Hey, Bethesda! It’s cool if you use these features in a new Elder Scrolls game…
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Speculation abounds this season as E3 2017 draws closer, but there’s really one unannounced mystery that has me brimming with anticipation. Bethesda Softworks will be at E3 this year with a full showcase, including something “coming soon” which was teased in their showcase invites. Some people will speculate DLC for an existing franchise or something else mundane but I’m a dreamer. I’ll go out and say that the sixth installment of The Elder Scrolls will be announced, but only because I’m probably the biggest fan of the series here at COGconnected and it would certainly be a huge announcement. As big a fan as I am, however, the previous titles in the series are certainly deserving of healthy criticism. That’s why if The Elders Scrolls VI is going to be the next big hit, I’d love to see these successful elements from previous Bethesda titles incorporated into the new announcement.
Level Design from Dishonored 2 and Prey
I know the TES games are made by Bethesda Game Studios while Dishonored 2 and Prey are from Arkane Studios, but they all fall under the Bethesda Softworks publishing title so there should be some collaboration I would hope. Specifically, whichever team designed the levels in Dishonored and Prey needs to be involved with a new TES game. The Skyrim sandbox was breathtaking when it was first revealed to us as players; the total freedom to do what you want and explore all that the Holds of Skyrim entertained many of us for countless hours. After some time, though, all of the caves and keeps started to look the same. Now imagine if each of those mini-dungeons had the same multi-path puzzles from Arkane’s latest games. Each playthrough could be even more unique from the last and not just because you decided to use a different kind of sword. Skyrim was very non-linear when it came to what you could explore, but I want to see some real variety in how a player can complete a main story mission.
Base Building from Fallout 4
In my opinion, Fallout 4 was fairly mediocre. It certainly left a lot to be desired compared to New Vegas. One of the biggest new features to the series, however, is something I’d like to see in a new Elder Scrolls game: base building. Skyrim featured a version of this with the Hearthfire DLC, but not nearly as sophisticated or customizable as in FO4. I would love to build towering structures across Tamriel that are of my own design. They could be as crazy or lore-friendly as I wanted but they would be customized exactly to my spec. I appreciated the limited home customization Skyrim offered, but housing technologies have changed in the last six years and now it’s time to bring that into the new Elder Scrolls game.