Skyrim Unbound users?

[marv4791]

I guess I'm really late to the party, I just discovered this mod.

 

So, it sounds awesome to make your character anonymous instead of being forced into this World Hero role again.
 

Are there any caveats though?

 

I suppose having the Dragonborn DLC would be useless.

 

But a playthrough with no dragons sounds like a fun and different experience.

 

I'm a little curious how well it works since so many quests seem to tie into the main Alduin quest.

[Vendayn]

It is developed better than alternate start.

 

Alternate start: NPCs (this is VERY obvious in Riverwood and Whiterun) repeat the same static motion over and over until you start the Helgen quest. There is bugs elsewhere too if you don't start the Helgen quest. Also, the entire Riverwood breaks and NPCs get bugged as hell if you start the Helgen quest at NIGHT (day time is always fine). Might be a vanilla Skyrim thing though, cause Bethesda thinks helgen can only be done in the day as they designed it.

 

Alternate start pros: The starts are vastly better, except meaningless because you still need to be a Dragonborn...but like you can start in Solstheim, be a Thalmor agent or all kinds of starts...so a lot better there

 

Unbound: NPCs aren't broken in Riverwood and not repeating the same scripts over and over. No obvious bugs in the game world. Performs a lot better

Downside: The start you can choose from a selection of very boring options. Nothing cool like starting in Solstheim or as a Thalmor agent. But much better developed overall

 

Thats my opinion of the two. I use alternate start, just because I like the starting selections. But Unbound is VASTLY better, it just as boring as hell starts. But at least none of the NPCs are bugged until you are FORCED to do the helgen quest to fix them lol.

[Rayblue]

Alternate start is for those who would like to hold off the main quest by not visiting Helgen and concentrate on other things such as starting with the Thieves Guild. Of course there will be some disjointed quests, or you have quest givers not starting properly until you come to Helgen.

[marv4791]

Thanks for your answers, I'm going to try Unbound! Appreciate the feedback!

[w33beast1e]

Alternate start is for those who would like to hold off the main quest by not visiting Helgen and concentrate on other things such as starting with the Thieves Guild. Of course there will be some disjointed quests, or you have quest givers not starting properly until you come to Helgen.

Yeah it makes a cleaner break with the vanilla game which is why, mechanically speaking, I prefer it of the two. I've experienced far less bugs, though they do happen sometimes.  Starting a new game with Skyrim Unbound definitely feel more business-like and perfunctory  like setting some dials on a machine and getting whisked off to some alien land that you have no connection with. That has it's place but it's a bit cold. 

 

In roleplay terms I think I prefer Alternate Start, it makes more effort to maintain some continuity with the vanilla game and I really like it's scenarios. I like being able to start a new game either as an already well established Volkihar, or as a wretched and starving vamp hiding in a hole in the ground - both are vampy starts but they'll unfold very differently. 

[Ashra XIII]

It's actually rather crazy how many game events Bethesda has tied into the sequence at Helgen... I'm not sure they've all even been discovered at this point, because they are so off-the-wall. One good example that has been discovered is the Priest of Mara conversation in Riften that happens the first time you walk into the Bee and Barb... if you haven't done Helgen, that conversation breaks and the priest just stands there in the middle of the tavern. This conversation not happening further breaks the marriage quest, so you can't ever get married... all because you skipped Helgen.

 

Overall, I personally like the idea behind Skyrim Unbound, which can actually make you not the Dragonborn, while still (optionally) having dragons about. However, I still end up using Live Another Life most of the time, because the starts do have a better story to go along with them, and also because I can start as a member of a guild, or anything else! Ultimately though, I've found my most stable play-through is just doing Helgen and getting it out of the way... even if I don't want to do the rest, Skyrim just seems to run better with the Helgen stuff sorted for whatever reason.