5. Curiosity
Okay, now although it
has been ten months since the release of the game, I'm aware there are still people out there who haven't finished Skyrim's main storyline just yet. If you are one of those people, be aware that there are spoilers in this paragraph, so read on at your own peril. Skyrim offers players a ton of freedom throughout the game. You can go where you want, when you want and once you're there you can do what you want. There are certain stages in the game, though, where you'll find yourself forced into a serious decision about how to proceed. For me, there is no better illustration of this than when you decide the fate of the dragon 'Paarthurnax'. After defeating Alduin, Delphine will instruct you that 'The Blades' would have you destroy Paarturnax in spite of the fact that he helped you out numerous times and is head of the 'Greybeards'. Kill him and you gain access to the Delphine's armoury but alienate the Greybeards. Spare him and you can call on the help of the Greybeards but will not be able to class Delphine as an ally any longer. One way or another, you have to make a sacrifice here, and the implications of what you do will be serious and long-lasting. Since Skyrim offers players the chance to save numerous characters at once, decisions like this
can be played out from both sides. You may decide to kill Paarthurnax in one playthrough, but opt to spare his life in another. These dilemmas and the constant "what ifs" that you'll have to consider after making your decision are another reason players keep returning to Skyrim. Everybody wants to know if they were right with their first instincts, and so playing through the other possibility in these choices will either confirm that or prove you wrong.