User blog:Madman97/You know what really grinds my Wabbajack's? Solstheim.

Before we begin, just know that this is NOT a rant about how Solstheim sucks, I just needed to ge your attention. Granted, it's still about Solstheim, but still.

Hello again, dear people of Skyrim, tis I, the Madman97, aka, M.aster A.wesome. D.ude M.cExcellent A.ll to the way to the N.umber 9.hundred thousand and 7.hundred and fifty three. Anyway, no doubt you clicked on this title because, A. You have read my past blogs in this series ad enjoy them, B. You actually hate them but are curious to see what this particular one holds, and C. It says Solstheim. SOLSTHEIM?! HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE?!?!

Alright, before you get your Thu'um in a knot, let me explain further what I actually mean by Solstheim. It isn't because it's bad. Rather, it's the complete opposite. So why am I ranting about it? Well, let me tell you a story, so gather round kiddies.

Alright, so I am going to mostly refer to the Solstheim found in Skyrim in the DLC Dragonborn. I've never had the pleasure of playing Morrowind, but I started with Skyrim fisrt, then to Oblivion, and I don't think I could handle another major setback change in graphics, so I'll take everyone's word for it and think that it's a good game. One of Morrowind's DLC's brought you to the island of Solstheim, and Dragonborn does this as well. Honestly, I wish they called the DLC someting other than Dragonborn. Like, "Winds of Knowledge" or something that mxes Miraak and Mora together in a cool sounding title. But that doesn't bother me as much. No, when I first downloaded Dragonborn, I was so excited! I couldn't wait to battle it out with te very FIRST DRAGONBORN. THIS IS AWESOME! Thankfully, I wasn't dissapointed. Solstheim offers a vibrant island full of adventure and mystery, one of my favorite quests being clear the mine and you discover that big red door. I hoped it was some sort of gateway to Oblivion but sadly, no. Still, it was pretty neat. After you cleared the mine and the townsfolk could get back to work, you could almost feel a change in content in the town. You actually felt as if you were a part of the community, something I think Skyrim's holds severly lack. Over all, I found Solstheim a great adventure.

So naturally, and unfortunatly, I hungered for more. By the time I beat Miraak and all the Solstheim quests, Skyrim was dry and vacant of stuff to do. That's probably why I blew through the Dragonborn quests so quick, I was starved for new adventure in the realm of fanatasy. I beat whatever I could from Solstheim, I visited the Skaal, who I think are awesome, (Why weren't there anymore stuff to do with them?), I visited Neloth, (Who is now my favorite Dunmer), and I visited RavenRock for stuff to do. I searched the entire island for stuff to do. Every cave, every nook and cranny. I even beat that Frost Giant King, and that wasn't easy! I yearned for more.

OH DANG IT SOLSTHEIM WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO ENTERTAINING?!?!?!? GOD, WHY WASN"T THERE MORE?!?! I GET THERE WAS ONLY SO MUCH STUFF THEY COULD JAM INTO THE DLC'S, BUT COME ON!!! JUST A FEW EXTRA QUESTS IS ALL IM ASKING!!!

(Sigh) So this rant isn't about Solstheim per se, just it's playability. Now, I find Solstheim extrememly apealling, and even if I have no reason to go back, I do, and I wander around looking for more adventure. If you've read my other articles, you would know that Skyrim is nearly all spent up for me, and a lot of other people I know hung up the game months ago. But I kept pushing, pushing until I could no longer find nything else to do, and then I kept going! My point being, Skyrim is getting a little old. Solstheim was an excellant change of pace. And don't worry, I'm not completly casting aside Skyrim! I love Skyrim. I probably have devoted more hours into this game than any other Ive ever played, with the exception if maybe Pokemon Ruby version, which the same file I have had for eight years has accumulated over a hundred hours. But Skyrim is reaching it's Middle Ages, (Pun totally intended), and a lot of gamers are wandering around wondering what they should be doing. I am refering to this in the console sense, as I do all my rants, as PC gamers can just make a mod for Skyrim and there we go, but for us common gamers, where we can't do that stuff with the keyboards and put in commands, we are forced to play the game as it is, with no kind of change. This will get repetitive after a while, even if it takes years, Skyrim will eventually wither away, and a sad passing it shall be. But im getting way off topic!

The bottom line is, Solstheim is too good for its own good. That short amount of time compared to the rest of the game spent in Skyrim is so good, it leaves a gap inside, a hunger, and without anything new coming to Skyrim, we are forever starved of Solstheim. But that doesn't mean Solstheim doesn't still hold a taste. Even after you have completly beaten it, you can still go back and frolick among the ash. So I guess this isn't really a rant, more of a wish, a wish that Bethesda expanded upon this oppurtunity to capitilize on quests and the NPC's introduced. I wish I could see more things affect the Skaal, or RavenRock. I am fascinated with the mythology behind the Skaal Deity the All-Maker, and wish to know more. Neloth is a great touch to Solstheim, providing new quests and spells, making it a little more interesting. However, sadly, we can only make do with what we have. Solstheim is still great, and I can't wait to go to it the next time I am on Skyrim.