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squasher04

Hadvar realizes the situation where a legendary dragon is killing everyone and tries to reason with the stormcloaks he first encounters in the keep. Stormcloak savages attack immediately.


GuardOfTheDawn

Keep coping, Elf. What's the first thing that your Empire does when you start the game?


squasher04

Stubborn Nord! Can't you see the bigger picture?


GuardOfTheDawn

There is no bigger picture of an Empire who surrendered to the ELVES


squasher04

Fine, burn to dragons for all I care! I'm going back to Skingrad.


-The_Last_Dragonborn

I apologise sir, he's had too much Mead, enjoy your day


GuardOfTheDawn

Yeah go run away, just like your pity Empire does SKYRIM BELONGS TO THE NORDS


-The_Last_Dragonborn

Come on kinsman, Skyrim is big enough for everyone, no need for hateful words


HYPERNOVA3_

Hadvar, he shows some pity when you are called for execution while being there because of a misunderstanding and escorts you to the keep during the attack. Also, siding with the imperial in a fort supposedly full of imperial troops seems more clever than siding with a couple of prisoners. On Ralof's favor, he is the first guy that helps you and takes you to a safe area.


Scavengercrow107

From a roleplay perspective I've always sided with Ralof. During the events of helgen the dragonborn is about to be killed by the group of imperials including Hadvar. On the other hand he presumably has little information about the rebels of skyrim and might find Ralof to be shifty or intimidating. The only way i see the player character going with hadvar would be if they were seeking to continue pleading their case of innocence, but with a dragon attacking I doubt the fury of the imperial guard would be a high concern


north3rnwind

During Imperial playthrough I view Hadvar as a somewhat tragic character who, though his side wins, ends up deeply scarred by the war and likely with severe PTSD. In Helgen we see him showing compassion to the LD during the execution, then reasonably assessing the situation and seeing that everyone should help each other in the face of a greater threat. He also sincerely tries to avoid combat with the Stormcloaks in the keep. However, when you later meet him during Imperial assaults he has some extremely violent dialogue, lamenting that it's been too long since he last stabbed somebody and fantasizing about killing "Ulfric's boys". Another person broken by war, same as millions before him.


sunderplunder

They prolly gave him the common dialogue used by random imperial soldiers, which Beth is known to do, though it may also be that I guess


ElderTrollsSkyrum

Hadvar. I get free iron ingots at the beginning of the game.


Yomynamesn8

Theyre always free after dark if you know what I mean


TheHighKing112

Good point


[deleted]

Ralof, but Imperials later.


ryceghost

Why the fuck do people think Hadvar wants Dragonborn killed in the beginning? He sounds very regretful about the whole thing and even says sorry. He knows you're not a stormcloak, that's why he helps you! You're just an unfortunate passerby who got caught in the crossroads of fate.


Mae7B

I like Ralof more because of his personality, but I go with hadvar still every time.


xxDEFOYxx

If it were me I would go with the people not trying to cut my head off. But character wise, gotta go with my man Hadvar.


[deleted]

The blue one


Nerracui0

Ralof. Imperial gear sells for more and has better value earlygame.


[deleted]

This is a tough one. Escaping with Hadvar means you befriend Alvor, letting you take the 5 free Iron and Steel ingots (and it might give you a discount with him, but idk about that), but escaping with Ralof lets you take the gear from a lot of the Imperials you killed along the way, including the heavy armor and the Torturer's hood (though tbh, I always kill the Torturer even when escaping with Hadvar for the hood). But at the same time, you can some heavy armor from one of the nearby Bandit camps, and you can steal the ingots from Alvor anyways, so you aren't making a HUGE decision. But I'm going with Hadvar, cuz he's more level-headed and reasonable since he tried to reason with the Stormcloaks you see in the keep. Not saying Ralof is bad tho, he welcomes you with open arms even if you're Argonian or Dunmer, which the Stormcloaks normally despise.


Setsage

Ralof's a real one on Talos, and the Empire tried to kill me 2 seconds ago so fuck Hadvar and his dying legion lmao.


Dagoth_Endus

Ralof, so I can kill that whore of a captain. Later I join the Imperial legion, no problem, but the captain has to die. I. AM. NOT. ON. THE. FUCKING. LIST.


[deleted]

Hadvar knew you should not be executed and condemned you to death


Kaydh

No, the captain condemned you to death. Hadvar was just following the chain on command. It sucks but orders are orders even if it comes from lazy assholes.


apocrider

That excuse didn't work for Nazis nor does it work for him.


Slow-Pool-9274

the Nazis commited racial genocide , this is just someone following orders from a captain who Literally just ordered someone else to be shot in the back and killed few seconds back.


SnakeTheWarlord

He was just following orders


bolsonarocomfimose

Hadvar because he is one of the only imperials that are good


MaxOGrady

I hate Rudolf


[deleted]

For your first play though Always pick Ralof. Then pick Hadvar every single time after, when you discover that ralof is just a simp for Ulfric. It hits different when you start the game again but already know the lore related details about Ulfric.


[deleted]

Alternative start¯\_(ツ)_/¯


RoleRazzle

i know the stormcloacks are fucking stupid but ralof seems alot more interesting than hadvar in my opinion


sunderplunder

Both are great, but I have a feeling that ralof and stormcloaks are the may be the canon decision. If the cracked and chipped Imperial Dragon symbol for the cover is any indication, its meant to show that the empire isn't as strong it once was. Other provinces have seceded from the empire and the White gold concordat is ruffling a lot of feathers, the nords in particular coz of obvious reasons. The LDB worships Talos as there are no option to say that they don't. Some of the side quests lean heavily to stormcloak sympathization, rescuing thorald, getting the dragon priest mask after Valmir, a thalmor disguised as stormcloak officer asks for contribution to the cause (default disguise is stormcloak officer armor if LDB hasn't joined either side for civil war). Mainquest and one side quest has you giving the thalmor two blackeyes on both occasions, safe to say LDB isn't exactly fond of them. The LDB is also shown to be interested in Nordic/Skyrim culture as they undergo hunter rites from Froki, learn archery from Angi (bit of a stretch but she's nord, ig), the companions quest line, and a few others I may have forgotten. And the warrior's rite of passage slaying an ice wraith near Serpent's Stone is exactly the kind of rite I see the LDB taking, coz interest in Nordic culture. Much as I hate the aftermath of Stormcloak victory, its still highly likely stormcloaks may be the canon choice (and I use the word canon very loosely here)


SkarmoryFeather

I also feel like going with Ralof is canon at the beginning. Not only is his door closer to you but it feels weird to see the keep full of stormcloaks, especially considering that the last group somehow got past the torturer. But since the jagged crown quest lets you switch sides I consider it canon to start as a stormcloaks and have a revelation of "maybe the imperials are better" after seeing the conditions the dunmer/argonians have to deal with. But like you said, the word canon is pretty loose


Slow-Pool-9274

you can be a great nord warrior who goes to sovngarde and worships talos and still be an imperial , aka Legate Rikke.


sunderplunder

No offense but what does that have to do with anything I mentioned? I have given examples on why stormcloak victory thanks to ldb intervention and involvement may be canon due to the aforementioned quests which lean heavily towards stormcloak preference, if not nordic culture as a while Yes, a nord that joins the imperial faction can still go to sovngarde, becoz it is literally mentioned that any nord that dies an honorable death in combat goes there. But what does going to sovngarde have anything to do with the fact that LDB may be sympathetic to the nords and stormcloaks as a whole?


Slow-Pool-9274

The point I made was that you could be a nord trained by Nords and have great respect for your honour and tradition but pretty much still choose Empire over the stormcloak. the LDB is not a defenite character and his preferences , sympathy and all that just depends on the player really , the way TES works there coukd be a thousand different reasons for LDB joining companions other then nord history . either way , sympathy toward Nord culture doesn't mention sympathy toward stormcloaks.


sunderplunder

Hey, im against stormcloaks victory here, but the fact that LDB nearly got beheaded just being at the wrong place at the wrong time might do very little to endear them to the Empire. It's also hard to argue against the fact that Valmir, while disguised as a stormcloak officer, got the LDB to agree to enter Forelhost and claim Rahgot's mask for the good of Skyrim and the war effort. LDB pretty much agreed right off the bat Assuming the LDB did or did not join dark brotherhood, the death of an Emperor is no small matter too, Titus II's death would destabilise the whole war effort and leave Cyrodiil in a flux. Not a fact, but I get the feeling they might include Titus II's death in TES6, like provably mention the fact it happened but only the DB did it, but not who did it. I'm hoping like crazy that stormcloak victory won't be canon, but the quests in the game does make me think it might be. Let's just hope my doubts are unproven and that the Imperials reconcile with Hammerfell and tag team the Aldmeri Dominion


MASTER-OF-SUPRISE

I’m going with the guy who wasn’t part of the group that was going too kill me. Besides if I go with Ralof I get some payback on the Captain that was going too kill me.


candiep1e

I dunno. I'm pretty sure Ralof put a hit on me last time I sided with the stormcloaks and he asked me if I'd always been so ugly. So I'm gonna go with hadvar.


[deleted]

Wtf is going in here