At first glance, The Elder Scrolls and the Borderlands franchises may not appear to be overly similar, seeming to have only the broadest connection as AAA open-world FPS RPG titles. The latter is a frenetic and humorous sci-fi looter shooter rendered in a cartoony cel-shaded art style, and the former a more graphically naturalistic high fantasy epic set in a world packed with rich lore and history. Both IPs, though, have large and dedicated fanbases that are always looking for more content. And this is certainly true of The Elder Scrolls 6, the next upcoming entry in Bethesda Studio's long-running series, as it is highly and eagerly anticipated.

Meanwhile, Gearbox Software surprised many Borderlands fans a while back when it announced that it would be putting out an unexpected piece of DLC between BL2 and BL3, which at the time was unreleased. This was quite a nontraditional choice, as it's not often that a studio creates new content for a previous game, especially on the cusp of the latest series release. This was exactly the case though with Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary, which proved a winning move, and it's one that Bethesda could also consider applying as players patiently await TES6.

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The Elder Scrolls Could Follow in Borderlands 3's Commander Lilith DLC's Footsteps

Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary's Unique Position

Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary was an odd duck in terms of DLC packages. Technically a DLC for Borderlands 2 (which released in 2012), it was dropped in Summer 2019 ahead of BL3's Fall launch, making it a DLC for a game seven years old, almost unheard of in the AAA sphere. It served as a sort of narrative bridge between the events of BL2, setting up the upcoming third entry and refamiliarizing players with a number of elements. It was also free initially for owners of BL2, garnering goodwill from many fans, as well as being a solid experience, creating positive buzz and further excitement for BL3 in the process. ​​​​​

How Bethesda Could Use Borderlands' Commander Lilith's Template for TES6

It's been over a decade (13 years to be precise) since the most recent Elder Scrolls title, Skyrim's, original 2011 release. Along with getting two major DLCs of its own, Skyrim has been re-released, updated, and repackaged at least a dozen times in various incarnations over the course of that time, and players continue to spend a lot of time with it. The fact that, even now, fans are still discovering new Skyrim content is a strong indication that a substantial DLC like Commander Lilith for Skyrim that leads into TES6 in a significant way would be highly embraced.

There are a couple of directions a DLC like this could take, should Bethesda choose to go down that route. One might be to have Skyrim's Dragonborn protagonist interact with a character or faction that will be integral to the next game, introducing a fresh series of quests along with new skills/items while laying out early hints about The Elder Scrolls 6's story. It would also obviously serve to satisfy fans craving any piece of TES6 content, since the actual release is still likely to be far out. As Skyrim has remained in the popular sphere and gaming limelight despite its age, it wouldn't be a big stretch to justify an expansive new DLC for it of Commander Lilith's caliber to tide fans over and provide a welcome segue into what is one of the most anticipated upcoming titles in a beloved franchise.

The Elder Scrolls 6

Franchise

The Elder Scrolls

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox (Original)

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks

Genre(s)

RPG