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(Updated) Favorite DLC year in terms of main quest storytelling?
Tariq9898
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What was your personal favorite year in terms of the overarching main quest storytelling, lore, and worldbuilding and why?
Edited by Tariq9898 on December 17, 2025 3:14AM (Updated) Favorite DLC year in terms of main quest storytelling? 181 votes
2015 - Wrothgar
22%
40 votes
2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork City
17%
32 votes
2018 - Summerset and Artaeum
19%
35 votes
2019 - Northern and Southern Elsweyr
22%
41 votes
2020 - Western Skyrim and The Reach
9%
17 votes
2021 - Blackwood, The Deadlands and Fargrave
1%
2 votes
2022 - High Isle and Galen
1%
3 votes
2023 - Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha
0%
1 vote
2024 - West Weald
1%
2 votes
2025 - Western and Eastern Solstice
4%
8 votes
0
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metheglyn✭✭✭✭✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityNothing can compare to Sotha Sil!
Morrowind is a lovely and strange place to quest in, and moving through the zone I felt like I really got to know the place and definitely got a glimpse into some of the Great House structure and rivalry. Lord Vivec both draws me in and repulses me--I think ZOS showed his duality very well in that sense. For the most part, I enjoyed the npcs I met and worked with, and I felt invested in making sure Vivec got his power back.
Clockwork City, however, remains my all-time favorite zone, especially as it culminates with an amazing conversation with Sil. The place is so wonderfully put together and definitely feels otherwordly--more so than some of the Daedric Planes we visit.
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freespirit✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭2019 - Northern and Southern ElsweyrNemesis7884 wrote: »do you notice a trend...
The trend is painfully obvious, hopefully someone @ZoS takes notice but I'm not holding my breath!!When people say to me........
"You're going to regret that in the morning"
I sleep until midday cos I'm a problem solver!3 -
Soarora✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2018 - Summerset and ArtaeumSummerset made me feel something. It’s the only DLC main quest I’ve willingly replayed multiple times to show other people how great it is. It builds characters up with such depth— like they’re real people with real stories beyond the quest chain they’re in. And then it tears you down. Shatters you. If you know no lore, you’re heartbroken. If you know lore, you’re heartbroken just the same. There’s no saving the ones that have been lost. They’re gone. Not just dead… gone… and that still makes me emotional 6 years later.I think it’s the DLC with the highest permanent death count and I like me some dark fantasy. Something I really want to stress if ZOS reads this is that Summerset made me care about the characters before killing them off. They had connections to other NPCs, Leythen had his entire redemption arc, Darien not just as a reoccurring character but him finding out more about what he truly is, the killing of the key holders to Crystal-Like-Law… they were named, described, they were people. Everyone killed at the university… just students and professors seeking knowledge. The lady in Crystal-Like-Law… doomed… laid to rest… all of the struggles of the characters who died ring with familiarity. The loss of a child, the end of doomed suffering, innocent people caught in crossfire… These days we have deaths that mean nothing in the DLCs. Everyone got brought back in Markarth… EVERYONE. Necrom, whats his face got killed briefly just to be brought back immediately which had 0 impact because I knew that would happen. High Isle had a death that was important to one character, so that was better but still didn’t matter that much to me. Make us truly care about the characters. Make them people. Make their deaths count. Summerset had plot but it was just as much a story of a bunch of people, reoccurring and not, having character arcs.
I haven’t played Orisinium because it was before my time and I was always was busy keeping up to date with DLCs and doing base game until I found questing too boring… my attention span has gone in the ditch.PC/NA Dungeoneer (Tank/DPS/Heal), Trialist (DPS/Tank/Heal), and amateur Battlegrounder (DPS) with a passion for The Elder Scrolls lore- CP 2000+
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YandereGirlfriend✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2020 - Western Skyrim and The ReachI'm not the biggest story-forward player but I do want to say that the worldbuilding and art team still does really good work.
I recently spent some time questing in High Isle and Galen and was reminded of how neat the various biomes of the islands are. And the sunflowers are simply stunning. The Fauns are creepy but very unique and I enjoyed watching them just sort of vibing with each other when left alone.
There's equally nice things to be said about the ambiance of all of the recent zones. They do seem to be getting smaller in size but what is there I find to be thoughtful and enjoyable to spend time with. I really, really enjoyed the West Weald and its permanent Fall aethsetic and the otherworldly atmosphere of the Apocrypha areas.
All of that said, however, the zones are definitely getting smaller and the price for the expansions is definitely not going down. So seeing them increase in size again would be most welcome.
Hoping that 2026 is Whiterun, the Pale, and Winterhold.2 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2018 - Summerset and ArtaeumMorrowind, Clockwork City, and Summerset are all part of the same main story arc. I picked Summerset because it was the conclusion but really it was that whole storyline that was the peak.
ETA:
Likewise, Necrom + Gold Road is one one main story arc.Edited by spartaxoxo on December 17, 2025 8:41AM3 -
LunaFlora✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2025 - Western and Eastern Solsticei have played through all the zone stories.
favourite dlc year is usually the present year.
so 2025 and i do love Solstice a lot.
some reasons why i love Solstice
(maybe i will edit this comment later for more detailed reasons)
main quest.
- sequel to the base game stories.
side quests, feels odd not to mention as it is storytelling.
- Cariel finally returned! she is one of my favourite characters, i love her in the Aldmeri Dominion quests.
- Everlasting Fair, questing with Sanguine as a goat is awesome. And the Vale of Revelry delve is one of Sanguine's realms, which is beautiful.
- Solstice is the first zone with the expanded player choices in quests. i love those and it makes it hard to choose any other year.
Relevant to main and side quests.
world building
- music, flora, fauna, fashion, housing. Non-quest reason, but important every year. Solstice is gorgeous in all those aspects.
i am happy we got purple and orange gorse to use alongside High Isle's yellow gorse plants.
if you ask me this in December 2026, my answer is probably 2026.
miaow! i'm Luna ( she/her ).
🌸*throws cherry blossom on you*🌸
"Eagles advance, traveler! And may the Green watch and keep you."
🦬🦌🐰
PlayStation and PC EU.
LunaLolaBlossom on psn.
LunaFloraBlossom on pc.2 -
redlink1979✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭2015 - Wrothgar
"Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear"- Sons of the Night Mother | VforVendetta | Grownups Gaming EU | English Elders [PS][EU] 2500 CP
- Daggerfall's Mightiest | Eternal Champions | Legacy | Tamriel Melting Pot [PS][NA] 2300 CP
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- Bacon Rats | Silverlight Brotherhood | Canis Root Tea Party | Vincula Doloris [PC][NA] 2300 CP
11 -
Sarannah✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityNostalgia reasons for morrowind. Also, going into a tiny clockwork city is just awesome!1 -
robwolf666✭✭✭✭✭
✭2020 - Western Skyrim and The ReachLooking at the list I realised that I like all of them for different reasons.
If I was forced to choose one, then: Western Skyrim and The Reach (Skyrim connection).
But my top 3 are:
1. Western Skyrim and The Reach
2. Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha
3. Morrowind and Clockwork City
The weakest of the bunch is Solstice though, unfortunately.2 -
SkaiFaith✭✭✭✭✭
✭2025 - Western and Eastern SolsticeSolstice. There are valuable "deaths and resurrections". An hyping epilogue quest. A well designed final battle. It's a sequel to the main story. When it worked, the event was phenomenal and blew all other zone events away, ahead by miles. Good cast of characters. Varied dialogues with choices.
The more I think of it the more I appreciate it, even with its flaws.
It gave the sense of epicness, even though I'm always disappointed by the "MMO nature" of the game which doesn't consent to, for example, see lots of NPCs go through the wall when it goes down - if you had players around was epic, sure, but if you'll play this zone 2 years from now... How sad will it look? It was supposed to be a massive war but we barely see any soldier fighting on the other side, what the...
Still good. Enjoyed more than others.Edited by SkaiFaith on December 17, 2025 12:31PMA: "We, as humans, should respect and take care of each other like in a Co-op, not a PvP 🌸"
B: "Many words. Words bad. Won't read. ⚔️"0 -
Maitsukas✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Could there be a poll between all post-2020 storylines, since players tend to be most critical about them?Edited by Maitsukas on December 17, 2025 10:09PMPC-EU @maitsukas
Posting the Infinite Archive and Imperial City Weekly Vendor updates.
Also trying out new Main Quests, Companions, ToT decks, Events and Styles on PTS.6 -
emilyhyoyeon✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭2015 - WrothgarWrothgar manages to beat Vvardenfell and Summerset years' main questlines since I prefer more grounded stories (minimal contact with deities, for ex.). In these earlier years, these stories are also my favorite becauses characters aren't caricatures of themselves yet and the writing takes itself seriously.
Anyway, if not limited to just MQ, Vvardenfell overtakes Wrothgar for sure, but I love both those two.IGN @ emilypumpkin
Tullanisse Starborne altmer battlemage & scholar of the ayleids
Qa'Rirra khajiit assassin & dancer
Seliwequen Narilata altmer necromancer & debaucher6 -
AzuraFan✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityMorrowind. It's when I finally tried this game, and I loved the zone and the story. I didn't like Clockwork City as much, though. There was tons to do, and the zone was lush and filled with stuff to discover.
Second for me would be Blackwood. I really enjoyed the main and Deadlands stories. When I used to create alts and we had a choice, I'd usually start them there.0 -
whitecrow✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭2019 - Northern and Southern ElsweyrIt is a tough call between Summerset and Elsweyr.
Wrothgar was great but mentally I never think of it as DLC because it was in the game when I bought it.
I like the land designs of High Isle, Galen and West Weald, but the content is no longer adequate.1 -
anadandy✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭2015 - WrothgarI voted Wrothgar, but after replaying Summerset on a High Elf during the event I had forgotten how good some of those quests were and appreciated the acknowledgement of my character race. That was something that disappointed me about High Isle, when playing a Breton.Edited by anadandy on December 17, 2025 3:52PM0 -
Recent✭✭✭✭✭
✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityMorrowind and summerset will always be my favourite zones and story lines. Going to vvardenfell still gives me TES vibes2 -
ESO_player123✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityI chose Morrowind and Clockwork City because Clockwork City is actually my favorite main story of all. But I also liked Western Skyrim and the Reach.1 -
LootAllTheStuff✭✭✭✭✭2019 - Northern and Southern ElsweyrIt is really hard to pick between some of those, especially Western Skyrim/Reach and the Morrowind/CC/Summerset trilogy. But Elsweyr edges out the win for me just because that was always a place I wanted to see in-game. My only disappointment is that playing through that story as a khajiit doesn't seem to get any call-outs.1
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AScarlato✭✭✭✭✭
✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityWent with Vvardenfell, where even some side quests were emotional. It's hard to top some of the moments with Vivec and Sotha Sil for me.
I do like their attempts to add in dialogue options in the present day, but the overall writing quality is just bad to me.1 -
Ragnork✭✭✭✭✭2020 - Western Skyrim and The Reachspartaxoxo wrote: »Morrowind, Clockwork City, and Summerset are all part of the same main story arc. I picked Summerset because it was the conclusion but really it was that whole storyline that was the peak.
ETA:
Likewise, Necrom + Gold Road is one one main story arc.
I would have voted for the combined Morrowind, Clockwork, Summerset if given as an option. I thought this was the best over arching story.
I prefer High Isle next, but never really took to Galen.
Skyrim and The Reach I enjoyed as a combined story.
I disliked The Deadlands / Fargrave and Apocrypha intensely.
West Weald, liked.
Disliked, totally disliked, Western and Eastern Solstice thankfully it was short enough to endure.
The rest Wrothgar, Elsweyr, Murkmire are good.1 -
Mesite✭✭✭✭2023 - Telvanni Peninsula and ApocryphaI enjoyed Wrothgar, and played bits of it again, but it was Telvanni Peninsula that made me want to play through the story until I'd finished.0
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DoofusMax✭✭✭✭2019 - Northern and Southern ElsweyrThat's a toughie. Wrothgar's is absolutely outstanding and I still don't understand why it's not a "chapter" other than Year One Megapack sales. Those are decisions well above my paygrade, though. I think Summerset is also excellent and improved on Morrowind's separated zone stories, but it still has two stories running in parallel. "Season of the Dragon" pretty much nailed it in terms of story, presentation, and mechanics. I think Dragonhold was the lesser of the two when it comes to story, but the addition of epilogue missions mostly made up for that.I'm fresh out of outrage, but I could muster up some amused annoyance if required.0 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2018 - Summerset and ArtaeumThat's a toughie. Wrothgar's is absolutely outstanding and I still don't understand why it's not a "chapter" other than Year One Megapack sales. Those are decisions well above my paygrade, though. I think Summerset is also excellent and improved on Morrowind's separated zone stories, but it still has two stories running in parallel. "Season of the Dragon" pretty much nailed it in terms of story, presentation, and mechanics. I think Dragonhold was the lesser of the two when it comes to story, but the addition of epilogue missions mostly made up for that.
Wrothgar predates the Chapter system. It actually even predates the soft relaunch of the game with One Tamriel. They sell the first year of dlc as it's own thing because of that. While the chapter system began with Morrowind and concluded with Gold Road. Now we're on the season pass system.Edited by spartaxoxo on December 17, 2025 9:20PM0 -
AcadianPaladin✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2018 - Summerset and ArtaeumThe only DLC that I find memorable in terms of recalling the storyline is Murkmire - a wonderful DLC. Since it came out in 2018, I voted for 2018 - meaning Murkmire, not Summerset and Artaeum. I found the questline delightful and particularly enjoyed the wonderful characters Jaxsik-Orrn and Xukas.PC NA(no Steam), PvE, mostly solo2 -
Rkindaleft✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭2017 - Morrowind and Clockwork CityDamn everything post 2020 is in the gutterRuneblades enjoyer https://youtube.com/@rkindaleftAll Solo, Dungeon and Arena trifectas.
8/10 Trial trifectas.
Tick Tock Tormentor | Immortal Redeemer | Gryphon Heart | Godslayer | Dawnbringer | Planesbreaker | Dream Master | Unstoppable3 -
katanagirl1✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭2019 - Northern and Southern ElsweyrPurely in terms of story, Wrothgar would probably get my vote. It also has a great zone with no facades, all buildings can be entered and many have multiple stories. It has a rugged, natural beauty that I enjoy.
I have to pick Elsweyr though, because I love the Khajiit and of course the dragon battles were epic at the start of the chapter. The zone is also great, especially the colorful desert of Northern Elsweyr. Of course Morrowind introduced us to those facades instead of buildings, and Northern Elsweyr has a whole town of them in Hakoshae. So that is a little disappointing. The game needs more exploration not less over time.
Khajiit Stamblade main
Dark Elf Magsorc
Redguard Stamina Dragonknight
Orc Stamplar PVP
Breton Magsorc PVP
Dark Elf Necromancer
Dark Elf Magden
Khajiit Stamblade
Khajiit Stamina Arcanist
PS5 NA2 -
heaven13✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭2018 - Summerset and ArtaeumI'm so used to people leaving Wrothgar out of these polls that I quickly picked Summerset since that's my next favorite. Woe is me once I realized that someone actually remembered Wrothgar and thus my answer is inaccurate!PC/NAMountain God | Leave No Bone Unbroken | Apex Predator | Pure Lunacy | Depths Defier | No Rest for the Wicked | In Defiance of DeathMeet my characters :
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LadyLethalla✭✭✭✭✭
✭2020 - Western Skyrim and The ReachI'm kind of biased toward Fennorian. Close second is Summerset, though.x-TallyCat-x // PC EU DC - For the Covenant! // ESO Platinum trophy - 16th May 2017.
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Qagh✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭2019 - Northern and Southern ElsweyrI vote always for cats.CP 2900+ PC/EU
Ich habe so viele Khajiit, dass ich eine ganze Kolonie gründen könnte.5