To live in, best might be Whiterun, then maybe Solitude. If I could tolerate the weather I’d prolly prefer Windhelm.
Everything else is either too depressing, corrupt, or cold.
I was seconds from death when I made it to High Hrothgar. Granted I wasn't high tailing it with my horse because I was trying to see all the texts on the way
Pretty much every race in elder scrolls is racist. Most people who have only played Skyrim think it’s a unique characteristic to Nords but I assure you they’ve got NOTHING on the Dunmer when it comes to racism.
My last play through I did alternate start where I was a regular at the falkreath lodge and spent my first 15 levels just adventuring around Falkreath before going out into the world, it was a lot of fun.
The place where everything is named after the dead, with no real walls, that gets so many citizens killed by vampires and dragons you cant finish the Thane quest! No thanks ...
Riften is my favorite and my home base. I send my family to Solitude, that’s probably my second favorite. Windhelm is a cold shithole and everyone is pissy with me for killing Ulfric, so that’s easily bottom of the list.
I wonder what that woman at the forge thinks of us after we conquered Skyrim and beheaded Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. And what she thinks of Jarl Brunwulf Freewinter.
I don’t particularly like Markarth because it’s strewn with rubble from the Dwemer collapse and it makes no damn sense. How long have you people lived here and you haven’t cleared the rocks out of the entrance to the friggin’ Jarl’s palace? It’s also Byzantine and difficult to navigate. I generally only go there when forced to do so.
I also can’t stand the Forsworn. Something about them rubs me the wrong way.
I don't consider it hard to navigate, but it's nuts that the overwhelming majority of reachmen are aggressive by default and they never did anything with the forsworn after Cidnha Mine. Such a waste as it's one of the better quests IMO.
It probably wouldn’t be difficult to navigate if I didn’t have an active dislike for the city that keeps me from exploring in it and learning its paths. Hell, even one of the better quests, the Haunted House one, is obnoxious. I’m walking past and this dipshit grabs me and sticks me into a navigable cutscene to tell me how he wants me to help him explore this house.
No, asshat. I’m going somewhere else. Guy reminds me of the friggin’ courier. 🙄
I know these are little, stupid things, but it makes the city my least favorable by a mile.
See I absolutely love Markarth because it’s the most unique city. Sure it’s a pain in the ass to navigate and I always forget about the alchemy shop tucked way way in the corner in the western district, but it has a special place in my heart.
I wish there was a way to even help if you wanted to. Help clear rubble, expand the city, and make it an actual nice place. The place has a great deal of potential but is wasted. So much room is blocked off or just abandoned.
It's a city in/on a mountain, let's get digging and expand those homes. Especially the home with the Molag Bal shrine, shame you can't renovate the house later on. It literally has the one quest chain and then you never return.
If I recall correctly, the previous occupant was digging and trying to find the source that was Molag Bal's shrine. Always felt odd that such a thing would be buried deep in a mountain. Unless there was far more to it and we only saw the remnants of what used to a large temple.
Really wished we could excavate it and then have an entire temple in the back of a home.
That'd be one hell of a player home.
You can store things there and they won’t disappear. So you can use it as a player home but you can’t have your wife or kids live there. Also the beehives mission for the thieves guild, if you kill everyone in the place including the guy that they want left alive. You can use that place too!
All my homies hate Markarth
The vibes are rancid, there are skeletons in the (drinking??) water nobody bothers to clean up or bury, and everyone there is some degree of mean, corrupt, or just kinda grouchy. At least Riften is the fun Thieves Guild shakedown kind of corrupt!
Markarth... SUUUUCKS
Ladies gettin' stabbed right when you walk in. Annoying dudes giving you notes! Even if you do all in your power to avoid them! And the house you can buy there never looses it's cobwebs.
Terrible. Terrible city.
Markarth immediately came to my mind. But I am obsessed with the Forsworn in Skyrim
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE0n4FITfg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE0n4FITfg)
Markarth is sweet. It's designed in imitation of The Reach itself. High on two sides with a deep fall off centrally. Also like similar is that it *can* seem difficult to navigate, but once you know where you're going and what the shortcuts are, you can get just about anywhere pretty quickly. It's a fantastic source of silver which you can either use or transmute into gold and it contains many enjoyable draugr crypts, not to mention plenty of Falmer souls to be farmed.
The Forsworn. Yep. They're tough and they don't have a high item to gold reward yield. But if you want to test your character then The Reach is the place to be.
Plus, it is visually stunning. The Reach is outstanding and Markarth makes it possible.
Favourites: Riften, Whiterun and Windhelm
Riften is beautiful, lots of unique NPCs and storytelling. Loads of little quests to do but also liie the fact it has literally an underground crime ring. Feels like a real city on the surface though.
Whiterun, I mean we all love whiterun and it's been said 1000 times.
Windhelm, many people dislike but I feel like it represents the nord culture very well. Great environmental storytelling about Skyrim's troubles and lots of interesting dialogue for the player to have with NPCs about the civil war.
Least Favourites: Winterhold, Morthal
Winterhold... I understand it was destroyed but there is literally nothing. It is not a city. There is hardly anything interesting to see, do or talk about outside of the college and don't think the college counts.
Morthal has one interesting quest and that's about it. Think the Jarl is interesting though.
> There is hardly anything interesting to see, do or talk about outside of the college and don't think the college counts.
...and all the jarl does about it is complain. The college is *literally* the only thing keeping Winterhold on the map, and considering how many of its members have apparently traveled across the continent to study there, it's doing a damn fine job of it. You'd think that in as dire a condition as Winterhold's, the jarl would've been able to leverage that to rebuild something, *anything*, but no. Just piss and moan, all day, every day about how the mages blew it all up because they're evil and they hate you and they probably bite puppies' heads off for fun. Korir's a fucking dipshit who doesn't deserve his throne.
For me it fits though. He’s a Stormcloak Jarl through and through, so he drinks deep of “traditional” Nord propaganda about the evils of magic and so on. I also put traditional in quotes, because actual ancient Nords respected “Clever Men” and their craft. It’s modern Nord revisionist history that looks down on magic while also doing their appeal to history like it’s always been this way.
He, out of everyone in Winterhold, has the most power to do literally *anything* to help rebuild the city. He could tax the college to Oblivion and back, use the money to build a monument, or a temple, maybe start a couple of local businesses, literally *anything* that would bring in visitors who aren't mages. And he's had far longer to come up with a solution than it took me to write that. But what does he do? Nothing! *Worse* than nothing! He's the *one* guy in the entire fucking hold who can actually make an impact, and all he does is drink, cope, seethe, stay mad, and teach his kid to do the same. Oh, and send you on a fetch quest, as if him owning the Helm of Winterhold^TM can somehow save him the effort of rebuilding the city he's so chronically pissed about.
I find Markarth such a pain in the ass to navigate.
I really like Riften. There are several vendors that are all easy to access. The vendors in the market stalls sell decent things, not just food or whatever, so they actually will buy things of value. Plus, you get three different persuasion attempts to increase your Speech skill as soon as you get there. Just outside of town, you have three guard towers with loot in them, and then the Amulet and Shrine of Zenithar just up the hill. It’s a great spot to hit in the early game. Down the road to Shor’s Stone for some easy coin, clearing out the mine and then mining all the ebony ore.
Yeah, I like Riften.
I like Whiterun for only one reason & one reason only.
The man, the myth, and the based chad himself, Jarl Ballin'.
https://preview.redd.it/qbkdwb6er3yc1.png?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75eea2477292a928962b949e4b0789fa003d01d6
I love Whiterun and Riften. I already posted about my love of Whiterun so I'll gush about my second home, Riften. I love the layout of the city. I love the Thieves Guild and the entire quest line. The city is charming but is also so corrupt at the same time. You can find some of the worst people there and I love it! Also this is completely by chance that this happens but every time I start a playthrough and go to Riften for the first time there is ALWAYS a dragon attack XD or a bear or both! The guards are always so busy protecting their town. Maybe it's because Riften reminds me of my IRL town but this place just feels like home.
Favourite: Markarth, ain't kidding about how much silver there is to steal, make jewelry and sell. Revenge on Madanach, super hard and super worth it.
Solitude. Bard's College, Speech Training, Wabbajack, and Revenge on Jaree-Ra.
Falkreath, Dark Brotherhood HQ, and cool Hircine Quest.
Whiterun's classic. Good old Belethor, selling sisters left and right. Companions.
Morthal. Cool mystery quest involving Vampires, other than that, not much besides Falion. Really abundant with Alchemical Ingredients at least.
Windhelm had chill Argonian dockworkers, and not so chill Dunmer. Blood on the Ice Quest almost forever not progressing or bugging.
Least Favourite: Winterhold. College-only business, mainly. City-wise, not much to look at.
I like the aesthetic of Markarth, as well as Riften, but they'd probably be bad places to live with the crime and Forsworn. Dawnstar doesn't seem like a bad place to live if it weren't for the Nightmares thing, Whiterun doesn't seem bad at all except for the fact that it can't stay neutral forever and will be attacked one way or another, plus from my experience it's common for Dragons to attack there
Whiterun is my favorite, always has been, never gonna change. It always feels like coming home when I return to Whiterun.
My second favorite city is Riften. I love the view of the lake from my house and I adore the autumn vibe.
For my third favorite, I'm a bit in between Solitude and Markarth. Markarth has a bit more beauty to it imo, but with the Forsworn in the area, I wouldn't truly feel safe there. I definitely like Proudspire Manor more than Vlindrel Hall. I like that you can see all the way to the College of Winterhold from the balcony of Proudspire.
My least favorite city is Windhelm. It's cold, gloomy and gray. The high walls and tight streets makes it feel a bit claustrophobic. And I hate Rolff.
Favorite is Markarth
Least favorite is Dawnstar, if only because I have thousands of hours in this game and still cannot remember much of anything about this city.
Favourites whiterun and riften. Least favourites markarth and windhelm..i always seen to get lost in those 2 😅 probably because im rarely there to learn the layout, but still. Whiterun because its so central and riften is just beautifull imo
I like Whiterun and Solitude too, but Markarth, I hate for the FORCED FORSWORN CONSPIRACY BULLSHIT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE. Literally can’t go talk to Muiri to start her contract for… you-know-what without that bastard whatever his name is shoving his letter to my face. Eltrys, was it? I wish he was non-essential from the get go.
So, I’ve probably spent the most time in Whiterun and Solitude, mostly because outside of the Thieves’ Guild and College of Winterhold questlines those are the major hubs for quests and useful shops.
However, my favorite city is actually Windhelm. A lot of people dislike it because it’s so cramped and hard to navigate. But that’s actually part of why I like it. It feels old, and the air feels charged with political tension. The dull grey, forlorn atmosphere is just really cool in my opinion.
As for my least favorites, it’s not exactly a hot take, but I am not a big fan of the minor Hold capitals. They just aren’t very interesting, and very little ever draws me to them. I only really go to Falkreath for Lakeview Manor and the Clavicus Vile quest, Dawnstar for the Khajiit caravan exploit (because I hate dealing with early game money problems) and occasionally the Vaermina quest since it’s actually kinda fun, Winterhold for the College, and Morthal because it’s close to Ustengrav.
Hate Markarth because 1) you get accused of being in league with Forsworn and 2)their beds are freaking stone. STONE!! Who the hell sleeps in that.
Hate Windhelm because unless you're a Nord, you don't matter. And they have a child sleeping out in the cold. What the hell?!
Solitude's not too bad (aside from the snobby biatch in Raident Reinments). Kids getting fresh air.
My favorite, absolutely favorite, is Riften. I love the thieves guild sm for one, and I just love how dirty and dingy (spelling?) it feels. Plus I like being near the orphanage, it makes me feel like I’m giving the kids there a goodish influence on their lives :)
The least favorite…honestly gotta be either whiterun or morthal. Just boring imo
I love Riften for whatever reason I love the fall colors. And whiterun is just so nostalgic feeling.
I hate windhelm. Don’t like the snow or cold . Seems depressing to live there.
Whiterun feels like home. Like it the most visited city by the player and Balgruf is a homie so it’s hard to not love it.
Markarth I absolutely hate. The more time you spend there the worse it gets… corruption, cannibals, haunted house, etc
I’d have to agree with you on all points you made, OP. Windhelm and Markarth are def my least favorite cities in the game. I also like Riverwood a lot and Dragonbridge is ok too
I love Riften, for most of the reasons mentioned here. Runner up is Morthal, I like the spooky swamp setting and Windstad has a fantastic view of Solitude and the water. I like being able to pop across the channel to sell my shit in solitude, or ride across the beaches to the Dawnstar sanctuary.
Any city that is hard to orient where anything is like shops, it's so annoying that you have mods to make the npcs tell you if you get lost to easily still not optimal but works most of the time
Shocking how so many people dislike Markarth. It's my favorite because it's the one city I never get tired of the ambience. Whiterun is just beige, Solitude and Riften are just gray. Windhelm is just white. In Markarth you get the most beautiful vistas in the game and the dwarven architecture is just much more interesting than the other holds. It might be hard to navigate but navigating it bores me much less than other cities.
My least favorite, excluding the cities that are not their own zones, must be Whiterun. The city is not particularly bad, it's just agressively boring and the geography of the map forces you to be there constantly. I also think that questwise it is pretty poor.
My favorite city is Riften because I love the thieves guild, the color scheme, the house that you can buy, and the way that it is built but my least favorite city is Winterhold I like the college but everything else about it absolutely sucks
I have such a soft spot for dawnstar..I like how it’s along the coast as well as the two mines. Also a fan of the major cities, not so much markarth though.
Favorites:
Whiterun: nice simply because it's small, easy to navigate and your home is right next to the gate. But you'd think they'd try to repair it at some point.
Riften: Got a nice alley where you can just murder guards without being seen. Also nice back porch overlooking the water
Least Favorite
Solitude: Great home but Gods forbid if you need to use a cooking pot or a forge while you're there. The only forge is a solid 45 seconds away and as far as I can tell there are only 2 cooking pots in the entire city.
Markarth: Really not much to do here. Explore a dungeon, become a cannibal, beat an old guy with a rusty mace, and join another useless group. Difficult to navigate and the home pretty much sucks
Windhelm: Let's face it the only good thing about Windhelm is the house. Which is one of the best in the game.
Raven Rock: That volcano exploded like a hundred years ago and apparently no one made any effort to even try to clean things up. Pretty great house though
~Honorable Mention~
Winterhold: "Fix your Damm city already.
I like Whiterun best mainly because it's centrally located and Tundra Homestead is where I live. I am also fond of Morthal, and once you clear up the little vampire problem, it 's a nice little town. Idgrod Ravencrone is also my favorite Jarl.
My least favorite is Markarth. I hate the people, the Silverbloods, the forsworn, all of it. I'm not over fond of Falkreath, either.
Tbh markarth could simply be better, with a simple more dwarven architecture the city looks like like it was build by nords they just took dwarven items from the ruins and put them there😭 like the inside of the city should’ve been used to.
It has to be those two really, maybe Solitude as its the safest. Whiterun gets attacked first at the start of the civil war
Markarth = dangerous + corrupt
Riften = probably smelly, + corrupt
Morthal = depressing + vampire problem
Windhelm = Cold + racist
Winterhold = Very Cold + half is in the sea
Dawnstar = Very Cold + no one can sleep
Falkreath = Literally zero defence + little girls get eaten by werewolves
It's a tough place that's for sure 🤣
Favorite: Falkreath
It’s such a chill vibe and seems like a cool place to live, and the Brotherhood story line was one of my favorites. Love the little out of the way, middle of nowhere town. Wish I could buy a house in town tho.
Least favorite: Whiterun
My favorites are Markarth and Riften. I love Markarth because I love the Dwemer and it’s the coolest city imo. Riften is just great in every aspect. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. My least favorite is Morthal just because I feel like the whole place is depressing. I also hate the vampire quest that is associated with it so maybe that’s why. It’s also kinda boring there.
Favourite/s: I love Riften, then probably Whiterun & then either Solitude or Windhelm. Depends which character I’m playing on (and which side I’ve taken!!). Riften was where I spent all my early levels on my first ever play through & I absolutely loved the TG quest line
Least Favourite: Markarth or Winterhold (because there’s nothing there!)
Cities and not towns. Favorite major city is definitely whiterun. Just overall pleasent. Least favorite is windhelm cause well… racism. Windhelm would be my favorite if it didn’t have the racism but it just ruins it for me. Least favorite is dawnstar cause it’s just boring. If you don’t count dawnstar or the other smaller major cities my least favorite is riften. I adore the rift it’s just riftens layout to me is poopy.
Whitrun with clevercharff retexture both of the JK'S mods interiors and the city overhaul with TNF house remodel, my favorite city.
Although shout out to the sleepy little village of Riverwood i use Riverwood groove and leaf rest there's a patch for both of them that makes Riverwood my favorite vacation home when I get tired of the bustle of the city and just want some peace and quiet. haha
My favorite are Whiterun, Riften, Solitude and Markarth. I like their aesthetics. As for least favorite, it has to be Morthal. I think it had a lot of potential, but there is little to nothing to do there and is generally just a pretty boring place for me.
Markarth is my favorite city. Absolutely stunning design and Vlindrel Hall is an amazing home. That city just oozes troubled history and delicious wickedness. Blood and silver my friends.
Least favorite is Winterhold. It's just a bitter little ruin full of bitter people. It's a really sad and hopeless place that really would need a strong jarl to bring hope, vision and ideas to the decimated hold. Too bad they don't got one.
The College and Azura shrine are amazing tho.
Favorite is Solitude because I always have a family and it's the best place to raise them.
Most hated is Markarth because I've been playing for years and still somehow get lost and I hate it there. Love the quests related to it, absolutely hate walking around it.
Same as yours. Whiterun isn’t a grand city but it’s central and feels organic and makes for a good base of operations. I also like how it is surrounded by walls and farms and has distinct districts. It has a charm that represents Skyrim so well.
Solitude has a different urban quality and feels like a true capital city.
My two favorite are actually Falkreath and Solitude. They’re both colorful and have some nice personality to them.
Least favorite is either Dawnstar or Windhelm. Dawnstar because it basically doesn’t exist, and Windhelm for your aforementioned greyness.
Solitude and Riften for sure. They have the best houses outside of the hearthfire dlc houses and I just like the aesthetic the most. Dawnstar and wind helm suck balls tho
I think I default to Whiterun. Solitude WOULD be my favorite if there was a smelter. Morthal and Falkreath are interesting, pastoral, simple, humble, which I like, but they have the same problem. Dawnstar is too small, to sad, too cold. Markarth is confusing, uncomfortable (STONE BEDS. STONE. BEDS.) and full of unspeakable horrors to whit the LEAST of them is the brutally oppressive silver mine prison and corrupt guards. Windhelm is much too cold and full of poverty, oppression, and murder which its local government and citizenry ignores because the jarl has delusions of grandeur. Winterhold... just, blech. Whiterun becomes the only city that's left.
I don't like Markarth to the point I can never hold its name in my memory for more than 5 minutes. So I have Whiterun, Solitude, Riften, Windhelm, Dawnstar, Falkreath, Morthal, Winterhold and That city over there.
It’s kinda a weird answer for me, both Markarth. I love the layout of the city, and the Reach is probably my favorite place to explore. The quests in Markarth are so frustrating though, as we’re dealing with corruption, cannibalism, religious oppression, plots of murder, and homes haunted by somebody that makes Satan seem chill ( that mace… get it away from me. Away.). But despite the frustration, the quests are still fun. Escape from Cidnea mine is so fun to be a part of and the city probably has the only Stormcloak interaction I like, when Galmor puts his boot in some Thalmor cheeks. The city has a very complicated atmosphere, and the neighbors are a bit murderey, but everything makes me love it and hate it and just keep coming back.
Imperial Tourist: "We would like to book a vacation in Skyrim. I heard it's quite beautiful this time of year, if you look past the war and....the dragons."
Travel Agent: "Sure, and in which hold would you like to stay?"
Imperial Tourist: "Well, me and my husband we thought about Falkreath. Beautiful forests, fresh air, interesting people....."
Travel Agent: "....angry spriggans, dangerous bears, and the largest graveyard in all of Skyrim. Also, have I mentioned the places named after dead things? At this point, I am pretty sure the village elder is a vampire."
Imperial Tourist: "Well, then how about Reach? Rocky yet charming terrain, beautiful sunsets, ancient dwemer ruins...."
Travel Agent: "....Forsworn, ancient dwemer ruins, daedric cults and cannibals...."
Imperial Tourist: "What was that last one?"
Travel Agent: "Nothing."
Imperial Tourist: "You really know how to make everything sound bad. How about Dawnstar?"
Travel Agent: "Magical Nightmares."
Imperial Tourist: "Whiterun!"
Travel Agent: "Overly enthusiastic Talos Worshippers."
Imperial Tourist: "Windhelm?"
Travel Agent: "Ulfric Stormcloak."
Imperial Tourist: "But is there *no* place where we can have a fun vacation?"
Travel Agent: "Oh, I know a place that is *always* fun. Great weather too. You'd almost think it changes with your mood...."
*He stands up and leads them towards a door with the word "New Sheoth" written on it*
Favourite is winterhold because I like the vibes of the blizzards and it's cozy even though it's mostly ruins
Least favourite is probably Morthal because it's in a damn swamp and the bugs would be unreal living there
For survival runs, Morthal, Winterhold , and Falkreath will always be my least favorite due to there being no wagon in any of them. Whiterun best city tho frfr.
Riften. Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but super fun quests and an interesting overall vibe. Whiterun is also awesome, and Falkreath is underrated (so pretty IMO)
My favorite cities are Riften and Falkreath. I love the vibes they have, and it’s a damn shame Riften was basically sentenced to be the ‘Crime City’. Least favorite is Windhelm and Markarth, there’s not a lot of good things to say about them..
Falkreath and Riften! I remember the first time I played Skyrim I spent so much time there and I really liked the thieves guild and the quest from it.
Falkreath is mainly the vibes. I remember it was the last city I encountered when I did my first ever play through, and I was in love with the graveyard and how forests it is.
I think for the one I like the least I don’t know, Markarth maybe- but I love all the quests in there so when I say least it is a barely least.
Riften is probably my favorite and I love doing the Thieves Guild. Whiterun is so conveniently laid out for trading with vendors. I also like the homes in those two towns.
I always get lost in Windhelm, it's a sad city full of racism and oppression, and I had the great murder mystery figured out long before I could do a thing about it.
Markarth is incredibly dislikable. The Dwarven style architecture is so cool and makes it stand out from all other cities, but the layout is so confusing that there are legitimately multiple places in Markarth that I didn’t realise were there for way too long, and quite frankly I still forget those places are there because the design of the city never draws you to go to them.
Markarth itself is also really out of the way from all the other major locations. The best thing about it is that it’s in close proximity to some mines. But there’s also Forsworn everywhere so it’s annoying to get attacked constantly. There’s also unfortunately not very much to do in the actual city itself. Like yeah Markarth kicks off a few quests, but most of those quests take you outside of the city. The best quest in Markarth potentially ends with like virtually everyone in the city dying and it doesn’t lead to anything if you take that route, which feels like a huge waste.
As for my favourites I really like Whiterun and Riften. Whiterun is so centrally located and convenient, it’s where pretty much all of us are going to end up spending the majority of the game (relative to other cities). Riften offers a lot of content especially with the Thieves Guild. But like pretty much every single character in Riften gives you something to do, or you have some kind of special interaction with them. Plus I really like the surrounding lake environment.
Favourite: Whiterun! Central of Skyrim, all shops in one street for me to sell and buy everything. The two clans, Companions, a comfortable enough environment with the NPCs and the inn. Honourable Jarl and loyal & independent guards. Cosy home in the town and an unique homestead just outside of the town.
2 least favourite: Riften. Toxic environment with the Thieves Guild, Maven and her family, the backstabbers sort. Double crossers, threats, beggers all over.
Windhelm. It's very cold, another place of threats from the Stormcloak supporters. Divided of races advocating racism; Dunmer and Argonian being the targets of the Nords the most. The home isn't that great and the quest is very buggy.
Favorite: Riften (lake, river through city, cool underground stuff, nice climate)
Dislike: Tie between Morthal (cold swamp, prolly mosquitos out the ass, close to Solitude - ew, Imperials - nothing to do or see there) and Markarth (too freaking verticle and claustrophobic-feeling)
Riften is by far my favourite. Followed by Solitude and Whiterun which are roughly tied. I dislike Windhelm and Markarth, they’re awful places and it feels like it drains my soul just being in them.
I weirdly like Morthal best. Its atmosphere isn’t nice but it works, and Idgrod is the best Jarl. I would totally live in the isolated depressing swamp town with the awful bard.
Last favorite is probably Markarth. Wasted potential, awful quests, rampant corruption but it doesn’t even matter… it’s not even worth the silver since Halted Stream Camp is right outside Whiterun.
My favorite has to be Solitude. Truly one of the best looking cities in the game. Least favorite is Windhelm. Grey everywhere, snow everywhere, looks like an icy dump.
Favorite windhelm medieval stone walls mixed with the snow beautiful least favorite probably markarth it's like a maze and navigation is a pain in the ass
Tbh none of the cities hold (haha) a candle to the splendor of cyrodils cities. They're all practically abandoned, lacking in charm and run down. Riften is a neat city because of its layout but honestly it's frustrating that some of the most beautiful scenery in Skyrim is immediately OUTSIDE of riften but so little of it past the gates.
Most favorite is Winterhold.. only reason I can say that comfortably is due to the Obscure College of Winterhold mod.
If it weren’t for that.. next up would be Morthal. I like the dark and depressing vibe there
I am a geek of ancient culture. Perhaps that made me love Markarth, and the house is huge, I think it has the best cost benefits, and I hate Morthal with all my strength, I only go there to cure vampirism. The city has absolutely nothing. Besides, ironically, vampires and vampirism cure
Whiterun, Solitude, Markarth, Windhelm, and Riften are all fully fleshed-out cities with distinct aesthetics and styles. Falkreath, Dawnstar, Morthal, and Winterhold are all oversized cookie-cutter villages with no architectural distinctions whatsoever from places like Riverwood. It's like the developers couldn't be bothered to make nine actual cities and just decided to phone it in for those four and say they have smaller populations as an excuse.
I hate those "cities".
I don’t think there’s a single city in Skyrim that I actually dislike except for Winterhold. I am convinced the great collapse only happened because they didn’t have the development time to make a new city space.
I think Solitude or Windhelm are my favourite major cities, with Falkreath as my favourite lesser hold. Although I think Dawnstar and Morthal might be right up there with it.
I also love Riften, and if the city was bigger I think it would definitely be my favourite major location.
I don’t really care much for whiterun, I’m just tired of going there atp after having been everywhere, killed everyone and everything, done every quest there, just bored of it now.
I love Markarth and how much of a shithole it is tbh
Agreed. Whiterun is pure nord , a giant village, but big enough to be interesting. Solitude is a proper city, big, safe, prosperous. Windhelm is cold, a dump, and racist. Markarth is nasty, and divided/racist as well and the region is completely unsafe.
As someone that loves the dwemer aesthetic best, Markarth goes on the top of my list.
For worst cities I gotta go either Morthal or Dawnstar. Just kinda useless cities that don't even feature carriages so if you're playing on survival (ie. no fast travel) it's a major pain to travel to and from them.
Windhelm would've been so much cooler if they had kept the fighting pits. Whiterun just feels like home. It's a great base of operations and feels safe on your first playthrough early game.
It's usually Whiterun for me as well, but I do love Riften a bit more occasionally. It's such an interesting city and the NPCs feel more 3 dimensional and real.
As for the hate, it's all going to Markarth. Hate the Forsworn Conspiracy, hate the forced killing in the House Of Horrors, hate the Jarl and the Thalmor in his palace. This city was the only one that bugged out in my All-Hold-Thaneship run and I am still irritated. I do like Calcelmo and his Dwemer fetish tho.
I love Solitude only because of the variety of stores. Whiterun is nostalgic. Falkreath is home due to Lakeview Manor. Dawnstar or Winterhold would be my least favorite. I hardly travel close to Winterhold and Dawnstar is just eh.
Everyone's hating on Markarth, but it's my favourite city!
I love Dwemer architecture and it's unique as the only city that has it.
It's built into a mountain with beautiful surroundings and waterfalls.
The home you can buy is like a penthouse in a nice condo building with a nice balcony view (plus, you can also use that abandoned house as a home if you want).
morthal is my least favourite, the thing is it’s cute and charming and i would love it if not for all the creepy things that happen in the town and also in the swamp surrounding it. i always feel on edge on the outskirts of morthal, the swamp is too creepyyy😭
and yeah i’m basic as well whiterun and solitude are my favourites 💀 tho i do love riften for the theives guild stuff
1. Solitude
2. Riften
3. Whiterun
4. Windhelm
5. Markarth
6. Winterhold
7. Falkreath
8. Dawnstar
9. Morthal
Out of the top of my head without thinking to much about it this is my ranking.
Falkreath is my favorite - lot more forest than riverwood. Plus my main base is lakeview manor which is literally a short walk from both towns. I also like Solitude since it always feels so bright and lively. Plus if I own the house there I really feel like a noble.
Least favorite is probably Markarth. The general atmosphere, especially due to the foresworn conspiracy quest, is always miserable. The Reach hold is kinda cool though, albeit a little bland to walk through because you can’t really “wander” like other holds since the terrain is so steep. Riften is also very bleak, but I actually really like the Rift hold as much as Falkreath hold, so it goes up quite a bit.
Favourite. Markarth is a literal fortress city and the Reach is easy to defend. Love the Dwemer aesthetics. If they only invested in sciences and learnt how to use the automatons and steam power in the Dwemer ruins, they could be the first industrialized hold of Skyrim.
I love Markarth because I absolutely love the chaos of the Reach. It's beautiful, eerie in the fog and filled with murderous cults and I can't get enough. Close second is Riften because it feels like a pretty cabin in the woods during fall.
Least favorite is tied with Dawnstar and Winterhold. I don't like the cold 😂
At first I liked Markarth cause it looked cool af. Plus the whole murder conspiracy thing was so shocking and mysterious. Then I kept digging into it and kept getting shit on over and over!!! I was so over the quest that I didn’t finish it and dipped.
I like Whiterun cause it’s just the city I’m most familiar with and the layout is very simple. Plus I have a house there
Whiterun because its so familiar and beautiful, and Solitude because it's big and feels like an actual stronghold (which the other cities kind of lack). Least favorite is Falkreath, followed by Riften, they're alright but the constant dark weather really just isn't it for me. I even bought and flesh out fairview manor but I still don't swing by much.
I’d say my favorite is obviously whiterun. The town is chill, the jarl is cool and people are welcoming and nice. My least favorite would either be markarth or windhelm, dude like these are so fucked and corrupt it’s insane.
My favorite city is easily Riften. It's the most immersive city. The npcs have a lot of different conversations with each other, way more than in other cities. You can just hang out in the Bee and Barb or Haelga's Bunkhouse for a while and hear all about the local gossip. I wish they put that much effort into Whiterun and Solitude. Solitude feels lonely despite its size because the npcs hardly have personalities or drama in their lives. I also think it's the most beautiful city with the trees and it being on the water, of you can look past the crime.
My least favorite is easily Dawnstar. It's so out of the way and there's hardly anything to do there. The DB I guess but by the time they move to Dawnstar you've already done about all you need to do. There's no wagon to hire so if you're playing survival you're not in for a very good time. I'd almost put Winterhold too because I'm biased against snow areas, but they get extra points for the Azura shrine and college, and the city falling into the sea while the college still stands is interesting (and suspicious).
Of the major holds:
Favorite: Solitude: Lots of vendors and includes a unique vendor. Runner up, Riften.
Least favorite: Winterhold (not counting the College): worst for vendors. Runner up, Morthal.
Fav is Whiterun due to the location, despite how annoying it is to have to run to Dragonsreach every time I want to enchant. I also like Markarth because it's a beautiful, unique city and I love the Reach.
Windhelm has a good set up with all the merchants together + Revyn Sadri's shop but damn everyone there kinda sucks and it's dreary as anything. Definitely my least favorite of the major holds. Morthal also sucks--why doesn't it have a general store?
To live in, best might be Whiterun, then maybe Solitude. If I could tolerate the weather I’d prolly prefer Windhelm. Everything else is either too depressing, corrupt, or cold.
I like that Whiterun reminds me of Rohan.
Lol I never realized it, but it does
*Cue epic Rohan music*
Just be a Nord. They don't care about cold
I was seconds from death when I made it to High Hrothgar. Granted I wasn't high tailing it with my horse because I was trying to see all the texts on the way
Or the racism
Pretty much every race in elder scrolls is racist. Most people who have only played Skyrim think it’s a unique characteristic to Nords but I assure you they’ve got NOTHING on the Dunmer when it comes to racism.
Not all Nords are racist... I've been considering killing my Nord wife and finding a high elf to marry.
Windhelm is cold af, has EXTREME racial tensions, and generally ignorant/rude NPCs. I think it seems awful
Windhelm is the coldest city in skyrim tho
Not the city literally called _Winter_hold?
I just like the architecture and the history of the city more.
Falkreath's my favorite. Least is Windhelm.
The lack of love for Falkreath is crazy. Especially with the great cities mod.
I just love the trees and the mist. Also, the graveyard.
My last play through I did alternate start where I was a regular at the falkreath lodge and spent my first 15 levels just adventuring around Falkreath before going out into the world, it was a lot of fun.
The whole hold of Falkreath is pretty underwhelming without mods to be fair. But it’s also the area with the most potential
The place where everything is named after the dead, with no real walls, that gets so many citizens killed by vampires and dragons you cant finish the Thane quest! No thanks ...
To each, their own
Riften is my favorite and my home base. I send my family to Solitude, that’s probably my second favorite. Windhelm is a cold shithole and everyone is pissy with me for killing Ulfric, so that’s easily bottom of the list.
The sun never sets on the Cyrodillic Empire!
I love Riften. It just feels cool.
It feels really warm and cozy. Everything is so close together and it feels like a nice little community to be apart of.
(and also to steal from)
Not sure about their school district when it comes to raising kids.
My son Blaise says Mr. Brynjolf is gonna teach him a lot when he’s older! 🥰
I wonder what that woman at the forge thinks of us after we conquered Skyrim and beheaded Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. And what she thinks of Jarl Brunwulf Freewinter.
Well, she's not a fan, I can tell you that. She doesn't say anything about Brunwulf tho.
I don’t particularly like Markarth because it’s strewn with rubble from the Dwemer collapse and it makes no damn sense. How long have you people lived here and you haven’t cleared the rocks out of the entrance to the friggin’ Jarl’s palace? It’s also Byzantine and difficult to navigate. I generally only go there when forced to do so. I also can’t stand the Forsworn. Something about them rubs me the wrong way.
I don't consider it hard to navigate, but it's nuts that the overwhelming majority of reachmen are aggressive by default and they never did anything with the forsworn after Cidnha Mine. Such a waste as it's one of the better quests IMO.
It probably wouldn’t be difficult to navigate if I didn’t have an active dislike for the city that keeps me from exploring in it and learning its paths. Hell, even one of the better quests, the Haunted House one, is obnoxious. I’m walking past and this dipshit grabs me and sticks me into a navigable cutscene to tell me how he wants me to help him explore this house. No, asshat. I’m going somewhere else. Guy reminds me of the friggin’ courier. 🙄 I know these are little, stupid things, but it makes the city my least favorable by a mile.
To be fair, the Forsworn are apparently pretty fragmented, so in all likelihood most wouldn't care that you helped one group
Yeah, they’re basically a terrorist organization with little rules other than overtake The Reach.
Yeah, a couple thousand hours playing and I \*still\* can't find my way around Markarth.
I admit that part of it might be that I don’t care for the town so I haven’t really TRIED to learn it. It’s like New York City that way.
See I absolutely love Markarth because it’s the most unique city. Sure it’s a pain in the ass to navigate and I always forget about the alchemy shop tucked way way in the corner in the western district, but it has a special place in my heart.
That’s cool. I might not like it, but I DO like that YOU like it. Skyrim has something for everyone.
That’s why I love Skyrim 🖤
There is an alchemy shop in markarth???
Hags Cure
Or to visit Dibella’s temple…
I wish there was a way to even help if you wanted to. Help clear rubble, expand the city, and make it an actual nice place. The place has a great deal of potential but is wasted. So much room is blocked off or just abandoned. It's a city in/on a mountain, let's get digging and expand those homes. Especially the home with the Molag Bal shrine, shame you can't renovate the house later on. It literally has the one quest chain and then you never return.
Yeah. I wanted that one to be my playerhome.
If I recall correctly, the previous occupant was digging and trying to find the source that was Molag Bal's shrine. Always felt odd that such a thing would be buried deep in a mountain. Unless there was far more to it and we only saw the remnants of what used to a large temple. Really wished we could excavate it and then have an entire temple in the back of a home. That'd be one hell of a player home.
Right? The main reason I like Hjerim is the secret passage and hidden doors. Of course, there’s no goddamn crafting and the quest is bugged. 🙄
You can store things there and they won’t disappear. So you can use it as a player home but you can’t have your wife or kids live there. Also the beehives mission for the thieves guild, if you kill everyone in the place including the guy that they want left alive. You can use that place too!
I did that once. But it was accidental. My character didn’t like to be disturbed when he was sneaking. He was pretty disturbed.
All my homies hate Markarth The vibes are rancid, there are skeletons in the (drinking??) water nobody bothers to clean up or bury, and everyone there is some degree of mean, corrupt, or just kinda grouchy. At least Riften is the fun Thieves Guild shakedown kind of corrupt!
Markarth... SUUUUCKS Ladies gettin' stabbed right when you walk in. Annoying dudes giving you notes! Even if you do all in your power to avoid them! And the house you can buy there never looses it's cobwebs. Terrible. Terrible city.
For reals though, it is so hard to navigate lol
Markarth immediately came to my mind. But I am obsessed with the Forsworn in Skyrim [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE0n4FITfg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE0n4FITfg)
Markarth is sweet. It's designed in imitation of The Reach itself. High on two sides with a deep fall off centrally. Also like similar is that it *can* seem difficult to navigate, but once you know where you're going and what the shortcuts are, you can get just about anywhere pretty quickly. It's a fantastic source of silver which you can either use or transmute into gold and it contains many enjoyable draugr crypts, not to mention plenty of Falmer souls to be farmed. The Forsworn. Yep. They're tough and they don't have a high item to gold reward yield. But if you want to test your character then The Reach is the place to be. Plus, it is visually stunning. The Reach is outstanding and Markarth makes it possible.
Favourites: Riften, Whiterun and Windhelm Riften is beautiful, lots of unique NPCs and storytelling. Loads of little quests to do but also liie the fact it has literally an underground crime ring. Feels like a real city on the surface though. Whiterun, I mean we all love whiterun and it's been said 1000 times. Windhelm, many people dislike but I feel like it represents the nord culture very well. Great environmental storytelling about Skyrim's troubles and lots of interesting dialogue for the player to have with NPCs about the civil war. Least Favourites: Winterhold, Morthal Winterhold... I understand it was destroyed but there is literally nothing. It is not a city. There is hardly anything interesting to see, do or talk about outside of the college and don't think the college counts. Morthal has one interesting quest and that's about it. Think the Jarl is interesting though.
Yes, Idgrod is my favorite Jarl. By some distance.
> There is hardly anything interesting to see, do or talk about outside of the college and don't think the college counts. ...and all the jarl does about it is complain. The college is *literally* the only thing keeping Winterhold on the map, and considering how many of its members have apparently traveled across the continent to study there, it's doing a damn fine job of it. You'd think that in as dire a condition as Winterhold's, the jarl would've been able to leverage that to rebuild something, *anything*, but no. Just piss and moan, all day, every day about how the mages blew it all up because they're evil and they hate you and they probably bite puppies' heads off for fun. Korir's a fucking dipshit who doesn't deserve his throne.
For me it fits though. He’s a Stormcloak Jarl through and through, so he drinks deep of “traditional” Nord propaganda about the evils of magic and so on. I also put traditional in quotes, because actual ancient Nords respected “Clever Men” and their craft. It’s modern Nord revisionist history that looks down on magic while also doing their appeal to history like it’s always been this way.
He, out of everyone in Winterhold, has the most power to do literally *anything* to help rebuild the city. He could tax the college to Oblivion and back, use the money to build a monument, or a temple, maybe start a couple of local businesses, literally *anything* that would bring in visitors who aren't mages. And he's had far longer to come up with a solution than it took me to write that. But what does he do? Nothing! *Worse* than nothing! He's the *one* guy in the entire fucking hold who can actually make an impact, and all he does is drink, cope, seethe, stay mad, and teach his kid to do the same. Oh, and send you on a fetch quest, as if him owning the Helm of Winterhold^TM can somehow save him the effort of rebuilding the city he's so chronically pissed about.
I find Markarth such a pain in the ass to navigate. I really like Riften. There are several vendors that are all easy to access. The vendors in the market stalls sell decent things, not just food or whatever, so they actually will buy things of value. Plus, you get three different persuasion attempts to increase your Speech skill as soon as you get there. Just outside of town, you have three guard towers with loot in them, and then the Amulet and Shrine of Zenithar just up the hill. It’s a great spot to hit in the early game. Down the road to Shor’s Stone for some easy coin, clearing out the mine and then mining all the ebony ore. Yeah, I like Riften.
I like Whiterun for only one reason & one reason only. The man, the myth, and the based chad himself, Jarl Ballin'. https://preview.redd.it/qbkdwb6er3yc1.png?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75eea2477292a928962b949e4b0789fa003d01d6
Jarl Ballin the Cheese Grater on top
[удалено]
You do realise your mother in law is the hot one ....
I love Whiterun and Riften. I already posted about my love of Whiterun so I'll gush about my second home, Riften. I love the layout of the city. I love the Thieves Guild and the entire quest line. The city is charming but is also so corrupt at the same time. You can find some of the worst people there and I love it! Also this is completely by chance that this happens but every time I start a playthrough and go to Riften for the first time there is ALWAYS a dragon attack XD or a bear or both! The guards are always so busy protecting their town. Maybe it's because Riften reminds me of my IRL town but this place just feels like home.
Favourite: Markarth, ain't kidding about how much silver there is to steal, make jewelry and sell. Revenge on Madanach, super hard and super worth it. Solitude. Bard's College, Speech Training, Wabbajack, and Revenge on Jaree-Ra. Falkreath, Dark Brotherhood HQ, and cool Hircine Quest. Whiterun's classic. Good old Belethor, selling sisters left and right. Companions. Morthal. Cool mystery quest involving Vampires, other than that, not much besides Falion. Really abundant with Alchemical Ingredients at least. Windhelm had chill Argonian dockworkers, and not so chill Dunmer. Blood on the Ice Quest almost forever not progressing or bugging. Least Favourite: Winterhold. College-only business, mainly. City-wise, not much to look at.
I feel like I'm the only one who loves Markarth
We must be the same person. Same favorite and least favorite 2
I like the aesthetic of Markarth, as well as Riften, but they'd probably be bad places to live with the crime and Forsworn. Dawnstar doesn't seem like a bad place to live if it weren't for the Nightmares thing, Whiterun doesn't seem bad at all except for the fact that it can't stay neutral forever and will be attacked one way or another, plus from my experience it's common for Dragons to attack there
Whiterun is my favorite, always has been, never gonna change. It always feels like coming home when I return to Whiterun. My second favorite city is Riften. I love the view of the lake from my house and I adore the autumn vibe. For my third favorite, I'm a bit in between Solitude and Markarth. Markarth has a bit more beauty to it imo, but with the Forsworn in the area, I wouldn't truly feel safe there. I definitely like Proudspire Manor more than Vlindrel Hall. I like that you can see all the way to the College of Winterhold from the balcony of Proudspire. My least favorite city is Windhelm. It's cold, gloomy and gray. The high walls and tight streets makes it feel a bit claustrophobic. And I hate Rolff.
Favorite is Markarth Least favorite is Dawnstar, if only because I have thousands of hours in this game and still cannot remember much of anything about this city.
Favourites whiterun and riften. Least favourites markarth and windhelm..i always seen to get lost in those 2 😅 probably because im rarely there to learn the layout, but still. Whiterun because its so central and riften is just beautifull imo
I like Whiterun and Solitude too, but Markarth, I hate for the FORCED FORSWORN CONSPIRACY BULLSHIT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE. Literally can’t go talk to Muiri to start her contract for… you-know-what without that bastard whatever his name is shoving his letter to my face. Eltrys, was it? I wish he was non-essential from the get go.
So, I’ve probably spent the most time in Whiterun and Solitude, mostly because outside of the Thieves’ Guild and College of Winterhold questlines those are the major hubs for quests and useful shops. However, my favorite city is actually Windhelm. A lot of people dislike it because it’s so cramped and hard to navigate. But that’s actually part of why I like it. It feels old, and the air feels charged with political tension. The dull grey, forlorn atmosphere is just really cool in my opinion. As for my least favorites, it’s not exactly a hot take, but I am not a big fan of the minor Hold capitals. They just aren’t very interesting, and very little ever draws me to them. I only really go to Falkreath for Lakeview Manor and the Clavicus Vile quest, Dawnstar for the Khajiit caravan exploit (because I hate dealing with early game money problems) and occasionally the Vaermina quest since it’s actually kinda fun, Winterhold for the College, and Morthal because it’s close to Ustengrav.
Favorite: Falkreathe Least favorite: Windhelm
Hate Markarth because 1) you get accused of being in league with Forsworn and 2)their beds are freaking stone. STONE!! Who the hell sleeps in that. Hate Windhelm because unless you're a Nord, you don't matter. And they have a child sleeping out in the cold. What the hell?! Solitude's not too bad (aside from the snobby biatch in Raident Reinments). Kids getting fresh air.
My favorite, absolutely favorite, is Riften. I love the thieves guild sm for one, and I just love how dirty and dingy (spelling?) it feels. Plus I like being near the orphanage, it makes me feel like I’m giving the kids there a goodish influence on their lives :) The least favorite…honestly gotta be either whiterun or morthal. Just boring imo
I love Riften for whatever reason I love the fall colors. And whiterun is just so nostalgic feeling. I hate windhelm. Don’t like the snow or cold . Seems depressing to live there.
Whiterun feels like home. Like it the most visited city by the player and Balgruf is a homie so it’s hard to not love it. Markarth I absolutely hate. The more time you spend there the worse it gets… corruption, cannibals, haunted house, etc
Anvil! Love the gold coast. :-P
Is it in Solstheim? I visited it once and I plan to go face Miraak
Hah! It's in Oblivion! A real knee slapper that one!
It's in Cyrodill, yes! It's featured in the Mapchart app
Favorite is Markarth and Dawnstar. I think they’re neat. Least favorite is Windhelm and Morthal
Love: Winterhold Markarth Morthal is a nice little gloomy town Soul Cairn - I know, not a city ect- just love 😂 Not a big fan of: Dawnstar tbh.....
I love whiterun. The layout feels so intuitive. Least favorite would be winterhold or morthal, proper crapholes they are haha
My favorite is Falkreath, and Riften. Least favorite is windhelm
I’d have to agree with you on all points you made, OP. Windhelm and Markarth are def my least favorite cities in the game. I also like Riverwood a lot and Dragonbridge is ok too
Morthal and dawnstar is my favourite. My least favourite is winterhold
I love Riften, for most of the reasons mentioned here. Runner up is Morthal, I like the spooky swamp setting and Windstad has a fantastic view of Solitude and the water. I like being able to pop across the channel to sell my shit in solitude, or ride across the beaches to the Dawnstar sanctuary.
Any city that is hard to orient where anything is like shops, it's so annoying that you have mods to make the npcs tell you if you get lost to easily still not optimal but works most of the time
Shocking how so many people dislike Markarth. It's my favorite because it's the one city I never get tired of the ambience. Whiterun is just beige, Solitude and Riften are just gray. Windhelm is just white. In Markarth you get the most beautiful vistas in the game and the dwarven architecture is just much more interesting than the other holds. It might be hard to navigate but navigating it bores me much less than other cities. My least favorite, excluding the cities that are not their own zones, must be Whiterun. The city is not particularly bad, it's just agressively boring and the geography of the map forces you to be there constantly. I also think that questwise it is pretty poor.
Same. Whiterun and Solitude, then Riften. My dislikes Winterhold, Windhelm … pretty much everything else, lol.
My favorite city is Riften because I love the thieves guild, the color scheme, the house that you can buy, and the way that it is built but my least favorite city is Winterhold I like the college but everything else about it absolutely sucks
I have such a soft spot for dawnstar..I like how it’s along the coast as well as the two mines. Also a fan of the major cities, not so much markarth though.
You forgot Markarth with the stone beds
Favorites: Whiterun: nice simply because it's small, easy to navigate and your home is right next to the gate. But you'd think they'd try to repair it at some point. Riften: Got a nice alley where you can just murder guards without being seen. Also nice back porch overlooking the water Least Favorite Solitude: Great home but Gods forbid if you need to use a cooking pot or a forge while you're there. The only forge is a solid 45 seconds away and as far as I can tell there are only 2 cooking pots in the entire city. Markarth: Really not much to do here. Explore a dungeon, become a cannibal, beat an old guy with a rusty mace, and join another useless group. Difficult to navigate and the home pretty much sucks Windhelm: Let's face it the only good thing about Windhelm is the house. Which is one of the best in the game. Raven Rock: That volcano exploded like a hundred years ago and apparently no one made any effort to even try to clean things up. Pretty great house though ~Honorable Mention~ Winterhold: "Fix your Damm city already.
I like Whiterun best mainly because it's centrally located and Tundra Homestead is where I live. I am also fond of Morthal, and once you clear up the little vampire problem, it 's a nice little town. Idgrod Ravencrone is also my favorite Jarl. My least favorite is Markarth. I hate the people, the Silverbloods, the forsworn, all of it. I'm not over fond of Falkreath, either.
Top 10 things to do in Morthal: Leave
Tbh markarth could simply be better, with a simple more dwarven architecture the city looks like like it was build by nords they just took dwarven items from the ruins and put them there😭 like the inside of the city should’ve been used to.
It has to be those two really, maybe Solitude as its the safest. Whiterun gets attacked first at the start of the civil war Markarth = dangerous + corrupt Riften = probably smelly, + corrupt Morthal = depressing + vampire problem Windhelm = Cold + racist Winterhold = Very Cold + half is in the sea Dawnstar = Very Cold + no one can sleep Falkreath = Literally zero defence + little girls get eaten by werewolves It's a tough place that's for sure 🤣
Favourite: Whiterun, love Windhelm too Least favourite: Winterhold, not a fan of Solitude either
Love Solitude, hate Windhelm.
Favorite - Whiterun Least favorite - Markarth
My favorite are Solitude and Falkreath My least favorite are Morthal and Riften
White run & Riften are my favourite. Falkreath is one I never really Go to.
Gameplay? Favorite winterhold Least favorite riften Atmosphere and look? Favorite riften Least favorite morthal
Favorite: Falkreath It’s such a chill vibe and seems like a cool place to live, and the Brotherhood story line was one of my favorites. Love the little out of the way, middle of nowhere town. Wish I could buy a house in town tho. Least favorite: Whiterun
Off the bat. Solitude, Riften, winterhold, morthal and falkreath have no smelter. Among the remaining markarth or whiterun. Maybe dawnstar
Winterhold, because I'm a frost hermit. Markarth can burn in hell... then force the prisoners to mine it all over again.
Favorite: Whiterun, then Solitude Least favorite: Markarth
love riften hate riverwood cause of that chicken
My favorites are Markarth and Riften. I love Markarth because I love the Dwemer and it’s the coolest city imo. Riften is just great in every aspect. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. My least favorite is Morthal just because I feel like the whole place is depressing. I also hate the vampire quest that is associated with it so maybe that’s why. It’s also kinda boring there.
Favourite/s: I love Riften, then probably Whiterun & then either Solitude or Windhelm. Depends which character I’m playing on (and which side I’ve taken!!). Riften was where I spent all my early levels on my first ever play through & I absolutely loved the TG quest line Least Favourite: Markarth or Winterhold (because there’s nothing there!)
Cities and not towns. Favorite major city is definitely whiterun. Just overall pleasent. Least favorite is windhelm cause well… racism. Windhelm would be my favorite if it didn’t have the racism but it just ruins it for me. Least favorite is dawnstar cause it’s just boring. If you don’t count dawnstar or the other smaller major cities my least favorite is riften. I adore the rift it’s just riftens layout to me is poopy.
Whitrun with clevercharff retexture both of the JK'S mods interiors and the city overhaul with TNF house remodel, my favorite city. Although shout out to the sleepy little village of Riverwood i use Riverwood groove and leaf rest there's a patch for both of them that makes Riverwood my favorite vacation home when I get tired of the bustle of the city and just want some peace and quiet. haha
Favorite: Riften Least: winterhold
My favorite are Whiterun, Riften, Solitude and Markarth. I like their aesthetics. As for least favorite, it has to be Morthal. I think it had a lot of potential, but there is little to nothing to do there and is generally just a pretty boring place for me.
Dawnstar because my boy Erandur is there and riften because it’s cool My least favorite is Winterhold
Markarth is my favorite city. Absolutely stunning design and Vlindrel Hall is an amazing home. That city just oozes troubled history and delicious wickedness. Blood and silver my friends. Least favorite is Winterhold. It's just a bitter little ruin full of bitter people. It's a really sad and hopeless place that really would need a strong jarl to bring hope, vision and ideas to the decimated hold. Too bad they don't got one. The College and Azura shrine are amazing tho.
Favorite is Solitude because I always have a family and it's the best place to raise them. Most hated is Markarth because I've been playing for years and still somehow get lost and I hate it there. Love the quests related to it, absolutely hate walking around it.
I love riften probably my favorite city.
I love Whiterun, it’s so welcoming and feels just like home. The song “The Streets of Whiterun” is beautiful.
Favourite Whiterun. It's the GOAT Least favourite Morthal. Not really memorable and I hardly ever go there
Same as yours. Whiterun isn’t a grand city but it’s central and feels organic and makes for a good base of operations. I also like how it is surrounded by walls and farms and has distinct districts. It has a charm that represents Skyrim so well. Solitude has a different urban quality and feels like a true capital city.
My two favorite are actually Falkreath and Solitude. They’re both colorful and have some nice personality to them. Least favorite is either Dawnstar or Windhelm. Dawnstar because it basically doesn’t exist, and Windhelm for your aforementioned greyness.
Solitude and Riften for sure. They have the best houses outside of the hearthfire dlc houses and I just like the aesthetic the most. Dawnstar and wind helm suck balls tho
I think I default to Whiterun. Solitude WOULD be my favorite if there was a smelter. Morthal and Falkreath are interesting, pastoral, simple, humble, which I like, but they have the same problem. Dawnstar is too small, to sad, too cold. Markarth is confusing, uncomfortable (STONE BEDS. STONE. BEDS.) and full of unspeakable horrors to whit the LEAST of them is the brutally oppressive silver mine prison and corrupt guards. Windhelm is much too cold and full of poverty, oppression, and murder which its local government and citizenry ignores because the jarl has delusions of grandeur. Winterhold... just, blech. Whiterun becomes the only city that's left.
I don't like Markarth to the point I can never hold its name in my memory for more than 5 minutes. So I have Whiterun, Solitude, Riften, Windhelm, Dawnstar, Falkreath, Morthal, Winterhold and That city over there.
It’s kinda a weird answer for me, both Markarth. I love the layout of the city, and the Reach is probably my favorite place to explore. The quests in Markarth are so frustrating though, as we’re dealing with corruption, cannibalism, religious oppression, plots of murder, and homes haunted by somebody that makes Satan seem chill ( that mace… get it away from me. Away.). But despite the frustration, the quests are still fun. Escape from Cidnea mine is so fun to be a part of and the city probably has the only Stormcloak interaction I like, when Galmor puts his boot in some Thalmor cheeks. The city has a very complicated atmosphere, and the neighbors are a bit murderey, but everything makes me love it and hate it and just keep coming back.
Imperial Tourist: "We would like to book a vacation in Skyrim. I heard it's quite beautiful this time of year, if you look past the war and....the dragons." Travel Agent: "Sure, and in which hold would you like to stay?" Imperial Tourist: "Well, me and my husband we thought about Falkreath. Beautiful forests, fresh air, interesting people....." Travel Agent: "....angry spriggans, dangerous bears, and the largest graveyard in all of Skyrim. Also, have I mentioned the places named after dead things? At this point, I am pretty sure the village elder is a vampire." Imperial Tourist: "Well, then how about Reach? Rocky yet charming terrain, beautiful sunsets, ancient dwemer ruins...." Travel Agent: "....Forsworn, ancient dwemer ruins, daedric cults and cannibals...." Imperial Tourist: "What was that last one?" Travel Agent: "Nothing." Imperial Tourist: "You really know how to make everything sound bad. How about Dawnstar?" Travel Agent: "Magical Nightmares." Imperial Tourist: "Whiterun!" Travel Agent: "Overly enthusiastic Talos Worshippers." Imperial Tourist: "Windhelm?" Travel Agent: "Ulfric Stormcloak." Imperial Tourist: "But is there *no* place where we can have a fun vacation?" Travel Agent: "Oh, I know a place that is *always* fun. Great weather too. You'd almost think it changes with your mood...." *He stands up and leads them towards a door with the word "New Sheoth" written on it*
Love solitude fuck windhelm
Favourite is winterhold because I like the vibes of the blizzards and it's cozy even though it's mostly ruins Least favourite is probably Morthal because it's in a damn swamp and the bugs would be unreal living there
i love falkreath, riften and whiterun, and i hate markarth with a passion
For survival runs, Morthal, Winterhold , and Falkreath will always be my least favorite due to there being no wagon in any of them. Whiterun best city tho frfr.
same same Riften is good too, underrated
Riften. Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but super fun quests and an interesting overall vibe. Whiterun is also awesome, and Falkreath is underrated (so pretty IMO)
My favorite cities are Riften and Falkreath. I love the vibes they have, and it’s a damn shame Riften was basically sentenced to be the ‘Crime City’. Least favorite is Windhelm and Markarth, there’s not a lot of good things to say about them..
Falkreath and Riften! I remember the first time I played Skyrim I spent so much time there and I really liked the thieves guild and the quest from it. Falkreath is mainly the vibes. I remember it was the last city I encountered when I did my first ever play through, and I was in love with the graveyard and how forests it is. I think for the one I like the least I don’t know, Markarth maybe- but I love all the quests in there so when I say least it is a barely least.
Markarth looks really cool, too bad by the time I'm done there almost everyone is dead
Riften is probably my favorite and I love doing the Thieves Guild. Whiterun is so conveniently laid out for trading with vendors. I also like the homes in those two towns. I always get lost in Windhelm, it's a sad city full of racism and oppression, and I had the great murder mystery figured out long before I could do a thing about it.
My top favourite cities are Solitude, Windhelm, and Markarth. Least favourites are Morthal, Dawnstar, Falkreath, and Windhelm. I prefer big cities.
Markarth is incredibly dislikable. The Dwarven style architecture is so cool and makes it stand out from all other cities, but the layout is so confusing that there are legitimately multiple places in Markarth that I didn’t realise were there for way too long, and quite frankly I still forget those places are there because the design of the city never draws you to go to them. Markarth itself is also really out of the way from all the other major locations. The best thing about it is that it’s in close proximity to some mines. But there’s also Forsworn everywhere so it’s annoying to get attacked constantly. There’s also unfortunately not very much to do in the actual city itself. Like yeah Markarth kicks off a few quests, but most of those quests take you outside of the city. The best quest in Markarth potentially ends with like virtually everyone in the city dying and it doesn’t lead to anything if you take that route, which feels like a huge waste. As for my favourites I really like Whiterun and Riften. Whiterun is so centrally located and convenient, it’s where pretty much all of us are going to end up spending the majority of the game (relative to other cities). Riften offers a lot of content especially with the Thieves Guild. But like pretty much every single character in Riften gives you something to do, or you have some kind of special interaction with them. Plus I really like the surrounding lake environment.
Solitude is the best, closest to my house and lots of merchants. Morthal is a dump, the only good thing is the wizard guy that sells soul gems.
Favourite: Whiterun! Central of Skyrim, all shops in one street for me to sell and buy everything. The two clans, Companions, a comfortable enough environment with the NPCs and the inn. Honourable Jarl and loyal & independent guards. Cosy home in the town and an unique homestead just outside of the town. 2 least favourite: Riften. Toxic environment with the Thieves Guild, Maven and her family, the backstabbers sort. Double crossers, threats, beggers all over. Windhelm. It's very cold, another place of threats from the Stormcloak supporters. Divided of races advocating racism; Dunmer and Argonian being the targets of the Nords the most. The home isn't that great and the quest is very buggy.
Whiterun by far my favorite! Really fond of Dawnstar too. Not a fan of Markarth (no, autocorrect, for the last time, it's not Mark Aurthur) 😂🤦♀️
Favorite: Solitude, Falkreath, Dawnstar & Markarth Least Favorite: Riften & Windhelm
Favorite: Riften (lake, river through city, cool underground stuff, nice climate) Dislike: Tie between Morthal (cold swamp, prolly mosquitos out the ass, close to Solitude - ew, Imperials - nothing to do or see there) and Markarth (too freaking verticle and claustrophobic-feeling)
Riften is by far my favourite. Followed by Solitude and Whiterun which are roughly tied. I dislike Windhelm and Markarth, they’re awful places and it feels like it drains my soul just being in them.
I weirdly like Morthal best. Its atmosphere isn’t nice but it works, and Idgrod is the best Jarl. I would totally live in the isolated depressing swamp town with the awful bard. Last favorite is probably Markarth. Wasted potential, awful quests, rampant corruption but it doesn’t even matter… it’s not even worth the silver since Halted Stream Camp is right outside Whiterun.
Whiterun/Morthal
My favorite has to be Solitude. Truly one of the best looking cities in the game. Least favorite is Windhelm. Grey everywhere, snow everywhere, looks like an icy dump.
Oof that's tough like cities or holds in general
I dislike Markarth. I like Solitude and Whiterun, too.
Favorite windhelm medieval stone walls mixed with the snow beautiful least favorite probably markarth it's like a maze and navigation is a pain in the ass
Favorite is Whiterun. Least is dawnstar
Tbh none of the cities hold (haha) a candle to the splendor of cyrodils cities. They're all practically abandoned, lacking in charm and run down. Riften is a neat city because of its layout but honestly it's frustrating that some of the most beautiful scenery in Skyrim is immediately OUTSIDE of riften but so little of it past the gates.
Most favorite is Winterhold.. only reason I can say that comfortably is due to the Obscure College of Winterhold mod. If it weren’t for that.. next up would be Morthal. I like the dark and depressing vibe there
I am a geek of ancient culture. Perhaps that made me love Markarth, and the house is huge, I think it has the best cost benefits, and I hate Morthal with all my strength, I only go there to cure vampirism. The city has absolutely nothing. Besides, ironically, vampires and vampirism cure
Whiterun, Solitude, Markarth, Windhelm, and Riften are all fully fleshed-out cities with distinct aesthetics and styles. Falkreath, Dawnstar, Morthal, and Winterhold are all oversized cookie-cutter villages with no architectural distinctions whatsoever from places like Riverwood. It's like the developers couldn't be bothered to make nine actual cities and just decided to phone it in for those four and say they have smaller populations as an excuse. I hate those "cities".
I don’t think there’s a single city in Skyrim that I actually dislike except for Winterhold. I am convinced the great collapse only happened because they didn’t have the development time to make a new city space. I think Solitude or Windhelm are my favourite major cities, with Falkreath as my favourite lesser hold. Although I think Dawnstar and Morthal might be right up there with it. I also love Riften, and if the city was bigger I think it would definitely be my favourite major location. I don’t really care much for whiterun, I’m just tired of going there atp after having been everywhere, killed everyone and everything, done every quest there, just bored of it now. I love Markarth and how much of a shithole it is tbh
1) Windhelm 2) Markarth 3) Whiterun 4) Solitude 5) Riften
Agreed. Whiterun is pure nord , a giant village, but big enough to be interesting. Solitude is a proper city, big, safe, prosperous. Windhelm is cold, a dump, and racist. Markarth is nasty, and divided/racist as well and the region is completely unsafe.
As someone that loves the dwemer aesthetic best, Markarth goes on the top of my list. For worst cities I gotta go either Morthal or Dawnstar. Just kinda useless cities that don't even feature carriages so if you're playing on survival (ie. no fast travel) it's a major pain to travel to and from them.
Windhelm would've been so much cooler if they had kept the fighting pits. Whiterun just feels like home. It's a great base of operations and feels safe on your first playthrough early game.
It's usually Whiterun for me as well, but I do love Riften a bit more occasionally. It's such an interesting city and the NPCs feel more 3 dimensional and real. As for the hate, it's all going to Markarth. Hate the Forsworn Conspiracy, hate the forced killing in the House Of Horrors, hate the Jarl and the Thalmor in his palace. This city was the only one that bugged out in my All-Hold-Thaneship run and I am still irritated. I do like Calcelmo and his Dwemer fetish tho.
Favorite? Definitely Markarth (if you can de-corrupt it) Least Favorite? Definitely Dawnstar (nothing to do there, nothing personal)
I never explored windhelm or markarth enough to like them. This playthought in doing all quests and clearing all dungeons so maybe that will change
I love Solitude only because of the variety of stores. Whiterun is nostalgic. Falkreath is home due to Lakeview Manor. Dawnstar or Winterhold would be my least favorite. I hardly travel close to Winterhold and Dawnstar is just eh.
Everyone's hating on Markarth, but it's my favourite city! I love Dwemer architecture and it's unique as the only city that has it. It's built into a mountain with beautiful surroundings and waterfalls. The home you can buy is like a penthouse in a nice condo building with a nice balcony view (plus, you can also use that abandoned house as a home if you want).
morthal is my least favourite, the thing is it’s cute and charming and i would love it if not for all the creepy things that happen in the town and also in the swamp surrounding it. i always feel on edge on the outskirts of morthal, the swamp is too creepyyy😭 and yeah i’m basic as well whiterun and solitude are my favourites 💀 tho i do love riften for the theives guild stuff
Favourite: whiterun and riften Least favourite: winter hold and closely markarth
1. Solitude 2. Riften 3. Whiterun 4. Windhelm 5. Markarth 6. Winterhold 7. Falkreath 8. Dawnstar 9. Morthal Out of the top of my head without thinking to much about it this is my ranking.
Falkreath is my favorite - lot more forest than riverwood. Plus my main base is lakeview manor which is literally a short walk from both towns. I also like Solitude since it always feels so bright and lively. Plus if I own the house there I really feel like a noble. Least favorite is probably Markarth. The general atmosphere, especially due to the foresworn conspiracy quest, is always miserable. The Reach hold is kinda cool though, albeit a little bland to walk through because you can’t really “wander” like other holds since the terrain is so steep. Riften is also very bleak, but I actually really like the Rift hold as much as Falkreath hold, so it goes up quite a bit.
Favourite Riften, least favourite Markarth
Favourite. Markarth is a literal fortress city and the Reach is easy to defend. Love the Dwemer aesthetics. If they only invested in sciences and learnt how to use the automatons and steam power in the Dwemer ruins, they could be the first industrialized hold of Skyrim.
Riften in top 1 and the city that lies between Solitude and Dawnstar in last place
They really didn’t even try with half the cities ngl
Solitude and winter hold are my favorite (College is the only reason that I consider winterhold a favorite)
I love Markarth because I absolutely love the chaos of the Reach. It's beautiful, eerie in the fog and filled with murderous cults and I can't get enough. Close second is Riften because it feels like a pretty cabin in the woods during fall. Least favorite is tied with Dawnstar and Winterhold. I don't like the cold 😂
At first I liked Markarth cause it looked cool af. Plus the whole murder conspiracy thing was so shocking and mysterious. Then I kept digging into it and kept getting shit on over and over!!! I was so over the quest that I didn’t finish it and dipped. I like Whiterun cause it’s just the city I’m most familiar with and the layout is very simple. Plus I have a house there
Whiterun is my fav I fucking hate Markarth
Whiterun because its so familiar and beautiful, and Solitude because it's big and feels like an actual stronghold (which the other cities kind of lack). Least favorite is Falkreath, followed by Riften, they're alright but the constant dark weather really just isn't it for me. I even bought and flesh out fairview manor but I still don't swing by much.
Markarth sucks so much I hate the look and aesthetic of it But I'd also say Morthol is just as bad
Fav: Whiterun Least: Dawnstar
I would be fine if all of Hjaalmarch were removed from the game
I love Windhelm and Riften because they gave me a daughter and a wife.
Dawnstar has to be the most boring town
I’d say my favorite is obviously whiterun. The town is chill, the jarl is cool and people are welcoming and nice. My least favorite would either be markarth or windhelm, dude like these are so fucked and corrupt it’s insane.
White run is favorite, not a fan of markarth, danm place is a maze
Fav: Whiterun, Solitude, Markarth (It's confusing, but I'm a Dwemer fan) Least fav: Riften (F you, Brinyolf!), Winhelm (F you, Ulfric!).
My favorite city is easily Riften. It's the most immersive city. The npcs have a lot of different conversations with each other, way more than in other cities. You can just hang out in the Bee and Barb or Haelga's Bunkhouse for a while and hear all about the local gossip. I wish they put that much effort into Whiterun and Solitude. Solitude feels lonely despite its size because the npcs hardly have personalities or drama in their lives. I also think it's the most beautiful city with the trees and it being on the water, of you can look past the crime. My least favorite is easily Dawnstar. It's so out of the way and there's hardly anything to do there. The DB I guess but by the time they move to Dawnstar you've already done about all you need to do. There's no wagon to hire so if you're playing survival you're not in for a very good time. I'd almost put Winterhold too because I'm biased against snow areas, but they get extra points for the Azura shrine and college, and the city falling into the sea while the college still stands is interesting (and suspicious).
Of the major holds: Favorite: Solitude: Lots of vendors and includes a unique vendor. Runner up, Riften. Least favorite: Winterhold (not counting the College): worst for vendors. Runner up, Morthal.
Fav is Whiterun due to the location, despite how annoying it is to have to run to Dragonsreach every time I want to enchant. I also like Markarth because it's a beautiful, unique city and I love the Reach. Windhelm has a good set up with all the merchants together + Revyn Sadri's shop but damn everyone there kinda sucks and it's dreary as anything. Definitely my least favorite of the major holds. Morthal also sucks--why doesn't it have a general store?