Good time to break away from main quest?

[MichaelTh1rte3n]

I was wondering when would be a good time to break away from the main quest and set about enjoying the side quests etc... I am up to the long trek to see the grey beards and was hoping to get to a point in the story where I could move away from it without it being strange. (everything seems so urgent)

[Frost Mage]

I think you should stay with it until you practice your shouts. After that, you can use any shouts you find, with enough souls.

[born2beagator]

I was wondering when would be a good time to break away from the main quest and set about enjoying the side quests etc... I am up to the long trek to see the grey beards and was hoping to get to a point in the story where I could move away from it without it being strange. (everything seems so urgent)

Once the Greybeards teach you the shouts it is a perfect time to break away.

[BabyKiller209]

Personally I broke away from it after Bleak Falls Barrow. They said I needed to go see the Greybeards, and I was like, yeah maybe later. That was 20+ levels ago

[Mekorosi]

I usually break from it after killing the dragon at the the Whiterun tower, as I believe it triggers the appearance of dragons in the wilderness.

[MorroWeiner]

(minor/vague spoiler)

After doing bits of the quest, I decided to stop after being given dragonrend, a useful shout.

[Sloady]

I usually break from it after killing the dragon at the the Whiterun tower, as I believe it triggers the appearance of dragons in the wilderness.

This

[BabyKiller209]

I usually break from it after killing the dragon at the the Whiterun tower, as I believe it triggers the appearance of dragons in the wilderness.

Yeah it's worth it too, I've never had much trouble with dragons and they have great loot.

[Duderino Abides]

When the Greybeards send you after the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller seems like the perfect time to me. I couldn't break off of the main quest after being summoned by them.

[kgnmike88]

i like to do it after i have been given dragonrend, then you can also use the greybeards to locate shout walls for you!

[SilentPsycho]

I'm planning for my mage to break off after recovering the Horn, but before X takes you to the secret room. Arrogant Mage is just going to walk straight out in a huff to return the horn right then.

[Boulderheart]

Tbh, i never really broke away from it. I did a couple of other quests here and there. But it was still the first storyline I finished. I just felt like it was the thing my character had to do.

[Torinir]

I've broken off at multiple points. After the first graybeards meeting, after the embassy mission, and before the peace conference.

[MasterRokon]

I consider anytime a good time imo, lv 46 still need to see the greybeards for the first time, funny thing is i already have that running shout they teach u XD.

[Talamare]

I believe I have a short attention span when it comes to playing Elders Scrolls games

I almost never follow a quest line to completion, quickly becoming entranced by the next shiny thing in front of me, then forget what I was doing

Even worse is if they tell me to Explore/Clear an area that I have to walk to, since every little notch that appears on the minimap on the way to my destination, I will quickly go and investigate it!

So feel free to break away at anytime

The bad guys are more than willing to wait for the global domination until you are ready

[galzohar]

Spoiler:

If you don't want to cheese the frost troll (by spamming consumables and/or running away and/or lowering difficulty), you'd have to level/gear quite a bit before you go up to the greybreards. Other than that I think the only tough part is the first fight with Alduin, but with some resistances and healing ability he's not that hard either.

Of course, if you're breaking from the main quest just to have some fun around, then any time is as good as any other time, really. Though if you're melee, I suppose dragons do become a bit less annoying once you have Dragonrend.

[Torinir]

Spoiler:

If you don't want to cheese the frost troll (by spamming consumables and/or running away and/or lowering difficulty), you'd have to level/gear quite a bit before you go up to the greybreards. Other than that I think the only tough part is the first fight with Alduin, but with some resistances and healing ability he's not that hard either.

Of course, if you're breaking from the main quest just to have some fun around, then any time is as good as any other time, really. Though if you're melee, I suppose dragons do become a bit less annoying once you have Dragonrend.

Spoiler:

You can jump up on the rocks near where the frost troll is, which breaks its pathing and allows you to shoot it with impunity. More cheese please.

[LooneyToon41]

I usually break from it after killing the dragon at the the Whiterun tower, as I believe it triggers the appearance of dragons in the wilderness.

Interesting point this. I haven't reached this point yet, but my gut says to enjoy the game without dragons, and bring them on later, once i've settled on my character path, bought my first house etc etc.
Subjective i know, but it feels right to me (Currently Level 14).

[poothoottoot]

Spoiler:

If you don't want to cheese the frost troll (by spamming consumables and/or running away and/or lowering difficulty), you'd have to level/gear quite a bit before you go up to the greybreards. Other than that I think the only tough part is the first fight with Alduin, but with some resistances and healing ability he's not that hard either.

Of course, if you're breaking from the main quest just to have some fun around, then any time is as good as any other time, really. Though if you're melee, I suppose dragons do become a bit less annoying once you have Dragonrend.

Spoiler:

You can jump up on the rocks near where the frost troll is, which breaks its pathing and allows you to shoot it with impunity. More cheese please.

Also on a table about halfway through bleak falls barrow with a weak paralysis poison on it. I always shoot it with this and blast it with fire or beat it with my sword and it falls before it gets up

[Gideon Dragontongue]

Probably you want to complete through the first act, mostly so that you get the full power of Unrelenting Force. The ends of the acts are the most obvious places to take breaks and do other stuff.

[Stormborn]

I break offafter the first visit to the Greybeards when they send me off for the horn

Spoiler:

As dorkphine has already pinched it

[Dark Spark]

(minor/vague spoiler)

After doing bits of the quest, I decided to stop after being given dragonrend, a useful shout.

This. At this point in the story the urgency of the crisis takes a pause.

After all, this is the point where Alduin

Spoiler:

scampers away with a bloodied lip.

[Ragnar-the-Red]

I think it all depends on the character you are playing as and any attempts at roleplaying you are making

[SuperNull]

I'm a hardcore mainquest ignorer in open world games. I only follow the main story when there is nothing else left to do.
This is how I played Morrowind, Oblivion, the GTA games, Saints Row 2 and Just Cause.
In Skyrim I like the world better without dragons, so I hold off going to Bleak Falls Barrow. It prevents a lot of quest bugs too, because there are so many sequences that can be ducked up by a sudden dragon attack.

[Avron the S'wit]

I ignored the main quest for a while, and just did the Whiterun quest that spawns dragons. I think that after seeing the Greybeards is a nice place, because they teach you about the shouts and give you good practice and new ones. After that, you can sort of meander off while being armed with good knowledge. If you roleplay, you can take it as a sort of "thinking it over" kind of thing...that's what I do. Except I think it over for a long time, hehehe.

I like to do the main quest as it happens naturally for me in gameplay, and I find the pace is different with each character. Do what feels right to you.