The Elder Scrolls is known for lots of things: its hilarious glitches, its expansive storylines, its memorable side quests, and its active modding community, among many others. Bethesda's fantasy action RPG franchise has proven its enduring appeal and created a dedicated fanbase, with entries like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim cementing the series as one of the best in the entire genre. With Bethesda actively working on The Elder Scrolls 6, many fans are already highly anticipating the next entry, despite no release window in sight and very little detail about its story or setting.
The Elder Scrolls 6 has a lot riding on its shoulders, especially given how foundational Skyrim became for the fantasy genre and video game culture in general. With over a decade passed since the last entry was released, The Elder Scrolls 6 could not come sooner for some fans, and it will have to deliver on the hype generated not only by the success of its predecessors but also by the large gap in between installments. With the next game still very much a mystery, some players are looking back on the older entries in the series, and reminiscing about the most standout moments in The Elder Scrolls' expansive and occasionally tumultuous history.
Where It All Began
Like many fantasy RPGs, The Elder Scrolls games have in-depth worldbuilding and a vast amount of lore for players to engage with to whatever extent they choose. They can merely skim the surface, playing the games through to their narrative conclusion and only learning enough about the world to get them to the end of that specific title, or they can do a deep dive into what makes the in-game world tick, learning about the background of characters, regions, and historical events. With so many mainline entries and decades of gaming worlds to explore, The Elder Scrolls lore is complicated, to say the least.
With so many religions, factions, and races within The Elder Scrolls series, the explanations for how the world came to be are multifaceted and numerous. The long history of Aurbis is separated into historical periods called 'eras,' but the Dawn Era is the one that started it all off. In terms of The Elder Scrolls' historical timeline, this is probably one of the most important occurrences as it sets the foundation for everything that comes after it. Amongst the various creation myths, the most memorable is that of brothers Anu and Padomay, the first beings to come into creation. Representing order and chaos respectively, their battle over the love of Nir helped to create the gods and give shape to the world.
Founding The First Cyrodilic Empire
As is the nature of The Elder Scrolls games, so many of the key events are tied specifically to one person. Alessia was a figure during the First Era and was responsible for freeing humans from enslavement by the Ayleids and leading a revolt against them, as well as founding the Cyrodilic Empire and establishing human dominance over most of Northern Tamriel. As the first Empress of Cyrodiil, Alessia began the practice of worshipping the Eight Divines and abolished the worship of the Ayleid gods. The world of The Elder Scrolls is full of the ebbing fortunes of empires, but the first Cyrodilic Empire and its impact on future human civilizations and the surrounding world were definitely fundamental.
The Disappearance Of The Dwemer
The infamous Dwemer -- also known as Dwarves, Deep Folk, and the under-Elves -- were a race of Mer that lived mostly in the region of Dwemereth. With their advanced knowledge of metalworking and machinery, they were a formidable and innovative race responsible for grand structures and impressive devices, but their sudden disappearance in the First Era has remained a mystery for centuries. During the Battle of Red Mountain, the Dwemer apparently disappeared, with some believing the magecrafter and engineer Kagrenac to be inadvertently responsible thanks to his experiments with the Heart of Lorkhan. Whatever the reason, the Dwemer's disappearance had real consequences for the world of The Elder Scrolls and many are hoping the next game will reveal more of their secrets.
The Birth Of The Mages Guild
Magic is a large part of The Elder Scrolls games, and all races more or less are capable of manipulating magicka. However, magic used to almost exclusively be the purview of secretive mages who were able to wield a lot of magical and political power, until Vanus Galerion created the Mages Guild. Disgusted with his order's refusal to acknowledge the danger that the necromancer Mannimarco posed to Tamriel, Galerion amassed his own followers and founded the Mages Guild to deal with his former fellow apprentice. The process completely democratized the use of magic in the Second Era, even if the Mages Guild was later imbued with its own political aspirations and corruptions.
The Ra Gada Invasion
The invasion fleet of Yokudans that made its way to the shores of Tamriel in the First Era was another major historical event that helped to shape the world as players know it. The refugees who were fleeing their doomed homeland landed in present-day Hammerfell and settled their new home after a bitter battle with its previous inhabitants. After the continent of Yokuda sunk, more Yokudans fled to Tamriel and later became known as the Redguards and waged war against other nearby races. The arrival of the Redguards signaled a change in the dynamics of the region, but it is also significant as Hammerfell is the rumored location of The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Dragon War
Dragons are fan-favorite elements of The Elder Scrolls series and were a particularly prominent focus in Skyrim. Dragons used to be ubiquitous across Tamriel; they ruled over and were worshiped by men during the Late Merethic Era. Eventually, the dragons grew arrogant and corrupt, and a rebellion sprung up against their rule. The dragon Paarthurnax taught humans how to use the Dragon Shout, and eventually, they were victorious. The surviving Dragon Priests were overthrown and dragons began to be hunted and slain after the conclusion of the Dragon War, leading to their apparent disappearance from the land. As a once-powerful race, their absence allowed others to rise up and grow in influence, changing the landscape of Tamriel once again.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.