Heljarchen vs Lakeview for a family playthrough, which one actually wins?

[RiftenWanderer]

I'm on my third playthrough and finally committing to the whole homestead + kids thing instead of just ignoring Hearthfire entirely. Everyone seems to have strong opinions about which one is "best" but I keep seeing contradictory stuff online.

I'm leaning Lakeview because the location feels less remote, but I've also heard it gets attacked constantly? And Heljarchen is apparently better for farming but honestly I don't care about farming, I just want a place that feels like home where my adopted kids can hang out without me worrying they're getting murdered by bandits every five minutes.

What actually matters for a family setup? Like is the attack frequency real or are people just being dramatic? And does the steward you pick change anything meaningful or is that more of a roleplay thing?

 

[NordOfSolitude]

Lakeview's attack thing is real but honestly overstated - you're not gonna lose sleep over it if you're actually around the house. The bandits are usually pretty weak and your steward can handle them while you're there. Where it actually matters is if you leave your kids alone for long stretches, which fair warning, they do get kidnapped in Hearthfire if you're not careful (there's a quest that can trigger). That happens regardless of location though.

For a family vibe, Lakeview wins imo. It's closer to civilization, the setting just feels more... livable? Heljarchen's up in the mountains and yeah the farming is better but if you don't care about that it just feels isolated. The steward thing is mostly roleplay but I'd grab someone who won't annoy you because you'll see them constantly - I went with Ysolda on my family run and she's way less grating than some of the other options.

Real talk though - whichever you pick, adopt the kids early and get them settled before you go off doing major questlines. Nothing kills immersion faster than realizing you haven't checked on your family in three in-game months.