Starting Dragonborn Before Finishing Skyrim‘s Main Quest

Eager to leave Skyrim behind for the ash wastes of Solstheim? Craving epic battles against the first Dragonborn, Miraak himself? With a few easy steps, you can be on your way to the Dragonborn DLC without making major progress in the vanilla game‘s main and civil war questlines.

Traveling to Solstheim at Any Level

The key requirement to trigger the Dragonborn questline is simply traveling to Solstheim and speaking to the Skaal villagers about Miraak‘s return. According to UESP, the official Elder Scrolls wiki, Captain Gjalund‘s travel option to the island becomes available immediately after installation of the DLC.

So as soon as you‘ve loaded into Skyrim with Dragonborn installed, make your way to the Windhelm docks and speak to the captain. For 250-500 gold, he‘ll gladly take you aboard The Northern Maiden and set sail for Solstheim. No shouts required!

When Should I Go?

While travel is available immediately, attempting the DLC‘s main quest early can be extremely difficult. Solstheim is home to threats like Lurkers, Seekers, and Ash Spawn which rapidly outscale most low to mid-level characters. I strongly advise against traveling before level 30 unless you merely want to poach some valuable gear.

Here‘s a breakdown of the minimum levels I would recommend for various goals:

These numbers aren‘t immutable rules, but guidelines based on my 1000+ hours roaming Solstheim across many characters. If you insist on disregarding this advice, at least make liberal use of followers and prepare for frequent loading of saves!

How to Trigger the Dragonborn Quest

Again, getting to Solstheim itself is trivial. But you‘ll need to meet two basic requirements for the Dragonborn main quest to fire:

1. Install the DLC – Obviously this step is a given, but double check Solstheim hasn‘t mysteriously vanished from your map just to be safe.
2. Complete "The Way of the Voice" – This early main quest tasks you with climbing High Hrothgar and meeting the Greybeards. Finishing it allows Dragonborn‘s trigger (cultist ambush) to fire correctly when you return from Solstheim or happen across one of the random encounter spots.

And that‘s it! Once you speak with the Skaal villagers and investigate the Temple of Miraak, you‘re well on your way to stopping Solstheim‘s tyrannical ruler from returning to power.

Compared to the depth and complexity added by Dragonborn, meeting those scant requirements is child‘s play. So don‘t feel the need to wrap up Skyrim‘s other plotlines first.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Before marching straight to the docks to book your trip, let‘s evaluate the potential upsides and downsides to postponing the vanilla game for Solstheim early on:

Why You Should Go To Solstheim Early

• Access tons of exciting new weapons, armor sets, ingredients, and spells
• Fight awesome new enemies like Ash Spawn and Lurkers
• Explore a totally unique environment unlike anywhere in Skyrim
• Uncover fascinating lore about the first Dragonborn Miraak
• Return at higher levels to experience properly balanced difficulty
• Flexibly interweave Dragonborn and vanilla quest progression

Why You Should Complete More of Skyrim First

• Avoid severely overleveled enemies that often one-shot lower level players
• Unlock essential shouts like Bend Will to progress main Dragonborn quest
• Experience logical narrative flow from civil war aftermath to Miraak‘s return
• Better appreciate Solstheim as true endgame content
• Prevent spoiling parts of Skyrim‘s main storyline

Weighing these factors carefully based on your playstyle should lead to an optimal decision. Personally, the allure of a blank new canvas in Solstheim wins out for me every time!

Surviving Solstheim at Low Levels

If you‘re stubbornly determined to travel to Solstheim underprepared like me, here are some pro tips for staying alive:

• Stick to southern/coastal areas to avoid most dangerous enemies
• Invest heavily into damage mitigation via stats, potions, spells, and enchantments
• Utilize allies, especially ranged attackers, to draw enemy fire
• Flee liberally from difficult encounters – no shame in strategic retreats!
• Build a custom safehouse with storage, crafting stations, and bedroll for respite
• Create ample restore health/magicka/stamina potion stockpiles

It‘s certainly possible to carve out an early existence scrounging Solstheim‘s shores while avoiding dragon and ash spawn infested ruins. But heed well this Nord‘s wisdom: the island‘s dangers demand healthy respect. Many a hero has met their fate rushing in beyond their limits!

In Summary

Eager Dragonborn can travel to Solstheim and kickstart the DLC storyline without substantial completion of the base game. But beware the harsh challenges that await the underprepared explorer! With reasonable caution and tactical play however, the ash-swept frontier of Solstheim delivers wonders aplenty no matter your level.

Now steel yourself, stock ample potions, and let The Northern Maiden carry you forth to truly legendary adventure! Feel free to share your own fledgling experiences unraveling Miraak‘s twisted designs on my blog. Happy travels!