The impact of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is still being felt over a decade later, having influenced the design of most open-world RPGs since its release. Bethesda's long-running fantasy IP represents one of gaming's most popular fictional settings, as there are years of storytelling, characters, and mythology to account for whenever a new Elder Scrolls title comes along. With a vast universe built to be explored, one could argue that the popularity of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was a result of its density as a role-playing game. Players are free to create almost any character they can imagine - vampires being famous among those options.
In Skyrim, some of the most fearsome vampires were associated with the Volkihar Clan from the game's Dawnguard DLC. The Volkihar and their Vampire Lord, Harkon, appeared as an ancient bloodline whose power was concentrated in the halls of a castle in northern Skyrim. While other types of vampires exist in The Elder Scrolls, Dawnguard put a spotlight on a seemingly more organized, noble class of undead beings alongside their beastly Vampire Lord forms. This depiction brought a lot of depth to vampires in the series, but it's also possible that nostalgia for the original Skyrim story could overshadow the full extent of vampire varieties that exist in this extensive setting.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Can Take Inspiration From Vampires Beyond Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC
According to The Elder Scrolls lore, vampires were originally the result of the Daedric Prince Molag Bal - the Lord of Brutality. Vampirism is a curse, although its effects can augment characters who fully embrace the powers it grants. Previous games have shown that there is some level of romanticism common with vampire folklore, and some vampires manage to control their condition through moderation or devotion toward patrons, deities, or rituals described throughout Tamriel's history. Nevertheless, they are still weak when exposed to sunlight, and the Volkihar Clan from Dawnguard was particularly threatening because they were all united in a plot to block out the sun.
Surely, the Volkihar Clan is a special case that isn't necessarily indicative of how all vampires may behave if Bethesda has any plans to further explore conflicts pertaining to the undead. As recently as 2020, vampires have appeared as major antagonists in the Greymoor Chapter of The Elder Scrolls Online, an update that was partially a callback to Dawnguard in its reintroduction of vampires in the province of Skyrim itself. Even if fans will be waiting quite a while before they see a new mainline entry in the series, one might hope that other types of vampires can be represented within Tamriel as well.
The development team behind The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax Online Studios, has been careful about creating authentic stories in the IP, but it has also been creative with vampires in the past. The Elder Scrolls' Daedric Princes play a big part in making the setting's version of vampirism unique, and this is especially apparent with ESO's inclusion of feral vampires - Bloodfiends and Bloodknights. Bloodfiends are not dignified by any means, as these vampires are feral, weak, and are considered by most to be abominations. On the other end of the spectrum, Bloodknights are much more powerful, beastly in appearance, and have the ability to absorb the power of rival vampires.
The well-mannered, ancient vampire is a classic trope in fantasy storytelling, and it's a concept that Skyrim captured in spectacular fashion. Quintessential movie characters like Dracula have brought vampires into the mainstream, inspiring games across popular culture. However, in The Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda could carve a different path by leaning into the darker, metaphysical elements of its universe to give vampires a wild presence that defies their more refined counterparts.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
