I still play. On the PS3. I’m level 43. But I’ve only ever completed ten or so of the side-missions and only two or three of the main missions/Quests. I’m the Archmage of Winterhold and a Bard (not that this seems to be of any real import) and various other things.
I have huge piles of treasures, have bought safehouses in three cities, cleaned out numerous forts and towers (some multiple times) in every province to make them my bases of operations.
I have many magical items I have created myself such as the Gunngard, the Gunnbolt, and the Gunndrang. I created my own armor.
I have ridden to or climbed the tops of every mountain peak including the one where the old dragon lives (but not during a mission) on my own. I have numerous shouts and other capabilities, I’ve been to the swimming edge of every ocean and to the far frontiers (as far as the game will let me go) in every province or hold. I stopped counting how many dragons I killed. (I have a reserve of thirty dragon souls.) God only knows how many monsters I’ve slain or bandits I’ve killed.
And I did that all by avoiding the missions, most of which I didn’t care for and certainly wasn’t going to do, like eating a corpses, or setting ambushes for innocent people for demonic little godlings, etc. I don’t give a crap about that kinda crap in the game. I wish the game were different in that respect.
However, to me this is the single bets game yet made for roaming unhindered, free travel, vadding, exploring, and just plain wandering about at will. The exploration aspect is incredible.
The freedom, the landscapes, the world, the general setting, they are all fantastic. Also I’ve become extremely skilled with the bow. This is also one of the best sniping games I’ve ever played. (I can out an arrow in an eye socket from a considerable distance with a headshot.) I practice ambush at every occasion. I aloes very much like how easy it is to get killed if you are foolish no matter your level.
I’ve become extremely good at many skills such as enchantment, smithing, archery, sneaking, etc. in the game. I’ve taken I don’t know how much warbooty. I’ve worked for just about everyone and am not aligned to anyone. I have three horses, stabled at different areas and wardogs. I have hirelings I contract pretty much at will scattered in different locales. I have a huge personal library. More money and gemstones and other valuables than I’ll ever need. The places I happen across are often amazing and fascinating.
For those reasons I still play it, and love it. If only it were better in other ways. And most of the missions didn’t suck. But most do.
