Highlights
- The Elder Scrolls 6 should take inspiration from Morrowind's exploration by removing hand-holding and allowing players to navigate the game world on their own.
- Morrowind's combat system, which relies on probability calculations and character skills, should be considered for The Elder Scrolls 6 to add depth and challenge to battles.
- The appearance of Morrowind's combat system in a more polished and modern game like The Elder Scrolls 6 could address past criticisms and satisfy the demand for classic RPG elements.
As more time passes, the expectations surrounding The Elder Scrolls 6 are only growing. While the release will be looking to innovate and go beyond what past franchise games have portrayed, some core elements of older TES releases are worth reintroducing.
In terms of what games The Elder Scrolls 6 will take inspiration from, many will point towards its predecessor Skyrim, although the much older Morrowind has a lot of unsung mechanics that could be perfect for an updated return. With players being so used to the Skyrim formula and with the RPG genre becoming more traditional in a lot of ways, a lot can be learned from Morrowind's combat and sense of exploration for The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Elder Scrolls 6 and Morrowind: A Return To Traditional RPG Combat and Exploration
Releasing in 2002, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is looked back on by many fans as an example of traditional RPG gameplay at its best. In the diverse province of Morrowind, the game leaves players to their own devices, with things like waypoints and on-screen compasses being completely absent. Just by being given a gentle nudge towards the main questline at the start of the game, it is entirely up to the player to explore and navigate the settlements of the province by using things like roadsigns or gaining directions from NPCs.
This is something that The Elder Scrolls would gradually move away from in subsequent releases like Oblivion and Skyrim, with some long-term fans disapproving of the "hand-holding" that leads players exactly where they need to be in newer games. While it would be unrealistic to apply Morrowind's exploration to the likely huge map of The Elder Scrolls 6, the game would benefit from necessitating more direct exploration, or even introducing an optional feature to explore the game through a more classic lens.
Away from exploration, the combat of Morrowind works completely differently from Skyrim, and TES 6 would do well to look back at the 2002 release for inspiration. Morrowind uses a probability calculator for every attempt at damage that the player commits, similar to dice rolls in RPG experiences like Dungeons and Dragons. Crucially, this leads into the RPG staple of necessitating the skill of a character as opposed to the skill of a player, forcing fans to put skill points into the correct categories to increase the chance that their damage will successfully hit an enemy, and to what extent.
This is different from Skyrim's combat system, which essentially allows any damage attempt to land successfully within an enemy's hitbox, with skills still serving to increase damage. While Morrowind's probability-based combat has faced some criticism over time, recently released games like Baldur's Gate 3 have adopted the same system to huge acclaim. Of course, this same system in The Elder Scrolls 6 would be in free-flowing combat as opposed to the turn-based gameplay of Baldur's Gate 3, but it still shows that there is a huge modern demand for classic RPG elements.
Much of the past criticism of Morrowind's combat would be remedied by its appearance in a more polished and modern release like The Elder Scrolls 6, only increasing the potential benefits of Bethesda using the system in the new release. Of course, the combat of Skyrim holds its own place in the hearts of fans, but the need for change in TES 6 and the current trends of the wider RPG community mean that looking back to Morrowind's experience will be the more fitting option.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.