All quests are essentially...

[Xmayne]

They're not all "go in and kill blah blah blah." That's an exaggeration. There are plenty of quests that don't require you to kill people. And when they do, there is a bigger picture to it most of the time, and the enemies you fight are just there to add more of a challenge or obstacle to overcome during the quest.

[Susurruss]

Am I the only one who does the Mara quests? A whole quest line where you help star-crossed lovers. Kill something? Nope, not once!

[Iv000]

The quests are not as repetitive as some people think.

A good bit of the quests begin simply, and evolve into really interesting ones.

 

One of my favorites is, "The Man Who Cried Wolf".

It's hidden as a fetch quest, the Jarl of Solitude sends you to a cave, named Wolfskull.

I didn't bother doing that quest at first, but then I just wanted to explore the cave.

What followed was something unexpected, unique and filled with lore.

I don't want to spoil it, just do that quest yourselves if you're interested. :wink:

[Thoreai]

Yeah, that quest was one the really better ones. Edited December 18, 2011 by pavy

[Vap0rWare]

About the thieves guild quests: Whomever said "good luck pulling it off stealth only" has no patience. In that quest chain (I have completed the thieves guild, companions and DB guild chains) I killed maybe two people. One because I refuse to do the stupid bucket over the head trick in order to cheat-stealth past people and the other because quite frankly the npc annoyed me. Both of those I probably could have avoided killing if I chose to, such as spending a little more time causing a distraction somewhere else in order to get the merc to leave where he was sitting rather than slitting his throat but I digress.

 

As for the DB. I only ever killed the necessary people required to finish the job. I'm anal that way, I'll reload saves until I get it right. It's up to you. Sure you can go in guns blazing and commit genocide, but that's on your head not the game. It is an RPG and the other posters are correct: ALL RPG QUESTING IS THE SAME.

 

Seriously. It's in the presentation. Otherwise you have:

 

Fetch quests

Kill quests

Steal quests (which are really just fetch quests)

and travel quests (which could really just be considered fetch quests as well if you break it down.)

 

The rest is filler and fluff. Do this puzzle, find this lever, open this gate, talk to this npc, blah blah blah. It's just the nature of the beast. Real life is that way as well. Go here, do this, return and be rewarded/punished. Perhaps you didn't like the story that went with the quests, which is completely valid as that's subjective, but the quests themselves are just as varied as any other RPG. May have to hunt some of the deeper ones down, but they're in there.

 

*First post from a lurker*

Edited December 31, 2011 by Vap0rWare

[Roane]

There's a general problem with todays games and that is the developers assuming, illiterate imbeciles are their core audience. That's not entirely Skyrim related, its just that Skyrim is the last in a long row of shallow questgiving you get a pointer, probably in the hope you're still bright enough to get the message. You don't have to ask any NPC where to go or what to do, because that would require some reading skills. Then you go there, kill whatever is in that cave/barrow/ruin and make back with the loot.

 

The primary goal is action, action, action. Quantity before quality.

 

I learned just the other day that my niece is uninstalling Morrowind (first time playing it) because there is too much reading. :facepalm:

[rpger30]

Since this thread is still live...

 

Thieves' Guild Quests:

 

You really can do a ton of these without killing. I had many opportunities where I snuck past enemies and then decided to kill them instead. I made that choice - the game didn't force it on me. I do strongly believe that detection AI needs some work. Until you get some good +sneak gear and a high sneak skill, NPC's have magical detection powers.

 

DB Quests in Skyrim vs. Oblivion:

 

I found the final quests and conclusion in Skyrim to be less creative but more satisfying than those in Oblivion. The radiant-style assassinations were obviously less interesting than in Oblivon. Overall, I felt just as connected to the storyline as in Oblivion. There is some compelling content to be had from the DB.

 

Companions:

 

This is related but not specifically on-topic. Obviously you're expecting to clear some dungeons and bash some faces while working for the Companions. The problem with this quest line is how early you are forced straight into the final quests. You are literally told "Nope, I don't have any work for you - you have to speak with so and so who will totally give you way more information than you want right now."