The games by Bethesda are known for their step-out moments. Since the company’s titles focus heavily on exploration, the “step-out moment” is when the world opens up to the player. By this point, they’re then free to go wherever they want.
Titles in both The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series have their own step-out moment, but some are more memorable than others. For each Bethesda game, the lead-up to stepping out into the RPG world matters as much as the visuals.
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Fallout 4 – Fallout 4 may have its faults, but it’s hard to deny that the game has one of the most effective step-out moments in the series. This is primarily because of how the game leads up to it. The game begins in the pre-war world, caring for their child in the quiet village of Sanctuary Hills. Suddenly, they’re swept away and ushered into Vault 111 while the rest of the world deals with the Fallout universe’s Great War. After the brief tutorial section, the player leaves Vault 111 again only to find that hundreds of years have passed. It’s a striking change as what was once a bright, suburban village had become a desolate, post-apocalyptic area. Even more effective here is the fact that the player gets a wide view of the world around them.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion – Oblivion’s step-out moment is arguably the most visually stunning among those in The Elder Scrolls series. The introduction immediately sets up the game’s main storyline, ending in the death of the Emperor. After this, the player is sent to track down a monk in a distant priory. Upon exiting the Imperial Sewers alone, the player is met with a vast world, with Lake Rumare crawling across the view and rolling hills reaching far into the horizon. One of the most interesting Oblivion dungeons can also be found just a few steps away from the exit, enticing the player to explore rather than go about their quest.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Skyrim is another title with an excellent step-out moment. Once again, the leadup does a lot of heavy lifting for this one. The player’s first encounter with Alduin right before their execution in Helgen sets a strong premise for the rest of the game. After escaping through the cave, the player is met with a wide expanse of forest with Bleak Falls Barrow peeking out from the snowy tips of the mountain in the distance. Before the player can get too comfortable, Alduin flies overhead, once again reminding them of the looming Dragon Crisis in Skyrim. The excellent buildup and the striking visuals make for a top-tier step-out moment.
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Fallout 3 – Like Fallout 4, Fallout 3 also has some pretty good buildup for its step-out moment. Though many think that the game’s introduction is a tad too long, it definitely establishes the main character’s background and their relationship with their father. This adds to the sense of urgency, which is further emphasized when the player finally exits Vault 101 in Fallout 3. For the first time in the player’s life, they step out of the safety of the vault. Perhaps the only thing lacking in Fallout 3’s step-out moment is the visual aspect. The dreary brown of the area certainly highlights the state of the world, but it’s not quite as effective given the lack of noteworthy landmarks.
Fallout: New Vegas – Fallout: New Vegas is one of the best titles in the series, but its step-out moment is surprisingly tame compared to others. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that it wasn’t Bethesda that designed it. Still, the leadup delivers, with Benny setting the stage for New Vegas’ lavish world. However, the actual step-out moment suffers from the same problems as Fallout 3. When the player exits Doc Mitchell’s clinic, they’re met with a wide view of Goodsprings, but this doesn’t provide them with any notable landmarks as Goodsprings simply serves as the extended tutorial area.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena – Despite being one of the oldest games in The Elder Scrolls series, Arena has one of the most memorable step-out moments in the series. The buildup isn’t quite as striking, but Ria Silmane’s spirit does a good job laying out the setting of the game. The player must then escape the Imperial Dungeons, an area that presents a real challenge given its crisscrossing design that has plenty of dead ends and fearsome enemies. Even then, it makes the actual step-out moment all the more effective as the Shift Gate at the end of the level teleports the player to their home country. This sets Arena’s step-out moment apart from the rest.
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The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall – Daggerfall’s leadup and step-out moment share similarities with its predecessor, but it doesn’t use the same interesting gimmicks. There’s no cutscene to set up the character’s goal, and the exit of the first dungeon only ever leads to the same place. Finally, the actual step-out moment isn’t very interesting, at least visually. The player is met with a greyish expanse with no interesting landmarks in sight, which is a missed opportunity.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind – Morrowind is lauded as the most influential Elder Scrolls game, but it also suffers from having a lackluster step-out moment. This is mostly because when the player “steps out” of the boat, they aren’t actually free to explore the world yet. They must first follow the guard to have their documents sorted out in the next building. So, they’re given a view of the world, specifically of Seyda Neen, but aren’t free to explore it from the get-go. This takes away from the actual step-out moment, when the player leaves the building to start their playthrough.
Bethesda isn't done crafting step-out moments just yet. Starfield will reportedly have two distinct step-out moments, so players are excited to see how that’ll turn out. However, until the new game is released, the community can only speculate about the step-out moments and their potential rankings.
Starfield releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.