Should i join the imperial legion or stormcloaks?

[BaronofHe11]

I make different characters for each of the major quest lines. My current character Glory lives and breaths for the empire. In fact his motto is "For the Empire". He always dresses in his imperial armor and helps people as much as he can.

 

The only problems I had so far is you don't get a place sleep as an imperial. Some of the rewards you get aren't imperial in nature but are suppose to represent your new title. For example I got a orcish flaming sword to show off my new rank. I would think an imperial flaming sword would have been better. I also got a shield once when the general stated he was giving me a sword. I also don't like not being able to take imperials as followers. I should be able to order some people around after reaching the final rank. I also would have like special armor at each rank . The last thing I'll complain about is the quest line itself. The quest was kind of boring. You basically did the same thing over and over except for a few missions.

[sergiobor]

Why don't you play the whole game, all the main quest, all the factions, ( Companions, DB, Thieves, Mages, Bards..), and then join one faction and play through the end and save. Now return to a previous save before you join that faction and join the other, play through the end and save.

Its simple, and you've get the option to continues the game with the faction you like best....and if you do that you see the all picture and understand what is the better side.

Or like me, I've played with two diferent characters and in the end one join the Imperials and the other join the Stormcloaks. the double of fun.

Edited January 16, 2012 by sergiobor

[diamonddragoniori]

Join the legion...according to ingame lore....the empire fought the aldmeri dominion's surprise attack to a stand-still....then signed up for peace to rebuild and to take the fight to the high elves....

 

the thalmor had ulfirc as a POW...but released him and brain washed him into forming the storm cloaks to weaken the empire.....hence why the thalmor wanted to ban the worship to talos...and why they are after the eye of magnus....etc....

 

a victory for the storm cloaks is what the thalmor are counting on....so that they can sweep in and bring skyrim to heel as well....then all that is left is hammerfell....either way thalmor win....but ulfirc is a major racist spoil brat puppet....

[knovack1]

The game wants you to join the imperials. At the beginning in Helgen I followed the Nord dude to the tower keep, and not the Imperial soilder that says stick with me and you will live. I joined the stormcloaks, and it became harder and harder to keep track of quest after the war, I also gave the honor to Ulfric, to do the killing blow. If you join sides with the Stormcloaks, every NPC is struggling just to keep there shops opened, and a Jarl is then kept in Issolation, at a certain town, and they all call you a Milkdrinker, and hate the death out of you, but there are still quest left for these certain NPC 's, which makes you fast traveling constantly just to do their quests. It becomes more of a pain in the ars then anything when you join the Stormcloaks. I joined the Stormcloaks do to Ulfric having the gift of voice, and I was destine for the chopping block, regardless of what little info the Imperials had on me. Ulfric has a sinser respect for the Dragonborn, and the Greybeards if you talk to him. I also enjoyed some of the slapstick comedy remarks you get with the Stormcloaks when helping them with things. Ulfric's right hand man is so war driven when you fight side by side with him. His war energy keeps you pumped. Imperials are to serious, with extreme lack of personality with in their ranks.

 

So basicly the game wants you to join the Imperials so my's well. I still do not understand, although the Thalmor are on the Imperial's side you are still marked as a target when you cross paths with them. So I heard. Also, I will try not to Spoil this. The Imperial faction is the main problem of another faction that is not related to the Stormcloaks, if you choose to join this certain faction. The armor of the aggresors wear Imperial armor. So in my eyes they are a branch of the Imperial force that cause problems later on.

[daventry]

I just thought of something, what if you joined the Stormcloaks and Jarl Bulgruf from Whiterun isent Jarl nomore, how will this infect the MQ when i havent even started it yet.

[Zavek00]

I just thought of something, what if you joined the Stormcloaks and Jarl Bulgruf from Whiterun isent Jarl nomore, how will this infect the MQ when i havent even started it yet.

 

it wont the new jarl will pick it up where you left it.

 

 

when choosing sides it always happens to be windyclothes over the skirtmen. just natural preference, i mean i met tullius in solitude and the first thing i hear is *damn nords* and to lie to balgruf about the stormcloaks (even though the intel is correct but he dont know)

then i meet ulfric. i hear his speech about WHY he fights and galmor filling in that the stormcloaks is the their family now, i cant help it but it inspires me.

 

also about nords being racists... half true, there is this highelf in the market of windhelm that makes a valid point,

i mean there is a freaking war going on the dunmer could atleast try to do the best of what they can from the situation they are in, they should be happy they are allowed inside (though im positive she is a thalmor spy).

about the argonians the nords might hold a grudge against them for leaving the empire so i kinda understand that emotions are in the way for their sake,

Khajit No one lets them into their city...... they are always outside the citywalls

 

The empire is old and like all empires they fall, usually due to lazyness i mean the legion is going with the *we have been around for centuries we cannot fail we always win* attitude

and like the roman empire it began as a small city and grew and grew and grew and grew and aged at the same time, with this age come neglect, neglect over large areas brings insurgence

when the roman empire got invaded in the end they cracked, west rome east rome. i view cyrdiil as westrome. its broken ransaked the leaders do what they can to look after themselves,

while eastrome (skyrim) was still rich it still has power.

but the diffrence is that west(old empire) wont let go.

 

so you can choose in my eyes to either postpone the fall of the empire, or hasten it and give chance for a new empire to grow from the ashes of old

 

and argonians as usual adapts overcomes and kick ass, hell deadra lords shut their own gates they opened in blackmarsh due to argonians conquerd them and invaded the oblivion plane... (read this somewhere in lore GO ARGONIANS) can we please get the ability to eat ppl i mean we got claws and sharpteeth)

 

what makes me a little sad though is id like it to be more openended

Potema is being brought back, she is by all rights Bloodheir to the throne of the empire and according to everyone a bloody powerful foe that would crush the aldmeri with the corpses of their own army, i want to side with Her i just dont know why.. it feel more natural for me even more so then the stormcloaks.

[Aarkon]

no matter what at the end of all the well x is bad or y are traitors it all boils down to this for me ..

 

the empire tried to kill me first thing off in this place .. and they will pay for their INSOLENCE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[foxlight713]

Found this on gamefaqs, its pro impirial but has a lot of good info and backstory. Not sure on the accuracy as I hardly know any ES lore.

 

 

Gamefaqs

Brenz0r

Posted 11/12/2011 1:52:49 AM

Imperials will get you the greatest net "good" result, based on events taking place in the game's lore.

 

 

 

SPOILERS FOR ELDER SCROLLS LORE

 

 

 

 

 

Essentially, after Oblivion but before Skyrim, a war was fought. On the one side was the Aldmeri Dominion, on the other the Empire. The Aldmeri Dominion rose from a group of High Elves on Summerset Isle. Summerset was hit by the Oblivion Crisis as well, and in the wake, this group murdered the king and queen and rose to power. They then spread to get the Bosmer onto their side, and the Imperials had to withdraw from Valenwood. Then, they deceived the Khajiti (or it's thought that they deceived them) to get Elsewyr into their alliance as well.

 

What you need to know about the High Elves is that there is a large faction among them who don't just want to dominate, but to completely destroy Mundus (i.e. the mortal realm) by destroying the pillars of reality holding it up. White-Gold Tower and Snow Tower are the only pillars left (side fact: yes, it is the Tower, not the Dragonfires, that are important - Martin's sacrifice was needless). By doing this, unbinding reality, they will free Anu to continue his journey, no longer bound to the Mundus. In doing so, they wish to revert to the Before, when elves were divine, a connection that was lost in the creation of Mundus by Lorkhan (which is why the Altmer hate him and men love him, he gave rise to the mortal world through the binding of Akatosh/Alduin/Auri-El and his own sacrifice [the two moons in the sky are actually Lorkhan's corpse, and the stars tiny holes into Aetherius], allowing men to exist along with many others).

 

This is important because the group in control of Summerset (and Altmer in general, though good ones do exist - Ocato from Oblivion is a case in point, though the Thalmer had him assassinated) and the Aldmeri Dominion in all likelihood side with that viewpoint. One of the reasons they don't like Talos is because Tiber Septim became Talos through his Mantling of Akatosh, becoming a god (and achieving CHIM as well, plus possibly Amaranth). Tiber Septim was also a Nord, which is likely one of the reasons why the Thalmer are so interested in Skyrim right now. They want to remove his influence. It's AFAIK impossible for them, particularly if he has CHIM + Amaranth and has already ascended, but they're trying anyway. They'd likely be chasing after Vivec as well, if he hadn't left Mundus (probably reaching Amaranth himself, though that's speculative).

 

Now back to the reason why the Stormcloaks are rebelling. They killed the king of Skyrim, committed a fair few atrocities against the Imperials themselves, and want to split from the Empire. Skyrim's forces have helped hold the Empire together for centuries now and they want freedom. However, the Aldmeri Dominion doesn't have complete control over Tamriel already (except for the Psijic Order, who refuse to simply be tools for the Aldmeri to take over the rest of the world) because the Empire is holding them back. Hammerfell was lost in the war with the Aldmeri Dominion, and it was a bitter struggle for the Redguard to push the Aldmeri out of their home.

 

So what it comes down to is that the Empire is the last bastion against the Dominion. Without Skyrim, the Empire can't hold them (all they have is Cyrodiil, Skyrim, High Rock and Wayrest by now). If the Stormcloaks succeed, the Aldmeri win by proxy. So independence from the Empire (and they're committing their own fair share of "atrocities" in their fight against the Stormcloaks) might be seen as a good thing, in the long run the potential consequences are horrifically bad for everybody.

 

Except for the Altmer, who would theoretically get their divine link back (it's uncertain as to whether they could regain it, but they'd try anyway) when Mundus and everybody in it goes boom.

[Zavek00]

so what you said basicly... empire not just needs but MUST have skyrim...

 

and if they raze those towers and bring an end to the mundus.. what weight does the dragonborn carry? i mean you fight the bringer of endtimes but the aldmeri are capable of doing the same?

and by the looks of things are VERY much more potent to do so then alduin....

 

so my conclusion from what i just read is, Blades are wrong they twist you with falsefacts, greybeards are kinda right but wrong to due to time and history dont age well, and alduin just maybe when he drifted in time saw what happens if he dont bring the dragons back and stop the aldmeri, but in same process give him the chance to enforce the dragonoverlord society again..... and we missunderstand everything now cause its was what 4000 years ago?

history can easily be warped turned and twisted during this time, what if the world was in harmony and the mortals began to desire power and thus started a rebelion against the dragons

(refering to the victors are the writers of history) and used massive propaganda to get ppl to their cause and through this propaganda forever twisting the picture of how dragons were, i mean i know of atleast 2 honorableones

 

or did i just twist everything in my head by my belief dragons may be cruel but they are a nescessary evil?

i doubt alduin wanna die... and i do belive he knows what the aldmeri is doing, but what if he actually is trying to save the world and we f*** up everything?

good thing im unemployed cause now i got a lot to think about i dont even think i could prepare a bowl of cereals without setting it on fire.

[heyiforgot]

I agree with foxlight. The best choice for Skyrim is clearly the legion. Ulfric was planted by the thalmor and his rebellion weakens the empire and skyrim alike...and if the stormcloaks win it will leave skyrim war-torn and isolated and the empire in nice bite-sized pieces for the thalmor to gobble up. For what its worth- my guy fights for the legion but I kill thalmor on sight! I really hope that one of the upcoming expansions continues the story with a new conflict against the thalmor, preferably with quest-lines for all three factions! Edited February 24, 2012 by heyiforgot