One year before the release of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim", all that was known was that it would be set in the province of Skyrim and that, all of a sudden, dragons would threaten the world.
Most Elder Scrolls players were still occupied with Oblivion and knew next to nothing about the Nords and their homeland. In order to prepare them for the upcoming game, I wrote a short summary of the history of Skyrim back then.
The main story of The Elder Scrolls V is defined by the return of the dragons. As foretold by a prophecy, Alduin, the First-Born of Akatosh, appears and prepares to end the world by bringing other dragons back to life. However, according to the prophecy, a Dragonborn - the Dovahkiin - appears at the same time, a role into which the player slowly grows. The ultimate goal is to stop Alduin. To achieve this, the player needs allies, who are found over time. Certain knowledge must also be acquired first to even stand a chance against a god. Along the way, the Dovahkiin learns about the land and its history, uncovers many secrets, finds forgotten places of worship, and learns to use Dragon Shouts. In this role, the player also participates in peace negotiations in a country torn apart by civil war. In the end, the Dovahkiin must confront Alduin and avert the apocalypse.
The main story is divided into chapters and tasks, leading the player from one quest to the next. Most tasks are self-explanatory. However, there are also puzzles that must be solved, and some objectives require solid combat experience. At certain points in the plot, the player must make decisions that heavily influence the further course of the game. Nevertheless, these are all paths that lead parallel to a conclusion of the game.
In The Elder Scrolls V, each of the 16 Daedric deities features a dedicated quest (Nocturnal's task is not standalone, but is instead distributed across several quests within the Thieves Guild). These are all interesting and extensive storylines that impressively describe the characteristics and traits of each respective Daedra. These special tasks can be found either by chance during exploration, specifically at Daedric shrines, or through rumors gathered during conversations in taverns. The successful completion of these quests is rewarded with a signature artifact.
"Dawnguard" was the first major DLC for TES V and was released in 2012.
The story can be played through either as a vampire (including the transformation into a Vampire Lord) or as a member of the Dawnguard, acting as a vampire hunter. A new and valuable aspect is the exploration of the Falmer/Snow Elf lore.
The story is highly imaginative, though some aspects were unfortunately exaggerated. There are new locations, new armor sets and weapons, new enemies, and new NPCs.
Bethesda put a vast amount of effort into the NPC Serana, who accompanies the player through large parts of the story and is a central part of the plot herself. She is arguably the most complex and versatile non-player character in the entire Elder Scrolls series to date.
Bethesda has geographically altered Skyrim and Solstheim in TES V. Some changes may be the consequences of natural disasters. However, some were simply adapted to the new plot (usually, this happens the other way around). Like game pieces on a board, Bethesda violently shifted entire cities so that they would better fit the new quests. And regarding some changes, one can only shake their head - no plausible reasons come to mind. Just as with books and historical events, continuity unfortunately played no major role here.
New players did not notice this, and many did not even look at the map, but simply followed the quest marker. However, for veterans who knew the landscapes from before, these were unpleasant surprises. The most important changes are summarized here:
In TES V, a new form of magic is introduced: Dragon Shouts (Dovahzaan). This arcane ability, already mentioned in previous games as the Thu'um, is derived from the language of the dragons. In addition to dragons, it is also used by the Greybeards and Draugr. The player, as the Dragonborn (Dovahkiin), can also learn these Shouts.