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For a first playthrough, make some early progress through Whiterun and toward the Greybeards, then mix in nearby side quests and a faction story that suits your character. Return to the main quest when its next major story beat interests you. This is a flexible route—not a required or universally best order.
Is there a right order for Skyrim’s quests?
No single quest order is established as best. Bethesda presents exploration, side quests, faction stories, skill development and earning gold as normal parts of the adventure. ExpertBeacon likewise recommends a low-spoiler balance: reach the early Greybeards material, explore nearby holds, choose a fitting faction and resume the main quest without clearing every map marker first.
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Think of the choice as a question of what you want from your next stretch of play: a more continuous Dragonborn story, open-ended exploration, or a mixture of both.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat you gain by following the main quest
A more continuous Dragonborn story
Staying with the main quest keeps its narrative moving and takes you toward its major story beats sooner. It also connects to the appearance of dragons. In a 2011 interview published by Steam/PC Gamer, game director Todd Howard said, “You have to do a little bit of the main quest – just the initial stuff – for the dragons to really start appearing, because it sits in with the story.”
#1 Best Overall
- ENTER THE WORLD OF SKYRIM: Experience the legendary open-world RPG as a tabletop adventure, exploring Tamriel through branching quests, iconic factions, and rich Elder Scrolls lore.
- COOPERATIVE OR SOLO PLAY: Designed for 1–4 players, allowing you to adventure solo or team up to face dragons, uncover conspiracies, and shape the fate of Skyrim together.
- OPEN-ENDED QUEST SYSTEM: Choose how you approach each mission—diplomacy, stealth, or combat—as your decisions permanently impact the story and the world around you.
- DEEP CHARACTER PROGRESSION: Build unique heroes with evolving skills, gear, and abilities inspired by the video game’s iconic progression systems.
- HIGH REPLAYABILITY: Modular scenarios, multiple quest paths, and varied character builds ensure every campaign feels fresh and every journey through Skyrim is different.
Howard added that more main-quest progress means more dragon encounters, while describing their frequency as hard to quantify and somewhat random. These are his historical comments, not a precise schedule or a guarantee for every current edition and playthrough.
What you gain by taking side quests and exploring
Side content offers more than a break from the main story. Bethesda points to rewards and activities including treasure, gold, skill-building, standing stones, books and trainers. Exploring places along your route can also give you a reason to develop your character before returning to the central narrative.
Rank #2
- EPIC FANTASY REBORN - Skyrim reimagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose.
- LIVE ANOTHER LIFE, IN ANOTHER WORLD - Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the legendary freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure of The Elder Scrolls is realized like never before.
- YOU ARE WHAT YOU PLAY - Choose from hundreds of weapons, spells, and abilities. The new character system allows you to play any way you want and define yourself through your actions.
- BATTLE DRAGONS - Battle ancient dragons like you’ve never seen. As Dragonborn, learn their secrets and harness their power for yourself.
- INCLUDED CONTENT - The Anniversary Edition includes the core game, pre-existing and new Creation Club content, plus all three official add-ons: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.
Faction stories are another way to choose what to do next: Bethesda names several, and says players are not locked to a single faction. It also notes that some factions have ongoing feuds, so that flexibility should not be mistaken for a guarantee that every choice is consequence-free.
A flexible first-playthrough route
- Make early main-quest progress. Follow the opening through Whiterun and toward the Greybeards so the central story has begun.
- Take nearby opportunities. Explore nearby holds, try side quests that catch your interest, earn gold and build skills. You do not need to clear every marker.
- Pick a faction for its story. Choose one whose theme appeals to your character, rather than treating faction selection as a required step in a prescribed order.
- Return to the main quest when you want. Resume it when the next major story beat sounds more appealing than continued exploration.
This sequence is ExpertBeacon’s editorial recommendation, not an official progression requirement. Treat it as a starting point and change course whenever another part of the game interests you more.
Rank #3
- Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, Skyrim Special Edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail.
- The Special Edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features.
- All-new features include remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more.
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, use of alcohol
How to decide what to do next
| If you prefer… | Try… | Trade-off to consider |
|---|---|---|
| A continuous Dragonborn narrative | Continue the main quest for longer. | Dragon encounters become more relevant as the main story advances, though their frequency is not a predictable schedule. |
| Free exploration and character development | Take local side quests, explore and pursue useful rewards. | The central story will move forward more slowly while you explore. |
| A mix without clearing the map | Make early main-quest progress, explore nearby holds, choose a faction and return when ready. | This is a flexible suggestion, not a uniquely correct order. |
Also consider whether dragon interruptions sound exciting or distracting, whether a faction’s theme interests you, and whether nearby side content feels enjoyable or like checklist work. If a quest seems too hard, Bethesda Support says the Journal’s color is a difficulty cue: gray means easy, yellow difficult, red very difficult and green suited to your level. Bethesda also says the game’s settings offer difficulty choices if an encounter proves too hard.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Live Another Life, In Another World: Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure of The Elder Scrolls comes to life in one legendary experience from all three official add-ons.
- Dawnguard: The Vampire Lord Harkon has returned to power. By using the Elder Scrolls, he seeks to do the unthinkable - to end the sun itself. Will you join the ancient order of the Dawnguard and stop him? Or will you become a Vampire Lord?
- Hearthfire: Purchase land and build your own home from the ground up - from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, and more.
- Dragonborn: Journey off the coast of Morrowind, to the vast island of Solstheim. Traverse the ash wastes and glacial valleys of this new land as you become more powerful with shouts that bend the will of your enemies and even tame dragons.
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