Bethesda is widely regarded as one of the top devs for role playing games, their games practically define the genre of modern RPG gaming. Fallout 4 and Skyrim are the latest offerings from their flagship franchises, so naturally it makes sense to compare them, especially since they’re running on the same engine.
Since Fallout 4 was released four years after Skyrim, you would expect it to have improved by leaps and bounds, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Ultimately, the true measure of a game is how much fun you have playing it, so the best yardstick is to simply compare the quests that each game has to offer. So that’s what they did. Let’s take a look at the fallout from that comparison…
A quest can last just a few minutes or go on for hours depending on what the tasks are, and how equipped you are for the challenge.
Everyone who has ever played a Bethesda game knows how easy it is to get sidetracked by all of the extra missions outside of the main story, and this author tends to prefer the side quests in Skyrim.
Neither title skimps on the side quests, which can easily eat up a lot more time than running through the main storyline. Even with some of the bugs and glitches, you know you’re going to get your moneys worth when you pick up a Bethesda title.
Two people took the time to compare all of the quests from Skyrim and Fallout 4, and to compile two very in-depth infographics. Needless to say, one of these infographics is a lot more in-depth because one of these games simply has a lot more content than the other one.
You don’t need to read the entire infographic, a quick glance reveals which game comes out on top. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better game overall, but for the purpose of this comparison there is a clear winner.
We weren’t expecting the results to be so cut-and-dry, so it’s a bit surprising to say the least.
Skyrim takes the trophy here. It has 19 main story missions, and more side-quests than we’re willing to count. Fallout 4 has 12 main quests, and plenty of side-quests, which still puts it ahead of most games – but it pales in comparison to what Skyrim has to offer in terms of overall content.
Don’t forget about the DLC, either. Needless to say, whichever game you’re playing, you’re in for hundreds of hours of entertainment if you want to see everything they have to offer.
Fallout 4 Entire Questline (Click to Zoom)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Entire Questline (Click to Zoom)
10 internet points to whoever is willing to count all of the quests from this Skyrim infographic. It’s also worth noting that some of the Fallout 4 quests can get a bit repetitive, whereas Skyrim has more variety.
It will suffice to say that Skyrim is a far superior game when it comes to questing and offers a lot more depth, and a lot more options.
In all fairness, the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises aren’t meant to be identical. They’re different games that appeal to somewhat different audiences, which is really highlighted by some of the decisions they made in Fallout 3 vs Fallout 4, which allowed the latter to appeal to a wider mainstream audience.
Having said that, it’s still interesting to see this comparison and also a bit surprising to find out how easily Skyrim actually manages to come out on top.