The Greybeards are basically useless and the game never acknowledges it

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

The more I think about it, the more it bugs me that the Greybeards are treated like this ancient font of wisdom when they literally just teach you shouts you've already found in dungeons. Like, Arngeir tells you to go get the shout from Bleak Falls Barrow and then acts like he's imparting some sacred knowledge when you bring it back to him.

And don't get me started on the whole "the Way of the Voice" philosophy. They preach nonviolence but you can murder half of Skyrim and they never care. Paarthurnax breaks his oath and they're like "oh well, we can't help you with that decision." The Dragonborn is literally reshaping the fate of the world and they're up on their mountain reading books.

Compare that to the College of Winterhold where at least the Arch-Mage is actively doing something, or the Companions where Kodlak has actual stakes in the story. The Greybeards feel like they exist just to gate the main quest behind a few fetch missions. You could cut them entirely and lose nothing except some voice acting about the Voice.

Am I being unfair here or does anyone else feel like they're just window dressing?

 

[RiftenWanderer]

I get the frustration, but I think you're being a bit harsh. Yeah, they don't do much actively, but that's kind of the point - they're meant to be this detached, philosophical order that exists outside the normal power structures of Skyrim. The College is running experiments and the Companions are doing contracts because that's what those organizations do. The Greybeards aren't supposed to be action heroes.

That said, you're right that the game doesn't really commit to their philosophy. Like, the fact that they're cool with you being a mass murderer does undercut the whole "Way of the Voice" thing. And yeah, the Paarthurnax situation is awkward - they basically shrug and say it's not their problem, which feels like a cop-out for what should be a bigger moral conflict.

But I'd argue they're less useless and more just... narratively distant? They're gatekeeping the main quest not because the game needs them to, but because Skyrim's structure requires someone to teach you shouts and point you toward the main story. Could it have been anyone else? Maybe. But there's something fitting about it being monks who genuinely believe in the Voice rather than some random NPC. They're not compelling characters, but they're not supposed to be.