😂 it does get confusing sometimes... It took me a minute to get used to how to navigate the city myself.. there's the graveyard, on the other side of the graveyard is the market district, if you go through the graveyard and up to the right, that will lead back towards the Palace of Kings and then if you go straight across through the Alley and down the stairs.. that's the aretino residence.. which leads back down to the main gate.. the other side I think is the residential district. I may have this backwards but I'm not even playing the game right now.
"Whiterun feels like home" is why there's no doubt it's my #1. I first played Skyrim after it got remastered YEARS after it's initial release. I was bored and looking for a good game to dive in, but wasn't sure how well Skyrim would hold up. Following the road north of Riverwood for the first time until the forest clears and you see Whiterun was that "Oh yeah, this is gona be good" moment.
Markarth looks cool and is a good place for the player to visit but imagine being a regular citizen living there. Constant forsworn attacks and morally corrupt figures running the place + the mines. If you hear something you’re not meant to here or you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, you’re pretty much finished. That being said it’s a joy to visit as a player.
I think worst place to live would be markarth but the city itself aesthetically looks amazing. The water falls and architecture make the city looks so high fantasy but the corruption and violence makes it feel like at home in Baltimore lol
With careful order of quest completion you can really clean Markarth up. Complete the Cidhna Mine questline by both taking out the Forsworn but ALSO taking out the Silver Blood brother. Earlier in that questline be aggressive towards the Silverbloods and purge most of their family. But even that leaves one Silver Blood. We can fix this. Don't complete the Civil War before the main questline, so that you get Season Unending. Hand Markarth over to the Stormcloaks as part of the negotiations. This elevates the remaining Silver Blood brother to Jarl. Then, complete the civil war on behalf of the Imperials. This will exile that brother (as with all former jarls). By doing this, you've wipes out the Forsworn double agents and cospirators, wiped out the Silverbloods, and ensured stable Imperial control which will connect the now non-corrupt Markarth mineral and gem mine owners to the Imperial market to sell.
Worst thing about Winterhold is that its been 87 years give or take since the Great Collapse and the Jarls of Winterhold and some of its few residents have done nothing and do nothing except bitch and moan about the college and magic. They've had plenty of time to reach out to the college and the other holds for assistance to rebuild but have done nothing! The college itself has also done nothing since then, the mages could've helped the people, could've fixed their crumbling bridge (which is essentially a life line between the college the rest of Skyrim).
Winterhold is a product of bethesdas laziness. It supposed to be a huge city with a sizeable dunmer population. Instead it's a hold capital with 5 houses. The hold capitals are huge cities it makes no sense for tiny villages like downstar or even the small cities like solitude and windhelm to be the literal seat of power and capital of what would be compared to modern states.
@Joshua-fi4ji they all felt more classic fantasy like. After 70 hours they feel more... pale? Less joyful? I don't know, it's doesn't click like before, except Imperial city. Like it's less exciting to visit them Unlike Markarth, Solitude or even Falrkreath. Damn, I want to install Skyrim again just to feel again this calmness and peace of forest wilderness
yeah same. It might not be majestic like Solitude or Markarth, but the vibe of it is unmatched. The pines around it, its history around death and warfare, it's historical connection as the first city in Skyrim between it and Cyrodiil. Sometimes you just want to chill in a slow, quiet town surrounded by beautiful trees and mountains, without too much going on. It had always been my favourite.
If we go by how the city was described in lore prior, it should have been a big bustling city, probably the third biggest in the province with how highly it is glorified ....... but no, that thing is in contention with Morthal for second smallest hold capital in the game, and Morthal is located in the middle of a frozen marsh and does not have a trade port so Dawnstar has no excuses for being this fraudulent
The Creations content home in the ratway is the best in the game imo. Both riften houses are awesome because you can come and go without entering the city if you want to.
Morthal was actually the one city that had a lot of mystique for me in first playthrough. An interesting coat of arms, and a name invoking danger or inhospitability. Hence, finding the little nook of huts in the marshes didn't feel underwhelming. It made it feel like a city of rugged inhabitants building in the marsh's shifty land and staving off the unforgiving elements. A lot of the aspects people say are bland about it, were actually the ones that gave it a lot of character for me. It could really use a blacksmith though.
I always liked Whiterun and Solitude due to their geographic positions and the variety of stores and things to do man watching this makes me want to play Skyrim again
Falkreath is my hometown. Lots of hidden nooks and crannys to explore. Lots of alchemy ingredients. Hunting game is a perfect challenge because of the dense forest. Lots of hunter camps to chill at and trade with. Lots of fishing spots. Weather is cozy or dreary, love both. Best hearth fire house location imo. Best vibes. Each kind of trader. The perfect spot to hunt and fish and live a simple life. I agree tho, jarl siddgeir is a total chump
Dawnstar might not be great in the base game but for roleplay capabilities it's amazing. I love having my characters arrive in Dawnstar by boat or they shiprecked nearby, hearing about the nightmares, learning about them from the inhabitants earning some gold for weapons and armour by working in the two mines and then helping Erendur stop the nightmares, gaining him as a follower or not and then being on your way and heading to Whiterun
In terms of safety from least to most safe it goes: 9: Markarth (it has cannibals, murderers, corrupt politicians, the worst and most dangerous prison in Skyrim, The forsworn attacks and slave Labour.) 8: Riften (probably the most crime in Skyrim but less violence then Markarth) 7: Windhelm (As much as I love it, there is a crazy murderer, lots of poverty and bad homelessness) 6: Morthal (Murders, fires, Vampires its not good for safety) 5: Dawnstar (Unpleasant and unhappy) 4: Winterhold (Although its in ruins it’s actually quite safe despite the occasional problems with the college.) 3: Whiterun (Whiterun has the best living quality of any city but it does have bandits and occasional fights and crimes) 2: Solitude (The best city for a high class life and lots of great things to do, little to no crime) 1: Falkreath (Although it has had the most deaths of any city due to the amount of wars fought there, it’s actually the safest city in Skyrim.)
Can you explain how Falkreath is safe?? To the south there's a vampire lair, to the west there's a couple of orc/bandit hideouts, to the north there's another vampire lair in the ruins (I think??), and to the east there's a bandit checkpoint and stronghold
@@krisgames6033 yeah but the town itself doesn’t seem to struggle with those problems. They might be there but it’s not affecting their lives. Like Whiterun, all the bandits dont seem to be affecting their everyday life.
To add to Dawnstar, there's a literal daedric entity siphoning the inhabitants' life force in their sleep. I would disagree with Solitude being among the most safe, though. Solitude in many ways feels like a ticking time bomb. The court is a mess with many of its members wishing to supplant Elisif for the Jarl position. One of them being a vampire. Sure, it's more of a power struggle amidst aristocrats, but in a coup, the regular people are also affected. There's also Pothema below the hall of the dead, who is underway to be resurrected if not for the dragonborn interfering. And lastly, it's where the imperials are based in. Windhelm and Solitude become fraught places to live in if one considers they're the ultimate goal of each side of the civil war.
Other than being incorrect about which city is the best (it's Solitude obvs) this video was paced well, held my attention and the intro was the perfect length that it needed to be. Great work. See you at 10k.
Okay this might sound crazy to you but winterhold is my second favorite if not my favorite because I love the wintery vibe I get from it and I love how remote and desolate it is and it’s just so cool to walk through while stoned and shit
Even if i had a fully built Lakeview Manor, whiterun still feels like home to me, i know everyone there and the placement of breezehome makes it feel so cozy to me.
I have to say my favorite city & area on the map, is Whiterun. It makes me think of Rohan(A little bit of Gondor because of the giant tree) and I love it. Some days I just start up Skyrim just to walk around the city and the beautiful fields. Even the music is beautiful. My main Player home is in Whiterun. Even my characters wife, Lydia, stays there lol 😂. And a huge bonus for me is that there’s always a dragon flying around the fields. I never get tired of a decent dragon fight.
First few runs I never bothered to save her, thinking its the scripted intro for Markath. One day I wondered if I could break the intro scene by suplexing the guy first, and I was shocked I could without the guards ganking me for murder!
Whiterun genuinely was the best city looking back on it. Bethesda put their best foot forward with the city most players will likely see first. Such a shame most of the others don't live up to its standard. Solitude is one of the few cities in the game that lived up to Whiterun imo
Yeah, I love Whiterun. Between having a nice amount of vendors for its size and an aesthetic that really feels Nordic, I just find it to be plain awesome.
Stay in Riften for a day or two and you’ll realize it’s the most alive feeling city in all of Skyrim. The central market layout is perfect for random npc dialogue. The layered structure of the main level, sewers, and docks makes it feel much bigger and denser than it is. Sure solitude is big but it feels empty. Same with whiterun.
I agree with Riften as #1. At first I thought Solitude, but really I’m just remembering the Dark Brotherhood quest line which is not fair, and besides, the thieves guild quest line is better anyway. #1 Riften, #2 Solitude #3 Markarth.
Solitude, Markarth, Riften and Windhelm. I still remember exploring these cities on my first playthrough. The awe and wonder really took me back to being a child watching Lord of the Rings for the first time and how grand and epic the locations felt (obviously on a smaller scale in Skyrim). Whiterun and Winterhold are impressive as well but for different reasons. Whiterun is the definition of comfort.
I personally always felt like dawnstar was tragically let down by bethesda. It had so much potential to be cool, especially with the second dark brotherhood sanctuary being in the area. It could have had a bustling shipping yard, or had significance to literally any major quest- instead they made a village with a misleading name. I mourn what dawnstar could have been
I mostly agree and while I enjoy all the larger cities for having their own unique flair, I am a little disappointed that Whiterun, the first major city, wasn't outdone, as great as it is.
Bethesda have always been masters at making crazy small cities feel big and bustling. Even something like Winterhold that literally has like four buildings has unique little quests and a unique feel to it from the Jarl to the inn, to the general store, to the College. It just feels like it's got a right to exist even though it's absolutely tiny. Hard to explain. I think Oblivion while similar in the small size did cities way better though and all the cities in that game feel 100% distinct from each other with Skiingrad being a huge standout as far as feeling like an actual city. Still, Skyrim still has some gems that's for sure. Least favorite is Morthal. No general store or blacksmith? Come on I can't sell my loot in a city like what! At least Solitude is close by for a no fast travel adventurer role-play playthrough. Favorite is Windhelm. Vendors aplenty for selling loot and I think Candlehearth Hall is my favorite Inn with Hjerim being my favorite city house. Being a Stormcloak Nord character makes this city feel perfect for the feel.
Just discovered your channel! This was a good take on the major settlements. Have you ranked your favorite side quests? I've replayed just to experience "the man who cried wolf" all over again.
Let's say that the first 5 from the list are cities, and the second 5 are villages. That whole Skyrim world is fantastic. What I love most is the freedom and breadth that this game gives you. Every other game has its own fixed path, you have to go through that path. In Skyrim you can say, screw the main quest, I'm going where I want now. I hope for a sequel to this game soon.
1. Solitude, love the "high middle ages" architecture, really a Charlemagne, Aachen, vibe. It's a place of learning too with the Bards College, Proudspire Manor is fantastic, I like chilling in the patio. You have the master speechcraft trainer who is an historian, Giraud Gemane, love him since I'm an historian too! Very excited to see the city back in ESO. 2. Riften: you said everything, I may add that I love the surroundings too, the Black-Briar lodge just outside, feels very autumn-like. Maven is also one of my favorite characters, she's badass, cunning, intimidating, she's probably one of the most influencial people in Skyrim, as we also see her in the Thalmor Embassy. Disappointed by its appearance in ESO, in the vanilla game, just looks like other towns in the nordic areas. 3. Markarth: same as you, blood and silver, my friend, blood and silver. I was amazed to discover it back in ESO. We just had Skingrad back with the new ESO chapter, and it's by far my favorite city on Tamriel!
I remember visiting Morthal for the fist time I was like ooh what will this city look like I travel over there and as soon as I saw it I just left straight away didn't even explore it now days it is kinda nice to walk around it
I love Whiterun the most, as you say it feels like home, but for me I think it's cause I played many hours on a save with the Elysium Estate mod which gives you a big mansion just down the road from there, so I would stop off in Whiterun to shop for stuff and the guards always passed by. That entire hold is just such a perfect place.
I just became the Thane of Riften. The poverty and corruption can still be reduced , given the additional and more difficult quests that the Jarl Laila Law-Giver requires are more difficult than most other quests to become Thane, it makes Riften worth it. Sadly Bethesda could’ve added more dialogue to the citizens praising the decreased poverty and corruption.
In the end I always buy Breeezehome in Whiterun and call it a day. It's centrally located. There is a forge a few houses away on one side and an alchemy bench a few houses away on the other, so no need to turn your home into a smithy or a lab. I don't really enchant, but if I did it would be a not too long jaunt to the castle to do that. I always play the wandering adventure so I mostly live in taverns and on horseback. The house is just there to hold smithing and alchemy supplies that would overload my horse.
Holy crap before i watched your video i was busy typing out my rankings. Ours are almost identical. I agree about Winterhold, Dawnstar, Morthal and Falkreath.
For me: -Top 1 Riften, I am a thief, love the quests, characters, lore, the canals etc etc -Top 2 Markarth , love the mysterious vibes and the location, the reach is beautiful and intriguing. -Top 3 Ravens rock, I love the adversity vibes, people surviving in such a tough and beautiful environment.
I do agree that Winterhold can be visually underwhelming, but the narrative behind these ruins leaves a lot to the imagination, especially when considering that it was once the capital city of Skyrim. I like the idea that its destruction was caused by a chain reaction originating from the eruption of Red Mountain, similar to how the Minoan civilization (in real life) was destroyed by a chain reaction originating from the eruption of the volcano in Santorini.
Despite everything, I love Winterhold. Just started my first playthrough in years, with some mods for the first time, I started from Windhelm and made my road there. I just really love how far away from everything it is, and how the college is the only place that is basically alive there (even if the college is still pretty much empty, sadly)
7:31 THAT'S GOIN' INTO THE BOOK! (Context: Dwarfs in Warhammer when they get wronged they write the act in an important book and always remember it,also short is like their n word)
The Cities of The North (COTN) mod, dialogue expanded mod, and several quest extension mods really bring Mortal, Dawnstar, Falkreath and even Winterhold up for me.
Hey brother I really like the video. My only recommendation would probably be to either turn the sfx down a little or remove them entirely. Once again I don’t want this comment to be negative because I did like the video I just found the sfx kinda took me away from the video somewhat. Keep up the grind
Solitude and markath is my favourite, marakath is my favourite due to the stories and all the hidden lairs and the look as long with the prison storyline which is one of the best in the game other than the dark brotherhood
yeahhhh morthal always gets last place for me tied with dawnstar. winter hold i honestly forget exists unless i am actively going to do the mages guild
I use to just have Whiterun or Lakeview as my home base. I switched it up first to Riften (easy quest to buy home), then to Markarth (same, plus the abandoned home which just requires killing someone). Each playthrough was very unique and enjoyable. I just wish you could do that for Solitude and Windhelm. Getting those homes are much more difficult. Still, one day ill change my playthrough to do this. Personally, my favorite city is Windhelm because of the architecture. Also, the people of Windhelm just feel more alive to me. Almost everywhere else the vibe is a little bitter, and yes Windhelm does foster resentment, but that resentment feels more like fuel waiting to be used. The bitterness everywhere else just feels depressing. Granted, not every community has that. I love the thieves guild, and i wish that the people there were more interactive, like with the Companions. And the happiest people in the gane has to be the dark brotherhood.
I’m a Markarth for life guy, the city is extremely beautiful, I do love the view and I love mountains. One thing I think it should be great was a quest to rebuild Winterhold
Another video thatd be cool is which holds have the best picturesque views and you can show us your favorite ones. Favorite followers ranked, favorite races, thoughts on each of the nine devines and whether or not you resonate with them, favorite daedric princes, thoughts on the skyrim civil war and which side you believe is right, favorite hold homes, thieves guild stories, maybe oblivion videos?
Morthol has a special place in my heart. It has by far the best homestead (assuming you aren't playing survival mode). Idgrod is my favorite Jarl. Falion is a very useful merchant. The main downside is the lack of a general store. I like Solitude, but it's basically the next Winterhold. There's no way that land bridge isn't going to eventually collapse and take out the entire town.
I play survival mode only and Morthal's placement is more than convienient, making - not particullary the town itself, but the prvince - my favourite place to settle.. You gen get there by carriage from basically everywhere, and leave to anywhre from your nearby mansion. And you have 2 houses for yourself, while the tower has such a great gallery to use!
I love Winterhold because I like to play "Lonely" and living in the Archmage Quarters feels amazing to me. Living in this city makes me feel like an outsider, starting with a big disadvantage but still winning against the elements ! I love Falkreath (favority city) because of the environment and ambiance around it. I love forest towns, and this is the most "forest" town of all. Dawnstar is still great to me because even if it's a small town it had a cool harbor area and two mines with some rivalry and wealth. Morthal tho I would put it last. They did Morthal dirty, not only it is small, has barely any interesting quests, but also it's the only capital without a single Daedric Quest. Winterhold has Herma Mora, Falkreath has Clavicus and Hercine, Dawnstar has Dagon and Vaermina. Morthal has none 😅 It's sad because I like the swamp area, they just should have done a lot more spooky and horror themed quests there imo
For the longest time I didn't realize you could build a house in Morthal and Dawnstar...of course by "build a house in" I mean outside the city like with Falkrieth. Also battle axe and war hammer ranking vid when? Dont keep us barbarians waiting!
I always have my family live in Solitude but use lakeview Manor as my base of operations. I would keep my family in Whiterun as I like the city better- but the house is so tiny
I've always considered Windhelm to be my favorite city, I know its an unpopular opinion but I've always sided with the Stormcloaks simply due to being a fan of the underdog rising up to establish their own government free from an overbearing and crumbling empire. That and religious freedom is incredibly important. That coupled with the beautiful architecture of the city and Hjerim being the best non buildable house in the game imo makes it my favorite city.
I still think its fascinating that you never have to visit Falkreath at any point during the main questline. In a sense one of the holds is purely optional.
For me, my rank is like yours but swap riften for whiterun Purely for its utility factor, house is so close to the front 1 whirlwind sprint gets you to the front door if you’re overburdened, stow stuff till you can sell later shops are close to your house unlike other areas Especially selling heavy armor crap at Adrianne’s, and drunken huntsman when you’re lighter travel up sell misc items at belathors restock potions at arcadias then sell more items at the skyforge then more magic items to farengar
Whiterun is my favorite City by far, as a fan of Lord of the rings it gave off huge Rohan vibes and I love it (It 100% was inspired by Rohan, I refuse to believe it wasn't)
Speaking of Riften it took me 450 hours of gameplay to realize that the Riften docks was an actual location
About 100 hours for me to realize that
Fosure not to mention how much it confused my ass
Wait there a dock
I remember they didn't add the waymark on the map in vanilla to LE/SE. They added it in AE because of Fishing CC
Hahaha me too, round about 200 hours 😂
I’ve played this game 10000 times countless hours and I still get lost in Windhelm. Fuck Windhelm lol
Same! That murder quest me spinning in circles 🤣🤣
same but markarth. the map doesn’t do shit either since a lot of places are stacked/layered on top of each other
😂 it does get confusing sometimes... It took me a minute to get used to how to navigate the city myself.. there's the graveyard, on the other side of the graveyard is the market district, if you go through the graveyard and up to the right, that will lead back towards the Palace of Kings and then if you go straight across through the Alley and down the stairs.. that's the aretino residence.. which leads back down to the main gate.. the other side I think is the residential district. I may have this backwards but I'm not even playing the game right now.
@@evydelorieI'm the same way. It's so confusing. I search door by door for the most part
Truly. Fuck Windhelm. 😂
I don't care what anyone says, Whiterun is the capital of skyrim. Best city in all of skyrim.
Love em all
Except markarth
If it wasn't so ruined, it would be mine too
Realistically it makes sense. Many capitals are as center in the country as possible. Examples off the top include Spain, Brazil, & Ethiopia.
Who ever controls white run controls skyrim
"Whiterun feels like home" is why there's no doubt it's my #1. I first played Skyrim after it got remastered YEARS after it's initial release. I was bored and looking for a good game to dive in, but wasn't sure how well Skyrim would hold up. Following the road north of Riverwood for the first time until the forest clears and you see Whiterun was that "Oh yeah, this is gona be good" moment.
Markarth looks cool and is a good place for the player to visit but imagine being a regular citizen living there. Constant forsworn attacks and morally corrupt figures running the place + the mines. If you hear something you’re not meant to here or you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, you’re pretty much finished. That being said it’s a joy to visit as a player.
Yeah it would be awful to live there honestly
And cannibalism
And the stone beds lol
Too many stairs
also the mountains. imagine walking out of your home drunk and taking the wrong directions
I think worst place to live would be markarth but the city itself aesthetically looks amazing. The water falls and architecture make the city looks so high fantasy but the corruption and violence makes it feel like at home in Baltimore lol
With careful order of quest completion you can really clean Markarth up.
Complete the Cidhna Mine questline by both taking out the Forsworn but ALSO taking out the Silver Blood brother. Earlier in that questline be aggressive towards the Silverbloods and purge most of their family.
But even that leaves one Silver Blood. We can fix this. Don't complete the Civil War before the main questline, so that you get Season Unending. Hand Markarth over to the Stormcloaks as part of the negotiations. This elevates the remaining Silver Blood brother to Jarl. Then, complete the civil war on behalf of the Imperials. This will exile that brother (as with all former jarls).
By doing this, you've wipes out the Forsworn double agents and cospirators, wiped out the Silverbloods, and ensured stable Imperial control which will connect the now non-corrupt Markarth mineral and gem mine owners to the Imperial market to sell.
@@JB-xl2jc this is the most well thought out response. Thank you, I’ll be referencing this in detail in my next play through.
@@JB-xl2jc Wow, thanks for this guide! My favorite thing to do with the cities is to fix em up and solve all the issues lol
@@JB-xl2jcdoesn't make it any better, stormcloaks win the civil war, imperials are bad
It’s the Gotham City of Skyrim
Solitude is the capital of Skyrim and it only has 62 inhabitants 😅
Rough times in Skyrim
Worst thing about Winterhold is that its been 87 years give or take since the Great Collapse and the Jarls of Winterhold and some of its few residents have done nothing and do nothing except bitch and moan about the college and magic. They've had plenty of time to reach out to the college and the other holds for assistance to rebuild but have done nothing! The college itself has also done nothing since then, the mages could've helped the people, could've fixed their crumbling bridge (which is essentially a life line between the college the rest of Skyrim).
@@0307scott Agreed, they talk about it in game like it happened a couple years ago
"The cursed mages destroyed a third of the city!"
"Uh...there's one ruined building."
"Like I said: the cursed mages destroyed a third of the city!"
Winterhold is a product of bethesdas laziness. It supposed to be a huge city with a sizeable dunmer population. Instead it's a hold capital with 5 houses. The hold capitals are huge cities it makes no sense for tiny villages like downstar or even the small cities like solitude and windhelm to be the literal seat of power and capital of what would be compared to modern states.
@@elvangulley3210I'd prefer if they built less cities, but developed each one more. Honestly Oblivions cities were so much better.
@Joshua-fi4ji they all felt more classic fantasy like. After 70 hours they feel more... pale? Less joyful? I don't know, it's doesn't click like before, except Imperial city. Like it's less exciting to visit them Unlike Markarth, Solitude or even Falrkreath. Damn, I want to install Skyrim again just to feel again this calmness and peace of forest wilderness
Falkreath is my favorite. Yeah there's nothing to do, but the environment is just soooooo. What I want out of a landscape haha. So it's my favorite
It’s up there in terms of beauty
Falkreath is one of my favourites. It did its quests early on and I find it safe and easy. Lots of happy memories. The countryside is pretty.
@@LibbyOxo absolute facts.
yeah same. It might not be majestic like Solitude or Markarth, but the vibe of it is unmatched. The pines around it, its history around death and warfare, it's historical connection as the first city in Skyrim between it and Cyrodiil. Sometimes you just want to chill in a slow, quiet town surrounded by beautiful trees and mountains, without too much going on. It had always been my favourite.
@@kell9577 could not have said it better myself
Dawnstar is so disappointing with the complete lack of boats in the centre of naval trade in tamriel
Lack of boat travel in general was very disappointing
Everytime I enter Dawnstar I get attacked by a dragon!
Every survival play through it annoys me that there isn’t more naval travel
If we go by how the city was described in lore prior, it should have been a big bustling city, probably the third biggest in the province with how highly it is glorified ....... but no, that thing is in contention with Morthal for second smallest hold capital in the game, and Morthal is located in the middle of a frozen marsh and does not have a trade port so Dawnstar has no excuses for being this fraudulent
It took me a while to realize that Skyrim's Dawnstar was THE Dawnstar
I never thought I’d see someone who also has Riften as their favorite city, but I’m happy!
I love it there
The Creations content home in the ratway is the best in the game imo. Both riften houses are awesome because you can come and go without entering the city if you want to.
Morthal was actually the one city that had a lot of mystique for me in first playthrough.
An interesting coat of arms, and a name invoking danger or inhospitability. Hence, finding the little nook of huts in the marshes didn't feel underwhelming.
It made it feel like a city of rugged inhabitants building in the marsh's shifty land and staving off the unforgiving elements.
A lot of the aspects people say are bland about it, were actually the ones that gave it a lot of character for me.
It could really use a blacksmith though.
I always liked Whiterun and Solitude due to their geographic positions and the variety of stores and things to do man watching this makes me want to play Skyrim again
Time for a new playthrough
I woke up in Markarth having never been there before during the quest "A Night to Remember." That was an amazing clusterfuck of quests.
That storyline is an awesome anti drinking campaign 😂
Falkreath is my hometown. Lots of hidden nooks and crannys to explore. Lots of alchemy ingredients. Hunting game is a perfect challenge because of the dense forest. Lots of hunter camps to chill at and trade with. Lots of fishing spots. Weather is cozy or dreary, love both. Best hearth fire house location imo. Best vibes. Each kind of trader. The perfect spot to hunt and fish and live a simple life. I agree tho, jarl siddgeir is a total chump
Nooks and crannys, such fancy words to use instead of alcoves (of the koningin astridpark)
Dawnstar might not be great in the base game but for roleplay capabilities it's amazing.
I love having my characters arrive in Dawnstar by boat or they shiprecked nearby, hearing about the nightmares, learning about them from the inhabitants earning some gold for weapons and armour by working in the two mines and then helping Erendur stop the nightmares, gaining him as a follower or not and then being on your way and heading to Whiterun
Thats what happened to me in my random alternate start lol
Very fun roleplaying if you use Alternate Start for sure
Dawnstar is essentially a mining outpost that happened to get a jarl and hold of it's own
In terms of safety from least to most safe it goes:
9: Markarth (it has cannibals, murderers, corrupt politicians, the worst and most dangerous prison in Skyrim, The forsworn attacks and slave Labour.)
8: Riften (probably the most crime in Skyrim but less violence then Markarth)
7: Windhelm (As much as I love it, there is a crazy murderer, lots of poverty and bad homelessness)
6: Morthal (Murders, fires, Vampires its not good for safety)
5: Dawnstar (Unpleasant and unhappy)
4: Winterhold (Although its in ruins it’s actually quite safe despite the occasional problems with the college.)
3: Whiterun (Whiterun has the best living quality of any city but it does have bandits and occasional fights and crimes)
2: Solitude (The best city for a high class life and lots of great things to do, little to no crime)
1: Falkreath (Although it has had the most deaths of any city due to the amount of wars fought there, it’s actually the safest city in Skyrim.)
Can you explain how Falkreath is safe?? To the south there's a vampire lair, to the west there's a couple of orc/bandit hideouts, to the north there's another vampire lair in the ruins (I think??), and to the east there's a bandit checkpoint and stronghold
@@krisgames6033 yeah but the town itself doesn’t seem to struggle with those problems. They might be there but it’s not affecting their lives. Like Whiterun, all the bandits dont seem to be affecting their everyday life.
@@krisgames6033 there is little to no murders in Falkreath, obviously there are problems around it but none of them are affecting their everyday life.
Don’t forget windhelm has demonic children and that dawnstar is under a literal ancient curse
To add to Dawnstar, there's a literal daedric entity siphoning the inhabitants' life force in their sleep.
I would disagree with Solitude being among the most safe, though.
Solitude in many ways feels like a ticking time bomb.
The court is a mess with many of its members wishing to supplant Elisif for the Jarl position. One of them being a vampire.
Sure, it's more of a power struggle amidst aristocrats, but in a coup, the regular people are also affected.
There's also Pothema below the hall of the dead, who is underway to be resurrected if not for the dragonborn interfering.
And lastly, it's where the imperials are based in. Windhelm and Solitude become fraught places to live in if one considers they're the ultimate goal of each side of the civil war.
Other than being incorrect about which city is the best (it's Solitude obvs) this video was paced well, held my attention and the intro was the perfect length that it needed to be. Great work. See you at 10k.
Thanks for checking it out & leaving some feedback!
For some reason I get more dragons at Morthal than any other city. It's the only city location where I've had gotten two dragons at once.
That's Falkreath for me
Okay this might sound crazy to you but winterhold is my second favorite if not my favorite because I love the wintery vibe I get from it and I love how remote and desolate it is and it’s just so cool to walk through while stoned and shit
To each their own! Glad you enjoy it
Even if i had a fully built Lakeview Manor, whiterun still feels like home to me, i know everyone there and the placement of breezehome makes it feel so cozy to me.
I have to say my favorite city & area on the map, is Whiterun. It makes me think of Rohan(A little bit of Gondor because of the giant tree) and I love it. Some days I just start up Skyrim just to walk around the city and the beautiful fields. Even the music is beautiful. My main Player home is in Whiterun. Even my characters wife, Lydia, stays there lol 😂. And a huge bonus for me is that there’s always a dragon flying around the fields. I never get tired of a decent dragon fight.
Watching this makes me think about how long it's been since I last played Skyrim lol
New playthrough time!
Try skyrim vr
I totally understand that, for me i think it three days ago 😂
6:56 you can stop that murder and a whole set of dialogues appear if you manage to save that lady
Thats funny i never knew lol i’ve never once even tried to save that lady
First few runs I never bothered to save her, thinking its the scripted intro for Markath. One day I wondered if I could break the intro scene by suplexing the guy first, and I was shocked I could without the guards ganking me for murder!
Whiterun genuinely was the best city looking back on it. Bethesda put their best foot forward with the city most players will likely see first. Such a shame most of the others don't live up to its standard. Solitude is one of the few cities in the game that lived up to Whiterun imo
Yeah, I love Whiterun. Between having a nice amount of vendors for its size and an aesthetic that really feels Nordic, I just find it to be plain awesome.
I might be crazy but I like the black briars,they may be corrupt but I think the rift is more safe and prosperous under the empire /black briars
Stay in Riften for a day or two and you’ll realize it’s the most alive feeling city in all of Skyrim.
The central market layout is perfect for random npc dialogue.
The layered structure of the main level, sewers, and docks makes it feel much bigger and denser than it is.
Sure solitude is big but it feels empty. Same with whiterun.
Citizens in Riften are much more interesting and plentiful.
Also it's marketplace is the best place for power leveling alteration with detect life.
Honestly your like and sub pitch sold me. Honest but funny and not a beg. Sold
Glad you thought so!
Love seeing these smaller channels having great editing and overall quality in videos. It's really nice to see nowadays
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Right! It's so inspiring!
I agree with Riften as #1. At first I thought Solitude, but really I’m just remembering the Dark Brotherhood quest line which is not fair, and besides, the thieves guild quest line is better anyway. #1 Riften, #2 Solitude #3 Markarth.
Rifted has been top of my list since I first visited in my very first play through so many years ago. Great video!
Solitude, Markarth, Riften and Windhelm. I still remember exploring these cities on my first playthrough. The awe and wonder really took me back to being a child watching Lord of the Rings for the first time and how grand and epic the locations felt (obviously on a smaller scale in Skyrim). Whiterun and Winterhold are impressive as well but for different reasons. Whiterun is the definition of comfort.
If Raven Rock was counted it would clear half the list
TRUE
How? That place is a nightmare.
My ranking + Smaller Settlements:
16. Kynesgrove
15. Ivarstead
14. Shor's Stone
13. Karthwasten
12. Winterhold
11. Rorikstead
10. Riverwood
9. Dawnstar
8. Morthal
7. Dragon's Bridge
6. Falkreath
5. Windhelm
4. Riften
3. Whiterun
2. Markarth
1. Solitude
Nice video, my man.
For the emperor!
I personally always felt like dawnstar was tragically let down by bethesda. It had so much potential to be cool, especially with the second dark brotherhood sanctuary being in the area. It could have had a bustling shipping yard, or had significance to literally any major quest- instead they made a village with a misleading name. I mourn what dawnstar could have been
Whiterun had always been my favourite I always ended up living there
8:56 in my game there is a bug that makes that building spawn explosions.
Tbf to Winterhold, you can become the Arch Mage and gain the room at the College....still an appropriate place on the list nonethless...
Good point, maybe they felt owning a home would be redundant. Still a shit city
@@RogueRanks 💯💯💯💯🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not me, my game bugged and I can’t complete the Winterhold Questline 🥲
5:26
"Aaaaaaaaand there goes the ad-revenue..."
- UA-cam, probably
Great video but my favourite city is the Stormcloak stronghold of Windhelm. I just love everything about it!
Hey good video!
I’m happy someone else ranks Riften at the top. Its my favourite
The best!
I mostly agree and while I enjoy all the larger cities for having their own unique flair, I am a little disappointed that Whiterun, the first major city, wasn't outdone, as great as it is.
True, it was a great first experience but sadly was kind of as good as it gets with cities
The talking dog, Barbas, is a daedric quest starting at level 9 either giving you a mask or axe
Bethesda have always been masters at making crazy small cities feel big and bustling. Even something like Winterhold that literally has like four buildings has unique little quests and a unique feel to it from the Jarl to the inn, to the general store, to the College. It just feels like it's got a right to exist even though it's absolutely tiny. Hard to explain. I think Oblivion while similar in the small size did cities way better though and all the cities in that game feel 100% distinct from each other with Skiingrad being a huge standout as far as feeling like an actual city. Still, Skyrim still has some gems that's for sure.
Least favorite is Morthal. No general store or blacksmith? Come on I can't sell my loot in a city like what! At least Solitude is close by for a no fast travel adventurer role-play playthrough.
Favorite is Windhelm. Vendors aplenty for selling loot and I think Candlehearth Hall is my favorite Inn with Hjerim being my favorite city house. Being a Stormcloak Nord character makes this city feel perfect for the feel.
Great comment! Windhelm is amazing if you go full “canon” Nord Dragonborn playthrough
@@RogueRanksThanks for replying! Subscribed
Best cities were in Morrowind imo, every one felt unique.
While I love the forsworn quest in Markarth (nostalgia…) I haaate the vibe and layout. Never do not get lost in that place.
Just discovered your channel! This was a good take on the major settlements.
Have you ranked your favorite side quests? I've replayed just to experience "the man who cried wolf" all over again.
Not yet, thats a good idea though!
Let's say that the first 5 from the list are cities, and the second 5 are villages. That whole Skyrim world is fantastic. What I love most is the freedom and breadth that this game gives you. Every other game has its own fixed path, you have to go through that path. In Skyrim you can say, screw the main quest, I'm going where I want now. I hope for a sequel to this game soon.
Thats definitely the beauty of Skyrim
1. Solitude, love the "high middle ages" architecture, really a Charlemagne, Aachen, vibe. It's a place of learning too with the Bards College, Proudspire Manor is fantastic, I like chilling in the patio. You have the master speechcraft trainer who is an historian, Giraud Gemane, love him since I'm an historian too! Very excited to see the city back in ESO.
2. Riften: you said everything, I may add that I love the surroundings too, the Black-Briar lodge just outside, feels very autumn-like. Maven is also one of my favorite characters, she's badass, cunning, intimidating, she's probably one of the most influencial people in Skyrim, as we also see her in the Thalmor Embassy. Disappointed by its appearance in ESO, in the vanilla game, just looks like other towns in the nordic areas.
3. Markarth: same as you, blood and silver, my friend, blood and silver. I was amazed to discover it back in ESO.
We just had Skingrad back with the new ESO chapter, and it's by far my favorite city on Tamriel!
I remember visiting Morthal for the fist time I was like ooh what will this city look like I travel over there and as soon as I saw it I just left straight away didn't even explore it now days it is kinda nice to walk around it
Lmao
@@RogueRanks I was so mad at the size of it
I love Whiterun the most, as you say it feels like home, but for me I think it's cause I played many hours on a save with the Elysium Estate mod which gives you a big mansion just down the road from there, so I would stop off in Whiterun to shop for stuff and the guards always passed by. That entire hold is just such a perfect place.
I just became the Thane of Riften. The poverty and corruption can still be reduced , given the additional and more difficult quests that the Jarl Laila Law-Giver requires are more difficult than most other quests to become Thane, it makes Riften worth it. Sadly Bethesda could’ve added more dialogue to the citizens praising the decreased poverty and corruption.
Came for the tier list, stayed for the dad jokes. Love it!
In the end I always buy Breeezehome in Whiterun and call it a day. It's centrally located. There is a forge a few houses away on one side and an alchemy bench a few houses away on the other, so no need to turn your home into a smithy or a lab. I don't really enchant, but if I did it would be a not too long jaunt to the castle to do that. I always play the wandering adventure so I mostly live in taverns and on horseback. The house is just there to hold smithing and alchemy supplies that would overload my horse.
Now compare Oblivion's cities to Skyrim's. I fully expect 2 people living in every city in ES6
I like oblivions cities wayyyyy more lol
Holy crap before i watched your video i was busy typing out my rankings. Ours are almost identical.
I agree about Winterhold, Dawnstar, Morthal and Falkreath.
For me:
-Top 1 Riften, I am a thief, love the quests, characters, lore, the canals etc etc
-Top 2 Markarth , love the mysterious vibes and the location, the reach is beautiful and intriguing.
-Top 3 Ravens rock, I love the adversity vibes, people surviving in such a tough and beautiful environment.
Love the channel, nice vid
Seeing my boy ULFRIC laid out hurt, but still you get a new Sub
Riften is probably the city I visit the most in my games as well. I like the layout and the surrounding forests
I do agree that Winterhold can be visually underwhelming, but the narrative behind these ruins leaves a lot to the imagination, especially when considering that it was once the capital city of Skyrim. I like the idea that its destruction was caused by a chain reaction originating from the eruption of Red Mountain, similar to how the Minoan civilization (in real life) was destroyed by a chain reaction originating from the eruption of the volcano in Santorini.
Despite everything, I love Winterhold. Just started my first playthrough in years, with some mods for the first time, I started from Windhelm and made my road there. I just really love how far away from everything it is, and how the college is the only place that is basically alive there (even if the college is still pretty much empty, sadly)
You nailed every one for me except switch Riften and Whiterun. They are close but companions and breezehome do it for me
7:31 THAT'S GOIN' INTO THE BOOK! (Context: Dwarfs in Warhammer when they get wronged they write the act in an important book and always remember it,also short is like their n word)
I feel like I know you like somebody I used to know
The Cities of The North (COTN) mod, dialogue expanded mod, and several quest extension mods really bring Mortal, Dawnstar, Falkreath and even Winterhold up for me.
My lord, I've found a new longbrow!
Good luck with your channel!
Thanks! I just looked up his videos and they are almost exactly the same format💀
Hey brother I really like the video. My only recommendation would probably be to either turn the sfx down a little or remove them entirely. Once again I don’t want this comment to be negative because I did like the video I just found the sfx kinda took me away from the video somewhat. Keep up the grind
Thanks I appreciate the feedback!
Solitude and markath is my favourite, marakath is my favourite due to the stories and all the hidden lairs and the look as long with the prison storyline which is one of the best in the game other than the dark brotherhood
Markarth definitely has some of the best story beats in the game
Markarth in 4th is crazy to me personally, I find it so unique and interesting
yeahhhh morthal always gets last place for me tied with dawnstar. winter hold i honestly forget exists unless i am actively going to do the mages guild
I use to just have Whiterun or Lakeview as my home base. I switched it up first to Riften (easy quest to buy home), then to Markarth (same, plus the abandoned home which just requires killing someone). Each playthrough was very unique and enjoyable. I just wish you could do that for Solitude and Windhelm. Getting those homes are much more difficult. Still, one day ill change my playthrough to do this. Personally, my favorite city is Windhelm because of the architecture. Also, the people of Windhelm just feel more alive to me. Almost everywhere else the vibe is a little bitter, and yes Windhelm does foster resentment, but that resentment feels more like fuel waiting to be used. The bitterness everywhere else just feels depressing. Granted, not every community has that. I love the thieves guild, and i wish that the people there were more interactive, like with the Companions. And the happiest people in the gane has to be the dark brotherhood.
I’m a Markarth for life guy, the city is extremely beautiful, I do love the view and I love mountains.
One thing I think it should be great was a quest to rebuild Winterhold
I rarely find other people who have Riften as their favourite city and I am SO HAPPY! I could have 200 hours alone in riften and still have fun
Another video thatd be cool is which holds have the best picturesque views and you can show us your favorite ones.
Favorite followers ranked, favorite races, thoughts on each of the nine devines and whether or not you resonate with them, favorite daedric princes, thoughts on the skyrim civil war and which side you believe is right, favorite hold homes, thieves guild stories, maybe oblivion videos?
Morthol has a special place in my heart. It has by far the best homestead (assuming you aren't playing survival mode). Idgrod is my favorite Jarl. Falion is a very useful merchant. The main downside is the lack of a general store.
I like Solitude, but it's basically the next Winterhold. There's no way that land bridge isn't going to eventually collapse and take out the entire town.
I play survival mode only and Morthal's placement is more than convienient, making - not particullary the town itself, but the prvince - my favourite place to settle.. You gen get there by carriage from basically everywhere, and leave to anywhre from your nearby mansion. And you have 2 houses for yourself, while the tower has such a great gallery to use!
@enKageKagen The fish hatchery is lethal in survival mode, though.
I can find a lot more to do outside of the city of Winterhold than outside of the city of Dawnstar!
I love Winterhold because I like to play "Lonely" and living in the Archmage Quarters feels amazing to me. Living in this city makes me feel like an outsider, starting with a big disadvantage but still winning against the elements !
I love Falkreath (favority city) because of the environment and ambiance around it. I love forest towns, and this is the most "forest" town of all.
Dawnstar is still great to me because even if it's a small town it had a cool harbor area and two mines with some rivalry and wealth.
Morthal tho I would put it last. They did Morthal dirty, not only it is small, has barely any interesting quests, but also it's the only capital without a single Daedric Quest. Winterhold has Herma Mora, Falkreath has Clavicus and Hercine, Dawnstar has Dagon and Vaermina. Morthal has none 😅 It's sad because I like the swamp area, they just should have done a lot more spooky and horror themed quests there imo
Definitely agree with this list as riften is always the first city I take the carriage or walk to
I think Whiterun was the level that they would have liked all cities to be, but for whatever reasons they couldn’t
i did NOT think riften would make #1, its my favorite aswell
Morthal not being last is crazy work
Here's my list😁
1.solitude
2.riften
3.whiterun
4.windhelm
5.markarth
6.morthal
7.falkreath
8.dawnstar
9.winterhold
Totally get the love of Riften, but every time I'm think I can't help but just imagine the musky smell of all that rotting wood.
Good vid man!
6:20 subscribed
Guess I'm a basic imperial, but I love Solitude and the imperial presence and how grand the lore accurate city could've felt.
I too get lost in Markarth…
I've always felt there should've been a quest after you made Thane rebuild Winterhold. Could've used the same system as Heartfire.
That would've been great, seems like tons of Winterhold content was cut
For the longest time I didn't realize you could build a house in Morthal and Dawnstar...of course by "build a house in" I mean outside the city like with Falkrieth. Also battle axe and war hammer ranking vid when? Dont keep us barbarians waiting!
I always have my family live in Solitude but use lakeview Manor as my base of operations. I would keep my family in Whiterun as I like the city better- but the house is so tiny
My top three are the same 😊 The Riften house was my main Skyrim home where I kept the the wife and kids 😂
I've always considered Windhelm to be my favorite city, I know its an unpopular opinion but I've always sided with the Stormcloaks simply due to being a fan of the underdog rising up to establish their own government free from an overbearing and crumbling empire. That and religious freedom is incredibly important. That coupled with the beautiful architecture of the city and Hjerim being the best non buildable house in the game imo makes it my favorite city.
You make some good points...
@@RogueRanks Thanks, solid list all around though, Riften and Whiterun are easily top three.
I still think its fascinating that you never have to visit Falkreath at any point during the main questline. In a sense one of the holds is purely optional.
For me, my rank is like yours but swap riften for whiterun
Purely for its utility factor, house is so close to the front 1 whirlwind sprint gets you to the front door if you’re overburdened, stow stuff till you can sell later shops are close to your house unlike other areas
Especially selling heavy armor crap at Adrianne’s, and drunken huntsman when you’re lighter travel up sell misc items at belathors restock potions at arcadias then sell more items at the skyforge then more magic items to farengar
Riften is, in practice, the safest place to live and i always have my kids live there.
Whiterun is my favorite City by far, as a fan of Lord of the rings it gave off huge Rohan vibes and I love it (It 100% was inspired by Rohan, I refuse to believe it wasn't)
One would say your dwarf joke fell a bit short.
My favorite was always Markarth, very beautiful and I loved the verticality