-Imperials or Stormcloaks?- Skyrim

[Aurorix]

With the release of Skyrim Remastered on the horizon I was curious on which faction Reborn prefers. Seeing as how this is one of the big choices Skyrim has to offer.

As for myself, I'm at a bit of an impasse. On one hand I side with the Stormcloaks because I prefer their ideals over the Imperials. However, there is one main thing that happens early within the Stormcloak quest line that I really don't enjoy. I'll put it in a spoiler tab because it's a pretty big event.

I don't like how if you join the Stormcloaks you have to fight against Yarl Balgruuf during the takeover of Whiterun. He is one of the people I have a strong connection to in Skyrim because you spend a good chunk of the main quest line with him. After helping each other out so much to then go against him just feels wrong to me. Kinda like betraying a good friend.

Other then the above mentioned I'm all for the Stormcloaks. well except for their slight racism So what do you all think?

[HughJ]

Skyrim is 5 years old I think it's ok to spoil

Imperials actually know how to run a country

Stormcloaks are reactionaries that want to fight for a lot of snow and then drink themselves to death over unimpressive ballads of their mediocre revolt

[Skeleton]

i literally just installed a mod just to be neutral in the civil war because both sides are shit. i mean im just an elf that got into this country illegally and can apparently yell in dragon tongue and your politics are none of my business?? i always side with the imperial guy in the intro though because you get free steel and iron ingots from the smith in riverwood

[Tartar]

Can we please just pick neither? They're both pretty terrible. Both sides are have a grey morality, and do dubious actions.

- One side is a bunch of racist barbarians who are actively going against the basic tenents of Nordic culture and ideals in order to attain independence.

- While the other is a jingoistic empire, who are pretty brutal in the way they try to maintain stability

Honestly... Please just let Alduin burn it all to the ground?

[Anstane]

I only sided with the Imperials because of Jarl Balgruuf. Otherwise I'd rather stay neutral and let the fools who think fighting each other while dragons are attacking is a good idea to destroy themselves.

[Alistair]

Yup, having to betray good old Balgruuf if you want to side with the Stormcloaks is a big no-no to me.

Besides, I'm not fond of the whole "Skyrim is only for the Nords!" thing and I consider a united Empire better suited than an isolated Nord Kingdom to fight off the Aldmeri, who are the real threats.

[Maelstrom]

The imperials are assholes, so I opted to kill them. Wanted to kill some of the stormcloaks but the game puts in silly limitations sometimes. Certainly a few elves that needed to knocked down a peg or 5.

Besides, they were about to execute me at the beginning for no reason at all. That's not something I could let slide.

In any case, you can be part of the stormcloaks without agreeing to everything the other leaders want. As the true force behind the scenes, you end up with the power and position to enact your own changes.

If you go with the Imperials, you're not much of anything, tbh. they pat you on the head and say thanks.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

As most have said, both sides are shit but I've never chosen Stormcloaks. They can't run a country, are racist, and I never play a Nord. Why can't good old Redguard me be part of Skyrim. Skyrim does no belong to the Nords it belongs to the snow elves they were there first. Should we let all the Falmer out of the caves and back into their rightful homes?

EDIT: That said it's funny to be Imperial and finish the Dark Brotherhood quest.

[Josef]

I always choose the storm cloaks. The empire is falling apart anyways and is cowering before the Altmer. In fact, the empire barely has any control over Skyrim left, since the Thalmor already interfere in their internal politics. Remaining within the Empire would make Skyrim nothing more than an Altmer colony. Its people are already suppressed in their beliefs and their free speech by them. So I decided to support the stormcloaks and fight for Skyrim's independence. Despite the fact that I highly doubt, that Skyrim will be able to fight the Altmer-Dominion on its own. Its better to fight and die free than to live as a slave.

[ccx92]

My opinion is that while the Stormcloaks goal of liberation from the Aldmeri Dominion is a good reason for wanting freedom, it's just not practical since a united empire lost the Great War so how would an independent Skyrim hope to do any better? Besides I believe the Imperials intend to bide their time before rebelling against the Dominion themselves since General Tullius hints slightly that is what may happen eventually anyway. It's clear how racist the Stormcloak cause is as well due to the behaviour of Windhelm's non Nord residents and how they have little regard in other races like Giants which I recall I was assigned to slay for a Jarl (Giants are a protected race within the Empire).

[Combat]

The Stormcloaks are all heart, no brains. Much like the rebels from Half Life Two, they aren't considering the full scope of who they're battling. If it wasn't for the dragons coming back, the war would already be over.

As for the whole execution thing, that was just one blood thirsty commander. Saying that the entire Empire is corrupt because of her is a little daft, seeing as even her second in command was hesitant about the command. Plus, for the most part, I use mods to skip the intro cinematic, so as far as my characters know, the Empire didn't try to kill them.

Why they didn't add an option for you to take over Skyrim or stop the war peacefully is beyond me, but eighty percent of my play thought have me being neutral. The other twenty percent is Imperial.

[dan2]

I'm not a fan of the Stormcloaks for the same reason listed in the spoiler above. That being said, I like Stormcloak ideals, but I don't particularly care for them enough to look past said event and side with them.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Personally for me this is just an example of one of those choices that are trying way to hard in games... the "OOOOOOOOH, LOOK YOU BETTER DECIDE!!! BUT AHHHH!!! BOTH SIDES ARE SHITTY PEOPLE!!!" and it's... really quite the boring choice. Personally I think Skyrim if it didn't invent some of these tropes in gaming, it certainly cemented them, which I'm not overly fond of.

I really really dislike the, "You gotta choice between two sides but we're going to make both of your options seem lousy as shit to apparently try and make you feel things when you really just don't care" approach. Like, I don't really have stake in either side... I'm just some random dude who got locked up. That opening intro is hardly enough cause to make me really give a shit about either side. ((though it really does try to make the Imperials seem super shitty in a very forced way by making that one commander lady just try and execute you for no reason at all. Hell, she doesn't even execute THE LEADER OF THE FUCKING ENEMY FACTION THAT THEY CAPTUUUUUURED BEFORE YOU RANDOM UNKNOWN ASS. Like, yes... let's start with the random fucking horse thief and the random dude we accidentally picked up and not Ulfric. Like that takes me out of that entire moment cause it makes... no... fucking... sense.)) it just feels like so artificial that I don't want to choose either option at all, cause it's like... "I'll just let you pieces of garbage fight each other into oblivion you're not my problem."

[Deleted User]

[Combat]

I think about around 1:50 summarizes the plight of having to choose a side in Skyrim.

[EraStarr]

Just.. Stormcloaks.

[Tringus]

I think there is an understandable reason as to why they would choose us to execute over Ulfric... After all, what if we dealt with Daedra BEFORE the Imperials captured us? They wouldn't want a powerful Daedric foe on their hands, would they? Of course they would try to execute us first, because they know of the shit we could do if they let us live. Of course, having us on their side would be a blessing for them, but still. I usually side with the Imperials because I want to make the Empire great again under One Tamriel, buuut next time I MIGHT be independent and go all-out Daedra on their asses.

[Sunbean]

I equal dislike both as with others here, but I tend to go Stormcloak through all of my playthroughs, despite never playing Nord.

[Maelstrom]

I really really dislike the, "You gotta choice between two sides but we're going to make both of your options seem lousy as shit to apparently try and make you feel things when you really just don't care" approach. Like, I don't really have stake in either side...

Actually, this is the Fallout 4 formula, but with 4 factions instead of two.

[HughJ]

The Fallout 4 formula might have had better factions in the main quest, but the main quest's overdevelopment actually ended up restricting choices. Your character has a personal motive to join an alliance (OR HELP A SETTLEMENT) and the factions play such a large role in the universe that after picking a side 2/3 of the way in you automatically fail like ten quests

After Skyrim's tutorial you don't actually have an obligation to help either side or seek someone out, and there are equally deep (or occasionally deeper) quest lines available entirely outside the realm of being a dragonborn

If you want you can play the Theives Guild, Dark Brotherhood, and/or Mage's College quests to completion without encountering a single dragon

Skyrim > Fallout IMO and while that's not really the point of this thread half of the replies have been "both sides suck" so why not

[Amethyst]

even though i'm five years late or whatever, i've still just been playing through it for the first time. and i dislike all of this

but if and when i have to pick a side i'll probably go imperials because i'm playing an elf who does not particularly want to be around people who hate elves.

i dont like the total control thing either but skyrim can fight the empire after the aldmeri dominion is dealt with

[Tartar]

even though i'm five years late or whatever, i've still just been playing through it for the first time. and i dislike all of this

but if and when i have to pick a side i'll probably go imperials because i'm playing an elf who does not particularly want to be around people who hate elves.

i dont like the total control thing either but skyrim can fight the empire after the aldmeri dominion is dealt with

The thing is though, the empire has just finished a war with the Altmeri Dominion (a nation of Wood- and High-elves) and a possible second war may be looming on the horizon. Therefore if you help Skyrim secede from the empire, you will actually help elven-kind by weaking the empire for the upcoming war.

So you may want to do the opposite, if your reason for helping wanting to help the empire was to help your elven brethren?

[Saber-chan]

My Race is Imperial, but I sided with the Stormcloaks. I just like the concepts of revolutions.

[not-a-spoon]

The first Empire was founded by the Nords commanded by the Dragonborn bloodline, conquering one by one all the other provinces. The old bloodline is gone now, and the empire falling apart. No use saving a dying relic, sometimes you have to start over. So my Dragonborn helps liberate an independent Skyrim so history can repeat itself, and the Nords commanded by the dragonborn bloodline can conquer the other provinces, one by one.

[Amethyst]

The thing is though, the empire has just finished a war with the Altmeri Dominion (a nation of Wood- and High-elves) and a possible second war may be looming on the horizon. Therefore if you help Skyrim secede from the empire, you will actually help elven-kind by weaking the empire for the upcoming war.

So you may want to do the opposite, if your reason for helping wanting to help the empire was to help your elven brethren?

If it were about the elves, sure. That would totally be true.

But it's more about anarchy.

I don't personally like large systems of control. I'm not going to argue that it's better for people and places to rule themselves... but it's certainly more interesting.

So I'd rather both the Altmeri and the Empire fall. The Empire's crumbling regardless, but in the mean time they have the better chance to break the bigger threat.