😂 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.
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.
"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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
Whiterun is one of the best because everything you need is on one street, and it's pretty central to the map. Everywhere else, either doesn't have what you need, is too far away, or it's like going in a maze just to find a shop. Also, apart from solitude, it's one of the only places that feels like it has any life.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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)
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
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.
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'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.
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
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.
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?
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.
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!
*Me, happily strolling down the streets of Windhelm to my new home* “Finally, after hours of gameplay and quests, Ulfric has permitted me to buy a new home in Windhelm. I hope it’s nice… I did win the war for him after all!” *Unlocks the door to find blood smeared all over the place.* “What the f-“
When it comes to design and visuals, Markarth (and Reach in general) is certainly my number 1 top. But, having home there would come with several great disadvantages. First, I'm Stormcloak supporter, meaning in my playthroughs, member of local crime family will eventually become Jarl of Markarth. Combine that with me always siding with Madanach (and therefore indirectly causing death of several other Silver-Bloods while making some connections amongst Forsworn) when escaping from Cidhna Mine, and I wouldn't feel to safe here either. Also, all my characters are guilty of several murders of Markarth citizens, namely members of Namira's cannibal cult, where I choose to destroy them and save the priest. Now, if there would be an option for our characters (both for Stormcloaks and members of Legion) to became Jarl of one of the conquered holds, there would be no second thought on my side (I would probably even start to negotiate truce with Forsworn, even trying to convince them to team up in rebellion against Empire in return for formal recognition and MUCH better treatment of Reachmen in general, and that's not just because 90% of my characters are Bretons, making Reach safer and all parties more content).
I live in Windhelm with my family. Im tempted to move back to Whiterun but I married Quintus and he has a shop to run. Its a beautiful home and the kids like to hang out with the Argonians who I'm friendly with. I moved there after the end of the Civil War thing.
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)
I like Dawnstar. I think it gets attacked by dragons too much but other than that it has everything you need, a nice and unique layout, a lot of cool quests that run through it, and it’s not as depressing as winterhold, morthal, or even windhelm
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
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 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
Whiterun is definitely my favorite of the cities. While the other cities are interesting to visit in one form or the other, no matter how many times I play this game, I always return to Whiterun. It just feels like its my home in Skyrim. On paper Winterhold is the most demoralizing because there's nothing there and its a depressing vibe but Markarth is easily the worst city to live in. The absolute worst Daedric Prince resides there, corruption in every part of the city, foresworn attacks, heck I wouldn't even buy meat there because the vendor is a cannibal. Riften may have a crime problem, but Markarth is something out of a horror movie. I remember the first time playing Skyrim I racked up an astronomical bounty on my head there because I slaughtered so many people I viewed as bad guys.
I always like windhelm for what it is. its peak nord cold, gloomy but has character and as soon as you walk through the main gate bam the pub right in ya face as if the town was built around it. It's the complete opposite of solitude.
It would have been cool if winterhold was a city when you first visit but fell in the mage questline! Like made so when the Thalmor (can't remember his name) used the eye of magnus!
Worst thing about Dawnstar is there is no carriage to easily travel away from there. It gets worse with survival mode making the city virtually inaccessible
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.
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 Don't Know How It Went Over Bethesda's Head, But They Should Have Had The Dragonborn Rebuild Helgen, & The Dragonborn Would Be The Ruler Of It. Shops, Barracks, Inn/Tavern, Guilds, Houses, NPCs, Traveler's Visiting, Bards. It Would Have Been Cool.
Gothic 3, a 2006 RPG with a hugh Open world, Had villages that had MORE buildings and people than every city in Skyrim. And don't start in the battles...
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
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.
As much as I love Morthal and Falkreath, they always felt the most unsafe to me because of their massive vampire populations. I remember getting jumped by Volkihar goons significantly more in those areas, so I’m always on edge walking around those dang forests.
Despite the racist and gross culture of Windhelm (which is really hard to look passed) I almost always end up living there because Hjerim is such a cool house. The quest that goes along with the house is also a great quest. The hidden door in the house just gets me.
![BAK Jay - Find Out (For Your Love) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/10FJO_XBCvY/mqdefault.jpg)
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. 😂
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
"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.
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
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
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
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
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
I never thought I’d see someone who also has Riften as their favorite city, but I’m happy!
I love it there
If Raven Rock was counted it would clear half the list
TRUE
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
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
5:26
"Aaaaaaaaand there goes the ad-revenue..."
- RUclips, probably
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 😂
Solitude is the capital of Skyrim and it only has 62 inhabitants 😅
Rough times in Skyrim
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
Whiterun is one of the best because everything you need is on one street, and it's pretty central to the map. Everywhere else, either doesn't have what you need, is too far away, or it's like going in a maze just to find a shop. Also, apart from solitude, it's one of the only places that feels like it has any life.
Great points!
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
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
Rifted has been top of my list since I first visited in my very first play through so many years ago. Great video!
Dawnstar is essentially a mining outpost that happened to get a jarl and hold of it's own
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.
One would say your dwarf joke fell a bit short.
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!
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
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 🥲
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!
Whiterun had always been my favourite I always ended up living there
Morthal not being last is crazy work
I too get lost in Markarth…
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)
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
Nice video, my man.
For the emperor!
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!
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
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.
The college destroyed this city!
Literally there are just 2 damn houses broken in that lame-ass 5 houses city
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.
Windhelm at 5 is a crime.
I am criminal scum
Windhelm is a shithole I wouldn’t want to live there
you're right, it should be lower.
Seems like a pretty nice guy. It's gonna be hard to find a jury willing to convict
I agree
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
Definitely agree with this list as riften is always the first city I take the carriage or walk to
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.
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?
I can find a lot more to do outside of the city of Winterhold than outside of the city of Dawnstar!
I never really cared about Falkreath other then to get that ring for werewolves which i cant spell it lol or to get to the dark brotherhood sanctuary
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.
Good vid man!
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 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
*Me, happily strolling down the streets of Windhelm to my new home*
“Finally, after hours of gameplay and quests, Ulfric has permitted me to buy a new home in Windhelm. I hope it’s nice… I did win the war for him after all!”
*Unlocks the door to find blood smeared all over the place.*
“What the f-“
When it comes to design and visuals, Markarth (and Reach in general) is certainly my number 1 top. But, having home there would come with several great disadvantages. First, I'm Stormcloak supporter, meaning in my playthroughs, member of local crime family will eventually become Jarl of Markarth. Combine that with me always siding with Madanach (and therefore indirectly causing death of several other Silver-Bloods while making some connections amongst Forsworn) when escaping from Cidhna Mine, and I wouldn't feel to safe here either. Also, all my characters are guilty of several murders of Markarth citizens, namely members of Namira's cannibal cult, where I choose to destroy them and save the priest. Now, if there would be an option for our characters (both for Stormcloaks and members of Legion) to became Jarl of one of the conquered holds, there would be no second thought on my side (I would probably even start to negotiate truce with Forsworn, even trying to convince them to team up in rebellion against Empire in return for formal recognition and MUCH better treatment of Reachmen in general, and that's not just because 90% of my characters are Bretons, making Reach safer and all parties more content).
I live in Windhelm with my family. Im tempted to move back to Whiterun but I married Quintus and he has a shop to run. Its a beautiful home and the kids like to hang out with the Argonians who I'm friendly with. I moved there after the end of the Civil War thing.
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)
Came for the tier list, stayed for the dad jokes. Love it!
I like Dawnstar. I think it gets attacked by dragons too much but other than that it has everything you need, a nice and unique layout, a lot of cool quests that run through it, and it’s not as depressing as winterhold, morthal, or even windhelm
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.
I think Whiterun was the level that they would have liked all cities to be, but for whatever reasons they couldn’t
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
You nailed every one for me except switch Riften and Whiterun. They are close but companions and breezehome do it for me
Almost exactly how I'd rank them, most people heavily overrate Windhelm and Markarth and underrate Riften imo
Trueee
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
Glad I’m not the only one who mixes up Dawnstar and Morthal because of how boring they are
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
Falkreath is my biggest disappointment. I always liked the woods part, but it all just looks too grey and dead, no pun intended
Love the channel, nice vid
Whiterun is definitely my favorite of the cities. While the other cities are interesting to visit in one form or the other, no matter how many times I play this game, I always return to Whiterun. It just feels like its my home in Skyrim.
On paper Winterhold is the most demoralizing because there's nothing there and its a depressing vibe but Markarth is easily the worst city to live in. The absolute worst Daedric Prince resides there, corruption in every part of the city, foresworn attacks, heck I wouldn't even buy meat there because the vendor is a cannibal. Riften may have a crime problem, but Markarth is something out of a horror movie. I remember the first time playing Skyrim I racked up an astronomical bounty on my head there because I slaughtered so many people I viewed as bad guys.
Riften is, in practice, the safest place to live and i always have my kids live there.
While I love the forsworn quest in Markarth (nostalgia…) I haaate the vibe and layout. Never do not get lost in that place.
I always like windhelm for what it is. its peak nord cold, gloomy but has character and as soon as you walk through the main gate bam the pub right in ya face as if the town was built around it. It's the complete opposite of solitude.
It would have been cool if winterhold was a city when you first visit but fell in the mage questline! Like made so when the Thalmor (can't remember his name) used the eye of magnus!
Falkreath being the best of the tiny towns is CORRECT
Personally I love Markarth's layout because it makes it feel like a big city, even though objectively speaking those don't exist in Skyrim.
Worst thing about Dawnstar is there is no carriage to easily travel away from there. It gets worse with survival mode making the city virtually inaccessible
At least there's a ferryman that can take you to other ports. That's more than you can say for Winterhold, Falkreath, and Morthal.
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.
I can’t think of anything that would piss maven black briar off more than saying she’s easily ignored
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
See I don’t like Falkreath because it feels too much like the first town you can visit after escaping Helgen
Here's my list😁
1.solitude
2.riften
3.whiterun
4.windhelm
5.markarth
6.morthal
7.falkreath
8.dawnstar
9.winterhold
Falkreath is underrated its so cozy
Solituide feels to imperial for me
I Don't Know How It Went Over Bethesda's Head, But They Should Have Had The Dragonborn Rebuild Helgen, & The Dragonborn Would Be The Ruler Of It. Shops, Barracks, Inn/Tavern, Guilds, Houses, NPCs, Traveler's Visiting, Bards. It Would Have Been Cool.
Just off aesthetics, Falkreath is by far my favorite city. It basically Riverwood+, what's not to love about it.
You mean skyrims hamlets 😂
Gothic 3, a 2006 RPG with a hugh Open world, Had villages that had MORE buildings and people than every city in Skyrim. And don't start in the battles...
The people of skyrim visiting dawnstars for the first time probably had the same hope and disappointment as you
I can confirm that, back in 2011 i was disappointed by winterhold and dawnstar, both names sound promising but nope
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!
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.
As much as I love Morthal and Falkreath, they always felt the most unsafe to me because of their massive vampire populations. I remember getting jumped by Volkihar goons significantly more in those areas, so I’m always on edge walking around those dang forests.
Despite the racist and gross culture of Windhelm (which is really hard to look passed) I almost always end up living there because Hjerim is such a cool house. The quest that goes along with the house is also a great quest. The hidden door in the house just gets me.
dawg HOW is morthal better than dawnstar...
Im a merchant at heart. I just want a good city to sell my 1 million ebony armors and my 1 billion health potions
So my rankings (in game) are, in reverse order:
Winterhold
Markath
Dawnstar
Windhelm
Falkreath
Riften
Whiterun
Markath
Solitude
But I get your logic.
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💀
Personally prefer
1. Whiterun
2. Solitude
3. Windhelm
4. Riften
The rest exact same
Riften for me too. It's the Gothamesque city to my Batmanesque character
If only each city was 3x the size in game.
Roften has always been favorite! Its very beautiful actually it has the slums. The player home beautiful. And the characters are interesting.
Quick question is there a mod to inprove the population of the cities
Pretty sure theres a "Populated Skyrim" mod collection that increases NPCs and removes Actor limitations in the game.
@@RogueRanks Ty fam
@@RogueRanks the age of the apocalypse is over
I'd put Whitrun as my number 1 then Riften