A Debate Over How You Should Path Through Skyrim's Whiterun Has Proven Divisive

Summary

• Whiterun holds sentimental value for Skyrim players, central to key storylines and quests in the game.
• A debate rages on Twitter over two routes to Dragonsreach, with "red liners" facing a lot of opposition.
• Alternating paths in Whiterun can provide unique experiences and a deeper appreciation for the city's details.

Whiterun is a city that holds a lot of sentimentality for players of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It's the first major city most players visit and it remains central to several story threads and quest lines throughout the game, always giving players a reason to return.

Skyrim has always been a game where you learn something new every time you play it, even after a decade of new playthroughs. However, Whiterun is one of the most thoroughly explored areas in Skyrim. Sure, you might discover a new inconsequential character in Dawnstar, but Nazeem, Belethor, Ysolda? We all know who they are.

Recently, X (formerly Twitter) user and avid Skyrim fan Lindawg posted an aerial map of Whiterun with two paths highlighted, one in red and one in green, captioned with a simple question: "Are you a red liner or a green liner?" These paths are two alternate routes to Dragonsreach.

The green line has you enter at the main gates and walk directly up the path past Warmaidens and Breezehome, before going up the stairs at the market, skirting past Jorvaskrr and then beginning the climb up the hill to Dragonsreach.

The red line is an alternate route, where you turn left at the main gates, climb up the stairs to the residential area, heading past the Temple of Kynareth before reaching the hill leading to Dragonsreach.

A Passionate Debate

The responses have been contentious. "Who in the world runs that red line? Can't even hit the shop on the way in," one replier says. "Red liners don't actually exist," another concurs. "Green, you have to be a certified psycho if you avoid the town square." While the overwhelming majority of responses are green, the so-called 'green liners' appear to be offended by the mere suggestion of an alternate route to seeing Jarl Balgruuf (or Vignar).

A couple of repliers have admitted they take the green line on the way to Dragonsreach and the red line away from the castle. A brave pragmatist has even said they take the green line only if they have some shopping to do on the way, other than that, they are staunch red-liners.

As with everything, perhaps the best thing to do is to alternate your path from time to time. If you never go the red route, you'll never appreciate the rhythmic shambling of the skeletons echoing out from the Hall of the Dead. If you never go green, you won't be able to visit the market stalls and marvel at the stability of Whiterun's food economy. Variety is the spice of life.

Skyrim

WHERE TO PLAY

One of the all-time greats, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim redefined the concept of the Western RPG. With countless awards under its belt and releases on almost every platform imaginable, you'll find yourself engrossed in a colossal open world in your role as the Dragonborn. You must face your destiny and save the land from a formidable foe.