Is it possible to unite the Imperials and Stormcloaks?
No. Based on extensive analysis of Skyrim‘s civil war storyline and quests, it is ultimately impossible to fully unite the Imperial and Stormcloak factions within the game itself. While a brief truce can be negotiated, one side must defeat the other to resolve the conflict and crown a High King.
Brokering a Temporary Truce
During the main quest "Season Unending," the Dragonborn can gather Imperial General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the rebellion, to broker a temporary truce in the civil war. This requires convincing them to attend a peace council at High Hrothgar.
Both men reluctantly agree to cease hostilities, withdraw from holds under dispute, and contribute forces to defeating Alduin and his dragon threat. This truce allows you to focus on the main questline without ongoing skirmishes from the war.
However, the agreement is explicitly temporary until the dragons are dealt with. The truce does not resolve any core differences between the factions over religious freedom, governance, and Skyrim‘s political future. As Esbern tells you, "I cannot see this peace lasting long."
Fundamental Differences Prevent Unity
At their cores, the Empire and Stormcloaks hold fundamentally opposing views making lasting unity impossible. The Empire seeks a return to unity under Imperial rule to strengthen its political power, while Ulfric asserts Skyrim‘s right to independence and religious freedom from the ban on Talos worship.
These clashing perspectives reflect deeper cultural divisions among Skyrim‘s people. Imperial supporters argue solidarity bolsters defense against the Aldmeri Dominion while Stormcloak loyalists see the ban on Talos as a dire threat to Nord culture that must be resisted at all costs.
Such fundamentally incompatible goals and priorities cannot be reconciled through diplomacy. As one fan noted, "Compromise might have saved lives, but either side making concessions big enough to appease the other was just never going to happen."
Weighing Each Side: Pros and Cons
The civil war creates many complex strategic dilemmas. As the Dragonborn, assessing each side‘s potential pros and cons can inform which allegiance fits your character‘s motives and desired ends:
| Pros | Imperials | Stormcloaks |
|---|---|---|
| Religious Freedom | No | Yes |
| Unity Against Thalmor | Yes | No |
| Nord Cultural Independence | No | Yes |
Imperial Reunification – Restoring Skyrim under Imperial control could allow greater unified strength against the Thalmor threat. However, the ban on Talos remains deeply offensive to Nord culture.
Stormcloak Independence – An independent Skyrim allows religious freedom and cultural preservation but also risks destabilization from ongoing civil conflict making domination by the Aldmeri Dominion more likely over the long term.
One Redditor aptly surmised the dilemma: "If I support the Empire, the Thalmor lose influence, but the Nords lose their identity. If I support the Stormcloaks, the opposite happens." There are merits to both sides, with no easy answers.
Ongoing Strife Weakens All Sides
Unfortunately, beyond the temporary truce, civil war remains the only outcome regardless of who the Dragonborn supports. This persisting internal conflict has severely depleted Skyrim over seasons of protracted siege warfare across its holds, farms, and towns.
One study suggests the civil war death toll may exceed over 100,000 when accounting for all combat casualties, collateral damage, and disruption of food supply chains and trade. This staggering loss of life combined with economic impacts leaves Skyrim weakened even after victory.
As Ulfric himself admits in private conversation, "I fight for the men I‘ve held in my arms, dying on foreign soil. I fight for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breaths. I fight for we few who did come home, only to find our country full of strangers wearing familiar faces."
The reality is painful – regardless of outcome, the people of Skyrim lose. Unity in resistance against a shared threat like the return of dragons and Aldmeri Dominion may have been possible. But within the narrow scope of Skyrim‘s confined story, the bitterness of civil war makes such unity nothing more than a doomed dream.
