zetenrisiel Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Bethesda usually gives an ambiguous ending in the next game. Look at the mages guild from oblivion. Despite your actions in that game, the mages guild will break up. Same with the thieves guild. After rebuilding it, whether or not your character has the skeleton key, it gets stolen in skyrim and the thieves guild is on the decline again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettM Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Then it's somehow pointless. No matter what you do, it happens. But that's true of every single major quest line, main or side. There is only one canonical outcome to each (unless there is a Dragon Break), and the only difference is whether the Dragonborn will be known to history as provably involved or not. Alduin was defeated and the Dragonborn did it. Emperor was assassinated, but nobody can prove whether the Dragonborn was involved at all, much less on which side. Miraak was defeated and the Dragonborn did it. The threat of the Eye of Magnus was dealt with, but the details will somehow be lost to history (Psijic influence?), if the incident is even mentioned at all in future games. Harkon was defeated and the Dragonborn did it, regardless of side chosen. In some cases the canonical ending isn't even known yet, such as the outcome of the Civil War, which is left in an inconclusive state regardless of which side (if any) you choose. The history can easily be written to say that both Ulfric and Tullius were killed during the course of the war, and Beth is left free to choose any canon they like, ranging from an independent Skyrim to a Skyrim so totally subjugated that it never even had a High King following Torygg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwalin2012 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Yes, but in the Mages Guild and Thieves Guild questlines in Oblivion, the guild decline happens only after the game, it's only in Skyrim we learn about that. In Oblivion alone we achieve what we wanted at least temporarily, we don't even know whether Bethesda would have split the Mages Guild and damaged the Thieves Guild hadn't there been a sequel. On the other hand, in the Dark Brotherhood questline in Skyrim everything can go against our wishes in that very gameplay no matter what we do. As for the civil war, even though only one outcome will be canon, imo it doesn't nullify the gameplays with other outcomes. For example, if the Stormcloak victory is canon and therefore has consequences in the next game, then it's not like the Imperial victory in alternative gameplays didn't happen and did suddenly turn into a Stormcloak victory. I think it would just constitute an alternative outcome with no sequel, therefore no relation to TES VI where Stormcloak victory is canon. Therefore, the civil war is a questline with a free choice outcome. Edited March 12, 2014 by Dwalin2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachdonin Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I always feel the need to point out that the Thieves Guild in Skyrim and Oblivion (and Morrowind and Daggerfall for that matter) are all independent entities. They are not related. The decline of the Thieves Guild in Riften has nothing to do with the fortunes of the Guild in the Imperial City. 'Thieves Guild' is a distinction created by the Empire to describe any number of criminal organizations throughout the provinces. Even the Comma Tong were considered a thieves guild by imperial authorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponyboy10 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 As for the civil war, even though only one outcome will be canon, imo it doesn't nullify the gameplays with other outcomes. For example, if the Stormcloak victory is canon and therefore has consequences in the next game, then it's not like the Imperial victory in alternative gameplays didn't happen and did suddenly turn into a Stormcloak victory. I think it would just constitute an alternative outcome with no sequel, therefore no relation to TES VI where Stormcloak victory is canon. Therefore, the civil war is a questline with a free choice outcome.I have to admit that I've mostly avoided the Civil War questline so far, but Bethesda does always have an ace up its sleeve too. The only real reason the Civil War is still raging in Skyrim is because the Empire didn't make it a priority and send full troop support. The canonical outcome could always end up being that regardless of what the Dragonborn did, the Empire came in full force later, or vice-versa, they get so preoccupied (presumably with the Aldmeri Dominion), that they abandon the effort in Skyrim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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