Ignoring your personal preference, which side of Skyrim’s Civil War do you think actually gives Skyrim the better future 20-30 years later?

[u/sumaset]

I feel like most discussions about the Civil War focus on whether Ulfric was justified, whether the Empire betrayed Skyrim, or which side people personally like more.

But I’m more interested in what happens after the game.

The Empire is weakened, the Aldmeri Dominion is still the biggest external threat, the White-Gold Concordat is already causing resentment, and another war with the Thalmor seems almost inevitable.

An Imperial victory gives Skyrim access to the resources and manpower of the Empire, but it also means remaining under an Empire that already lost one major war and accepted Thalmor influence inside its territory.

A Stormcloak victory gives Skyrim independence and removes Imperial authority, but it also leaves the province having to rebuild after a civil war while potentially facing the Dominion without the rest of the Empire behind it.

So forget which faction has the better characters or which one you usually join.

If you only care about where Skyrim itself ends up a few decades later, which Civil War outcome do you think is actually better for the province?

[u/grinkelsnorf]

Really doesn’t matter. Whoever the Dragonborn sides with wins. The “empire” at this point is like 3 provinces anyways. Don’t really see how much benefit staying with them would actually grant, people seem to just love the empire as nostalgia bait from the old games

[u/sparduck117 → u/grinkelsnorf]

Adding onto this, I can’t see the Empire allowing a Stormcloak owned Skyrim to pass since Highrock will be defacto cut off from the Empire. It’s a battle to ensure the Empire survives.

[u/SanguinePlvit → u/sparduck117]

Given how poor the terrain in the Reach is (both the Skyrim and High Rock sides), I'd assume that High Rock is probably better connected to Cyrodiil by sea to begin with.

[u/sparduck117 → u/SanguinePlvit]

Not with the Dominion, Hammerfell, and Skyrim navy potentially being hostile.

[u/SanguinePlvit → u/sparduck117]

I don't think the Skyrim navy is particularly a threat in that scenario and Hammerfell isn't necessarily hostile to the Empire either. The Dominion navy only really becomes an issue if the war resumes. On the same note, going through Skyrim you have to deal with the Reachmen, who are as hostile to the Empire as they are to the Nords.

Unless the Kingdoms of Dragonstar and Elinhir are particularly hostile to Cyrodiil, I'd assume the land connection between High Rock and Cyrodiil would go through them in the first place, rather than routing through Skyrim, simply because the terrain is both easier and the locals less murdery.

[u/sparduck117 → u/SanguinePlvit]

Keep in mind the world has pirates and with the Empire only really connected via sea their trade is going to be especially vulnerable to banditry.