The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely a few years away at least. However, that hasn't stopped plenty of fans of Bethesda's fantasy RPG series from discussing what they want to see in the next installment of the franchise. From returning features to entirely new systems, there are a lot of things that could show an improvement from Skyrim in The Elder Scrolls 6. One way that the upcoming game could make an immediate impact, though, is through improving the factions of Skyrim.
Skyrim's factions aren't terrible, but there are a lot of ways in which certain groups could be improved. Even the most popular factions in Skyrim, like the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild, have their shortcomings. With over a decade passed since The Elder Scrolls 5 initially released, there is a strong chance that its successor will look to improve upon the factions found within the land of the Nords giving players more reasons to take to a life of thievery or learn the ways of wizardry.
The Weaknesses of Skyrim's Factions
There are a few weaknesses of Skyrim's factions on the whole, including issues with their questlines and the fact that some don't feel as though they're worth joining, which lessens the impact a lot of these groups have on the game world. Using the civil war factions in Skyrim as an example, both the Imperials and Stormcloaks have their own set of quests that do involve some cool battles, but don't offer more than a few fight scenes with the eventual death of the leader of whichever side that the Dragonborn opposes.
A lot of Skyrim's civil war content was cut, but this still leads to a rather underwhelming conflict that has supposedly thrown the land of the Nords into turmoil. It could even be argued that it's worth avoiding the civil war until a player has progressed enough in Skyrim's main story to see the Season Unending quest, which has both sides call a ceasefire in order to help stop the impending dragon apocalypse. The civil war acts as a microcosm for the major problems in Skyrim's factions as a whole, as despite how much import characters put on these groups and events, it is largely hard to see their effects in the world around them.
Some factions in Skyrim like the Bard's College don't offer enough meaningful rewards to make it worth a player spending the time to do their quests. Then there are those that simply don't have a role within the game, despite appearing multiple times. The Silver Hand associated with the Companions questline is probably the biggest offender here, as players will only interact with them as enemies, and cannot take on the role of a werewolf hunter despite the Dragonborn being able to go after vampires in the Dawnguard DLC.
There are some great stories in the quests tied to Skyrim's factions, but they don't really feel like the player is exploring more about the group they've joined, and instead they act as excuses to add in separate storylines from the main quest. It would mark a significant improvement if the factions of The Elder Scrolls 6 were to not only have their own stories, but also make their own mark on the world as the player completes further actions. For example, it would be a lot more immersive if, after following the assassination of the Emperor, that players could see Imperial nobles being a lot more fearful of the Dark Brotherhood, its reputation restored as the seminal group of assassins in Tamriel.
How The Elder Scrolls 6 Can Improve Its Faction System
The first thing The Elder Scrolls 6 could do to improve upon the weaker factions of Skyrim is by making them feel as though they are separate forces in the world, each working towards their own goal. The factions of Skyrim don't compete with each other; the Dragonborn can join almost every group in the game without affecting the opinion others will have of them. It would better immerse players in the world if they knew that joining up with one faction would mean a degraded relationship with or them being unable to join another. This is the case in Fallout 4, where a player who sides with the Institute will eventually have to fight against the Railroad.
This isn't to say that The Elder Scrolls 6 should only allow for a player to interact with one or two factions. Instead the game should follow the example set by Fallout 4, where the major players in the world are each looking to leave their stamp on it, and at some point the player is going to have to decide which side they're on. There is some element of this in Skyrim, as Delvin Mallory has connections with both the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood, but it would be interesting to see this type of interaction in more characters. Not only would this make it feel less like the factions are excuses for side quests in The Elder Scrolls 6, but it would also mean the world can go through significant changes as the player sides with certain groups. This would add an element of replayability to the game, too, as a player could see where different factions would take them.
The Elder Scrolls 6 should also bring about the return of some fan-favorite groups from previous titles. A lot of gamers were saddened to hear the Fighters Guild from Oblivion would not be in Skyrim. While there the Companions were there to give those who enjoy heavy armor and great weapons and excuse to charge into battle against hordes of foes, it would have been nice to see a faction that encouraged a fight without forcing them to turn into a werewolf.
The factions of Skyrim succeed on a lot of levels, and The Elder Scrolls 6 can learn a lot from them. However, they don't come without their weaknesses, and from their lack of impact on the world to unimpressive rewards, there is plenty that can be improved upon. Hopefully, after the release of Starfield, fans can get some more details on the world of The Elder Scrolls 6 and see which factions will populate it.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.