What makes Whiterun so attractive?

[hurrdurrmurrgurr]

The vanilla game has a house in every city so I thought modders would aim to make houses in remote locations and while there are some, the majority of the houses either say they're between Riverwood and Whiterun or have Whiterun right outside the window. I can understand that people want their house near Riverwood at the start of the game but there are mountains behind it and a massive lake on the opposite side of it yet very few mods target these areas. Is there some aesthetic quality in Whiterun that I'm missing or feature that warrants living next to it when it already has Breezehome?

[Elsarian]

Well, first off, Skyrim lore applies to the way we mod and where we build houses. First of all, Whiterun is literally the Imperial City of Skyrim. It is the center of the province, the largest hold, the most productive, and is a massive trading area because of it. It's because of this being the center that people want to build near it. Players don't have to go so far just to get from their house to another town due to them already being in the center of the map. So, that could be a reasonable explanation for it. Also, the Tundra makes for some beautiful scenery as well. Also, speaking of the area that you are mentioning right behind the mountain near Riverwood; who would want to go around an entire mountain just to get somewhere? Exclude the option of fast travel because one less load screen is always better in my opinion. Anyways, those are my thoughts on the matter.

 

-Elsarian

[tetradite]

Possibly:

 

- Central location, it's appealing to live close to the centre of the map so nothing is too far away

- As you say, near the game start point

- Whiterun has probably the most open and useable space around it (it's relatively probably easier to find a location)

[GoodfellowGoodspring]

I have only had a house in Solitude because it seems like the only 'civilized' place in Skyrim (in terms of quality of life and its stonework like whats found in Cryodill,) however i like Whiterun because of its unique look and waterways and how its the centre of everything in Skyrim, its too much of a Rohan/farmy sort of city for me though i want tiles above my head when i go to sleep not thatched roofing! :)

[xlcr]

i've settled on Whiterun not only because it is centrally located and Lydia/Breezehome are there; but,

because it has a neutral stance in the Imperial/Stormclock civil war.

Solitude/Markarth seem pre-aligned with the Imperials, Windhelm/Riften with the Stormclocks more or less.

However I realize this is off topic; aesthetically, Whiterun seems the most visually relaxed natural place to be, not all stone or ghetto and the weather is nice.

Quality of life and the residents of Whiterun is a big plus also (including Solitude),

Markarth corrupt/too vertical, Windhelm trashed/cold, and Riften crime blighted/depressed looking.

[Rabbit1251]

Nice neighborhoods, close to schools plus it has all the major shopping areas almost circling around you. Apothecary, general goods, Court Wizard, 2 blacksmiths including the Lunar Forge and as has been said before a community centrally located whithin the Skyrim district. I haven't even tried living anywhere else so far. I like the Whiterun home, but if I ever wish to use a modded home it will most likely be in or around Whiterun.

 

 

Rabbit

[SubjectProphet]

Whiterun is the trading hub of Skyrim, and it's quality and structure is defined in lore so people don't need to target the area for mods.

[thompsonar]

I think it's a combination of being close to the beginning of the game and at the center of the map. I feel like Bethesda intended for this to happen. Look at all the open space around Whiterun, no other city has so much. It's begging to be filled with houses, shops, forts, etc. With it's supposed importance as a trading hub this makes sense. I can't wait until there are a ton of mods that add to this area (without conflicts of course, which would take some planning by modders) just to bring it to life. The tundra seems so bland.

 

I haven't downloaded any mods that add houses, villages, cities, or whatever yet. I'd like to see Bethesda fix the navmesh thing and stabilize the game first.... there are some good ones I'm watching though.

[JesterKing]

After playing the game for so long I realized: I don't really like Whiterun all that much. Solitude is my favorite city. Whiterun just seems so boring, plain, and safe. I guess a lot of people make mods for whiterun because they don't like Breezehome? I mean Breezehome doesn't even have an enchanting table without mods...

[Tidus44]

Interesting question and topic.

 

In looking at the answers, I wonder if we place ourseves back into our own lives while playing a game?

 

I had to chuckle at the answers as they all seemed to read like a realtors ad "Centrally located, nice neighborhood, great shopping/trading, beautiful mountain and plains view, easy access, good resale value as its the major center, etc."

 

It suddenly occurred to me why I have my house in the Riften area. It looks just like what I see when I go outside of my real house. So, now that I'm thoroughly freaked out about why I chose where to place my house, I'm moving to Whiterun.