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Huntn

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
May 5, 2008
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The Misty Mountains
The-Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim-Definitive-Edition.jpg
The Original 2011 thread Here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hot-diggity-the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim.1093099/
The Original Game guide link will produce a "page not found" message.

The Special Edition came out, it had been over a decade since I've played this, why the hell not give it another go. :)
I installed it. and started it up and the interface is a bit dated, can you imagine? ;) I don't see a place to change key bindings... 🤔

Can anyone tell me if there was a "Survival Mode" in the original release? I seem to remember going places to get healed, and being cold, but I can't remember how much fast traveling I did if any? Maybe I did. 😒

Anyway, in the original quest to escape the "situation" (dragon, wrongful execution) you travel through some caverns, and finally pop out of the side of a mountain, take in the fresh air, and are presented with the option of "Survival Mode". No fast travel, sleeping, eating, required, carry weight halved. I don't know what got into me but I said yes, and because I could not run, overburdened with all the loot off dead bodies, I had to walk to the first town to sell it. And I was about 50% starved, and when selling loot had to keep a spare set of warm clothing...

Consequently I broke out my old guide that I had created, and will be updating it. There used to be a Guide posted here until, MRs got rid of their guides, but I might just make it a forum post when it's presentable and up to date, if there is any interest.

I stopped by a Guardian Stone on the way to Riverwood and the choices for buffs were Warrior, Magic Person, or Thief. Wait a minute, I think the last time I played, I was a magical armored warrior. I need to find my old build notes. I do remember I was head of the Magic College, so for the first. stone I picked magic.

...more to come.
 
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There was no Survival mode in the original release - in fact it didn't exist when Special Edition was released either. It wasn't until the Anniversary Edition where it was added (as well as a few other questlines from Creation Club content), but they updated the Special Edition as well. I refused to pay Bethesda another dime for Anniversary Edition. ;)

Anyway, have fun. It's definitely showing its age, but I still jump in from time to time and enjoy myself. There are a lot better games out there, but I've spent more time with Skyrim than any of the others. There are simply so many different ways to play it, it's almost like a high fantasy simulator than anything else.
 
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There was no Survival mode in the original release - in fact it didn't exist when Special Edition was released either. It wasn't until the Anniversary Edition where it was added (as well as a few other questlines from Creation Club content), but they updated the Special Edition as well. I refused to pay Bethesda another dime for Anniversary Edition. ;)

Anyway, have fun. It's definitely showing its age, but I still jump in from time to time and enjoy myself. There are a lot better games out there, but I've spent more time with Skyrim than any of the others. There are simply so many different ways to play it, it's almost like a high fantasy simulator than anything else.
There is an atmosphere there, just like an atmosphere in Oblivion, and Fallout 4 that keeps me pinning to play them. A quick comparison, there is no atmosphere in the Far Cry series, just bang, bang, whack, whack. add a skill, rince, wash... My companions have personality but are really lacking in interaction, just run around raving about their pet peeves. ;)
 
@dmr727 Survival Mode I just fixed it... I think. Yes it’s still turned on, but via console magic, I upped my carry weight, but can’t yet tell if it registered via the interface, the command did not bounce, and I learned how to spawn some high energy food.

I’m not in this to worry about where my next meal is coming from, not when dealing with compressed game days. The other survival mode restrictions remain. I just remembered you gain skill by using skills and weapons.

Still deciding if I’m going mostly magic of if I’ll take the magic tank route, or a mix between the two. see options 1 and 2 in this article. 🙂

 
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@dmr727 Survival Mode I just fixed it... I think. Yes it’s still turned on, but via console magic, I upped my carry weight, but can’t yet tell if it registered via the interface, the command did not bounce, and I learned how to spawn some high energy food.

I’m not in this to worry about where my next meal is coming from, not when dealing with compressed game days. The other survival mode restrictions remain. I just remembered you gain skill by using skills and weapons.

Still deciding if I’m going mostly magic of if I’ll take the magic tank route, or a mix between the two. see options 1 and 2 in this article. 🙂


Don't think you need console magic to turn it off - it's in the settings somewhere. But I'm like you - there's a point where the realism gets to be juuuust a bit too much. I have it off too. :)

I find myself comparing Skyrim to Witcher 3 - another game I love - and although W3 is a better game by just about any metric I can think of, I have more hours invested in Skyrim by an order of magnitude. I think a lot of it is the fact that you don't have to min/max your character to have a good time, and there are such a huge number of ways to play. You want to play a Nord that is scared of all things magic and won't wear anything but tried and true steel? Great. Maybe a pacifist that uses Illusion to make others fight each other? That works too. I have dozens of characters, I don't think a single one of them is over level 40. :p
 
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Don't think you need console magic to turn it off - it's in the settings somewhere. But I'm like you - there's a point where the realism gets to be juuuust a bit too much. I have it off too. :)

I find myself comparing Skyrim to Witcher 3 - another game I love - and although W3 is a better game by just about any metric I can think of, I have more hours invested in Skyrim by an order of magnitude. I think a lot of it is the fact that you don't have to min/max your character to have a good time, and there are such a huge number of ways to play. You want to play a Nord that is scared of all things magic and won't wear anything but tried and true steel? Great. Maybe a pacifist that uses Illusion to make others fight each other? That works too. I have dozens of characters, I don't think a single one of them is over level 40. :p
I started Witch 3 and it was not quite agreeing with me. Combat was awkward, I was getting my ass kicked by a spirit from a well, and then there was this other spirit emerged from a church and chased me all around the cemetery. I’m a tough Witcher right? How come I‘m getting whipped by low level mobs? It feels very awkward, but I will return to that before I return to Elden Ring.

Survival mode cut my carry weight in half, and I did not think a setting would allow you to increase it and stay in survival mode? Anyway I did not look for a setting, just used the console command,

That said, in Skyrim, the voice acting is supurb, and the atmosphere is emersive, I’d say more so in the early game than Witcher 3. However, I’m pulling some hair out because my shield insists on being carried by my left hand, and I’m trying to get my spells shifted to the right hand by default. So far, if I want to launch a spell, my shield gets put away and the spell appears in my left hand to. I’ve researched it and may have the answer. The game interface is definitely dated. I’ll report back. :D
 
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That said, in Skyrim, the voice acting is supurb, and the atmosphere is emersive, I’d say more so in the early game than Witcher 3.

As you get deeper into the game, you're gonna notice the same voice actors across multiple NPCs. Of course for an open world game this size, I suppose you kind of have to expect that. I absolutely agree about the atmosphere and lore - it really worked for me. Jeremy Soule's soundtrack was pretty damned perfect for the setting too.
 
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As you get deeper into the game, you're gonna notice the same voice actors across multiple NPCs. Of course for an open world game this size, I suppose you kind of have to expect that. I absolutely agree about the atmosphere and lore - it really worked for me. Jeremy Soule's soundtrack was pretty damned perfect for the setting too.
I’ve noticed that (same voice actors) in multiple Bethesda RPGs and can role with it. :)

60ECCA69-922B-4C94-9CCD-CE66DCDF808D.jpeg

I finished the first dungeon of the game, Bleak Falls Barrow, a ruin near Riverwood and it was as good as I remember it, an assortment of bandits, animated corpses (thralls?), a bandit caught up in spider webs who you have to free who promises he knows where the golden claw is, but when you free him, he yells the equivalent of “sucker!” and as he tries to run away, is overwhelmed with thralls that you then have to kill. Plus a large Frost Spider that was tough to beat with a sword, but easier with 🔥 and running in and out of a door where the spider could not follow, and finally a boss corpse of sort, but not too difficult to beat. There’s a Word of Power in there too and I appreciated that although underground itvwas not overly dark.

As far as the game controls I tried installing SkiUI (for the Special Edition) to give me better control of weapons and spells and could not get it to work, the game would not launch with it installed. As is, I can work with controls to activate weapons and spells, but it is awkward and aggravating using default controls. I used Nexus Mod and Vortex to install them. I’m wondering if trying a manual install might be another option? 🤔
 
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Mod Install
I have given up on trying to install SkyUI into Skyrim, the mod designed to make selecting weapons, spells, and potions on the fly, during combat easier. I installed it and Skyrim Script Extender via Vortex, and the game would not launch. Of note I am using a body makeover mod installed with Vortex without any issue.

Then I tried the manual route and that does not work either, then I looked at a video about “manual installing“ it and this guy ends up going to use Mod Manager 2 And I stopped when he introduced MM2 as part of the manual install process.

It should be as easy as dropping a folder into the game directory, but it’s not so I’ll just stick to using favorites 1-8.

The problem there is duel wielding. Everything appears in your left hand first, except that your physical shield insists on only being in your left hand. So if you want to put a spell in your right hand, you have to hit it’s favorite key twice (to move it to your right hand, and then shield button once. It’s awkward, I can live with that, but it makes me less effective during a fight. I just need to get used to that.

I’m also using a bound sword, a magical sword, a spell that produces something that looks land acts like a sword which is powerful. I picked that up from the court wizard in White Run when I was level 1.

Although magical robes gives magika buffs to your magic replenishment, I’m trying a magical tank build based on using heavy armor that eventually the armor will be buffed with magic replenishment. When you are in a melee fight the heavy armor is nice when you take a hit.

However there're times when you want to hit someone, something big and nasty from a distance and to switch to a duel wielded fire spell, which I’m not actually sure if this puts out twice as much fire damage, but also sucks your magika twice as fast most likely. And you can have a fire spell in one hand and a lightening spell in the other. My guess it would be good to know what you are fighting is most susceptible to and just use that.

So based on the hit keys I assigned , with shield only able to be in my left hand, I hit 554, then I have to hold 5 one more time to conjure the bound sword in my right hand. If someone is close and attacking, I have to get the shield in my hand to block with it. If I want to change to a fire spell, I hit 7 to put it in my left hand, stows the shield, shoot some fire, then 4 to put the shield in my left hand.

I thought I read somewhere about a key that saves a certain arrangement, I’ll have to look for that. This would be nice, because as a starter point, this would be a good starting point, bound sword in right hand, so it appears there with a single key press. 🤔
 
Mod
Using a Total Character Makeover mod, which makes a huge difference in the appearance of characters. The original character models are UG-ley, especially Uthgerd before her makeover. Unfortunately if you just want to peek, NexusModd requires you to sign in (free) to view it. No issue installing it with Vortex.

9221F324-3556-4D85-9983-A05C2D28B066.png

Game Progress
I am playing a woman, my favorite gender in RPGs. I like strong women. :) So far I’ve enamored myself with the Jarl of Whiterun, fetched a dragon stone for his Wizard, as part of a group, killed a dragon threatening the town, discovered I was Dragonborn he gave me the title of Thain and assigned me an assistant Lydia, my “Housecarl” who takes care of my property which I don’t yet have in Whiterun, but who cares, she is Hot. :) I project that soon I will purchase a house there for $5000 gold. Lydia is combat capable, as all “followers” are. I stopped into the Bannered Mare, the local pub, picked a fist fight with Uthgerd the Unbroken, beat the snot out of her and she offered to follow me too. I also was summoned by the Greybeards up on top of a mountain to discuss the Dragon born thing, but before I go there, I’ll stop at the College of Winterhold, think Hogwarts ;) and worm my way in there.

As I recall, last time, I joined every faction including the Thieves or was it the Dark Brotherhood? I don’t like murdering people (in a game) unless they somehow for some reason deserve it… 🤔

Comparison
Now despite my gripping about mod stuff (previous post) the difference between this and Outer Worlds although that is not a bad game, is for whatever reason, based on story, conflict, music, voice acting, environmental fidelity and atmosphere, I am more compelled to adventure in Skyrim, even though I’ve been here and completed the story ten years ago, this game pulls me in and I’m compelled to stay up until 1:30 am which I should not be doing, ;)
 
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between this and Outer Worlds
I don't think its a fair comparison. OW is such a small game, produced by a small publisher that had a limited budget, and dare I say Obsidian is different then Bethesda.

Obsidian's priorities, goals, and game play will be different the Bethesda. I'm not knocking either one, I think Skyrim is easily one of the games that you can play over and over. Fallout 4 is similar but not as rich. Fallout NV, and Outer Worlds have less re-playability, while open worlds in their own right, the game guides you to a destination a lot more strongly then Skyrim and Fallout 4 - those games you can play for hours, days, weeks without wanting or needing to do the main quest. Not so for Obsidian's Fallout NV or Outer Worlds.

I think I may do a play through with Skyrim, I just need to decide, do I play on my PC or PS5
 
I don't think its a fair comparison. OW is such a small game, produced by a small publisher that had a limited budget, and dare I say Obsidian is different then Bethesda.

Obsidian's priorities, goals, and game play will be different the Bethesda. I'm not knocking either one, I think Skyrim is easily one of the games that you can play over and over. Fallout 4 is similar but not as rich. Fallout NV, and Outer Worlds have less re-playability, while open worlds in their own right, the game guides you to a destination a lot more strongly then Skyrim and Fallout 4 - those games you can play for hours, days, weeks without wanting or needing to do the main quest. Not so for Obsidian's Fallout NV or Outer Worlds.

I think I may do a play through with Skyrim, I just need to decide, do I play on my PC or PS5
For Outer Worlds the voice acting is good, and it reminds me of Firefly, your companions do ask you for favors and discuss their problems/issues with you, so far more so than in Skyrim. Lydia has been with me for an extended questing, cleared 4 locations and she has not said a peep to me about something she needs. :oops:
 
Moved from Starfield thread:
I am trying so hard to get excited for Starfield, but I think I might just get Armored Core VI instead and forget about Bethesda for now. I have a friend who is so hyped for this title, and to me it just looks like Elder Scrolls or Fallout but INNNNN SPAAAAAAAACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just can't anymore with these guys I don't think. There was a time when I bought Bethesda titles sight unseen, but I'm waiting for reviews on this one. I still have an incredibly bad taste in my mouth in general from Skyrim.
What was wrong with Skyrim from your perspective? I’m not about to critique your preference. I played it in 2011, and have recently restarted the Special Edition version. And I’ve caught myself playing it until 1:30am, a bad sign. ;)
 
Instead of pulling my hair our with SkyUI, I just remembered my Razer software includes macros! This is so nice, making weapon-spell configuration much easier with a single button press. :D

Survival Mode
Oh, and “survival mode” is history. I can deal with cold, and having to eat, but no fast travel, there is no way I am hoofing if from one end of SkyRim to the other as a matter of routine. I love to explore as much as anyone, but the trip from one end to Skyrim to the other, would be excessively long. From Whiterun via Windhelm to Winterhold is a long trip.I’ve got items stored in Whiterun that I’m not going to run back to get, and there is no courier service. ;)

I was reminded just how bleak the tundra is as you travel North from Windhelm to Winterhold. This is not a place you’d want to be hoofing across as a matter of routine, and I’ll note this is where survival mode would bite you in the ass, making the game very difficult. I have yet to find high level cold gear, not saying it does not exist, I’ve just not found it. 😳
 
I still have an incredibly bad taste in my mouth in general from Skyrim.
Why? Was it the theme, swords and magic, or game play mechanics, or visuals?

While the setting of Skyrim (swords/magic/etc) isn't my cup of tea, Skyrim was such a fun game and truth be told, I've never played a game since that had the same level of depth, where you still can find new quests, and new lore regardless of how many times you played through.

I get that one size doesn't fit all, and not every game will appeal to every gamer but I am curious to know what Skyrim has that left a bad taste in your mouth
 
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Why? Was it the theme, swords and magic, or game play mechanics, or visuals?

While the setting of Skyrim (swords/magic/etc) isn't my cup of tea, Skyrim was such a fun game and truth be told, I've never played a game since that had the same level of depth, where you still can find new quests, and new lore regardless of how many times you played through.

I get that one size doesn't fit all, and not every game will appeal to every gamer but I am curious to know what Skyrim has that left a bad taste in your mouth
I think I just liked Oblivion so much better. Skyrim seemed drab and boring and uninspired.
 
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I think I just liked Oblivion so much better. Skyrim seemed drab and boring and uninspired.
Fair enough, I haven't plated Oblivion, Skyrim is my first taste of Elder Scrolls. There seems to be rumors that Oblivion is going to be remastered
 
I think I just liked Oblivion so much better. Skyrim seemed drab and boring and uninspired.
SkyRim is up North in the cold, snow, fog, and sun, clear and bright. The environment is relative drab as compared to Oblivion. However the weather is varied, and at times can be beautiful. It’s a good story with depth and a lot of political intrigue. The dungeons are wonderful. Hell you start off in a wagon being transported to your execution, with your head on the block, what’s not to like? ;) :) I’ll post a blurb about Skyrim politics, not at this point will it change your mind.
Fair enough, I haven't plated Oblivion, Skyrim is my first taste of Elder Scrolls. There seems to be rumors that Oblivion is going to be remastered

I played Oblivion and it’s DLCs for a year and a half. I might be concerned at this point that it appears dated. :)
 
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Don't Be an Ignoramus! Know what you're jumping into. :D

A Primer for Skyrim Politics
Uthgerd Bannered Mare Whiterun.jpg

Uthgerd, Bannered Mare Tavern, Whiterun
Overview
This has become lengthy. The abbreviated version is this- In present day Skyrim, the Empire is allowing the Thalmor Elves to stamp out Talos worship in Skyrim although The Empire itself is ambivalent about the question: is Talos a God or just a man, and hypocritically they used to include Talos as the Ninth of the Nine Divines.

The StormCloak rebellion is a group of Nords who control most of Eastern Skyrim and are fighting for Talos worship and are sick of Imperial policies. In the past, the Thalmor had a big war with the Imperials, but achieved a truce based on an agreement to stamp out Talos worship. They may also have designs on taking Skyrim and maybe more. If you don't want to read the rest of this jump to the "No Good or Bad Choice" section. To make an informed decision, there is no need to commit to a side early in the game. It's been a while, but I was thinking you can join both, but I don't think you can, it's Imperial or it's Stormcloak. If you join one, my impression is that the opportunity to join the other goes away.

The 3 major religions in Skyrim and some History:
  • Nine Divines: http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Nine_Divines - If you played Elderscrolls 4: Oblivion, remember the Nine Divines are the most important religious order in Cyrodiil. There are 6 gods and 3 goddesses. When you think Empire, think Nine Divines.
  • Talos: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:TalosTalos- Tiber Septim, a human hero who became a God, the ninth of the Nine Divines. So if you hear a Stormcloak talking about Talos, they are talking Nine Divines.
  • Nordic Pantheon: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Gods-Think Nordic Gods like ancient Greek Gods. See Pantheons link.
  • Daedra: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Daedra- From Oblivion, you'll remember the Daedra as mostly nasty things that popped out of Oblivion Gates in Cryodiil. There are Daedra Priests and Priestesses who control the nastiness that enters the world fromthe Oblivion plane.
  • The Thalmor and the Empire http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Thalmor waged war during a time before modern day Skyrim known as the Great War. Both sides called for an end to the fighting under the condition the Empire ban all Talos worship, among other things, as conceded in the treaty known as the White-Gold Concordat. Consequently, No, It's Eight Divines is what you'll hear visiting an Imperial Church in Skyrim. To make the Thalmor happy, the official imperial line is that Tiber Septim was a hero and a good guy, but not a God. I don't know why the Thalmor have an issue with Talos Whorship other than they are Elf supremacists who probably resent the idea of a man being elevated to God status.
  • The Markarth Incident: http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Markarth_Incident] During the Great War (described above) the Empire forgot about Skyrim. Breton bandits rose up and took over the city of Markarth, from those aligned with the Empire. Nords led by the Stormcloaks, agreed to take back Markarth, if they would be allowed to worship Talos in peace. After being kicked out of Markarth, the Breton's retired to the hills of The Reach, becoming the Foresworn http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Forsworn- However when the truce with the Thalmor was signed, the Empire went back on it's word to the Stormcloaks, banning Talos.
  • The Stormcloak Rebellion- http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Skyrim_Civil_War -is the civil war between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks. http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Stormcloaks. Stormcloaks who are Nords, followers of Talos, led by Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Windhelm, (who you meet at the very beginning of the game). They want to worship Talos and because of Imperial policies believe that Skyrim should no longer belong to the crumbling Empire. However Ulfric can appear to be an egotistical zealot and appears prejudiced against the elves and anyone not a Nord (see the Gray Quarter in Windhelm). Any distain of Ulfric must be tempered with the knowledge that "prejudice" in Human history was the norm, and has only been viewed recently as a negative. In earlier days of humanity, tribe mentality tends to be prejudicial.
No Good or Bad Choice
I've read some historical links online and there does not appear to be a "good" or "bad" choice, just compromises. Overall the Imperials seem to have a stronger infrastructure. Although in Skyrim, the Stormcloaks appear to control more territory, but many of their towns are small villages.

On one hand Imperials/Thalmore try to execute your character at the beginning of the game, have outlawed the worship of Talos , and begrudgingly welcomed the Thalmor , Elf supremacists who btw, will cheerfully carry out the death sentence for those caught worshipping Talos. It can be argued the Thalmor have designs on taking over the entire realm.

On the other hand, The Stormcloaks are wreaking the Empire which could easily lead to a successful Thalmor invasion, although this is speculation. Although the Empire agreed to ban the worship of Talos, unofficially it is ambivalent about Eight or Nine Divines, and is not actively involved in stamping it out. That honor goes to the Thalmor.

There is no need to commit to a side early
I'm not going to tell you what to do, but before you join anyone you should run some quests in Stormcloak territory and see how the Jarls strike you and then make a trip way over to Solitude and talk to the Imperial leadership. If you approach the game as an individual would, after coming close to being executed, you might say screw the Empire! However, the big picture conventional wisdom say that the Imperials are humanities best hope against the fascist Thalmori dominion, and if you ally yourself with the Stormcloaks you will only create a weaker Skyrim and a weaker Empire. So do you pick the underdogs, who by undermining the Empire maybe making things easy for the zealot, domineering Thalmor Elves or go with the Empire who are hypocrites for letting Talos worshippers hang out to dry? Lol! :)

Edit: Corrected this post, you can't join both the Stormcloaks and the Imperials. If you join one, the other choice is not offered. Last time, a decade ago, I joined the Imperials because I used the "big picture" methodology as explained above, but this time I went with my gut as a Briton living in Skyrim almost executed by the Thalmore, because it's ok as far as the Empire is concerned, and chose local rule. Full steam ahead! :D
 
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I really liked oblivion but I didn’t care for the level scaling of the enemies. Could pretty much go anywhere and the challenge would be the same. Awesome world though and I always liked the demon gates
 
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Don't Be an Ignoramus! Know what you're jumping into. :D

A Primer for Skyrim Politics
View attachment 2250220

Uthgerd, Bannered Mare Tavern, Whiterun
Overview
This has become lengthy. The abbreviated version is this- In present day Skyrim, the Empire is allowing the Thalmor Elves to stamp out Talos worship in Skyrim although The Empire itself is ambivalent about the question: is Talos a God or just a man, and hypocritically they used to include Talos as the Ninth of the Nine Divines.

The StormCloak rebellion is a group of Nords who control most of Eastern Skyrim and are fighting for Talos worship and are sick of Imperial policies. In the past, the Thalmor had a big war with the Imperials, but achieved a truce based on an agreement to stamp out Talos worship. They may also have designs on taking Skyrim and maybe more. If you don't want to read the rest of this jump to the "No Good or Bad Choice" section. To make an informed decision, there is no need to commit to a side early in the game. It's been a while, but I was thinking you can join both, but I don't think you can, it's Imperial or it's Stormcloak. If you join one, my impression is that the opportunity to join the other goes away.

The 3 major religions in Skyrim and some History:
  • Nine Divines: http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Nine_Divines - If you played Elderscrolls 4: Oblivion, remember the Nine Divines are the most important religious order in Cyrodiil. There are 6 gods and 3 goddesses. When you think Empire, think Nine Divines.
  • Talos: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:TalosTalos- Tiber Septim, a human hero who became a God, the ninth of the Nine Divines. So if you hear a Stormcloak talking about Talos, they are talking Nine Divines.
  • Nordic Pantheon: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Gods-Think Nordic Gods like ancient Greek Gods. See Pantheons link.
  • Daedra: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Daedra- From Oblivion, you'll remember the Daedra as mostly nasty things that popped out of Oblivion Gates in Cryodiil. There are Daedra Priests and Priestesses who control the nastiness that enters the world fromthe Oblivion plane.
  • The Thalmor and the Empire http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Thalmor waged war during a time before modern day Skyrim known as the Great War. Both sides called for an end to the fighting under the condition the Empire ban all Talos worship, among other things, as conceded in the treaty known as the White-Gold Concordat. Consequently, No, It's Eight Divines is what you'll hear visiting an Imperial Church in Skyrim. To make the Thalmor happy, the official imperial line is that Tiber Septim was a hero and a good guy, but not a God. I don't know why the Thalmor have an issue with Talos Whorship other than they are Elf supremacists who probably resent the idea of a man being elevated to God status.
  • The Markarth Incident: http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Markarth_Incident] During the Great War (described above) the Empire forgot about Skyrim. Breton bandits rose up and took over the city of Markarth, from those aligned with the Empire. Nords led by the Stormcloaks, agreed to take back Markarth, if they would be allowed to worship Talos in peace. After being kicked out of Markarth, the Breton's retired to the hills of The Reach, becoming the Foresworn http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Forsworn- However when the truce with the Thalmor was signed, the Empire went back on it's word to the Stormcloaks, banning Talos.
  • The Stormcloak Rebellion- http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Skyrim_Civil_War -is the civil war between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks. http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Stormcloaks. Stormcloaks who are Nords, followers of Talos, led by Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Windhelm, (who you meet at the very beginning of the game). They want to worship Talos and because of Imperial policies believe that Skyrim should no longer belong to the crumbling Empire. However Ulfric can appear to be an egotistical zealot and appears prejudiced against the elves and anyone not a Nord (see the Gray Quarter in Windhelm). Any distain of Ulfric must be tempered with the knowledge that "prejudice" in Human history was the norm, and has only been viewed recently as a negative. In earlier days of humanity, tribe mentality tends to be prejudicial.
No Good or Bad Choice
I've read some historical links online and there does not appear to be a "good" or "bad" choice, just compromises. Overall the Imperials seem to have a stronger infrastructure. Although in Skyrim, the Stormcloaks appear to control more territory, but many of their towns are small villages.

On one hand Imperials try to execute your character at the beginning of the game, have outlawed the worship of Talos , and begrudgingly welcomed the Thalmor , Elf supremacists who btw, will cheerfully carry out the death sentence for those caught worshipping Talos. It can be argued the Thalmor have designs on taking over the entire realm.

On the other hand, The Stormcloaks are wreaking the Empire which could easily lead to a successful Thalmor invasion, although this is speculation. Although the Empire agreed to ban the worship of Talos, unofficially it is ambivalent about Eight or Nine Divines, and is not actively involved in stamping it out. That honor goes to the Thalmor.

There is no need to commit to a side early
I'm not going to tell you what to do, but before you join anyone you should run some quests in Stormcloak territory and see how the Jarls strike you and then make a trip way over to Solitude and talk to the Imperial leadership. If you approach the game as an individual would, after coming close to being executed, you might say screw the Empire! However, the big picture conventional wisdom say that the Imperials are humanities best hope against the fascist Thalmori dominion, and if you ally yourself with the Stormcloaks you will only create a weaker Skyrim and a weaker Empire. So do you pick the underdogs, who by undermining the Empire maybe making things easy for the zealot, domineering Thalmor Elves or go with the Empire who are hypocrites for letting Talos worshippers hang out to dry? Lol! :)

Edit: Corrected this post, you can't join both the Stormcloaks and the Imperials. If you join one, the other choice is not offered. Last time, a decade ago, I joined the Imperials because I used the "big picture" methodology as explained above, but this time I went with my gut as a Briton living in Skyrim almost executed by the Thalmore, because it's ok as far as the Empire is concerned, and chose local rule. Full steam ahead! :D

Glad you're having fun! Your thread inspired me to jump back in, and I'm currently playing a Bosmer hunter (archery/alchemy, mainly) that hates civilization and interacts and trades only with small settlements or individuals. Never a walled city, unless sneaking in at night to 'liberate' items from the bourgeoise and aristocracy you'd find in a place like Solitude. ;)
 
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I really liked oblivion but I didn’t care for the level scaling of the enemies. Could pretty much go anywhere and the challenge would be the same. Awesome world though and I always liked the demon gates

I've never been a fan of level scaling - I understand why they do it for open world games, but it certainly makes for a 'flat' game experience. I'm happy to get my ass kicked if I don't belong somewhere!
 
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skyrim is arguably the greatest game ever made

It's got its problems, and I know 'hard core' gamers love to scoff at it - but it wouldn't surprise me if Skyrim had the most number of hours invested of any single-player, non-casual game in existence. The replay-ability is obscene.
 
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Glad you're having fun! Your thread inspired me to jump back in, and I'm currently playing a Bosmer hunter (archery/alchemy, mainly) that hates civilization and interacts and trades only with small settlements or individuals. Never a walled city, unless sneaking in at night to 'liberate' items from the bourgeoise and aristocracy you'd find in a place like Solitude. ;)
I’m playing a magic tank, equipped with heavy armor, as I described in an earlier post. I enjoy melee with bound weapons, I can summon bad boys to charge at the enemy, and can always whip out my ranged spells. The issue with this build is magic generation vs a robe that can give you +75% extra magic generation early on. So the key is to up enchantment skill to fortify your armor with magic generation. It sure is nice when you have heavy armor on when you get whacked. :D
 
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