5

I'm totally a noob to Skyrim. And on my first time, I went to the Whiterun to warn about the dragon in Helgen. But this time, I wanna make a difference, so I was wondering to go join the Mage College up in the Winterhold before going to the Whiterun.

But I fear that I would mess up the storyline if I join the College first. Is it okay to join the College before warning the Jarl of Whiterun of the Dragon?

Improve this question
1
  • 1
    What platform are you on? In addition to Dulkan's answer, on PC there are a few highly regarding mods that can make the entire main quest non-existent until you want it to start - usually be stumbling across Helgen.
    – Kallum Tanton
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 8:58

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
7

Short answer: Yes.

Detailed answer: Skyrim is an open world RPG! Basically, that means that once you get full control of your character, you can go almost anywhere on the map and do almost anything! There are some quests, items, enemies, and locations that have level requirements, but you can go anywhere the map shows from the get-go.

My understanding is you are concerned with the main storyline integrity. Well, have no fear, you can't mess anything up (too badly, anyways).

Interestingly, if you dont go to Whiterun and complete Bleak Falls Barrow, you wont start Dragon Rising. Furthermore, if you never start Dragon Rising, you won't run into any wild dragons on your adventure. Whenever you're ready for those monsters in the sky, head on back to Whiterun and everything will be great!

Improve this answer
4
  • Worth noting that it's not upon entering whiterun, but after being Summoned by the Graybeards (shortly after defeating the first dragon) that dragon spawning is triggered, not upon entering whiterun for the first time
    – Oak
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 18:12
  • I never said entering whiterun was the trigger if you never start dragon rising you wont run into any dragons. which is 100 percent accurate. elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Rising check out the aftermath section. You are not wrong though but the only reason your not is because as soon as you complete dragon rising the greybeards summon you.
    – jordie
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 19:23
  • 1
    +1 I'd like to add that I have a character nearly level 50 who has only done quests for the College of Winterhold, Daedric Quests, and a few other odd jobs. I RP'd the character as having already been on the way to the College when she was captured by the Imperials and taken to Helgen.
    – DCShannon
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 19:40
  • @jordie Yes, but someone that doesn't know the questline would think would think that if yu went to whiterun it would trigger the dragons. There are 3(4?) quests that you have to complete before the Dragons (Meeting the Jar, Going to Bleak Falls [or skip it], having a strategy meeting, fighting the dragon -> Graybeards summon -> Jarl explains that summon)
    – Oak
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 20:55
11

Yes, you can do what you want and it won't have an effect on the storyline. It's perfectly fine to become guild leader of every guild in skyrim and then tell the Jarl about the Helgen attack.

Improve this answer
1

I totally agree with Dulkan and jordie, so I won't go into it.

But I fear that I would mess up the storyline if I join the College first.

Well, that's something different. While you can do the storyline as the very last thing in skyrim (which is exactly what I did on my second playthrough), you CAN miss a part of the storyline. Without going deeper into it, there comes a time in the mainstory, that tackles the current civil war which you just witnessed in Helgen. That being said, there is a questline,

where you choose a side and actively participate in the war. At the end of that sidestory, you will end the civil war, completely defeating the other side.

If you've done that before the mentioned part of the mainstory, you will just skip it, which is rather sad in my opinion, so I recommend doing that part of the story BEFORE you do the sidequest, which, if I remember correctly, won't be influenced by the mainstory.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.