168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Skyrim's not in good shape when the Dragonborn arrives on the scene. Bandits pillage the countrys♓ide, and dragons are awakening and terrorizing every hold from Windhelm to Solitude. And, naturally, political turmoil has enveloped ﷽the realm. They have Jarls competing for power, the Altmer plotting behind the scenes, and most importantly, the Stormcloaks threaten to secede Skyrim from what they view as a crumbling empire.
After all, Skyrim belongs to the Nords! Not the dragons, not the Imperials, and most certainly not the uppity High Elves. That said, Skyrim has long been a part of the Empire, affording them protection, stalwart allies, fruitful trade, and the rule of law. T🥂hat leads to one of the earliest conundrums players get to face when starting a new game: join the Stormcloaks, or join the Empire.
Updated on July 27, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: Skyrim's the rarest sort of RPG, the kind that can present players with a big question, and then remain popular enough for players to keep pondering how to answer that question well over a decade later. No decision better exemplifies this than the old Empire-or-Stormcloaks charade, so we'll periodically refine our article for fresh-eyed adventurers and returning Dragonborn alike.
16 Stormcloaks: They Don't Torture People...Yet
Say what you will about the Stormcloaks and their unorthodox ways of rebellion and recruitment, they at least have enough morality to be decent human beings. They don't treat their prisoners like meat to be butchered alive for mere information.
If you do listen to little bits of info in passing about the Imperials, they're notorious for their excessive torture tactics. If you want more evidence of this, you need only be more observant during the opening sequence while running through the Imperial Legion fort in Helgen during the dragon attack. You'll spot a Legion torturer and his as🔯sistant in their torture chamber.
15 Imperials: They ꦅHave An Impressive Army
We've already established just how "complete" the Imperial Legion is in Skyrim. They even have an intelligence department complete with an information extractor. That's part of the package, sadly, but you can't deny the awe that the Imperial Legion inspires.
A good look at their equipment fortresses and you'll get a general idea of how and why they became a superpower in Tamriel before the High Elves' newfound renaissance. They're pretty much the medieval fantasy equivalent of the Roman army, even if it's a weaker Roman army than it used to be. It's still nice to be a part of that.
14 Stormcloa🔯ks: Ulfric Is A Talented Leader
The glue that binds the Stormcloaks together is none other than Ulfric Stormcloak. While his personality and behavior are abrasive and at times, insufferable, he's no doubt one of the most capable Nords in Skyrim during the game's timeline.
It's important to note that Ulfric could have become a Greybeard, even the Dragonborn, if he hadn't found the Greybeards too indifferent to the pressing affairs of his beloved Skyrim. On top of that, he's a clever military leader going up against a world power. His past as a Thalmor spy also likely means he's highly intelligent.
13 Imperials: General Tulliu༺s Is A Seasoned ๊Commander
Charismatic and gifted as Ulfric might be, General Tullius gives off an aura of a venerable commander— one who has seen countless wars and won against the toughest of battles. He's also the appointed governor of the province of Skyrim.
That very well makes him a politician, which isn't always an easy position to attain in the Empire. Besides, Tullius also hates the Thalmor and is opposed to the White-Gold Concordat, so it stands within reason that he might incorporate some of the Stormcloak's goals. That's a win-win situation for the Nords at the very least.
12 🍃 Stormcloaks: The Underdogs
A huge chunk of Tamriel's history involves conquest by the Imperials, whose military might and organized soldiers have led to their dominance. That's why they're pretty much the most powerful faction in Skyrim during the game, though bruised and battered by a recent war with the Altmer.
That automatically makes the Stormcloaks a rebel group, the freedom fighters, and the underdogs — the David to the Empire's Goliath. They want nothing more than to free the Nords and Skyrim from the clutches of the progressively more oppressive Empire who even goes as far as banning certain gods from being worshipped as a part of their unfortunate treaty with the Thalmor.
11 Imperials: They Bring Stabilityꩵ To Skyrim
Say what you will about the Empire, but their methods of modernization, economic know-how, and focus on the rule of law and order bring stability to the chaotic and frigid Skyrim. While it's true that Skyrim does have its High King, this position is easily contested by other Jarls, often making the seat of power in Skyrim a black hole of power struggles.
As expected, this isn't great for the people and the economy. The Empire knows just how to quell the power-hungry Jarls and keep the Skyrim holds in check. They also bring in a healthy amount of trade and commerce.
10 ꦗ Stormcloaks: They Represent The Nords Well
While the Empire's modernized policies are good, it's clear that General Tullius (or most anyone in the Imperial Legion that isn't a Nord themselves) has, at best, a very poor grasp on Nord culture and tradition, making their presence and authority feel alien and invasive.
To most of the Imperials, Nords are brash barbarians. Ulfric St♏ormcloak, being Nord royalty himself, understands well how to preserve the valued customs of Skryim, thus retaining their cultural identity. The Empire, on the other hand, would gladly forgo these values if it makes assimilation and day-to-day business easier.
9 Imperi🌳als: More Inclusive And Progressiv💞e
Here's the key problem with the Nords' ways — they're usually (albeit not always!) xenophobic. Ulfric Stormcloak himself is the flagbearer of this bandwagon, giving another, much darker layer of context to the "Skyrim belongs to the Nords" line, as they do truly mean the Nords and the Nords alone.
The Empire, however, is not that prejudiced against 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:other races so long as they keep the gold flowing and abide by the Empire's rule. They even accept Nords into the Imperial Legion during the conflict, and perhaps more impressively, Orcs — a famously ostracized and shunned race.
8 Stormcloaks: Better Questline ༒ ﷺ
Based on their characteristics, the Imperial Legion and the Empire might sound a bit standard and consequentially boring. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Their quests certainly aren't the most engaging aspect of the game. By comparison, although they share quite a bit of overlap, the Nord-themed storylines of the Stormcloak quests are a saving grace of the faction. They simply feel more meaningful and epic.
That's because the Stormcloaks have less military might and very much have a guerrilla tactics vibe to their role in the conflict. Even their recruitment is more thematic.
7 ♏ Imperials: Better Career Advancement 𝓡
Since the Empire and the Imperials pride themselves on being an organized bunch, they're pretty fair when it comes to rewards and career advancement. The ranking system in the Imperial Legion is all about hard work and the title progression feels appropriate compared to the relatively unorthodox Stormcloaks.
Moreover, the armor and weapons of the Imperial Legion are of higher quality and look arguably better than the Stormcloaks' cheap-looking gambesons. If players ever wanted to cosplay as a Roman legionnaire that can throw fireballs and yell people to death, then joining the Imperial Legion is... imperative.