Highlights
- The adoption and family system in Skyrim could be expanded upon in The Elder Scrolls 6, offering a more fleshed-out feature for players to explore.
- The option to adopt children in Skyrim added a sense of humanity and depth to the player character, and Bethesda may prioritize similar immersive systems in its next game.
- Bethesda could enhance the adoption mechanic in Elder Scrolls 6 by incorporating consequences and creating a world where every NPC has dynamic reactions to the player's actions, leading to custom-tailored narratives and emergent storytelling.
With Starfield right around the corner, many of Bethesda's more fantasy-focused fans already have their eyes cast on the distant release of The Elder Scrolls 6. Besides confirmation of active development on the title, almost nothing is known regarding the next entry in the storied and genre-defining franchise. Still, its growth as a series and several hallmarks of Skyrim paint a picture of what may be in store for Bethesda's next sprawling epic. One element that may be significantly expanded upon for Elder Scrolls 6 is the adoption and family system in Skyrim, which had a fair implementation and reception, but with plenty of room to foster a fully fleshed-out feature.
Released in four versions, across seven different editions on eight platforms, Skyrim remains one of the most impressive RPGs of all time. Between Bethesda's patches, three full-length DLCs, and one of the most active modding communities in gaming, Skyrim is a game of massive scope and an imposing amount of features. One feature introduced in the Hearthfire DLC brought child adoption to the realm of Skyrim, allowing adventurers to lay down the roots of lineage, turning earnable and purchasable properties into a home where companions, pets, and of course, adopted children, can live in relative harmony away from the tumult of the rest of the realm.
Skyrim's Adoption Mechanic Actualizes Its World
The option to create a place of repose and sanctuary in Skyrim added another wrinkle of immersion to the game. While the systems at play lacked meaningful depth or satisfying connectivity to other aspects of Skyrim, the ability to adopt from a scattered offering of unique wards across the game world brought a sense of humanity and pathos to the player character. The addition could be at the forefront of systems that Bethesda will look to flesh out for the release of Elder Scrolls 6.
There are 23 unique children that are adoptable throughout the course of Skryim. They become orphans through various means, some of which include having the parents dispatched by the player's own hands. Up to two can be adopted, with unique prerequisites for some, and all requiring the player to own a home with a spare room with a bed and chest. The rewards for this are mainly sentimental, though the adopted children will occasionally gift the player with random assortments of items and weapons. Also included are random onslaughts on a player's chosen homestead, where different factions of enemies require defending against. If provided a weapon, a player's adopted children can aid in the defense.
Bethesda Could Improve Adoption By Ramping Up Its Consequences
The rippling effect of being able to adopt a child after their parents are killed is a level of simulation Bethesda should hone in on for Elder Scrolls 6, giving weight to every life-or-death decision the player makes. The Elder Scrolls franchise has touched on this in the past, but going all out in creating a world where every character has a family, friends, or even foes that react dynamically to that NPC's death could provide countless custom-tailored narratives and emergent storytelling.
A random encounter in Elder Scrolls 6's first act ending in the death of an NPC could cascade into its final act where that NPC's kin come looking for revenge or are encountered under the context of not knowing what happened to their parents. This could leave the player to decide to tell the truth through confession, giving them closure, or lie and leave them forever wondering.
The bolstering of an adoption mechanic and a system of dynamic families could unfold in countless directions for Elder Scrolls 6, ranging from wholesome to diabolical. If Bethesda really wanted to lean into the mechanic, it may be faced with the moral dilemma of doing away with its unkillable children credo. It is dicey terrain to navigate but might be required to unlock the potential of such a gameplay system.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.