What should I do now?

[SoliDeoGloriaIHS]

I've been playing Skyrim pretty religiously the past several weeks.  I have just over 160 hours sunk into the game so far.  I am currently at level 39 (almost 40) and have achieved all but three of the main game trophies for the platinum.  The only trophies I have left for the platinum are Thief (Pick 50 locks and 50 pockets), Skill Master (Get a skill to 100) and Master (Reach Level 50).  I am deliberately holding off on doing 50 pickpockets for the Thief trophy so that I can pop that as my very last trophy after earning all other main game and dlc trophies for both the platinum and 100% so I can make the platinum be the last trophy I earn.  Just something I feel like doing with this game.  Anyways, I'm digressing.  My question is....With only three main game trophies left and all three dlc packs ahead of me, what should I tackle next?  What would be the most efficient and fun way to go about tackling the dlc and continuing to level up?  I know I'm going to have to level up my smithing to level 80 for the Dragonborn dlc (it's currently at level 37) and I'm also aware that I need to be at an overall level of at least 78 in order for a legendary dragon to appear and thus to be able to find one and slay one for the Dawnguard dlc Legend trophy (Defeat a legendary dragon).  Basically, I feel like I'm at a bit of a crossroads as far as what I should do next?  Is there a particularly efficient yet fun way of approaching what's left i.e. does it really matter or should I just tackle all the dlc in whatever way I feel?  Any advice from anyone who has 100%ed this beast of a game already would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advance. ☺️

[damon8r351]

Pretty much however you feel like doing it. That's why I like Elder Scrolls games, you can do side quests in whatever order you feel like and take as long as you want. Personally, I've filtered in Dawnguard quests in between other activities whenever I was in the area as I go instead of waiting till the end. I've also filtered in Dragonborn quests as I go, but that's because I don't mind making the hike to Windhelm to catch the boat to Solstheim whenever I feel like heading there. There's also some interesting abilities to gain from the Black Book side quests there too, like the ability to stop accidentally harming followers in battle or your own Dremora butler to carry your crap for you. If you're impatient with travel, Dragonborn quests mostly take place on the island of Solstheim (which requires a boat ride from Windhelm), but Dawnguard quests have you zigzagging all across the map.

[SoliDeoGloriaIHS]

Okay.  Thanks, bro.  I kinda figured it probably didn't matter that much either way, but always good to get some advice.  I guess no matter how you do it, it all has to get done. LOL Thank you for your input.  And thanks for the background info on the two different DLCs.  So Dragonborn has you going to one island and Dawnguard has you jackassin' all over Skyrim. LOL Got it.  I'll keep that in mind.

[ElyssarArFeiniel]

The first thing you should do is make sure you can do Hearthfire, specifically getting the Falkreath plot of land (depends on siding with the Stormcloaks if you completed the Dark Brotherhood sidequest, or luck). Then get all three and start working towards building them for the trophies. They take a lot of effort to get the materials unless you fast-travel between Solitude and Riften to get the merchants to respawn inventories, or use the exploit to get them to do that. You'll sink a lot of money into buying logs as they can't be done efficiently or reliably any other way. So just get them started, and remember to loot the materials when you can and return to do some more construction after a few quests elsewhere.

 

I filtered Dawnguard into my Skyrim area playthrough, because I wanted to end as a werewolf, though I focused on one faction at a time. I played the game to enjoy while keeping an eye on the trophies, so it took me a lot longer than needed to plat. You'll want to work towards the werewolf and vampire lord skill levels as they require quite a few kills each. The werewolf skill line can be done once you have it from the Companions (or Aela can restore it once if you cured yourself), and you could do it alongside the Dragonborn quests. The vampire lord skill line is much easier to level up imo. Make sure to get the trophy once you have the ability unless you plan on keeping it.

 

Everything else should come naturally as you do the main quests, just be sure to not lock yourself out of any trophies by accident (the skill lines or the buggy Stalhrim quest) by keeping a couple of saves handy. That should just leave you with the legendary dragon to find and maybe some miscellaneous ones. I was very lucky that my first dragon encounter after reaching the level was a legendary but it can be frustrating to find one. There is a counter for random dragon appearances, so if you encounter one and it isn't a legendary it might be easier to reload an autosave and see if it changes, than wait for the counter to refresh (or else keep trying the various dragon walls).