The Elder Scrolls 6 is slated to be the next installment in Bethesda’s popular RPG series. Now that the studio is done with Starfield, the game is technically the studio’s next main focus. The Elder Scrolls has been at the forefront of gaming for decades, precisely because of its highly sought-after RPG and gameplay mechanics that give it depth. The beautiful and detailed worlds found in games like Skyrim and Oblivion have remained popular for years, so it makes sense for the community to be excited about the next installment.

Skyrim is the latest mainline installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, also developed by Bethesda, and it was released in 2011. The long wait for a sequel has been made easier by The Elder Scrolls Online, which provides a familiar progression system and rewarding quests. If The Elder Scrolls 6 wants to follow any examples from its predecessors, it should focus on Elder Scrolls Online, a game that has gotten regular support for years and is now in a great place to serve as inspiration for games to follow.

Related

The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Answer One of Skyrim's Biggest Questions

One Skyrim quest is intriguing yet very open-ended, and so it deserves to have its biggest question answered in the Elder Scrolls 6.

How Elder Scrolls Online’s Progression Can Impact The Elder Scrolls 6

At first glance, The Elder Scrolls Online seems a lot different than the direction The Elder Scrolls 6 might take: the former is a live-service, constantly updated game. As a result, players have more room to express themselves through builds and classes. For instance, classes in Elder Scrolls Online each have three unique skill lines that apply specifically to them. Characters made for a particular class are more suited to certain builds and playstyles — the Nightblade class, for instance, is great for stealth. There are also plenty of customization options available, including unique skills for each class and a variety of gear like one-handed weapons and armory.

The Elder Scrolls 6 doesn’t need to adapt this mechanic from ESO outright, but, by incorporating the skill hierarchies attached not only to weapons, but to magic, gear, and abilities acquired through quests, the upcoming installment’s gameplay can have more depth than its predecessors. ESO, for instance, achieves the same thing by incorporating The Elder Scrolls' Soul Magic system, which provides more abilities as players progress through the main quest. Incorporating certain abilities to main or side quests in The Elder Scrolls 6 could further incentivize players to explore as much content as they can to beef up their characters.

Skyrim’s DLC Used Progression Well, Too

Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC provided a major change to the game’s progression by introducing skill trees attached to lycanthropy and vampirism; the latter actually allowed players to transform into Vampire Lords. These perk trees retroactively introduced entirely different playstyles that players used to explore the rest of Skyrim’s content. The Elder Scrolls 6 can further pair up the inspiration pulled from ESO with this example to potentially improve the game’s replayability. Leaving room for experimentation with different builds and transformations is ultimately a great way to motivate players to play a game over and over again.

How Skill Interactions And Combos Can Change The Elder Scrolls 6’s Combat

Skill interactions and combos are a vital component in The Elder Scrolls Online, and they’re only made possible by players working together. New abilities can be created by experimenting with combos — for instance, combining a Lightning Splash with a Conduit can cause massive shock damage to enemies. The Elder Scrolls 6 likely won’t have an online component, but these combos can be used with any companions the player can acquire to promote teamwork and more fluid gameplay. The Elder Scrolls universe has an array of magic spells and enchanted weapons, and allowing players to experiment with each to create their own combos would open the door to more in-depth combat. Thanks to the high bar The Elder Scrolls Online has set in terms of progression, The Elder Scrolls 6 has a lot of mechanics to be inspired by.

The Elder Scrolls 6

Franchise

The Elder Scrolls

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox (Original)

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks

Genre(s)

RPG