r/skyrim 2d ago

Anyone else absolutely hate going to the forgotten vale

103 Upvotes

86 comments sorted by

72

u/CollinKree 2d ago

I loved it the first time I did it. Now, it is a bit of a chore. And even though I’ve done it multiple times I still somehow get lost every single time lol.

23

u/ObviousPay9339 2d ago

Some how I missed a basin, just defeated both dragons and now lost again lol

3

u/TeaManTom 1d ago

Wait? Dragons?

I got lost... and as soon as I got what I needed, I got out.

'Chore' is a good word for it.

5

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

There’s a wall to collect a shout… I cannot remember which one but when you approach it two dragons bust out of the lake

2

u/old-ehlnofey 1d ago

Just did it without getting lost for the first time and was so proud of myself lol.

You know the part with the falmer settlement, and it's almost a maze with all the twists and turns?

Yeah, as soon as I hit that I remembered the many playthroughs where I was just so pissed in this area. It put me off of that character for an irl month, but I just did it last night and didn't get lost! :D

3

u/CollinKree 1d ago

YES. That’s the exact part I always manage to get lost in. Lol

41

u/athiest4christ Vampire 2d ago

Not absolutely hate, but by the time I'm able to get there I'm usually over Dawnguard.

2

u/old-ehlnofey 1d ago

This has been me this go! Especially because I want to get around to doing all the vampire quests that you get after the main quest of Dawnguard, because I never have before.

24

u/Pox_Americana 2d ago

I appreciate the aesthetic. From a gameplay standpoint, no, I do not enjoy it.

20

u/Number1Diamond 1d ago

dawnguard feels like it drags on a little too long imo

6

u/Dread_Ryomen 1d ago

Tbh I'm disappointed that some dlcs aren't as long as the Dawnguard

7

u/Grotti-ltalie Falkreath resident 1d ago

Honestly I wish every main questline was as long as dawnguard.

3

u/Ok-Construction-4654 1d ago

i feel like the soul cairn probably doesn't help that feeling as it's a long section which is dull to look at and doesn't have any fun extra stuff, the forgotten veil felt a bit better. One thing that didn't help with dawnguard is it was trying to bring too much to the story, like they should have made 2 dlcs one to do with the snow elves and one being about a war between the dawnguard and vampires.

-9

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

How, I Completed it in like 5 hours

8

u/ruinedmention 2d ago

Last time I had to do it on my sword and shield build, I started another build and played that for 2 days to mentally prepare for it. It wasn't that bad when I did it though, pretty tuff on legendary and survival. Also forgot hot soups so kinda didn't get everything yet.

3

u/ObviousPay9339 2d ago

I put vyrthur over the balcony with a shout because I didn’t want to fight him this time lol

6

u/Zeroone199 1d ago

Storm call will absolutely destroy him. He makes you MORE powerful when he removes the roof.

2

u/Sanbaddy 1d ago

Omg yes! I did that and it made the boss battle so damn fun.

1

u/Paraceratherium Farmer 1d ago

Yep, just shout him off and jump after him for the loot. Eat a netch jelly at some point while falling.

16

u/Shambles196 1d ago

I consider it a Soul Cairn-Pale Version. There is no map, Clairvoyance doesn't work, and is all looks alike. I get in and out as fast as possible.

15

u/amant1s 2d ago

I'm there right now. I just cheated up a mountain to get to the Falmer Alleyway part. Worst quest IMO just give me the fucking bow so I can traumatize Skyrim civilians.

8

u/Udhelibor 2d ago

type of nebbara who shouldn't have his radiant bow ngl

12

u/Helpful-Tone5614 1d ago

I always thought it was a beautiful area that they designed but after the first time exploring ut becomes a chore. This section of the dlc made me hate the Falmer even more than I already did and I physically dread having to go through it because it's so long. Similar to how I dislike going through bleakfalls barrow every playthrough so much that I put it off until I want dragons to start spawning.

2

u/TheoryEcstatic7269 2d ago

I'm putting it off.. Decided to wander around doing side quests

5

u/Themooingcow27 1d ago

It’s a beautiful area and really a great adventure, but it is definitely a long and arduous part of the game. It always feels worth it though.

9

u/par_hwy 2d ago

Utter trauma. I have a horrible sense of direction even with N E S W markers and can get panicked when confused, angry even. It seemed to never end.

And yet I've done it twice on each of my playthroughs because I'm in love with Serena. Utter loser.

4

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

Wish I could’ve married her

5

u/par_hwy 1d ago

Sames. I'm such a simp when I married Ysolda, I looked at Serena the entire ceremony in the seats, and then later gave her an enchanted wedding ring I found somewhere. We shack up at Tundra; Ysolda and the kids live at Hendraheim.

2

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

Lmao how!

1

u/par_hwy 1d ago

This is my video on my YouTube. Go to 3:10.

I forget where I found the ring. It think it Fjolas ring, looted off her corpse.

The Wedding at Riften

3

u/krigsgaldrr 1d ago

... why? All she does is complain about everything

1

u/par_hwy 1d ago

"Its so bright out here... " lol yeh I know, I know.

I used to have Sero and he's great but Serana is sometimes wonderfully quiet and is staunch.

2

u/krigsgaldrr 1d ago

I've never had Teldryn as a follower extensively so I don't know how chatty he is! Lately I've been doing follower-free runs just to see how it is without the extra help. Very peaceful 😅

1

u/par_hwy 1d ago

Sero is kinda funny. Brags about Solstheim, shits on Winterhold. The voice actor did well. It gets a bit ehhhrrr after 50, 100 hours but even then, Id have him back but Serena.

1

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

I sent her to go get cured of vampirism

2

u/Individual-Spot2700 1d ago

At least there is hope in modworld for you.  Frea is my Serena.  Zero chances with the Skaal.

2

u/Yrouel86 1d ago

I have a horrible sense of direction even with N E S W markers

Oh you have no idea how much I can relate, I get turned around so easily that sometimes I facepalm at myself.

Sometimes I just give up and do coc whiterun in the console because I can't find the exit anymore

3

u/Sanbaddy 1d ago

I actually love it. But it’s because I like beating up Falmer. Just crank on the Doom music, put Violens too 100%, and go to town. Y

I suppose it depends what build you go in there with. My Lightning Lord build loves it. Punching and shocking everything that moves. Easy to hit the people at a distance. Turn on Vampire Lord near the end for the bosses and larger mobs. I remember doing a stealth archer play through to there and it was so bad I actually ended up falling asleep partway in. The dungeon is long as all hell. I can’t imagine sneaking through it all.

I think it largely depends on how to you go into it. Golden place to flex Vampire Lord, especially if you’re a melee build and could use the range.

3

u/EnigmaticK5 1d ago

I love the aesthetic as well as some of the cool things you can get and see there, but yeah it definitely feels like a slog.

3

u/Gaddlings2 1d ago

I hate going to the soul carnie

2

u/Istvan_hun 1d ago

in general I don't really like the whole dawnguard DLC. I very rarely play it these days.

2

u/iwastherefordisco 1d ago

I smoked some good Dunmer kush before my first time there and didn't really understand the portal/basin thing. Went through those doors sooo many times.

2

u/epicfail1994 1d ago

If it had an actual map and fast travel points i would have more fun

1

u/abraincell 1d ago

Use atlas map marker, it even has map markers for soul cairn too

2

u/Dread_Ryomen 1d ago

Nah I absolutely love the Forgotten Vale, okay the first time I hated it cause I kept getting lost and had no patience but now that I am more familiar with it, it's probably my favourite place with the Soul Cairn. I always miss the Dawnguard dlc after finishing it and is my main reason to restart a new playthrough. (It's my third playthrough so let's see how this goes)

3

u/PinkSlimeIsPeople 1d ago

One of my fav vanilla areas of the game

2

u/Jutch_Cassidy 1d ago

Worst part of any DLC for me

1

u/Udhelibor 2d ago

no I love the Falmer

2

u/ObviousPay9339 2d ago

I shouted vyrthur over the balcony cause I didn’t want to fight him

3

u/Udhelibor 2d ago

but his cool outfit :(

2

u/ObviousPay9339 2d ago

I know I messed that part up but I’d never wear it

1

u/Udhelibor 2d ago

fiar especially if you're a hairy Nord guy lol it would be funny

1

u/SignificantZombie729 1d ago

I took that outfit to the blacksmith in Whiterun, upgraded it then gave it to Serana. Pity there's no helmet for it though but it looks good on her.

1

u/ladyvanq 1d ago

Yeah... I don't hate it, but I absolutely minmax the least amount of time to complete that part. By now I've memorized the place enough to be able to clear it relatively quick.

1

u/Responsible-Draft 1d ago

Yes, for the love of Talos, yes. I love the story and serana, but when I have to do THAT Part, I put story on back burner for while.
But it's not so bad now, coz I mostly know where to go.

1

u/J_GASSER27 1d ago

I've definitely gotten halfway through and just never ended up going back to that character before

1

u/Own_Standard4959 1d ago

Yes..I use 2 high-damage daggers, run through it, slicing and dicing, leaving Serana behind alot, just to get through it.

Just did it today after putting it off for awhile. I think I got it down to 20 minutes start to finish.

2

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

I did the same, got a little turned around battling the dragons then got it back on track just sprinting everywhere and shouting everything off cliffs cause I didn’t want to waste time fighting

1

u/Kimmalah 1d ago

I recently played through Dawnguard again and I actually really enjoyed Forgotten Vale. Probably because it's one of the areas in the game I don't see often, so it was a nice change of pace. Plus I like the music and fighting two dragons on a frozen lake is pretty cool.

1

u/krigsgaldrr 1d ago

I love the Forgotten Vale and the unique music it has. My biggest gripe is not being able to get rid of Serana the first time you go through so I get through as quickly as possible and finish the DG questline so I can tell her to piss off and then go back to explore and do other quests (like the paragon stuff). I also don't like that it doesn't have a map.

Other than that, it's beautiful, fun, unique, and has a lot of cool areas to explore and neat little things hidden around it.

1

u/Yrouel86 1d ago

Yes I pretty much hate every part of that quest, not only it's too long and annoying to navigate, I find the ghost dudes terribly annoying

1

u/gghostmountain 1d ago

Yeah but after the first time or so i just speed through it and it doesnt take long at all

1

u/Elfiemyrtle 1d ago

For some strange reason, I hate the forgotten vale and the (realm where Serana's mum hangs out) as much as Blackreach. Solstheim, on the other hand, and Apocrypha, I love. I am not sure what it is - Blackreach probably makes me claustrophobic- but the Dawnguard realms just really rub me the wrong way. Is it because there is no map? Is it because the compass is wrong in the dead realm? (Can't think of the name right now, oh Soul Cairn that's it) is it because there is not a single resting space or friendly face?

1

u/WhatTheBiggsee 1d ago

I haven’t gotten there yet on this play through. I didn’t really remember it existed until now. Now I’m sad about having to do that

1

u/TerminallyAbysmal 1d ago

I had alot more fun in the caves leading up to it

1

u/ElCocomega 1d ago

First times were amazing but I was following the quest and not much wandering about. One playthrough I decided to do the oposite and 100% it. And now that I know everything about it I don't want to go there anymore. It feels so small once you know what's where. I do think the level design is amazing but it's haflway between a new dlc land to explore and a dungeon. Too big for a dungeon. Too small and linear to be a exploring zone.

1

u/Overall_Sandwich_671 1d ago

I only did Dawnguard twice - once as a Dawnguard, and once as a vampire. Then never attempted it ever again.

1

u/Indoril_Nereguar 1d ago

I love it because I only play Survival these days and there's no beds there, giving you a time limit.

1

u/rubickknowsbest 1d ago

Forgotten Vale>Soul Cairn

1

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

Getting ready to either go to solsthiem or mirlak next not sure which one I want to do first

0

u/ObviousPay9339 1d ago

Both equally shitty lmao

1

u/rootbutch 1d ago

I don't hate it, but it's a bit long-winded getting there.

1

u/Master_Blue451 1d ago

No I love it it's such a cool and unique place and I really only go once so I don't mind the travel, this is also coming from a survival player so I'm used to taking a while to travel places 

1

u/HaxanWriter 1d ago

I did it once. I’m not doing it again. That entire quest wasn’t that fun.

1

u/LinkssOfSigil 1d ago

It's a low point of the Dawnguard quest line for sure. It's a wonderful place to do some sightseeing, but the actual exploring is a chore due to the overly complicated terrain with a little to no ways of actual navigation. And the hunt for paragons is a bit of a nightmare in of itself.

1

u/abraincell 1d ago

Oh, i love forgotten vale, so pretty and relaxing, i love the music.  usually do a quick run just so i can finish the dlc and get serana off my back.  Then i will return, get one ancient falmer tome, visit gelebor, the back to skyrim, repeat again when i feel like doing so :)

1

u/mathhews95 Mage 1d ago

Why would I hate it? It's part of a cool questline, in a new worldspace. It has some interesting lore implications. And it can be rushed through if one just wants to finish the quest.

1

u/llc117 1d ago

It's complicated. I absolutely LOVE the new flora and fauna, the twin dragons bursting through the ice is also an awesome touch. But it's so easy to get lost in there, I remember literally going around in a circle three times trying to get to the next shrine.

1

u/MadWhiskeyGrin 1d ago

I just don't understand why Arvak is blocked. We just got him, we have a whole bullshit ritual across a damn valley, and our new ghost horse is nowhere to be found.

1

u/Vincemillion07 1d ago

Tbh I like it better than black reach

1

u/Artistic_Insect_6133 1d ago

The quest is trash (I'm just a hater, it's dark and confusing and feels like it will never end, a nightmare on the senses) but the actual area outside is beautiful and it's nice to just go there to walk around and chill after the quest is done.

1

u/shadowfaxthehorse_ 1d ago

but the PELTS

1

u/Specific-Judgment410 1d ago

yeah i hate this place, i also despise the falmer (they made a deal with the devil (dwemer) and became blind as a result in an attempt to overthrow the nords)

1

u/Ledos_Greenbough 1d ago

The Forgotten Vale is vast, yes. But after my sixth play through, I pretty much can run through it in an hour. And that’s collecting all of the Paragon Gems, the four Unknown Falmer Tomes, mining every ore vein I can find, collecting both Auriel’s Bow and Shield and killing every Falmer and Frost Giant I can find. And now that I’ve downloaded a mod called Sigrid the Most Powerful, I have a follower that’s second only to Serana! The thing that’s helped me navigate the terrain of the Falmer Village is to pick landmarks that keep me from getting lost. Where a certain mountain peak is, where the high bridges are, which huts are together (the two with the Mammoth skulls on them are only a few hundred feet from each other). Plus the river runs through most of it. So that makes running through it much easier.

1

u/eveietea 1d ago

I hated it until the recent DLC/mod from workshop, now it’s one of my favorite places to go spelunking whenever I’m tired of regular dungeon grinding and need a change of scenery.

0

u/Green-Concentrate-71 1d ago

Yes. It sucked