Like any RPG, Skyrim asks the player to make choices that impact the story and the world. They can make friends or enemies with NPCs, they pick sides in several questlines. The Dragonborn can choose to be cruel or merciful, decide what kind of character to play. However, several choices that the player can make would seem to have greater implications than they do within the game.
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Furthermore, some quests that should have follow-up objectives simply leave loose ends hanging. Some planned quests or gameplay aspects were never fully implemented. Here are a few things in Skyrim that lack closure, whether due to unfinished elements or lack of planning.
10 The Missing Apprentices
If the player speaks to Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold, he will tell them about four apprentices who recently disappeared. He will task the Dragonborn with finding out what happened to them; however, no quest entries will appear in the journal and no objectives will appear on the map.
Though Phinis claims that none of them were doing particularly dangerous experiments, all of the apprentices are dead. Their bodies can be found around Skyrim; however, the player cannot return to Phinis with whatever information they find.
9 Boethiah's Bidding
Like "The Missing Apprentices," this is another unused quest that never made it into the final game. Designed as a follow-up to "Boethiah's Calling," it would have had Boethiah command the player to assassinate Elisif the Fair.
Plenty of dialogue exists relating to this quest. The player would have posed as a bodyguard to kill Elisif, after which her thane Erikur would ascend Solitude's throne. Further lines indicates his involvement in the assassination plot. However, players cannot access this dialogue or receive the quest through normal means.
8 Falion's Shifty Behavior
Morthal's court mage, Falion holds a sinister reputation among his neighbors. Even Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone, who possesses mystical abilities of her own, has her suspicions and asks the Dragonborn to tail him.
The player can follow Falion to a summoning circle in the marshes, and becomes defensive if the player confronts him. His evasive demeanor, as well as Agni and Joric's dark premonitions about him, lend weight to the rumors. Perhaps more was originally planned for his character, but the player cannot uncover whatever secret Falion is hiding.
7 The Black-Briar Family Relationships
There are plenty of secrets surrounding Riften's most powerful family, and just one is the muddled information as to Hemming Black-Briar's relationship to the rest of the clan. He consistently refers to Maven as his mother, like Sibbi and Ingun do. However, some dialogue refers to Sibbi and Ingun as Hemming's children rather than his siblings.
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This dialogue suggests that Hemming may have been originally written as Maven's husband rather than her son. The Creation Kit, meanwhile, lists Maven as Hemming's mother and Ingun and Sibbi's grandmother.
6 Silus Vesuius and the Mythic Dawn
In Dawnstar, Silus Vesuius has opened a museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn. Oblivion players will recognize this cult of Mehrunes Dagon, as it was behind Uriel Septim's death and the Oblivion Crisis.
No explanation exists for how Silus's artifacts survived the Mythic Dawn's eradication. Furthermore, it's an unlikely coincidence that the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor all ended up in Skyrim. Considering the intent was that it never be reassembled, each fragment should have been sent to separate corners of Tamriel—yet, they're a stone's throw from each other.
5 The Forsworn Uprising
Camped out in caves and strongholds throughout the Reach, the Forsworn fight tooth and nail for the right to rule their native land. The player may choose to help Forsworn prisoners during "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine," and can gain King Madanach's favor upon siding with him in the quest.
However, after the prison break, nothing changes for the Forsworn. They gain no territory and make no progress towards their goal of ruling the Reach. What's more, Forsworn will still attack the Dragonborn without mercy, except at Madanach's camp.
4 The Windhelm Pit
This unfinished area in Windhelm was originally intended as the city's prison system. Upon arrest, guards would have thrown the player into an arena, where they would fight duels to win their freedom and entertain a crowd. There is even an unused character, Huki Seven-Swords, who would supervise such battles.
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The player cannot visit the Pit without the use of console commands. However, Windhelm guards will sometimes refer to the city's jail as "the bloodworks," in reference to this removed area.
3 The Emperor's Assassination
For players who complete the Dark Brotherhood questline, the aftermath of "Hail Sithis!" left something to be desired. Despite the huge influence that the Empire holds, the fall of its leader feels almost inconsequential.
The Emperor's death should have a massive impact throughout Tamriel, causing panic and outrage—or perhaps a kind of grim satisfaction for the Empire's critics. Yet, nobody speaks of it, except for city guards occasionally mentioning his death. Even Amaund Motierre, who orchestrated the assassination, is never heard from again if left alive.
2 Late-Game Dragon Attacks
Throughout the main questline, characters underline the importance of defeating Alduin to save Skyrim from the dragon threat. Paarthunax, Esbern, and Delphine all imply that once Alduin is gone, the rest of the dragons will disappear as they have no master to serve.
Yet, dragons will continue to attack Skyrim after Alduin's defeat. They appear in no fewer numbers and with no less power than they did before, making the purpose of the battle against Alduin in Sovngarde questionable at best.
1 Never-Ending Civil War
Even after the Civil War questline draws to a close, the losing side remains stationed at military camps throughout the realm. The Dragonborn may receive orders to wipe out such a camp after the war is over; however, Stormcloak generals and Imperial legates remain essential, while foot soldiers respawn later.
Such a bitter conflict would likely seek to completely drive out or eradicate the losing side. The continued presence of supposedly defeated troops heavily implies that even after Ulfric or Tullius is killed, the war isn't truly over.