It’s been a long time coming but we’ve finally arrived. After years of fan speculation, Bethesda has made the official announcement to the crown jewel of their franchises: Elder Scrolls: VI. The Elder Scrolls V propelled the franchise into the 50 million dollar club — Skyrim was their biggest success. But Skyrim was originally released nearly eight years ago, so this announcement was one of the biggest of E3. Fans of the series have been working hard to decipher every meticulous detail from the teaser trailer. Good luck keeping it all together on your own though, as this is as rich of lore as they come. If you are interested in taking the dive into The Elder Scrolls: VI rabbit hole you’ve come to the right place. Here I’ve assembled the top fan theories into one place to save you some headache of sifting through all of it. After all, we are talking about one of the most expansive fantasies in modern video game history. Trying to wrap your head around it all can be an extremely overwhelming task. Thankfully, Bethesda has set the blueprint for their two most popular titles, utilizing commonalities as a means of expressing their brand of gaming. In other words, Fallout and Elder Scrolls fill a mold that makes them incredibly similar. But what if I were to tell you that TES: VI will not only buck that trend, it will also transcend anything we’ve seen from video games up until this point? That almost seems like an impossible task to accomplish yet it’s in the realm of possibility, we are talking about Bethesda after-all. Let’s take a closer look at the mystery that is The Elder Scrolls: VI.
23 Completely Revamped Combat
If there has ever been an Achilles heel to the series it has been its shoddy combat mechanics. Plaguing the series since it originated we’ve seen growth in the combat systems from game to game. While Skyrim has decent enough combat to enjoy it, there are still far too many inconsistencies with hit registration, awkward animations, and bizarre rag-doll physics. If there is any area that needs improvement in The Elder Scrolls: VI, it would be tightening up the combat to at least meet the current generations standards.
22 Did Morrowind Predict The Elder Scrolls: VI Plot?
TES III: Morrowind holds a special place in the hearts of many RPG fans. Which is why people cannot stop playing it over 16 years later. Other than being a stellar video game, perhaps there is another reason to revisit The Elder Scrolls III. A number of fans certainly are convinced.
Particularly, because Morrowind has made accurate predictions in the past. When the player visits the Ald’ruhun Temple and speak to the cleric named Lloros Sarano he makes mention of the possibility of an invasion by the Akaviri. The only thing they are waiting on is the “Empire to collapse in a Civil War”. That war could be referring to the one we saw in Skyrim between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial empire, leaving the door open for the rest of Lloros’ prophecy to come true. If you have a copy, boot up TES III: Morrowind and see for yourself!
21 Procedurally Generated Dungeons
We all have a favorite Elder Scrolls dungeon. After all, it’s a popular staple of the series. Yet, these are games that you sink hundreds of hours on between multiple playthroughs, the predictability of these hand-crafted areas can grow monotonous. With the rise of the roguelike games, procedurally generated dungeons (PGDs) have stepped into the spotlight, and for good reason. It keeps the player on their toes, with them never quite knowing what to expect. It is likely that The Elder Scrolls: VI follows the trend, if not partially.
It wouldn’t be the first time they introduce randomly generated dungeons in the series.
1994’s The Elder Scrolls: Arena had its own rudimentary version of this mechanic. That with the popularity of PGDs at its height, it’s a safe bet to believe VI will be the first in the mainline series to introduce it to the modern generation.
20 The Setting: High Rock Or Hammerfell
19 All-New Game Engine Debuted
18 Sheogorath Makes His Return, But With A Twist
There is a popular fan theory that your character featured in Oblivion becomes Sheogorath after the Shivering Isle expansion. It holds a credible amount of weight due to the Deadric Prince Jyggalag essentially confirming it in game.
Some believe that TES:6 will place you in the shoes of Sheogorath again
only this time your mad realm will act as a customizable hub. There isn’t much to work on to support this claim as it seems to have come to fruition due to fan intrigue.
17 Where Are The Dwemers?
16 Generations Mechanics
15 The Elder Scrolls: Co-Op Edition
Bethesda is not afraid to take major technical leaps to transcend gaming culture. We’ve seen this with their other golden goose Fallout: 76, which recently announced it would be an online experience. Since Bethesda tends to implement its technology forward, it wouldn’t be suprrising to see them introduce some elements from 76 into their next game.
Unlike Fallout: 76, I’m not quite sure the reaction would have been so positive if it were TES: VI to announce online multiplayer. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a possibility, rather I believe a co-op route would be well received. Perhaps this is a full blown Elder Scrolls experience, or even if you could have rudimentary control over a pet (Ala Jet Force Gemini).
14 Customize Those Weapons
Weapon customization has been a staple of the Fallout series. So why not borrow some of that success in The Elder Scrolls?
Changing blades, axes pommels, or shield insignia’s would add a level of item depth we haven’t seen in an Elder Scrolls title.
And the level of customization shouldn’t end there. Perhaps by adding an intuitive crafting system we should be able to personalize these weapons and have the option of selling them to NPCs. How cool would it be to see a bunch of characters in-game brandishing your products?
13 We Built This City
We saw settlement building debut in Fallout 4 and many fans would like to see it transfer over to The Elder Scrolls series. However, it would be great for the building to have more medieval themes to them, such as building forts, moats, and castles.
Allowing players to own their own shop and sell equipment to NPC would be the cherry on top.
While many players did enjoy the building mechanics from Fallout 4 must of us most certainly didn’t appreciate all the nagging from Preston about all the settlements needing help.
12 Exploring The Future?
On the other hand, wouldn’t it be cool to see a moderately futuristic Elder Scrolls game? Some fans certainly believe so, with a sort of steam punk theme similar to Dwemer ruins in current games. I personally wouldn’t like to see it advance to far where we are seeing contemporary elements like firearms and jet planes, but a bit of diversity in the tech would be a welcome change. Especially considering the near indistinguishable backdrop from Elder Scrolls Online to Skyrim.
11 Don’t Expect It This Generation Of Consoles
10 The Elder Scrolls Online Is Paving The Way
One of the earliest periods we’ve experienced in The Elder Scrolls timeline was with the release of The Elder Scrolls Online in 2014, taking place in 2E 600. That’s approximately 1,000 years prior to Skyrim, the latest terms of both release date and TES lore. Yet, we fans already know that many of the coolest events take place prior to events we’ve explored, as hinted by the riches of in-game books, scrolls, and text. Some fans speculate that the latest expansion packs might already be holding secrets about the next numbered release in the franchise.
We could be seeing some Elder Scrolls Online updates that add hints, Easter eggs, and maybe related content to their game. It makes sense, TES: VI has the Midas touch as this point Fans would chomp at the bits to play ESO if it released content related to TES: VI. It would be a win-win scenario and a bit of easy marking for the upcoming title. Heck, The Elder Scrolls Online is already a pretty POPULAR game, you’d better believe the developers would capitalize at the opportunity to grow their player base.
9 Apocalypse Now
8 One In The Same
Similar to the Sheogorath theory, there’s another that claims all of the player characters in the series actually exist as one. So it’s a bit of reincarnation and destiny manifested souls that acts as the makeup to this concept. The idea is that there is a grand destiny awaiting the player in The Elder Scrolls: VI that all the previous games have been leading up to. Yet, it is revealed that all of this time your soul has existed as a hero through several generations.
7 What’s My Age Again?
Having your character progress not just in abilities but age would do wonders for absorption into the world of TES: VI.
NPCs would grow older as well, bringing The Elder Scroll’s that much closer to a true sandbox experience.
This concept would work best if it coincides with the generations’ mechanic we explored earlier, you almost can’t have one without the other. It’s not often we get to celebrate our own characters birthday in a video game after-all. It’s admittedly a complicated feature to add to any open world game, but I’d have faith that Bethesda could pull it off.
6 Beard Growing Simulator
The Witcher 3 announced that it would have a mechanic where Geralt’s beard would grow as time progressed in game. Most fans scoffed at the idea, almost as if it were a fine tuned joke CD Projekt RED crafted for extra exposure. The developers were dead serious in this claim, and it turned out to be a popular mechanic in the game.
For games to truly captivate its audience it has to nail down the minor details in its world.
That way it can create an investment from the player to the gaming world through believability. Besides, the idea of hobbling back in town, bearded and bloodied from several days of dungeon diving is incredible.
