The ambitious and upcoming Bethesda title Starfield is generating huge amounts of buzz within the gaming world, largely thanks to the huge scale that it is set to bring to the massively popular RPG formula of the gaming studio. Set to bring huge amounts of freedom to the player in the way of exploration, the game is also priding itself on its upgrading of core RPG game mechanics, such as dialogue.
The dialogue system of Starfield is currently one of the key selling points of the title, with it set to be the most detailed and wide-spanning dialogue system in any Bethesda game to date. Given how Starfield will set a benchmark for many mechanics that will eventually appear in the massively anticipated Elder Scrolls 6, the former title's dialogue system could play a huge role for political mechanics within TES 6.
Starfield and Its Dialogue System
It can be said that Starfield is one of the most anticipated upcoming games within the industry, being the first new IP to come from veteran studio Bethesda in over 25 years. Befitting of such a momentous release, it is clear that Starfield is aiming to be a massively expansive experience, being an RPG centered around space exploration.
For example, Starfield is set to allow fans to explore over 1000 unique planets across 100 different star systems, fostering a huge amount of content and avenues for exploration and discovery. As a result of this massive scale, Starfield will be extremely varied in its gameplay, with planets either containing untamed wilderness or sprawling civilized cityscapes.
Like most Bethesda titles, Starfield will have a comprehensive character customization system and will also be home to a huge array of diverse and varied NPCs that the player can interact and quest with. In this vein of game mechanics, Starfield has seemingly pushed its brand-new dialogue system to the forefront of the game experience, massively improving the immersion and world building that the title hopes to bring.
Starfield's dialogue system was recently explained in detail by none other than Todd Howard, giving further credence to the high hopes Bethesda has for it. Returning to the more classic drop-down option menus of dialogue akin to titles like Fallout New Vegas, Starfield is most unique in the sheer amount of dialogue that it is set to foster. In all, Starfield is reported to have over 250,000 lines of unique dialogue, completely dwarfing the amount seen in the likes of Skyrim and even Fallout 4. With a clear heightened focus on the persuasion system of Bethesda dialogue, it is clear that more diplomatic solutions to quests may be a more common occurrence, with many already thinking of how this may translate to The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Could Borrow From Starfield
The confirmed Elder Scrolls 6 is another massively anticipated title coming from Bethesda, generating huge amounts of hype ever since its official reveal all the way back in 2018. With little to no solid information regarding the title being released since, the continued buzz and hype surrounding the game is a testament to just how eager fans are to get their hands on it.
The Elder Scrolls as a franchise is just as influential and popular as the Fallout series, with the latest mainline installment of Skyrim still receiving re-releases to this day. With many pontificating about the details of The Elder Scrolls 6, such as its potential setting and scale, it is no wonder that many fans are also debating what kind of game mechanics will be used within the title to excel it beyond its predecessors and to meet such great fan expectations.
One of the best ways fans can currently ascertain this is by looking toward Starfield, which many assume will have the same level of ambition and massive scale that The Elder Scrolls 6 eventually will. While the concept of space travel is of course unlikely to transfer over to the more fantastical RPG setting of The Elder Scrolls, Starfield's dialogue system could carry extremely well to certain likely plot lines within The Elder Scrolls 6.
Starfield's Dialogue in The Elder Scrolls 6's Political Mechanics
The geopolitical questing of Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the most memorable plots within the now iconic title, with many now assuming that a politically-charged storyline will be a mainstay feature of any subsequent Elder Scrolls release. When looking at Starfield's aforementioned dialogue mechanics within the context of translating over to The Elder Scrolls 6, a political utility seems to be the best match.
With The Elder Scrolls 6 more than likely featuring warring political factions as most fantasy RPGs do, this much more robust and expansive dialogue system would be perfect for a kind of diplomacy role within the title, in which the player could build their charisma and speech to act as a mediating party between factions or illicit change in favor of a chosen group. As well as this, the aforementioned revamping of persuasion mechanics in Starfield would be perfect in this context, with the player having to navigate the boundaries between persuasion and corruption within a political system.
While it still remains to be seen just how impressive the new dialogue system of Starfield will truly be, the focus that it has already received from Bethesda indicates a dedicated level of pride that has gone into it. Regardless of its success in the new space-faring IP, the potential utility that Starfield's dialogue system could have within the political mechanics of The Elder Scroll 6 is massive.
Starfield launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.