The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is one of the most popular games of all time, with an ever-growing community of fans and a reputation for being one of the few "decade games." It's common for players to have unique and amazing experiences regardless of if they love the series or the genre, with Skyrim often offering an incredible depth of immersion and openness in its world, which may carry over in The Elder Scrolls 6. With the announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6, many players are anxiously awaiting a brand-new Elder Scrolls experience. While there is much to be gained in a new game, the bar for TES6 is exceptionally high, and Skyrim might be the game's most significant obstacle to success.
This is partly due to the massive amount of love that Skyrim has received in over a decade of release. It has amassed an army of dedicated players who have spent countless hours exploring every inch of the region and a highly talented community of modders who have dramatically expanded the game past all expectations. As it happens, some of the best Skyrim mods went as far as changing almost every aspect of them. While the newest Elder Scrolls game is expected to be an even more expansive and stunning take on Tamriel, the game is better off improving Skyrim's winning formula than trying to do something completely original.
Elder Scrolls 6 Can Succeed By Following The Modding Community's Lead
While little is known about the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6, the game is rumored to be relatively similar to previous entries in the series, especially Skyrim. It could be reasonably surmised that while the game might do away with the Dragonborn, the player character will be faced with some sort of prophecy or major event connected to ancient Tamriel history, like Skyrim's Dragon War or the Oblivion Crisis. Hopefully, Elder Scrolls 6 can differentiate itself from its predecessors by being situated in an area of Tamriel that players have yet to experience, meaning that High-Rock or Hammerfell could be suitable candidates.
It will be necessary for the newest addition to the franchise to differentiate itself by improving on what makes Skyrim unique. Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda could look to the modding community for inspiration, as thousands of mods have been made to expand the base game. Popular mods have improved immersion, added weather patterns and additional survival mechanics, deepened interactions with NPCs, and even created different quest lines to explore. Given that mods have been made and released for free using Skyrim's current engine, the developers should keep an eye on what The Elder Scroll fans want as an indication of what would make future games successful.
What Skyrim Players Are Hoping to See In The Elder Scrolls 6
The other perk that The Elder Scrolls 6 developers have going for them is that the fandom is undoubtedly open about voicing their ideas and desires for future gameplay. Outside a new story and world to explore, current players are hoping for dynamic combat and spellcasting that allow more interactions with the world. While The Elder Scrolls 6's combat system should innovate on Skyrim's, there is a lot of freedom to make it feel unique and exciting. Fans also hope the next mainline title shows more cause and effect, as previous games are lively, but relatively static when reacting to the player's actions.
While there are quite a few rumors about what the upcoming game might have in store for players, it's no secret that immersion is critical to the community. While Skyrim is already much more immersive than other open-world RPGs on the market, there needs to be more depth when interacting with different characters and developing close relationships. This would mean eliminating repeating dialogue from guards and bandits and allowing companions to have a more profound role in the player character's story, with Starfield's dialogue options already paving the way. As such, this might already be on the menu for Elder Scrolls 6, but only time will tell.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.