continuity problem you see in the Stormcloak side in a game that isn't realistic enough to be more than an approximate of size and scope at times, purposefully leaves things vague like I described, and for goodness sakes we don't even know anything about the last war besides one book called the Great War written by an Imperial and heresay and loyalties.

Ever notice how somehow Hadvar and Ralof notice each other. Now this is what the audience thinks. How does Hadvar know Ralof's name? Plot hole. Or you remember that his name was on the list. But why so personal? Later the audience is told that they are from the same village, so knew each other as children.

See, sometimes people call what another thinks is a plot point is a plot hole, but they have no belief in it, so they say the point is a hole and needs another plot point to fill it in, and call it a plot device. None of it is real in the story or matters, as plot is just a vague concept by which we judge things too much for less real and tangible facts in a given story. But occasionally, for some reason it's rare, a plot hole is a real contradiction. But the very use of the word somehow makes it less likely. Don't ask me. But what do you see wrong here? Just asking.

It's a plothole when you are reporting to an imperial legion commander the position of the Dark Brotherhood base in an area that's supposed to be under Stormcloak control. It makes sense for an Imperial victory, or before the civil war storyline is complete, but with a Stormcloak victory the Empire should have nearly no presence at all in the area. There's a few other sidequests that involve the legion long after the legion has supposedly been more or less kicked out of Skyrim. Those are usually plotholes too. I don't really feel like I'm obligated to list every single plot hole here caused by the Stormcloak victory. But I can't think of any plotholes that can arise from an Imperial victory.

Also mind dropping the lecture mode? I know what a plot hole is. No need for the condescending explanation simply because you were triggered by a word you didn't like.

Originally posted by Rotiart:

On one hand, the Empire may make Skyrim stronger. On the other hand, the Empire sits back while letting the Thalmor abuse their citizens. Depends on how you see it.

In terms of setting and backstory, a Stormcloak victory is nowhere near as bad for the Thalmor as a Imperial one, and the Imperials are clearly planning another war with the Thalmor, or at least they think one is inevitable.

[Rotiart]

Originally posted by Pidgeotto:

Originally posted by Rotiart:

On one hand, the Empire may make Skyrim stronger. On the other hand, the Empire sits back while letting the Thalmor abuse their citizens. Depends on how you see it.

In terms of setting and backstory, a Stormcloak victory is nowhere near as bad for the Thalmor as a Imperial one, and the Imperials are clearly planning another war with the Thalmor, or at least they think one is inevitable.

Yeah, but lets be real here, the Imperials are weaker than they were at the start of the first great war, they're going to get their ass kicked in the second, regardless of whether or not Skyrim is there to back them up.

[Red Bat]

Originally posted by Rotiart:

Originally posted by Pidgeotto:

In terms of setting and backstory, a Stormcloak victory is nowhere near as bad for the Thalmor as a Imperial one, and the Imperials are clearly planning another war with the Thalmor, or at least they think one is inevitable.

Yeah, but lets be real here, the Imperials are weaker than they were at the start of the first great war, they're going to get their ass kicked in the second, regardless of whether or not Skyrim is there to back them up.

Maybe. The Thalmor isn't really in a much more advantageous position though. The White Gold Concordant was signed after the Dominion was driven from Cyrodiil after all. The Imperial's attempting to put down the Stormcloaks isn't so much an attempt to keep Skyrim pacified as an attempt to keep Skyrim unified for when the next war happens. Even a few of the NPC's refer to the Stormcloaks's insurrection in language that makes it sound like it's turning tail on the Empire.

You also have to keep in mind the Aldermeri Dominion alienated most of it's members, so if the Empire is able to get

[Rotiart]

Originally posted by Pidgeotto:

Originally posted by Rotiart:

Yeah, but lets be real here, the Imperials are weaker than they were at the start of the first great war, they're going to get their ass kicked in the second, regardless of whether or not Skyrim is there to back them up.

Maybe. The Thalmor isn't really in a much more advantageous position though. The White Gold Concordant was signed after the Dominion was driven from Cyrodiil after all. The Imperial's attempting to put down the Stormcloaks isn't so much an attempt to keep Skyrim pacified as an attempt to keep Skyrim unified for when the next war happens. Even a few of the NPC's refer to the Stormcloaks's insurrection in language that makes it sound like it's turning tail on the Empire.

You also have to keep in mind the Aldermeri Dominion alienated most of it's members, so if the Empire is able to get

Well, yeah, but if the Thalmor kicked the Empire's ass the first time around when it had the support of Hammerfell for the most part, odds are it'll get it's ass whooped again now that it doesn't have the support of hammerfell, and Skyrim is in a weakened state.