There are still many things that fans don't know about The Elder Scrolls 6, but it seems like a safe bet that some franchise staples will make an appearance. This includes joinable factions like the Thieves Guild. Considering that it is the only faction to also appear in every game since The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, it seems likely that players can join the Thieves Guild in The Elder Scrolls 6.
Skyrim's version of the Thieves Guild was arguably one of the game's best factions. However, it was also far from perfect, and much of its content can be a slog to get through. Still, Skyrim's Thieves Guild offers big rewards for players who stick it out. It also features a degree of reactivity few other Elder Scrolls questlines possess. Despite the flaws in Skyrim's Thieves Guild, The Elder Scrolls 6 should look carefully at what that version of the Guild did right.
Skyrim’s Litany of Larceny
Most of Skyrim's joinable factions featured a main questline, an assortment of side quests, and ended with the player becoming the faction's leader. However, Skyrim's Thieves Guild is unique because it contains multiple progression systems parallel to its main questline. Most of these require a significant time investment but also offer substantial rewards. Progress in most of these paths is tracked by the Thieves' Guild trophies, which players will see displayed behind the Guild Master's desk in the Ragged Flagon Cistern.
Many of these trophies come from an unmarked Thieves Guild quest called the Litany of Larceny. Each location in Skyrim’s The Thieves' Guild’s main questline contains a unique item that players will not find anywhere else. No one ever tells the Dragonborn to look for them, but those who find one can return it to Thieves Guild member Delvin Mallory, who rewards them with a leveled amount of Gold. This gives players another reason to explore each area, and it is exciting to stumble across an artifact they didn't know to look for.
Unfortunately, it's unfair to talk about the Thieves Guild's best trophies without talking about the worst. The centerpiece of the trophy wall is The Crown of Barenziah. This unwieldy headpiece once belonged to a Queen of Morrowind and is the reward for players completing Skyrim's infamously tedious No Stone Unturned quest. After restoring the crown and completing the quest, players are rewarded with the Prowler's Profit passive ability, significantly increasing the rate players find gems in random containers. Unfortunately, it takes so long to complete that players will be swimming in Gold long before collecting all the stones.
Rebuilding the Guild and Becoming Guild Master
Players receive the other eight trophies by completing radiant quests for Skyrim's Thieves Guild. Players can complete Special Jobs for Thieves Guild members Delvin and Vex, who will send them to complete an assignment in either Whiterun, Markarth, Windhelm, or Solitude. The Bedlam Job, for example, only requires the player to steal items totaling a set amount of Gold. Delvin's other jobs involve robbing or planting evidence on a specific person, while Vex's tasks require breaking into a particular house or business.
Players unlock a new Trophy after completing 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 75, and 125 Special Jobs. That final Trophy is the Thieves Guild Safe, which contains random respawning loot and has a chance to produce rare potions that augment the player’s Thief skills. 125 is a lot and doing them will get tedious long before that. Still, it's a sound concept that just needed a bit of tweaking.
Performing these Special Jobs is also how players can restore the Thieves Guild and attain the rank of Guild Master. After completing five Jobs in any one city, players unlock that City's Reputation Quest. These are more substantial missions that expand the Guild's influence in the targeted city. Completing them unlocks new Fences, adds refilling Thief Cashes to each of the four towns, and unlocks the ability to bribe guards in those cities. Completing all four allows the Dragonborn to become the Guild Master after finishing Skyrim’s main Thieves' Guild questline.
Influence quests also directly impact the Thieves' Guild's HQ. Each one that the player completes adds a new merchant to the Ragged Flagon. They also restore the Thieves Guild's living area in The Ragged Flagon Cistern by adding new decorations, improved furniture, and more NPCs. These examples of reactivity give the players visual and mechanical signs of how their actions affect the game world, something rarely seen from even The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim’s best quests.
However, the worst part of becoming Guild Master is still all the radiant quests. While players only need to do 20, they don't get credit for missions in towns where the Guild already has influence. That means players must either save scum until they get the city they want or put up with unnecessary additional work.
The Elder Scrolls 6's Thieves Guild
The Elders Scrolls 6 version of the Thieves Guild could benefit by taking these ideas and sanding down the rougher edges. Having the guild upgrade as players go is a great idea, and Bethesda could improve it by adding more upgrade stages. TES6 could also give players multiple upgrade paths to choose from.
Meanwhile, the Litany of Larceny was almost perfect already, and Bethesda could improve upon it by adding more items in more locations. Something like it could also be a great alternative to Skyrim’s No Stone Unturned. Bethesda could sprinkle unique items in out-of-the-way corners of important locations in The Elder Scrolls 6, encouraging exploration in a much more exciting way than scouring for stones. This would be doubly true if the new Larceny Targets offered mechanical benefits.
That only leaves the Thieves Guild Special Jobs, which would probably need a significant overhaul in The Elder Scrolls 6. This includes cutting down on the number of Jobs players must complete if they want the full reward. However, the basic concept of completing smaller Jobs to unlock bigger missions with major rewards is solid, and The Elder Scrolls 6 shouldn't make a habit of throwing babies out with the bathwater.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
