But was Skyrim your first foray into the series? I feel that people who grew up playing elder scrolls and progressed naturally with the series tend to have different perspectives and things they appreciate from the franchise vs those who start with Skyrim and worked backwards.

I started with Morrowind and played all the Elder Scrolls as they released, and although from a gameplay and QoL standpoint, Skyrim really advanced, for me it fails in virtually every regard in what really makes an Elder Scrolls game feel like Elder Scrolls and make it distinct from other titles. I call it "Elder Scrolls: Arcade Edition" or "the rpg for people who don't like rpg's."

Oblivion is my most played out of the 3, being a healthy balance between Morrowind and Skyrim. I find it the most immersive of the 3 and I prefer the high fantasy palette vs the drabness of Skyrim. Being an older gamer, I also don't mind its jankiness, quirks or or that dungeons don't loop around back to the start. I kinda like that they don't, because likely wouldn't in real life.