How Many Main Quests Are There in Skyrim?

As an ardent Elder Scrolls fan who has sunk over 500 hours into Skyrim alone, I‘m continually impressed by the game‘s sheer scope and abundance of adventures. So how many main quests are there? Skyrim‘s primary storyline centers around defeating the dragon Alduin World-Eater, no easy feat. This critical path comprises 17 required quests and 2 optional quests to serve as the Dragonborn savior.

But focusing just on this main storyline sells short everything else Skyrim offers. Across different factions like the Companions, College of Winterhold, Dark Brotherhood and more, you‘ll find robust quest chains with their own compelling narratives. Radiant side quests also regenerate constantly. Between all this and general Exploration, you can play for years without exhausting Skyrim‘s activities.

Main Questlines by the Numbers

Here‘s a breakdown of all the major questlines and estimates of how many hours they may take to complete:

As you can see, Skyrim‘s core narrative makes up only around 30 hours, but completing all the major quest chains can easily exceed 100 hours or more!

Add in Daedric quests for powerful artifacts, the lycanthropic Companions, becoming Archmage at the College of Winterhold…there‘s no shortage of adventures both epic and mundane alike.

It Never Truly Ends!

And that‘s before considering Skyrim‘s radiant AI system constantly generates new miscellaneous quests like gathering bounties, retrieving lost items or clearing out bandit hideouts. While many may repeat similar objectives, I‘ve put 80+ hours into one character without running out. Where most RPG storylines definitively close, Skyrim‘s world persists indefinitely.

The roleplaying possibilities stretch one’s imagination. Will you journey forth as a noble knight with sword and shield? A battlemage wielding fearsome destruction spells? A stealthy archer, mysterious conjurer, grizzled sellsword or quiet monk discovering ancient secrets?

Mods Expand Skyrim Even Further

On PC where mod support invites new content, you can amplify quest variety tenfold. Ambitious custom campaigns with fully voiced NPCs, new lands and Dungeons add dozens of hours of adventures matching Bethesda’s professional quality. The simmering lore and freedom make The Elder Scrolls at home to endless twists.

So while the main quest concludes after confronting Alduin, in another sense, Skyrim never ends. You can craft unique heroes and live a hundred lives from lowly farmer to Archmage. And O still have still have yet to uncover all hidden tales across Tamriel’s northernmost province!

Just imagining what awaits in The Elder Scrolls VI fills me with excitement. Can Bethesda outdo themselves again? Skyrim set the bar incredibly high, but more radiant tales surely await the Dovahkiin…