Moments Of Awe

[Henson]

Could be from any game (but mainly Skyrim for me)...

What locations do you remember having moments of awe and wonder? Cool spot? Beautiful view? Share below!

Include pictures, screenshots, or concept art for reference and fake internet bonus points

I have always heard people complain about the Soul Cairn due to the size combined with map restrictions but I have always adored that area. Absolutely frightening and intriguing all at the same time.

[Ramses the Rad]

Blackreach.

Such an extreme contrast to everything else you've seen in Skyrim up until that point, and there's nothing in the game like it. Since, picking up Morrowind, it's grown on me even more.

[Furrion 17]

For skyrim I'll pick 3

1. The Forgotten Vale. This place never ceases to amaze me. It's so idyllic and the fauna are all rather unique. I'll never forget the dragon battle on the frozen lake either. I remember the first time I discovered the vale I was playing a vamp toon and ended up diving into a hole in the ice to esacape the dragon fire. I got lost beneath the lake and drowned trapped under the ice lol.
2. Sovengarde. I think everyone was at least a little wowed by this one at some point toward the end of the MQ. It's just such a stark contrast compared to the rest of Skyrim. The colors seemed so much more saturated and fantasy like than the dull grey tones I'd grown accustomed too.
3. Fort Dawngaurd. The first time i ventured to Fort Dawngaurd I remebr thinking oh wow, now that is one hell of a fotress. It's huge and imposing and eye catching. It's always stuck with me.
   
   For other games I'd say When you are on the collector ship in ME2. That momment it opens up and you see the sheer size of the interrior and all the space they have for those pods they were putting the Outter colony folks in. It's a real oh shit momment cause it shows what at stake if you don't beat these guys.
   
   And lastly Halo: Combat Evolved. After leaving the tight confines of The Pillar of Autumn and being met with vast and expansive evironment of  the Instalation 04 Halo Ring, I was always left with a wonder and curiosity of just how intriguing and majestic the creators of such a construct were. We obviously know now, but 18 years back my young brain swam with the possibilities and excitement of just who these mysterious "Forerunners" were.

[Curse]

For me the choice is easy. The deep caverns of the Clockwork Castle quest mod. This place is absolutely breathtaking in its scope and depth. You can spend hours down here exploring while fighting for your life against the horrors of dwemer engineering. 

[Pixel]

I'll do three, one from Skyrim and two from Assassins Creed.

1. Dayspring Canyon (Skyrim) - The combination of the beautiful pond with the stunning ice waterfalls and those wonderful fall like trees from Riften at the entrance before you even get to see Fort Dawnguard is just a wondrous sight. I ignored everything that kid said for the quest the first time through because I couldn't take my eyes off this awesome location.

2. Statue of Poseidon (Assassins Creed Odyssey) - Between two islands in the Agean Sea is this beautiful rocky outcrop jutting out of the sea, and on the western tip is this massive statue of Poseidon, God of the Sea. The statue captures the Greek God in all his glory,beholding back the waves with his awesome power. You can actually climb up the statue and sit on the tip of his stone trident. Man sitting up there and watching the waves and listening to the sea birds and the ocean was an incredible experience.

3. Lake Meortis (Assassins Creed Origins) - In Northern Egypt there's this vast lake outside of Alexandria. The location itself is lush and beautiful in stark contrast with the desert surrounding it, but what really got me was all these small fishermen's boats dotting the body of water. At the reedy coastlines of the lake there were a number of small falucca sailboats that you could hop in, and sailing across the lake with the wind whipping around Bayek was one of the coolest things I've ever done in a video game.

[pox]

Blackreach for me as well.  When you leave the Dwemer ruin part and step out into this eerily beautiful expanse...wow!

I feel sorry for the Falmer, never being able to see this place.

[Ponty]

Good topic Henson! In terms of TES there are a few that stick out for me:

• Blackreach & The Forgotten Vale - having what are essentially two whole unexpected worlds opening up before you was a real wow moment for me. It cops a lot of flak from folks but I think the Forgotten Vale is my favourite zone in Skyrim to date. The music, stark landscape and ruined architecture work together to build up this mysterious and melancholic vibe, and the encounter with the twin dragons on the frozen lake is the cherry on top!

• Shivering Isles Intro - the meeting room with Haskill disintegrating into a cloud of butterflies BLEW 14 year old Ponty's mind back in the day. The way the butterflies trail off into the distance, drawing your eyes over the new landscape for you to explore was simply stunning.

• Abah's Landing in ESO - Just arrived here yesterday and this architecture and scale of this city blew me away. Definitely feels the most alive out of all the places in ESO I've been to so far, and I'd love to see it in a mainline game someday.

[PCOUTCAST]

The first 'wow' location most of us ever saw in Skyrim and still one of my favorites: Lake Illinalta

And pretty much any angle of Toussaint - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine

[Cannon]

For me the first thing that comes to mind is the moment you leave vault 101 in Fallout 3. the blinding light effect has me caught off-guard every time.

Second moment would be the butterflies in the introductory sequence of Shivering Isles DLC, as mentioned by Ponty.

Another one would be White-Gold tower as seen from the vantage point of Dive Rock.

[ye4thorn]

The sky's of Apocrypha over Red Mountain.

[Henson]

Good pick! Delicious image.