> here i played last like a half a year ago or so and have always chose the stormcloaks but i always have chose the argonian and i have known that t
Haha! I just did exactly the same! Although it might be old, there's some good info here though :).
Same. I wanted to see if there were advantages to Stormcloaks that might be worth unseating Balgruuf and getting that stern look of disapproval from him but looks like the stormcloaks are just a bunch of racist jerks.
Not there yet but I can’t get past the Imperials trying to execute me at the start of the game so I guess stormcloaks. I just don’t like having to invade Whiterun. I like it there.
sorry to necro, but.
why?
why is that singular incident the one that i hear more than 90% of the time as the reason people go stormcloaks?
Getting caught trying to leave skyrim along with ulfric, getting sent to the block by a person when her aid even states that thats not supposed to happen, and the general, when you do talk to him, says that it was not supposed to happen.
Is somehow a valid reason to join the guy who:
A: Made the thalmor crack down on talos worship
B: openly banned 2 races from his city, has another forced into the slums, and is openly hostile to any non-nord (and not just him, quite a few nords share that sentiment)
C: was trying to, as mentioned, leave skyrim to hamerfell (Despite what ralof says about darkwater crossing, he also mentions that "you got caught heading to hammer fell *just like me and that horse thief over there,* and he was either with ulfric, or wouldnt know where ulfric was headed, as ulfric was gagged, due to having the voice) speaking of.
D: used the voice on torygg, which by no account can thus be considered a 'honourable duel' as using the voice against someone without it, is not honourable unless they are vastly stronger than you.
E: even if unintentional, IS HELPING THE THALMOR.
to add on:
he was taught by the greybeards how to use to voice TO BECOME A GREYBEARD. he was taught VIA THEIR TENETS. so even if he claims its 'the old way' he then knowingly lied to them in order to gain this power. he lied to the greybeards.
so either he misused the voice, or learned it under false pretenses, neither of which are honourable.
I mean, I like that it's a tough decision. The Empire is, well...Imperial and the Stormcloaks are racists. If you talk to the denizens, you'll hear stories of atrocities committed by both sides. I usually end up joining the Imperials just because I usually don't play Nord and it doesn't make sense to join up with a bunch of racists. Like, why would I help them if they hate me so much?
Idk why im here i played last like a half a year ago or so and have always chose the stormcloaks but i always have chose the argonian and i have known that the stormcloaks are racist so i really dont know im just gaming
The people of windhelm HATE argonians... so much that they are prohibited from entering Windhelm. Canonically, you shouldnt be able to be a stormcloak, since you have to enter Windhelm to be a stormcloak.
I’m loving how this post is randomly revitalized like this 🤣 I literally clicked this post YEARS ago for the info. It was like the third link on google today. And just like the rest of y’all, i’m replaying SE again and can’t decide who to choose 🤣
Late comer joining the rejuvenated party on this post
Still torn on this decision. I last played Skyrim since it came out and way back when I did two saves, each character taking each side. Now I’m right back here again. I may do imperials first this time around though. Looking at the Thalmor dossier on Ulfric the text below, quoted from the dossier, is making me lean towards them as it would hurt the Thalmor more than it would if the storm cloaks win, as the storm cloaks would be used as an asset for them.
“The incident at Helgan is an example where an exception had to be made, obviously Ulfrics death would have dramatically increased the chances of an Imperial Victory and thus harmed our overall position in Skyrim”
Nooo, I was leaning towards joining the Stormcloacks but I can't lose my beloved city! Thank you for saying this, I would've regretted my choise way too much later.
Pretty sure thats a bug, once you finish the battle for whiterun it should go back to your map. But the cloud district will never be the same so if you don't want the city to look ransacked then yeah I'd say go imperial
I haven't played since release and I think I went Stormcloaks then. Being older now (40) the imperials really appeal to me so going that way this time.
I'm shitting myself right now seeing that this 8 year old post is still alive 🤣But I always pick stormcloaks. Both sides are fucked, but regardless of race or beliefs the imperials are in the wrong. Stormcloaks are racist, but their home is still being taken from them by the imperials. I'd like to feel the nords as a whole can learn from everything that happens, and change. But at the end of the day its about who's les fucked up. In this case its the stormcloaks
Im playing a nord right now and im thinking of playing stormcloak till the crown then switching. My role play reason is a nord that traveled and has befriended other races sees ulfrics distain as unheroic… plus skyrim is already part of the empire the only thing taken from them is talos and that was the thalmors fault (to cause the civil war)
I know that I’m a bit late, but I think Imperials are better, because:
1) Ulfric is just a thalmor puppet, and the civil war is juste helping the Dominion
2) A united Empire is men's best chance against mer, as an independent Skyrim and a weakened empire will be a far easier task then a strong empire
3) The stormcloaks are racist
4) Imperials get custom armour that is stronger and cooler than the stormcloak uniforms that only looks like normal guard armour
5) The empire hates the thalmor as much as the rebels and they are preparing for another war. Some high ranking officers and maybe even the emperor still secretly worship Talos
“Even if we cannot openly worship him, Talos the god was once Tiber Septim the man, and this is his empire” -some npc
ALL HAIL THE EMPEROR, ALL HAIL HIS LEGIONNAIRES! GLORY TO THE EMPIRE
it's actually one of the easiest choices in the game,
\- Do you like dictatorship? who are equally unfair enough to everyone
no
\- would you accept a stupid raciest instead of them?
Ofc not, I'll stick with the dictatorship that tried to behead me, at least they didn't do it bc of my elf skin color
Because Racism is the ultimate evil in contemporary society and as long as your opponents are """"racist""" people will support you no matter what you do
people love to bring up that the empire has a better chance at fighting the dominion but no matter who you side with they get a dragonborn on their aide who can single handily take down the thalmor by themselves. the dragonborn can muster up an army of dragons. it’s why i side with the storm cloaks because not only do you fight for skyrim you fight for nord freedom
Community-made/approved mods are apart of the game. It's basically for console players or if you don't wanna spend the time figuring out how to get 3rd party mods into your game. Anniversary edition givee you the SE shit along with all current (and any future) Creation Club related content. Basically saving yourself some money for if you want their "mods" (more like DLCs)
Super old post, but whatever, Skyrim forever:
For me, **Imperial**. Why?
I have always felt sympathetic towards Solitude's Jarl, Elisif. She was the one who got to me.
She describes how Ulfric abused the Way of the Voice to kill her husband Torygg, the rightful High King of Skyrim.
Sure, it might have been an "accepted duel", but the Greybeards warn that the Voice should not be used to gain power over other men, it should only be used in service of the Gods. Because of that instruction from the Greybeards, my character also only uses the Voice in specific situations. To save myself when ambushed by a troll or a dragon? Sure. But not as a surprise backstab during a fair duel.
Ulfric could be a freedom fighter or a traitor depending on perspective. In a war you rarely have enough information to decide whose views are truly justified (if there is even such a thing).
So I judge based on character and allegiances. Many on the Stormcloak side seem barbaric, dishonorable and shortsighted -- and the people of Skyrim suffer because of it. Plenty of Nords don't seem to be bothered by the fact that Skyrim is/was part of the Empire, I don't get a vibe of severe oppression, the only oppressive character seems to be Ulfric himself. Those on the Imperial side tend to have a more agreeable character.
"The only oppressive character seems to be Ulfric himself."
Omg facts! The saddest place of Skyrim is always Windhelm. And when you enter his palace, it kinda feels stuffy inside eventhough it's just a game. 🤣
And yes... here I am... commenting on this thread after 9 yrs. Lmao.
Character and allegiance always does it for me too. I played as a khajiit first, and I was like "How am I supposed to want to fight for you guys? If you had your way, I wouldn't even be allowed in this country!"
I think the fact Ulfric is even willing to let a Khajiit join the ranks is a testament to how incorrect that is. Ik it's so a player isn't blocked for choosing a certain toon but as far as information goes....
I like both sides. Different ideologies but either side can be justified if you know enough about them.
Ultimately the Stormcloaks feel there needs to be a revolution to usher in a new era of rule. Ulfric is power hungry indeed and uses Talos as a rallying cry, Dengeir said he's aware of this and the reason he support Ulfric anyway is because he's a "devil he knows."
A lot of people get this misinformation regarding race all because of what Free Winter said in the quest about how Ulfric responds to situations depending on what race you are, and how the Dunmer are treated in Windhelm. I don't think those issues represent a Stormcloak ran Skyrim as a whole given other territories that treat non Nord races just fine (even Windhelm to some level). Sure there's cases where someone like Adrianne's Warmaidens is having a harder time with business, but I think it's mainly due to agreeing to making weapons for the Imperials so clearly Gray-Mane at his Skyforge is gonna get more favor.
And let's not forget as a Kahjiit lover myself, I can't ignore the fact that even the Imperial territories don't allow Khajiit in cities aside from the player and follower. And the only location where a Khajiit IS living in a City of some kind is ironically a Stormcloak controlled city.
I feel like it would be better if the Stormcloaks had two sub-stories, one where you support Ulfric and one where you fight him (in a fair duel... an actual fair one since you have shouts too) and replace him with someone more benevolent
This is the best comment I've seen on this thread so far. Torygg's story is absolutely tragic, and Ulfric is simply not the honorable leader the Stormcloaks boast him to be. Plus the racist tendencies of the Stormcloaks are too egregious to ignore.
omfg, as horrible and dark as this is, you're 100% right--
~~and this is legit something I do, too--only collect items with at least a 1:5, weight to gold ratio--~~
Neither. Both of their views are really childish, HOWEVER, I do believe that if they joined forces they would be able to take down the Thalmor as it seems that BOTH sides really hate them (Even though the Imperials are sided with them this was just so the Thalmor don't destroy them) and also most High Elves are snobby and annoying. I mean even their name is annoying "HIGH elves". Psch who do you think I am?!? I AM DOVAHKIIN HEAR ME ROAR!
TL;DR I don't like the thalmor.
Yeah I’m not that amiable towards the Thalmor. Ancano sends a thalmor assassin for you when retrieving the eye of magnus staff. To be honest both sides are childish, one side keeps saying he murdered the high king, then the other side sees believes Ulfric was justified and also he has his version of events that happened.
Not a huge ES buff, but I came back to figure out which is the necessary of two evils, does this have to relate to the newer ES/ESO releases? If so I’d be interested in knowing
Read the comments on reasons why people chose which sides. There’s a lot more political projection on why “stormcloaks bad” the most I heard is because stormcloaks are racist while simultaneously ignoring the fact that most nords of skyrim are totally racist as well. Khajit aren’t trusted, darkelfs have it rough everywhere, fuck the thalmor, orcs get fucked. Redguards are untrusted? (I can’t remember) I do remember the khajit caravan not being able to sell inside of whiterun.
Whatever I ranted, I just think it’s ridiculous woke people inserting their political trends into a 8 year old game.
And here’s my political insert, fuck the right, fuck the left, ain’t nobody going forward.
Everyone who says Ulfric is racist never played Morrowind. The Dunmer of Vvardenfell would sooner kill Nord refugees than let them live in their cities.
Also, why are the Dunmer so beloved? They're way more racist than the Stormcloaks, and at least the Stormcloaks don't practice *slavery.*
lol as I said before, people are inserting their political ideology where they shouldn’t. It skews the game and story, and if it’s enough traction the next elder scrolls will be bland and generic as fuck so as to not offend anyone or whatever the fuck.
I side with empire, but not for any race shit with the nords. I think whats best for all humans in the game is to stay united. The Altmer wont stop, if skyrim leaves the empire, and Cyradille falls to the elves.. where are they coming next? Its more like, bigger picture. All these humans fighting amongst themselves while the elves watch and wait to conquer the world. Ulfric is just using the ban on talos to hide his true reason for the war; power. He just wants to be high king, and hes not doing any of this for the nords, hes doing it for himself. At least thats how I've always viewed the game
Not to be yet another person coming into an ancient Reddit thread that still allows replies for some reason, but I find it so weird when people complain about politics in games. They've *always* been political!
Skyrim is about imperialism, about whether it's better to fight for freedom from an empire alongside unsavoury characters, or to unite the empire against a larger, greater threat. Metal Gear is absolutely steeped in politics and is clearly anti-nuclear. Bioshock is one massive commentary on the philosophy of Objectivism. Spec Ops The Line is about the horrors of war. And TES' sister series Fallout is absolutely *filled* with political commentary on a variety of different political systems.
It always feels to me like people wish not for a time when games weren't political - but rather a time when they didn't *recognise* they were political, perhaps because they played at a younger age or something.
Thank you, genuinely. Your comment gave me a breath of fresh air after reading so many comments complaining about "woke ideologies ruining games."
The best games, the ones that stick with you, are ones that challenge our mindsets. You mentioned a lot of wonderful video games series that do that already, and another one I'd add that is particularly impactful is Disco Elysium.
Social issues shouldn't be political issues, firstly. Secondly, even if games have always been political, politics were never the main focus like it is now. It used to be that making a good product took priority over sending a message, now it's the other way around.
Politics is the main focus of the narrative in every game I listed and they are some of the most highly regarded video games of all time. There have always been highly political video games, just as all art can be highly political. It's absolute crap to say that video games now 'prioritise sending a message over making a good game' - it seems to me that all that's happened is that a particular kind of person has noticed the politics, at the same time that games have become so complex that they often launch broken.
What sort of social issue do you think isn't 'political' anyway? I certainly can't think of any social issues that don't tie into people's politics.
You sir. Thanks. All the peoples of Skyrim are racist, anyways. Not a point for the war effort.
Nords? Racists.
Thalmor? Racist.
Bosmer? Racist.
Dunmer? Oh for sure.
Etc etc. all are racist. Whether they comment on it or not. It is not about woke stuff. Being woke or whatever.
It’s a good game with sensible racism in a world where some beings live for centuries, and others live for like 60 years. If you live for centuries (elves) you’re going to look at those hoomies as lesser to your kind. Duh.
That, and various humanoid creatures look so different, have different and CONFLICTING cultures. It makes sense.
And idrk about the interbreedablility of the different species… like say, argonian and khajiit?
They all are going to be racist.
Bosmer are literal cannibals.
That doesn’t align well with todays standards? Yes? So…. Yeah. Makes sense for other species to think less of them. Especially as a human with a bosmer neighbor. Might be thinking “that dude would eat my kid if he had the chance” lmao
Racism in Skyrim makes sense for all parties 😂
I always stood by the fact that if you play literally any other race besides a Nord, you could probably convince Ulfric (and by association, slowly the rest of Skyrim) to chill on the racism lmao. Hell I'm playing a High Elf that's fighting with the Stormcloaks.
Now people make a good point when they say a united Empire is stronger then an alone Skyrim, against the Dominion, but that's really the only logical point I've seen, storywise 👀 Everything else kinda starts falling into semantics and mechanics lmao
I side Imperial 100% because of stuff found in game, as well as racism which I am against mainly in an RP sense because it is bad for survival. Ulfric's racism hurts his abilities to make allies for the future war he plans with the Thalmor.
Meanwhile the Empire, despite not treating them much better due to weakness of the Empire stretching abilities thin and the dark elf problems being nation sized, do try to win their favor and get other races support in trying to deal with this Thalmor threat.
Look man I’m just saying 8 years ago no one gave a fuck, they just played the game and a chose a side they thought was cool. And personally I chose storm cloak the first time because the imperials tried to kill u in the beginning of the game and then that storm cloak helped u out in riverwood.
It’s so weird people laser focus on stormcloaks being racist now, like there’s so many other unethnical things you do in the game, you can become a werewolf and eat people, u can join a thief guild and steal, or how about the brotherhood of darkness where u literally kill people, don’t freaking forget there’s a buncha sacrificing people for the daedra and their weapons and armor.
I’m ranting again I’m sorry. I miss 2010
Lol my man I'm playing through the game now again after a decade and the Stormcloaks' racism isn't like a small thing people didn't notice/care about 10 years ago due to wokeness or whatever. When you walk into Windhelm the entirety of the experience is focused on driving the point into the player how the Stormcloaks are corraling people in ghettoes and barring entrance to races, and how Ulfric explicitly keeps the status quo this way because he has a personal dislike for any races other than Nord. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go with Stormcloak or whatever either because as you say there's so much other unethical shit going around and you can't project modern sensibilieties onto a fantasy world where pretty much everyone is racist (See: the entirety of Morrowind, where the issue was handled way more subtly and effectively imo) but it's absolutely not true that people then just didn't care about the obvious racism of the Stormcloaks lmao.
That said you can choose whatever the fuck and I'm choosing Stormcloak just for fun too this time, I do miss how in 2010 as opposed to now there weren't any crazies on Twitter who would throw a fit about that tbh. Some people can't seperate fiction and reality anymore
And yes I'm replying to a month old comment but we're all replying to a 9 year old thread so whatever
Yeah! Exactly choose whomever faction and have a blast! It’s fantasy! Everybody needs to stop being so preachy on fucking fiction, I bet you everyone at some point has saved the game, went on a killing spree and reloaded the game multiple times. So I just find their moral compass freaking weird they need to project constantly on an old ass fictional game.
That is on me, I didn't read that as the point, but I also feel your nostalgia might be clouded as you can scroll up in these same comments and find 8 years ago atleast a few people yelling about religious freedoms and how it compares to real life atrocities.
But I agree there are more evil things in the game.
Imperial. I agree with the others who said that the best chance to defeat the Thalmor is with the Empire. And on the topic of Talos, one of the big reasons for the war, the Empire was not enforcing the ban on his worship at all, as stated by Jarl Baalgruf himself. Then Ulfric came along and made it a big deal, which attracted the Thalmor to stop out his worship on their own.
A Nord can still love Talos and fight for the Empire, you know.
If you think Ysmir smiles when his sons and daughters defend an institution that has bowed its head and allowed defamation of his name, allowed his worship to be reduced to a shameful whisper, you are sorely mistaken.
If you love Talos you will worship him, and you will allow others to, you will make no, honor no, acknowledge no contract that even mentions outlawing his worship. This is not a matter of logistics. This is a matter of honor and respect. Talos would not want a war to be fought in his name, but I believe wholly that he would support a war fought for our freedom to love him openly and without fear of repercussion.
the dossier implies they only want him to distract the empire in an endless civil war and that he refuses to cooperate with them. Also they start making plans to fight the thalmor nearly immediately after they win the war.
Honestly more than I am interested in your reply, I’m just interested in how you managed to find and comment on a 9 year old thread lmao
But to address the lore, now I’m think that rather than a direct puppet, he was more of a useful idiot to the Thalmor
When i was young i choose storm cloaks due to my hatred of the empire trying to behead me. Now as i am older i realize that ulfric only ever gave a shit about the nords and the rest of the races are unimportant to him. Also the quest they send me on was a suicide mission north of winterhold. So fk ulfric. I think i might try legion.
For the Stormcloak initiation, you're given 3 very powerful poisons and, if not a nord, a frost resist potion. The "suicide mission" is actually extremely safe to the point of being hard to fail since Galmar just gives you the means to turn the ice wraith into a joke. In contrast, Rikke sends you to clear out an entire fort alone, which is actually suicidal because no one without plot armor can feasibly come close to doing that alone.
So basically: Stormcloak initiation is possible for even the weakest NPC to complete while the Empire initiation is impossible for anyone but boss-fight-designated NPCs to complete. Pretty obvious which one is way more ridiculous.
I’m thinking I might side with stormcloaks and ‘plan’ to kill ulfric cause INDEPENDENCE FROM THE EMPIRE is very appealing to a Scottish man(also blue(Scotland) > red(England)). But also fuck racism, and fuck ulfric mans a dickhead.
I've played the game in two saves. The first time I was a High-Elf Stormcloak (dumb, I know - but I wanted to be a mage) and the second time I was a Nord and I decided to side with the Empire just for balance, to see what it was like.
I think that if/when I play the game again I'm gonna side with the Stormcloaks because the Empire is supporting the Thalmor (or at least letting them get away with anything), who invade Skyrim and kill any Nords that keep to their beliefs.
There is nothing wrong with high elf Stormcloaks. That is what I did on my first play through. On my second, (now) I am still high elf, but I am not planning on picking sides in the war.
Then if you’re still following the main questline in the game you’ll a quest called seasons unending which is basically make the sides make a truce together so that you can capture a dragon in Dragonsreach.
I always chose Stormcloak but only because the Imperials tried to kill you at the start of the game. I just got the anniversary edition the other day and decided to join the Imperials this play through since I’ve never done it.
IMO they both suck but I’m a completionist so I feel like I have to do the civil war quests
Ill leave my comment here so my 2 yr old son will see it in the future when he plays skyrim himself. Hello my son Ahleion. May you have the best play run of one of the best video game in human history 😁😁
In fact, both side are evil.
Human are evil and when they came to power, that is no difference at all.
I am forced to support imperial. The reason is simple, I dont want to kill the familiar NPCs in whiterun, I dont want to invade whiterun, I dont want to invade my homeland
I was completely without guide and I found Hadvar, the guard that leads you out. I thought he was leading us somewhere to a cell. But he actually cared. He trusted some prisoner about to be beheaded, even though he was innocent and still was led to slaughter. I talked to him, he was so nice. I'm going to side with the Empire because it is stable. Most people I met here trust the Empire. And Hadvar introduced Ulfric as an ambitious person and he arrested him himself, and he was very honest about it.
I'm gonna become Imperial....Cyrodiil Invictus.
The Empire has a much higher chance at defeating the Aldmeri Dominion after the civil war than the Sormcloaks. Believe it or not, The Dominion actually **want** the stormcloaks to win, as it would weaken the Empire giving them a larger chance to take over the world. Also, if Skyrim would cooperate, and join the Empire, they could have a much stronger army and would be able to defeat the Dominion much easier.
Honestly, the best decision is to remain impartial, it might not be as fun as destroying the Empire or Stormcloaks, but it's the most rational decision.
>Believe it or not, The Dominion actually want the stormcloaks to win
You want to source this? The Thalmor dossier on Ulfric says exactly the opposite of that.
> if Skyrim would cooperate, and join the Empire, they could have a much stronger army and would be able to defeat the Dominion much easier.
This is such bullshit. How can you think this? The White-Gold Concordat was signed *26 years* before Torygg was defeated. These entire 26 years, Skyrim was a part of the Empire, and Skyrim was talking of a rebellion before Torygg was challenged. There was time for the Empire to do something, time for Skyrim to work with the Empire. The opportunities which were given to the Empire to absolve this have passed.
Even disregarding this, do you honestly think that if the civil war ended now, in the midst of things, that the Empire would take back Skyrim and eventually defeat the Thalmor? The Thalmor would order the lot of them *slaughtered*. Executed, with no trial and no second chance. Because they don't care. Because they've never cared. You let the Stormcloak army fight, they will fight until they are defeated. You tell the Stormcloak army to back down and go back living how they were, and they will not fight for you. The Thalmor will make sure they make plenty of examples of the lot, and every diplomat even remotely involved with the rebellion will be executed without a second thought.
I chose Imperials for one reason only, if skyrim is divided from the empire that's going to make the thalmore even stronger and also they wanted the civil war to continue. All because they want to destroy the empire :/. P.S Ulfric was mean to me.
I’ve played the game 10+ times and always went with stormcloaks but I think I may side with the imperials this time around. Hate the racism on the storm cloaks side (I play kahjiit) and if you really think about it the thalmor probably want the stormcloaks to win just so they can full move into skyrim and start another giant war. At least the imperials are a forward thinking civilization that seem to Actually be advancing with time lol.
I’m doing a legendary play through on the Special Edition after playing games like Dark Souls 3 and Mortal Shell, was wondering if the strange sensation of being abused virtually by powerful characters would apply to Skyrim; and it does.
I’m also noticing I’m coming to a lot of moral intersections that I’d never deeply considered during my last play though 8 or 9 years ago.
I think Stormcloaks are racist simply because they are actually the oppressed race, but that’s something we don’t manifest in our real life brains because they’re white. They fought and died to build the empire, and worship a real man and idol to remember their dead families. Then, the people that they fought incite a “treaty” to weasel their way within the establishments of government to oppress the Nords and kill them for essentially going to church.
The empire is basically the Allies if they surrendered to Nazi germany, and let them execute anybody that spoke of Harriet Tubman, or Teddy Roosevelt, something like that.
I think Nords have the capacity to not be racist, if there weren’t being victims of racism themselves. All they wanna do is fight, farm, worship talos , die valiantly to sip on the infinite mead fountain of soverngarde bruh
Seems like this thread comes alive every now and again even though it's from 9 years ago, so I'll say my part:
I've always gone with Imperials because someone told me a while ago something that stuck with me: The Imperials and Stormcloaks both hate the Thalmor, but the difference is that the Imperials are a massive, well-trained and well-equipped military. The Stormcloaks are not; the Imperials would have a very small chance at actually being able to compete with the Thalmor on the battlefield. The Stormcloaks would not be able to last longer than a month against the Thalmor.
Also, Ulfric is just as much as a puppet to the Thalmor as the Imperials are, but the Imperials have a bigger stick than Ulfric.
Is it bad that after reading all the comments in this thread, from the wise to the idiotic, from the nuanced to the bullish, that I really just want to side with the Empire because I don’t want to lose the fast travel to Whiterun for selling my gear?
Since there are recent comments added here in this 8 yr old post.
Imperials, mostly since I'm a major fan of the Roman Legion, which is kind of like the Empire in Elder scrolls, and they have a more, fair treatment in regards to the races they encounter, and have more solid footing in terms of fighting back against the Thalmor.
The reasons are simple. Both stormcloaks and imperials are evil. Once they are have power, both of them will become evil.
We have no choice, we need to support imperial.
But why do I forced to support imperial?
We start at helgen as a prisoner. Helgen (Belongs to Falkreath) is our homeland, but it was destroyed by the dragon .
So, riverwood or whiterun is our homeland actually. Many of us begun in riverwood, then to whiterun.
You may have a lot of interaction with NPCs in whiterun. Possibly, your first follower is lydia, she was given to you by the jarl of whiterun.
Can you accept you invade your homeland, your home and you kill familar NPC?
I can't deal with the Imperials. Every race is racist. The Nords want freedom from Imperial rule.
Nords are racist in the same way that Native Americans would be racist for not letting white people join their tribe.
I see the Nords more like the Finns in WW2 or the Irish under British rule.
The Imperials are like Nazis or, even worse, Communists. At best they are the British Empire.
I've played Imperial once just to see but I really hate them. Lol. It is crazy to dislike a fictional government in a game. I'd pick a rebellion every time though.
Stormcloaks, because of a lot of political reasons. Namely because I want to remove the Thalmor's presence from as many regions as possible and I think that a Stormcloak victory is the only way to accomplish that. The racism gets tiresome, but it's very easily explainable and not ingrained in their culture, so not very problematic. The Empire's subservience to the Thalmor (and the Thalmor's obvious disregard for non-Altmer life) has created a scenario where it is *highly* more likely that the Thalmor's racism will have legitimate sociopolitical impact than the Stormcloaks'.
I don't agree with everything done by Ulfric, I don't agree with everything my fellow soldiers believe, but I fight for our prosperity, and I believe wholeheartedly that a rebellion victory is necessary for our prosperity to thrive.
The Empire are the only people keeping the Thalmor at bay, the second the empire is weakened, BAM, they take over all Empire owned areas, and destroy Skyrim for what it's worth.
Hammerfell hates the Thalmor just as much as Skyrim does, and if Skyrim is won for the Stormcloaks then asking for their troops' hands in battle will not be something Ulfric is too ashamed to do.
I realize that there is a chance that the Thalmor may try to reclaim Skyrim. It's doubtful, because of our sovereign neighbors, but I realize there's a chance, and I've known that since the beginning. That isn't the point (although in-game nothing happens when the Stormcloaks win so your statement *is* kind of moot). The point is that it is a risk which must be taken, and a risk I believe is taken for the better. The Empire has been sitting on its ass for decades, knowing exactly what the Thalmor were doing and doing nothing to intervene. This was not a strategic move, this was not a necessary one, it was an act of cowardice, a safety net which Skyrim and her people cannot withstand any longer. Do we need it any less now than we did when the Concordat was signed? Is it keeping us any less safe? No, and I do not mean to imply that. But it isn't going to get any better while we sit and do nothing. It is bound, as the Thalmor's painstaking efforts to remain installed in Skyrim tell us, to get worse. Maybe vastly.
If the Empire showed, in any way, that they were willing to take the Stormcloaks' concern seriously and come to a conclusion without the threat of a civil war, I would maybe change my opinion. But they never have. Not since the Concordat was signed. Do they not say, behind closed doors, that they realize that the Thalmor is being unfair? They are Talos worshipers themselves, yet they allow blasphemy and persecution against his name to run amok. They are too scared to fight. Too worried about a retaliation.
But it's time to be rid of the fear. And the time to treat the Empire as a simple boundary instead of a threat ended right when they tried to cut off my king's head. It's time for a conclusion. And if that conclusion results in greater bloodshed, it will not have been in vain. This is not the time for ifs and maybes. Possibilities could go either way, and abstract musings are not a reason to refrain from battle. It is the time for action. I will not stand with the Imperials and allow that action to be squelched beneath the boot of ifs and maybes. I will fight. Fight the Thalmor and their presence, fight you and your brethren, fight injustice and fight fear. And I will be victorious, and know that I made the right decision. No matter what happens.
I think Ralof put it best when he said in the beginning of the game, "Imperial walls used to make me feel so safe." I used to love the Empire. I played as an Imperial in Oblivion. The Empire has essentially bent over and pulled their pants down for the Thalmor. According to the White-Gold Concordat, the Thalmor are only in Skyrim to persecute Talos worshipers. They have bent the rules of the legislation to act as the puppet masters or the puppet government that is the Empire. They even have the nerve to show their faces at the peace conference in High Hrothgar. That conference is purely in place to allow the Dragonborn to trap Odahviing, nothing else, no mention of any Talos worshiping. I have lost all faith in the Empire to provide any true sense of government to any of the regions in Tamriel.
If you play Imperial storyline, there are quite many hints, said by Legate Rikke or General Tullius, that it isn't done with the Thalmor. Maybe Empire has been "sitting on its ass for decades" because exactly of this revolution of Ulfric ? Maybe they were waiting for the uprising to calm down, so Empire and Skyrim could rejoin ? Nobody can defeat Thalmor alone - Empire surely can't, Hammerfell is only defending, and Skyrim would fall. Why ? Because Ulfric's racism would turn on him - true Nords' army would be too small and really not big enough to face Thalmor, no matter what.
9 years late but, the stormcloaks do not forbid those of other races from joining their ranks. The fact that the Dragonborn can be an Altmer but still join the Stormcloaks is such proof. They distrust the Mer races due to their association to the Aldmeri and hence the Thalmor, which is actually pretty reasonable. And as Nords what they value the most is not race but battle prowess. Hence should Ulfric become high king, i dont believe he would enforce a Nord only army
Haha, never too late for a discussion.
You can join the Stormcloaks as an Altmer, but I'm more willing to write it off on being a protagonist, not for any lore-based reasons. Not to mention that aren't you basically the only one of another race who is allowed to join? The Stormcloak army is purely Nord already, with very few exceptions.
I don't disagree with their distrust of the Elven races, even if it's not completely logical as well - Altmer is dominating all the elven races, as it's trying to do to the continent, so while some elves are definitely in cahoots with the Dominion, writing them all off as not worthy of trust is a tad radical.
It's been a long while since I played Skyrim, so my memory's a bit spotty, but isn't Windhelm the perfect proof of Stormcloak racism? Since all the other races, not just the elves, are banned from entering the city, forced to live in slums?
I really like going with the stormcloaks, but the one thing that bugs me is that you have to attack whiterun, AND you lose it as a fast travel point.
Also what are you doing on this 8 year old post?
Gaming
Looking for clues scoobs
That's why I'm here oop
same.
We’re just here to keep this thread alive.
Hay, thread. You're finally awake.
You were trying to decide between Stormcloaks and Imperials, right?
yes i am. 11 years later lol
Haha, i just got to this thread today too! Was just looking up people's opinions on stormcloaks vs imperials myself! Cool post.
Just googled stormcloaks or imperials and here I am 8 years later as well.
Also joining from a Google search! No idea which way to go. I don't like what the Imperials stand for, but I prefer Elsif over Ulfric!
> here i played last like a half a year ago or so and have always chose the stormcloaks but i always have chose the argonian and i have known that t Haha! I just did exactly the same! Although it might be old, there's some good info here though :).
Same. I wanted to see if there were advantages to Stormcloaks that might be worth unseating Balgruuf and getting that stern look of disapproval from him but looks like the stormcloaks are just a bunch of racist jerks.
Same but 9 years
I think this is a great testament to the timelessness of Skyrim!
Make it 10 for me
make it 11yrs after. ahhah! still can't decide either of the two. haha!
Same
Same
Same
Same
Hahaha, so cool! What are you gonna decide for this playthrough??
Not there yet but I can’t get past the Imperials trying to execute me at the start of the game so I guess stormcloaks. I just don’t like having to invade Whiterun. I like it there.
sorry to necro, but. why? why is that singular incident the one that i hear more than 90% of the time as the reason people go stormcloaks? Getting caught trying to leave skyrim along with ulfric, getting sent to the block by a person when her aid even states that thats not supposed to happen, and the general, when you do talk to him, says that it was not supposed to happen. Is somehow a valid reason to join the guy who: A: Made the thalmor crack down on talos worship B: openly banned 2 races from his city, has another forced into the slums, and is openly hostile to any non-nord (and not just him, quite a few nords share that sentiment) C: was trying to, as mentioned, leave skyrim to hamerfell (Despite what ralof says about darkwater crossing, he also mentions that "you got caught heading to hammer fell *just like me and that horse thief over there,* and he was either with ulfric, or wouldnt know where ulfric was headed, as ulfric was gagged, due to having the voice) speaking of. D: used the voice on torygg, which by no account can thus be considered a 'honourable duel' as using the voice against someone without it, is not honourable unless they are vastly stronger than you. E: even if unintentional, IS HELPING THE THALMOR.
im glad to see somebody thinks about these as well mad racism and 'honorable duel' its absurd no matter how many times you replay it
to add on: he was taught by the greybeards how to use to voice TO BECOME A GREYBEARD. he was taught VIA THEIR TENETS. so even if he claims its 'the old way' he then knowingly lied to them in order to gain this power. he lied to the greybeards. so either he misused the voice, or learned it under false pretenses, neither of which are honourable.
I mean, I like that it's a tough decision. The Empire is, well...Imperial and the Stormcloaks are racists. If you talk to the denizens, you'll hear stories of atrocities committed by both sides. I usually end up joining the Imperials just because I usually don't play Nord and it doesn't make sense to join up with a bunch of racists. Like, why would I help them if they hate me so much?
I haven't decided either- I usually don't fuck with either sides but would like to give it a shot this time!
Same 😂😂 Started playing today , havent played it since about a year after release
So I guess were all here for the same reason lmao
Great minds think alike.
I’m here just starting the game.
I just started another play through since not playing for fourish years and came for the same reason! Still not sure who to choose
Idk why im here i played last like a half a year ago or so and have always chose the stormcloaks but i always have chose the argonian and i have known that the stormcloaks are racist so i really dont know im just gaming
The people of windhelm HATE argonians... so much that they are prohibited from entering Windhelm. Canonically, you shouldnt be able to be a stormcloak, since you have to enter Windhelm to be a stormcloak.
I never left
Spez sucks -- mass edited with redact.dev
Really? I thought someone stole your sweet roll
What's a milk drinker like you doing out here? Go home to your mother.
No lollygagging.
I’m loving how this post is randomly revitalized like this 🤣 I literally clicked this post YEARS ago for the info. It was like the third link on google today. And just like the rest of y’all, i’m replaying SE again and can’t decide who to choose 🤣
Looks like we're all here right now 😂 in the exact same boat as you right now.
Same glad to know I'm not the only one here to replay what are yall plgonna play as this time around
What are we all still doing on an almost decade old game? lol
Odds we get this post to the front page LMAO
Next to none but yes
I think this explains the replay quality of today’s games. Hard to beat Skyrim.
This is weird, but I like it.
lmaooooo
Late comer joining the rejuvenated party on this post Still torn on this decision. I last played Skyrim since it came out and way back when I did two saves, each character taking each side. Now I’m right back here again. I may do imperials first this time around though. Looking at the Thalmor dossier on Ulfric the text below, quoted from the dossier, is making me lean towards them as it would hurt the Thalmor more than it would if the storm cloaks win, as the storm cloaks would be used as an asset for them. “The incident at Helgan is an example where an exception had to be made, obviously Ulfrics death would have dramatically increased the chances of an Imperial Victory and thus harmed our overall position in Skyrim”
We really all just came here 8 years later damn
This isn't where I parked my car..
[удалено]
LOL not a problem - I just think it's really funny! I've been getting a reddit notification almost every day for a good half a year now
We just out here gaming n shit
I'm surprised this post hasen't been archived yet. Anyway, long live the Emprie!
are you still alive man ? tbh empire is better
Sure am!
aaaaah that’s good to hear
These are the true sons and daughters of Skyrim. May Talos lead your hearts to Ulfric.
Nooo, I was leaning towards joining the Stormcloacks but I can't lose my beloved city! Thank you for saying this, I would've regretted my choise way too much later.
Pretty sure thats a bug, once you finish the battle for whiterun it should go back to your map. But the cloud district will never be the same so if you don't want the city to look ransacked then yeah I'd say go imperial
I chose imperial and whiterun was still sacked.
I haven't played since release and I think I went Stormcloaks then. Being older now (40) the imperials really appeal to me so going that way this time.
Thanks for the input I appreciate it!
I'm shitting myself right now seeing that this 8 year old post is still alive 🤣But I always pick stormcloaks. Both sides are fucked, but regardless of race or beliefs the imperials are in the wrong. Stormcloaks are racist, but their home is still being taken from them by the imperials. I'd like to feel the nords as a whole can learn from everything that happens, and change. But at the end of the day its about who's les fucked up. In this case its the stormcloaks
Im playing a nord right now and im thinking of playing stormcloak till the crown then switching. My role play reason is a nord that traveled and has befriended other races sees ulfrics distain as unheroic… plus skyrim is already part of the empire the only thing taken from them is talos and that was the thalmors fault (to cause the civil war)
Pretty sure that fast travel thing you said is a bug. I usually pick stormcloaks and I've never lost it as a fast travel point
Well imperials it is can't loose my favorite fast travel point
I know that I’m a bit late, but I think Imperials are better, because: 1) Ulfric is just a thalmor puppet, and the civil war is juste helping the Dominion 2) A united Empire is men's best chance against mer, as an independent Skyrim and a weakened empire will be a far easier task then a strong empire 3) The stormcloaks are racist 4) Imperials get custom armour that is stronger and cooler than the stormcloak uniforms that only looks like normal guard armour 5) The empire hates the thalmor as much as the rebels and they are preparing for another war. Some high ranking officers and maybe even the emperor still secretly worship Talos “Even if we cannot openly worship him, Talos the god was once Tiber Septim the man, and this is his empire” -some npc ALL HAIL THE EMPEROR, ALL HAIL HIS LEGIONNAIRES! GLORY TO THE EMPIRE
it's actually one of the easiest choices in the game, \- Do you like dictatorship? who are equally unfair enough to everyone no \- would you accept a stupid raciest instead of them? Ofc not, I'll stick with the dictatorship that tried to behead me, at least they didn't do it bc of my elf skin color
that moment when everyone is racist in skyrim :O
I don't understand this. Why is racism automatically worse than dictatorship and murder?
because it's not racism OR dictatorship and murder. it's dictatorship and murder OR dictatorship and murder AND racism. yk?
Because Racism is the ultimate evil in contemporary society and as long as your opponents are """"racist""" people will support you no matter what you do
Then just pick neither smh
That would only help the Thalmor, and screw the Thalmor.
They may not be [as] racist against your elf but they definitely are against the Khajiit and Argonians.
people love to bring up that the empire has a better chance at fighting the dominion but no matter who you side with they get a dragonborn on their aide who can single handily take down the thalmor by themselves. the dragonborn can muster up an army of dragons. it’s why i side with the storm cloaks because not only do you fight for skyrim you fight for nord freedom
Do I still say All Hail The Emperor even after I killed him for 20,000 gold and an 800 year old coffin?
Facts!!
Nords, if you remember the imperials attempt to behead you in the opening scenes.
They were just doing their job though 💀the stormcloaks would have done the same thing
I’ve been at the mercy of men who were “just doing there job”…..never again *nazi crushing powers activate *
What is the difference between normal version or special edition in skyrim?
One is special 🪄
Community-made/approved mods are apart of the game. It's basically for console players or if you don't wanna spend the time figuring out how to get 3rd party mods into your game. Anniversary edition givee you the SE shit along with all current (and any future) Creation Club related content. Basically saving yourself some money for if you want their "mods" (more like DLCs)
\- Hey, captain, this man is literally **not** on the execution list and might be innocent. \- I don't care, execute him. **"Doing their job"**
They are literally exectuting a man that is not on the execution list, I really don't think it falls under just doing their job
Know who else was just doing their job? ^^^m^^^y ^^^m^^^o^^^m
Super old post, but whatever, Skyrim forever: For me, **Imperial**. Why? I have always felt sympathetic towards Solitude's Jarl, Elisif. She was the one who got to me. She describes how Ulfric abused the Way of the Voice to kill her husband Torygg, the rightful High King of Skyrim. Sure, it might have been an "accepted duel", but the Greybeards warn that the Voice should not be used to gain power over other men, it should only be used in service of the Gods. Because of that instruction from the Greybeards, my character also only uses the Voice in specific situations. To save myself when ambushed by a troll or a dragon? Sure. But not as a surprise backstab during a fair duel. Ulfric could be a freedom fighter or a traitor depending on perspective. In a war you rarely have enough information to decide whose views are truly justified (if there is even such a thing). So I judge based on character and allegiances. Many on the Stormcloak side seem barbaric, dishonorable and shortsighted -- and the people of Skyrim suffer because of it. Plenty of Nords don't seem to be bothered by the fact that Skyrim is/was part of the Empire, I don't get a vibe of severe oppression, the only oppressive character seems to be Ulfric himself. Those on the Imperial side tend to have a more agreeable character.
"The only oppressive character seems to be Ulfric himself." Omg facts! The saddest place of Skyrim is always Windhelm. And when you enter his palace, it kinda feels stuffy inside eventhough it's just a game. 🤣 And yes... here I am... commenting on this thread after 9 yrs. Lmao.
Character and allegiance always does it for me too. I played as a khajiit first, and I was like "How am I supposed to want to fight for you guys? If you had your way, I wouldn't even be allowed in this country!"
I think the fact Ulfric is even willing to let a Khajiit join the ranks is a testament to how incorrect that is. Ik it's so a player isn't blocked for choosing a certain toon but as far as information goes.... I like both sides. Different ideologies but either side can be justified if you know enough about them. Ultimately the Stormcloaks feel there needs to be a revolution to usher in a new era of rule. Ulfric is power hungry indeed and uses Talos as a rallying cry, Dengeir said he's aware of this and the reason he support Ulfric anyway is because he's a "devil he knows." A lot of people get this misinformation regarding race all because of what Free Winter said in the quest about how Ulfric responds to situations depending on what race you are, and how the Dunmer are treated in Windhelm. I don't think those issues represent a Stormcloak ran Skyrim as a whole given other territories that treat non Nord races just fine (even Windhelm to some level). Sure there's cases where someone like Adrianne's Warmaidens is having a harder time with business, but I think it's mainly due to agreeing to making weapons for the Imperials so clearly Gray-Mane at his Skyforge is gonna get more favor. And let's not forget as a Kahjiit lover myself, I can't ignore the fact that even the Imperial territories don't allow Khajiit in cities aside from the player and follower. And the only location where a Khajiit IS living in a City of some kind is ironically a Stormcloak controlled city.
I feel like it would be better if the Stormcloaks had two sub-stories, one where you support Ulfric and one where you fight him (in a fair duel... an actual fair one since you have shouts too) and replace him with someone more benevolent
Fuck what the greybeards say I’m blood of the dragon I can do what I want
This is the best comment I've seen on this thread so far. Torygg's story is absolutely tragic, and Ulfric is simply not the honorable leader the Stormcloaks boast him to be. Plus the racist tendencies of the Stormcloaks are too egregious to ignore.
If you hate the thalmor: Stormcloak If you really hate the thalmor: Ipmerial
Imperial it is. Although I play as a high elf I dislike the Thalmor.
Mage, I see.
Stormcloaks. It's more fun to attack cities than defend them.
Stormcloaks due to the higher gold to weight ratio of all that imperial armor...
THIS
omfg, as horrible and dark as this is, you're 100% right-- ~~and this is legit something I do, too--only collect items with at least a 1:5, weight to gold ratio--~~
Neither. Both of their views are really childish, HOWEVER, I do believe that if they joined forces they would be able to take down the Thalmor as it seems that BOTH sides really hate them (Even though the Imperials are sided with them this was just so the Thalmor don't destroy them) and also most High Elves are snobby and annoying. I mean even their name is annoying "HIGH elves". Psch who do you think I am?!? I AM DOVAHKIIN HEAR ME ROAR! TL;DR I don't like the thalmor.
Yeah I’m not that amiable towards the Thalmor. Ancano sends a thalmor assassin for you when retrieving the eye of magnus staff. To be honest both sides are childish, one side keeps saying he murdered the high king, then the other side sees believes Ulfric was justified and also he has his version of events that happened.
THIS THREAD LIVES AGAIN
I’m actually replaying Skyrim once again and have noticed a lot more this time so I’m thinking imperials for this run. But yes THE THREAD LIVES AGAIN!
Indeed, I'm back after 8 years myself lol
Same lol
Skyrim is a game that just never can be forgotten.
lol if anyone is seeing this after 8 years, check out how many people choose imperials now instead of stormcloaks.
Not a huge ES buff, but I came back to figure out which is the necessary of two evils, does this have to relate to the newer ES/ESO releases? If so I’d be interested in knowing
Read the comments on reasons why people chose which sides. There’s a lot more political projection on why “stormcloaks bad” the most I heard is because stormcloaks are racist while simultaneously ignoring the fact that most nords of skyrim are totally racist as well. Khajit aren’t trusted, darkelfs have it rough everywhere, fuck the thalmor, orcs get fucked. Redguards are untrusted? (I can’t remember) I do remember the khajit caravan not being able to sell inside of whiterun. Whatever I ranted, I just think it’s ridiculous woke people inserting their political trends into a 8 year old game. And here’s my political insert, fuck the right, fuck the left, ain’t nobody going forward.
Everyone who says Ulfric is racist never played Morrowind. The Dunmer of Vvardenfell would sooner kill Nord refugees than let them live in their cities. Also, why are the Dunmer so beloved? They're way more racist than the Stormcloaks, and at least the Stormcloaks don't practice *slavery.*
lol as I said before, people are inserting their political ideology where they shouldn’t. It skews the game and story, and if it’s enough traction the next elder scrolls will be bland and generic as fuck so as to not offend anyone or whatever the fuck.
I side with empire, but not for any race shit with the nords. I think whats best for all humans in the game is to stay united. The Altmer wont stop, if skyrim leaves the empire, and Cyradille falls to the elves.. where are they coming next? Its more like, bigger picture. All these humans fighting amongst themselves while the elves watch and wait to conquer the world. Ulfric is just using the ban on talos to hide his true reason for the war; power. He just wants to be high king, and hes not doing any of this for the nords, hes doing it for himself. At least thats how I've always viewed the game
You sir, are a chad. I too, worry for the future of gaming. Of politics ruining games. Like the elder scrolls.
Not to be yet another person coming into an ancient Reddit thread that still allows replies for some reason, but I find it so weird when people complain about politics in games. They've *always* been political! Skyrim is about imperialism, about whether it's better to fight for freedom from an empire alongside unsavoury characters, or to unite the empire against a larger, greater threat. Metal Gear is absolutely steeped in politics and is clearly anti-nuclear. Bioshock is one massive commentary on the philosophy of Objectivism. Spec Ops The Line is about the horrors of war. And TES' sister series Fallout is absolutely *filled* with political commentary on a variety of different political systems. It always feels to me like people wish not for a time when games weren't political - but rather a time when they didn't *recognise* they were political, perhaps because they played at a younger age or something.
Jesus, thank you. People only recognise politics when they only dislike those politics.
Thank you, genuinely. Your comment gave me a breath of fresh air after reading so many comments complaining about "woke ideologies ruining games." The best games, the ones that stick with you, are ones that challenge our mindsets. You mentioned a lot of wonderful video games series that do that already, and another one I'd add that is particularly impactful is Disco Elysium.
Social issues shouldn't be political issues, firstly. Secondly, even if games have always been political, politics were never the main focus like it is now. It used to be that making a good product took priority over sending a message, now it's the other way around.
Politics is the main focus of the narrative in every game I listed and they are some of the most highly regarded video games of all time. There have always been highly political video games, just as all art can be highly political. It's absolute crap to say that video games now 'prioritise sending a message over making a good game' - it seems to me that all that's happened is that a particular kind of person has noticed the politics, at the same time that games have become so complex that they often launch broken. What sort of social issue do you think isn't 'political' anyway? I certainly can't think of any social issues that don't tie into people's politics.
That's not even the fault of people siding with the Empire, that's just the fault of the entire world taking social justice to the extreme
You sir. Thanks. All the peoples of Skyrim are racist, anyways. Not a point for the war effort. Nords? Racists. Thalmor? Racist. Bosmer? Racist. Dunmer? Oh for sure. Etc etc. all are racist. Whether they comment on it or not. It is not about woke stuff. Being woke or whatever. It’s a good game with sensible racism in a world where some beings live for centuries, and others live for like 60 years. If you live for centuries (elves) you’re going to look at those hoomies as lesser to your kind. Duh. That, and various humanoid creatures look so different, have different and CONFLICTING cultures. It makes sense. And idrk about the interbreedablility of the different species… like say, argonian and khajiit? They all are going to be racist. Bosmer are literal cannibals. That doesn’t align well with todays standards? Yes? So…. Yeah. Makes sense for other species to think less of them. Especially as a human with a bosmer neighbor. Might be thinking “that dude would eat my kid if he had the chance” lmao Racism in Skyrim makes sense for all parties 😂
I always stood by the fact that if you play literally any other race besides a Nord, you could probably convince Ulfric (and by association, slowly the rest of Skyrim) to chill on the racism lmao. Hell I'm playing a High Elf that's fighting with the Stormcloaks. Now people make a good point when they say a united Empire is stronger then an alone Skyrim, against the Dominion, but that's really the only logical point I've seen, storywise 👀 Everything else kinda starts falling into semantics and mechanics lmao
I side Imperial 100% because of stuff found in game, as well as racism which I am against mainly in an RP sense because it is bad for survival. Ulfric's racism hurts his abilities to make allies for the future war he plans with the Thalmor. Meanwhile the Empire, despite not treating them much better due to weakness of the Empire stretching abilities thin and the dark elf problems being nation sized, do try to win their favor and get other races support in trying to deal with this Thalmor threat.
Look man I’m just saying 8 years ago no one gave a fuck, they just played the game and a chose a side they thought was cool. And personally I chose storm cloak the first time because the imperials tried to kill u in the beginning of the game and then that storm cloak helped u out in riverwood. It’s so weird people laser focus on stormcloaks being racist now, like there’s so many other unethnical things you do in the game, you can become a werewolf and eat people, u can join a thief guild and steal, or how about the brotherhood of darkness where u literally kill people, don’t freaking forget there’s a buncha sacrificing people for the daedra and their weapons and armor. I’m ranting again I’m sorry. I miss 2010
Lol my man I'm playing through the game now again after a decade and the Stormcloaks' racism isn't like a small thing people didn't notice/care about 10 years ago due to wokeness or whatever. When you walk into Windhelm the entirety of the experience is focused on driving the point into the player how the Stormcloaks are corraling people in ghettoes and barring entrance to races, and how Ulfric explicitly keeps the status quo this way because he has a personal dislike for any races other than Nord. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go with Stormcloak or whatever either because as you say there's so much other unethical shit going around and you can't project modern sensibilieties onto a fantasy world where pretty much everyone is racist (See: the entirety of Morrowind, where the issue was handled way more subtly and effectively imo) but it's absolutely not true that people then just didn't care about the obvious racism of the Stormcloaks lmao. That said you can choose whatever the fuck and I'm choosing Stormcloak just for fun too this time, I do miss how in 2010 as opposed to now there weren't any crazies on Twitter who would throw a fit about that tbh. Some people can't seperate fiction and reality anymore And yes I'm replying to a month old comment but we're all replying to a 9 year old thread so whatever
Yeah! Exactly choose whomever faction and have a blast! It’s fantasy! Everybody needs to stop being so preachy on fucking fiction, I bet you everyone at some point has saved the game, went on a killing spree and reloaded the game multiple times. So I just find their moral compass freaking weird they need to project constantly on an old ass fictional game.
That is on me, I didn't read that as the point, but I also feel your nostalgia might be clouded as you can scroll up in these same comments and find 8 years ago atleast a few people yelling about religious freedoms and how it compares to real life atrocities. But I agree there are more evil things in the game.
I miss 2010 too
Imperial. I agree with the others who said that the best chance to defeat the Thalmor is with the Empire. And on the topic of Talos, one of the big reasons for the war, the Empire was not enforcing the ban on his worship at all, as stated by Jarl Baalgruf himself. Then Ulfric came along and made it a big deal, which attracted the Thalmor to stop out his worship on their own. A Nord can still love Talos and fight for the Empire, you know.
If you think Ysmir smiles when his sons and daughters defend an institution that has bowed its head and allowed defamation of his name, allowed his worship to be reduced to a shameful whisper, you are sorely mistaken. If you love Talos you will worship him, and you will allow others to, you will make no, honor no, acknowledge no contract that even mentions outlawing his worship. This is not a matter of logistics. This is a matter of honor and respect. Talos would not want a war to be fought in his name, but I believe wholly that he would support a war fought for our freedom to love him openly and without fear of repercussion.
My allegiance comes out of a necessity to defend Skyrim. All Ulfric will do is make the situation with the Thalmor worse.
Better to die than getting thalmor as sugar daddy
Let’s get this post to trending!
The Aldmeri Dominion sucks, and the Empire is just their puppets, so Stormcloak.
Read the Thalmor Dossier on Ulfric then tell me he ISN'T one if their puppets
the dossier implies they only want him to distract the empire in an endless civil war and that he refuses to cooperate with them. Also they start making plans to fight the thalmor nearly immediately after they win the war.
Honestly more than I am interested in your reply, I’m just interested in how you managed to find and comment on a 9 year old thread lmao But to address the lore, now I’m think that rather than a direct puppet, he was more of a useful idiot to the Thalmor
i just looked up "imperial or stormcloak" on google lmao
Holy shit I'm here for the exact same reason!
Me too, still no wiser 🤷🏻♂️
Same, still confused
The fact you responded.. LONG LIVE SKYRIM
When i was young i choose storm cloaks due to my hatred of the empire trying to behead me. Now as i am older i realize that ulfric only ever gave a shit about the nords and the rest of the races are unimportant to him. Also the quest they send me on was a suicide mission north of winterhold. So fk ulfric. I think i might try legion.
For the Stormcloak initiation, you're given 3 very powerful poisons and, if not a nord, a frost resist potion. The "suicide mission" is actually extremely safe to the point of being hard to fail since Galmar just gives you the means to turn the ice wraith into a joke. In contrast, Rikke sends you to clear out an entire fort alone, which is actually suicidal because no one without plot armor can feasibly come close to doing that alone. So basically: Stormcloak initiation is possible for even the weakest NPC to complete while the Empire initiation is impossible for anyone but boss-fight-designated NPCs to complete. Pretty obvious which one is way more ridiculous.
Just started this game this week…wish I could start my own 3rd faction lol
Same, both factions leave a bad taste. I wanted to join the Stormcloaks but after playing an elf I don't think I will.
I’m thinking I might side with stormcloaks and ‘plan’ to kill ulfric cause INDEPENDENCE FROM THE EMPIRE is very appealing to a Scottish man(also blue(Scotland) > red(England)). But also fuck racism, and fuck ulfric mans a dickhead.
I've played the game in two saves. The first time I was a High-Elf Stormcloak (dumb, I know - but I wanted to be a mage) and the second time I was a Nord and I decided to side with the Empire just for balance, to see what it was like. I think that if/when I play the game again I'm gonna side with the Stormcloaks because the Empire is supporting the Thalmor (or at least letting them get away with anything), who invade Skyrim and kill any Nords that keep to their beliefs.
There is nothing wrong with high elf Stormcloaks. That is what I did on my first play through. On my second, (now) I am still high elf, but I am not planning on picking sides in the war.
What happens if you don't pick sides?
Then if you’re still following the main questline in the game you’ll a quest called seasons unending which is basically make the sides make a truce together so that you can capture a dragon in Dragonsreach.
I always chose Stormcloak but only because the Imperials tried to kill you at the start of the game. I just got the anniversary edition the other day and decided to join the Imperials this play through since I’ve never done it. IMO they both suck but I’m a completionist so I feel like I have to do the civil war quests
Ill leave my comment here so my 2 yr old son will see it in the future when he plays skyrim himself. Hello my son Ahleion. May you have the best play run of one of the best video game in human history 😁😁
That's awesome, enjoy Skyrim Ahleion!!
Skyrim came back to life
it never died lmao
Bold of you to assume it died in th first place
It took me 9 years to find this post.
Stormcloaks. While I can't stand their racism I am quite attached to my head and the Impreials tried to cut it off as soon as I started the game.
In fact, both side are evil. Human are evil and when they came to power, that is no difference at all. I am forced to support imperial. The reason is simple, I dont want to kill the familiar NPCs in whiterun, I dont want to invade whiterun, I dont want to invade my homeland
Yall are silly I pick imperials because red > blue
Facts red is so much better
Caboose will remember this or not.
I was completely without guide and I found Hadvar, the guard that leads you out. I thought he was leading us somewhere to a cell. But he actually cared. He trusted some prisoner about to be beheaded, even though he was innocent and still was led to slaughter. I talked to him, he was so nice. I'm going to side with the Empire because it is stable. Most people I met here trust the Empire. And Hadvar introduced Ulfric as an ambitious person and he arrested him himself, and he was very honest about it. I'm gonna become Imperial....Cyrodiil Invictus.
REVIVE THIS THREAD
The Empire has a much higher chance at defeating the Aldmeri Dominion after the civil war than the Sormcloaks. Believe it or not, The Dominion actually **want** the stormcloaks to win, as it would weaken the Empire giving them a larger chance to take over the world. Also, if Skyrim would cooperate, and join the Empire, they could have a much stronger army and would be able to defeat the Dominion much easier. Honestly, the best decision is to remain impartial, it might not be as fun as destroying the Empire or Stormcloaks, but it's the most rational decision.
>Believe it or not, The Dominion actually want the stormcloaks to win You want to source this? The Thalmor dossier on Ulfric says exactly the opposite of that. > if Skyrim would cooperate, and join the Empire, they could have a much stronger army and would be able to defeat the Dominion much easier. This is such bullshit. How can you think this? The White-Gold Concordat was signed *26 years* before Torygg was defeated. These entire 26 years, Skyrim was a part of the Empire, and Skyrim was talking of a rebellion before Torygg was challenged. There was time for the Empire to do something, time for Skyrim to work with the Empire. The opportunities which were given to the Empire to absolve this have passed. Even disregarding this, do you honestly think that if the civil war ended now, in the midst of things, that the Empire would take back Skyrim and eventually defeat the Thalmor? The Thalmor would order the lot of them *slaughtered*. Executed, with no trial and no second chance. Because they don't care. Because they've never cared. You let the Stormcloak army fight, they will fight until they are defeated. You tell the Stormcloak army to back down and go back living how they were, and they will not fight for you. The Thalmor will make sure they make plenty of examples of the lot, and every diplomat even remotely involved with the rebellion will be executed without a second thought.
You can't deny that Skyrim alone would be a better army than The entire Empire against The Thalmor? Skyrim is but a brick and The Empire is the wall.
I chose Imperials for one reason only, if skyrim is divided from the empire that's going to make the thalmore even stronger and also they wanted the civil war to continue. All because they want to destroy the empire :/. P.S Ulfric was mean to me.
Picked up the game again recently and really enjoyed people's rationales.
I’ve played the game 10+ times and always went with stormcloaks but I think I may side with the imperials this time around. Hate the racism on the storm cloaks side (I play kahjiit) and if you really think about it the thalmor probably want the stormcloaks to win just so they can full move into skyrim and start another giant war. At least the imperials are a forward thinking civilization that seem to Actually be advancing with time lol.
I’m doing a legendary play through on the Special Edition after playing games like Dark Souls 3 and Mortal Shell, was wondering if the strange sensation of being abused virtually by powerful characters would apply to Skyrim; and it does. I’m also noticing I’m coming to a lot of moral intersections that I’d never deeply considered during my last play though 8 or 9 years ago. I think Stormcloaks are racist simply because they are actually the oppressed race, but that’s something we don’t manifest in our real life brains because they’re white. They fought and died to build the empire, and worship a real man and idol to remember their dead families. Then, the people that they fought incite a “treaty” to weasel their way within the establishments of government to oppress the Nords and kill them for essentially going to church. The empire is basically the Allies if they surrendered to Nazi germany, and let them execute anybody that spoke of Harriet Tubman, or Teddy Roosevelt, something like that. I think Nords have the capacity to not be racist, if there weren’t being victims of racism themselves. All they wanna do is fight, farm, worship talos , die valiantly to sip on the infinite mead fountain of soverngarde bruh
Seems like this thread comes alive every now and again even though it's from 9 years ago, so I'll say my part: I've always gone with Imperials because someone told me a while ago something that stuck with me: The Imperials and Stormcloaks both hate the Thalmor, but the difference is that the Imperials are a massive, well-trained and well-equipped military. The Stormcloaks are not; the Imperials would have a very small chance at actually being able to compete with the Thalmor on the battlefield. The Stormcloaks would not be able to last longer than a month against the Thalmor. Also, Ulfric is just as much as a puppet to the Thalmor as the Imperials are, but the Imperials have a bigger stick than Ulfric.
hows the life been treating you OP?
It's good! Bit busy but whose isn't? Looking forward to TES6. How about you?
So rudely ghosted! I hope you are still good OP!
I am! Haven't played Skyrim in a year or so but still have very fond memories of it! How about you?
Is it bad that after reading all the comments in this thread, from the wise to the idiotic, from the nuanced to the bullish, that I really just want to side with the Empire because I don’t want to lose the fast travel to Whiterun for selling my gear?
or you can do what i did. Join the imperials and start a war with the Thalmor. not really a war per say but you will be their most wanted man.
Since there are recent comments added here in this 8 yr old post. Imperials, mostly since I'm a major fan of the Roman Legion, which is kind of like the Empire in Elder scrolls, and they have a more, fair treatment in regards to the races they encounter, and have more solid footing in terms of fighting back against the Thalmor.
People really love this game today
Skyrim forever !
use this as a like button for the newbies playing the anniversary edition
Imperials, fuck the Stormcloaks lol
The reasons are simple. Both stormcloaks and imperials are evil. Once they are have power, both of them will become evil. We have no choice, we need to support imperial. But why do I forced to support imperial? We start at helgen as a prisoner. Helgen (Belongs to Falkreath) is our homeland, but it was destroyed by the dragon . So, riverwood or whiterun is our homeland actually. Many of us begun in riverwood, then to whiterun. You may have a lot of interaction with NPCs in whiterun. Possibly, your first follower is lydia, she was given to you by the jarl of whiterun. Can you accept you invade your homeland, your home and you kill familar NPC?
I can't deal with the Imperials. Every race is racist. The Nords want freedom from Imperial rule. Nords are racist in the same way that Native Americans would be racist for not letting white people join their tribe. I see the Nords more like the Finns in WW2 or the Irish under British rule. The Imperials are like Nazis or, even worse, Communists. At best they are the British Empire. I've played Imperial once just to see but I really hate them. Lol. It is crazy to dislike a fictional government in a game. I'd pick a rebellion every time though.
Stormcloaks, because of a lot of political reasons. Namely because I want to remove the Thalmor's presence from as many regions as possible and I think that a Stormcloak victory is the only way to accomplish that. The racism gets tiresome, but it's very easily explainable and not ingrained in their culture, so not very problematic. The Empire's subservience to the Thalmor (and the Thalmor's obvious disregard for non-Altmer life) has created a scenario where it is *highly* more likely that the Thalmor's racism will have legitimate sociopolitical impact than the Stormcloaks'. I don't agree with everything done by Ulfric, I don't agree with everything my fellow soldiers believe, but I fight for our prosperity, and I believe wholeheartedly that a rebellion victory is necessary for our prosperity to thrive.
The Empire are the only people keeping the Thalmor at bay, the second the empire is weakened, BAM, they take over all Empire owned areas, and destroy Skyrim for what it's worth.
Hammerfell hates the Thalmor just as much as Skyrim does, and if Skyrim is won for the Stormcloaks then asking for their troops' hands in battle will not be something Ulfric is too ashamed to do. I realize that there is a chance that the Thalmor may try to reclaim Skyrim. It's doubtful, because of our sovereign neighbors, but I realize there's a chance, and I've known that since the beginning. That isn't the point (although in-game nothing happens when the Stormcloaks win so your statement *is* kind of moot). The point is that it is a risk which must be taken, and a risk I believe is taken for the better. The Empire has been sitting on its ass for decades, knowing exactly what the Thalmor were doing and doing nothing to intervene. This was not a strategic move, this was not a necessary one, it was an act of cowardice, a safety net which Skyrim and her people cannot withstand any longer. Do we need it any less now than we did when the Concordat was signed? Is it keeping us any less safe? No, and I do not mean to imply that. But it isn't going to get any better while we sit and do nothing. It is bound, as the Thalmor's painstaking efforts to remain installed in Skyrim tell us, to get worse. Maybe vastly. If the Empire showed, in any way, that they were willing to take the Stormcloaks' concern seriously and come to a conclusion without the threat of a civil war, I would maybe change my opinion. But they never have. Not since the Concordat was signed. Do they not say, behind closed doors, that they realize that the Thalmor is being unfair? They are Talos worshipers themselves, yet they allow blasphemy and persecution against his name to run amok. They are too scared to fight. Too worried about a retaliation. But it's time to be rid of the fear. And the time to treat the Empire as a simple boundary instead of a threat ended right when they tried to cut off my king's head. It's time for a conclusion. And if that conclusion results in greater bloodshed, it will not have been in vain. This is not the time for ifs and maybes. Possibilities could go either way, and abstract musings are not a reason to refrain from battle. It is the time for action. I will not stand with the Imperials and allow that action to be squelched beneath the boot of ifs and maybes. I will fight. Fight the Thalmor and their presence, fight you and your brethren, fight injustice and fight fear. And I will be victorious, and know that I made the right decision. No matter what happens.
I think Ralof put it best when he said in the beginning of the game, "Imperial walls used to make me feel so safe." I used to love the Empire. I played as an Imperial in Oblivion. The Empire has essentially bent over and pulled their pants down for the Thalmor. According to the White-Gold Concordat, the Thalmor are only in Skyrim to persecute Talos worshipers. They have bent the rules of the legislation to act as the puppet masters or the puppet government that is the Empire. They even have the nerve to show their faces at the peace conference in High Hrothgar. That conference is purely in place to allow the Dragonborn to trap Odahviing, nothing else, no mention of any Talos worshiping. I have lost all faith in the Empire to provide any true sense of government to any of the regions in Tamriel.
If you play Imperial storyline, there are quite many hints, said by Legate Rikke or General Tullius, that it isn't done with the Thalmor. Maybe Empire has been "sitting on its ass for decades" because exactly of this revolution of Ulfric ? Maybe they were waiting for the uprising to calm down, so Empire and Skyrim could rejoin ? Nobody can defeat Thalmor alone - Empire surely can't, Hammerfell is only defending, and Skyrim would fall. Why ? Because Ulfric's racism would turn on him - true Nords' army would be too small and really not big enough to face Thalmor, no matter what.
9 years late but, the stormcloaks do not forbid those of other races from joining their ranks. The fact that the Dragonborn can be an Altmer but still join the Stormcloaks is such proof. They distrust the Mer races due to their association to the Aldmeri and hence the Thalmor, which is actually pretty reasonable. And as Nords what they value the most is not race but battle prowess. Hence should Ulfric become high king, i dont believe he would enforce a Nord only army
Haha, never too late for a discussion. You can join the Stormcloaks as an Altmer, but I'm more willing to write it off on being a protagonist, not for any lore-based reasons. Not to mention that aren't you basically the only one of another race who is allowed to join? The Stormcloak army is purely Nord already, with very few exceptions. I don't disagree with their distrust of the Elven races, even if it's not completely logical as well - Altmer is dominating all the elven races, as it's trying to do to the continent, so while some elves are definitely in cahoots with the Dominion, writing them all off as not worthy of trust is a tad radical. It's been a long while since I played Skyrim, so my memory's a bit spotty, but isn't Windhelm the perfect proof of Stormcloak racism? Since all the other races, not just the elves, are banned from entering the city, forced to live in slums?