Factions You Wish Existed in Skyrim

[Esotera]

I think there needs to be a way in which you can fundamentally change and control Skyrim, that is incredibly hard but also entertaining enough to keep doing. Maybe after you finish the main quest and have completed a couple hundred hours with your character, as that's when most people start getting bored...

 

[Grumpy Ginger]

An arena style faction wouldn't go astray but since the Nords are basically vikings it could be more along the lines of Judicial duels. You could choose which side to act as champion for in a dispute you could even have a mission where you could intentionally throw a match in a non lethal bout.

 

[GabeZhul]

Actually, managing a city and a hold sounds awesome. It is really ridiculous how you are supposed to be the Dragonborn, great hero and savior of Tamriel (plus you could be an Archmage, the leader of the Companions, a Nightingale and a whole bunch of other high-profile ranks), but you hold absolutely zero political power beyond throwing your muscle at problems like some lowly mercenary.

Actually, if there was another thing I would like to see implemented is quest-complexity that scales with level and/or fame. I mean, it is just ridiculous how I just ended the whole Stormcloak rebellion singlehandedly, and yet five minutes later I am asked to go get some old drunk's old helmet.
Or conversely, how I am supposed to be but a lowly apprentice at the College, yet they just casually send me out into the wilderness to clear out an entire fort chock-full of necromancers to get three books. Sorry, but isn't that just silly?

It would be much better if it was similar to the Morrowind system, where you had to build up your rank in a guild by fetch-quests and doing "favors" before you are given the more important tasks. Too bad Skyrim's guilds are pretty much pale shadows compared to what they were in the previous games...

 

[The-Fiction]

I'd be really interested in seeing an arena style faction, similar to the pit in Oblivion. I really enjoyed fighting my way up to the top of the contenders and facing off against the Arena Champion.

I'm pretty sure that there is some data related to the bloodworks and other arena style things in skyrims game data, but it didn't make the final cut? I'm sure someone has done a mod for it but as I am on Xbox I highly doubt I'm going to see anything like that. Hopefully they can include it on the Elder Scrolls online as a PvP option, that'd be pretty damn cool.

 

[Zeema]

The Guys who wore suitable Knee cap armor

 

[SajuukKhar]

3) The Greybeards.

Not using your power means Alduin wins, and game over.

The Greybeards even tell you that you are not subjected to their rules because you are The Dovahkiin, a doom-drive, destiny-born, hero who is MEANT to fight, and one shouldn't ignore their destiny.

As long as you aren't using the Thu'um to murder random people, they are cool with it, because even THEY know it would be stupid for you to not use your powers for violence, when your entire existence is based on doing just that..

6) Your Own Hold to Rule.

No, just, no, and anyone who understands TES lore can tell you why also.

Your character is meant to be forgotten, they can't do anything that would put them in a political role like Jarl/Emperor because it would be far to hard to explain in lore later, and would defeat the entire "mythic hero who becomes so famous no one actually remember who he/she really is" point of the series.

 

[LG Jargon]

4) Survivalists.

This one irks me more than most of the other ones I've mentioned. There are multiple races of beastmen in Skyrim, and more than one deity associated with the natural world (Hircine, Kynareth, Kyne, etc.), so why isn't there a faction of (for lack of a better term) "wild men"? Some aloof group of tree huggers huddled up on an idyllic patch of dirt who want nothing to do with all that civilization nonsense. Really feels like this is something that should be in the game already.

Actually, there are Survivalists in Skyrim--well, in the Dragonborn DLC, at least. They're called the Skaal, a small group of Nords living in Solstheim who only take what the land provides, hunting only when necessary, and always living within their own means. As for "wild men", I actually met a small group of werewolves in Solstheim who live in the wild and hunt and trade the meat and fur from animals they've killed....do ether of these guys count?

EDIT:

The Guys who wore suitable Knee cap armor

Ba-dum tish?...Sorry, I'll just sit over in the corner...

OT: Well....how about a small faction of treasure hunters or jewelers? Ever since I got that one perk that increases treasure found in chests, I've found tons and tons of jewels: maybe there could be a faction unlike the Thieves Guild who prefer to hunt for rare jewels to either display them or make them into jewelry to sell...

Or maybe a society who wishes to create a museum of old art and ancient weaponry and armor? I dunno...

 

[Abomination]

I just want a faction that responds to the fact that you saved the world and/or settled the rebellion one way or the other.

An option to join the Aldmeri Dominion and sow chaos would also have been fun.

Killing the Emperor has no significant effect - you killed the damn EMPEROR and the only thing that happens is guards go "Oh noes, the Emperor died! D:"

 

[Bloodstain]

A Necromancer guild. I want to be the new King of Worms.

Also, I second the Artificer guild idea.

 

[iamnoobie616]

I was rather disappointed at the exclusion of the Arena of from Oblivion, for I truly enjoyed the quests and battles it offered.

Aside from which, I have always thought that there should have been more stealth-oriented guilds/factions, at least one whose quests do not result in either unjust assassinations or theft from people for the benefit of a character I despise(Maven Blackbriar), i.e. one that is just(Ranger's Guild?). The fact that Bethesda believed that only "evil" players would choose a stealth character was much to my dismay.

 

[sanquin]

Trust me when I say that killing a key NPC can end a quest line, I've managed it a few times without even realising it. But that's because a fair number of important quests start off in the same category as the things like fetching an old lady milk so I tended to forget about them...

Those are not key npc's. Key npc's are for the main quest, for instance. And you can't kill such npc's in Skyrim. Take the companions dungeon quest. You can't kill the one that's accompanying you. Take the Greybeards, you can't kill them either. In Morrowind you could, and if you did you'd get a message box with a roleplay message that your quest had failed (even the main quest) and an option to continue playing or start from a previous save again.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Those are not key npc's. Key npc's are for the main quest, for instance. And you can't kill such npc's in Skyrim. Take the companions dungeon quest. You can't kill the one that's accompanying you. Take the Greybeards, you can't kill them either. In Morrowind you could, and if you did you'd get a message box with a roleplay message that your quest had failed (even the main quest) and an option to continue playing or start from a previous save again.

You are aware that the only reason you could do that in Morrowind was because NPCs in Morrowind stayed rooted to the spot they were in for all hours of the day, and ever never in any danger of dyeing by anyone's hands but your own?

However, with the advancement of dynamic NPC schedules, such as them going to hunt for food, or them going to market to buy food, or them going to check on how their farms are doing, and with more dynamic world interacts like Vampire/Dragon raids, NPCs CAN die by hand other then your own, which is why they are unkillable.

And given how much people HATED how many NPCs were dying because of random vampire raids on cities for the Dawnguard DLC, the simple fact of the matter is, most people dont want it in a world where NPCs do something more then just stand in their houses all day.

Not to mention, how many times in Morrowind did you actually just randomly kill a MQ giver? or a important NPC from a guild? In my case, it was NEVER, and I have never heard a case of it happening outside of instances were people just deiced to go on murderous rampages for no reason beyond to just try an kill everyone, which the vast majority of people never did.

Being able to kill everyone meant nothing because almost no one ever tried to kill people who weren't already hostile. the only real reason I have ever seen people complain about it being removed is for the simple fact that it was removed, and not because they actually used it.

They changed it not it sucks comes to mind - http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheyChangedItNowItSucks

 

[sanquin]

--snip--

Then they could easily script in that npc's can't die from other random npc's. And for things like a simple farmer running to a dragon to fist fight it for instance, they should script them better so they run away at danger.

As for the Morrowind thing. I did kill important npc's. When I found them highly annoying or just kill-worthy (was playing an assassin-type character) then I would kill them. So a quest line ended, oh well. And when the main one ended I went 'shit, well...I wasn't doing the main quest anyway.' and moved on.

 

[Somebloke]

I usually play a Redguard character, which it turns out fits me very well, for the reason that I share the uneasiness their culture has with the whole soultrapping business (...which is why Redguard conjurers are few and far between).

I do enchant items, because I like the idea of living through the game, but would still like to be able to join a small faction of people who wander Tamriel, setting trapped souls free and possibly walking in spirit with these souls, to guide them on their way.

Sounds a bit MarySue-ish, I suppose, but you could still have these people adhere to the All-Factions-Are-A-holes-in-some-way standard of the Elder Scrolls universe: Just make them stupidly uncompromising about just whom they'll unblinkingly unleash on the world and/or having somewhat lost perspective and appreciation for the gift of life.

Maybe I should consider trying to mod one in myself... There is an obvious potential questline, where you'd have to clean up your own mess, after barely surviving releasing some nasty piece of work from well-deserved captivity.

 

[Pandabearparade]

Instead of adding more factions, I just wish they had improved the factions that were in the game already.

Spoiler

I wanted to side with Astrid, but wasn't allowed to.

I -really- wanted to refuse to sell Nocturnal my soul (for nothing), but I didn't get the option. In my opinion this is the crowning moment of fail in Skyrim.

I wanted to be able to refuse turning into a werewolf with the Companions.

In short, I wanted choices and consequences for my actions. Skyrim is a huge world where your actions mean nothing.

 

[The White Hunter]

Trust me when I say that killing a key NPC can end a quest line, I've managed it a few times without even realising it. But that's because a fair number of important quests start off in the same category as the things like fetching an old lady milk so I tended to forget about them...

Those are not key npc's. Key npc's are for the main quest, for instance. And you can't kill such npc's in Skyrim. Take the companions dungeon quest. You can't kill the one that's accompanying you. Take the Greybeards, you can't kill them either. In Morrowind you could, and if you did you'd get a message box with a roleplay message that your quest had failed (even the main quest) and an option to continue playing or start from a previous save again.

Right okay got you. I failed a daedric quest or 3 because of poorly placed wars with the guards.

I can see why they'd make it so you can't fail that main questline, but it'd be nice to have a choice to play with vital NPC's on or off.

 

[endtherapture]

Your character is meant to be forgotten, they can't do anything that would put them in a political role like Jarl/Emperor because it would be far to hard to explain in lore later, and would defeat the entire "mythic hero who becomes so famous no one actually remember who he/she really is" point of the series.

And this is the reason why TES quests suck and are soulless and boring.

They should move beyond this archaic storytelling mechanic because it's really holding back the gameplay.

 

[Savryc]

I'd have loved to play the Morag Tong again, maybe start it out as a little branch with refugee Dunmer and build it into a full fledged guild now that Morrowind is pretty much kaput. I've always liked them more than the "shank shit for Sithis" crowd.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

Not quite a faction, but I wish there was an arena in Skyrim.
I had a lot of fun with the one in Oblivion- in fact, I think I did all the arena fights first, which helped in getting me used to the combat as well as giving me some pretty good starting gear, as well as cash rewards.

 

[ninjaRiv]

I'd be happy if the factions that are already in there were better. They're not bad but they're not great.

But I'd like to see the ones you mentioned, definitely.