The Elder Scrolls 6 is a release that will have to deeply impress fans, with the title set to serve as the end of a decade-plus long wait for another mainline installment to the franchise. The game's community has been left in the dark for some time following a brief period of information, leaving fans to speculate as to what kind of experience the release is looking to portray.
Of course, The Elder Scrolls 6 will also have to maintain a lot of the core motifs of the wider IP, and will be looking to curate the same kind of immersive world-building that past franchise entries have become famous for. A large element of this world-building is the portrayal of religion within Tamriel, and the heavily rumored setting of The Elder Scrolls 6 could portray religion quite differently to what fans have come to expect.
Portrayals of Religion within Oblivion and Skyrim
Not only is religion within The Elder Scrolls an important aspect of its involved cultures and societies, but it is often a driving force of some its core narratives. For example, within 2006's Oblivion, the game takes place primarily within the province of Cyrodiil, which is considered to be the most important province due to its nature as the governmental and religious heartland of the Tamrielic Empire.
As the seat of power in Tamriel, religion holds huge sway within Cyrodiil and thus features quite prominently within Oblivion. The humanoid Imperials are the dominant race within Cyrodiil, with their worship of the Nine Divines being one of the most prominent and important religions across Tamriel. The Nine Divines are made of nine Gods known as Aedra, each representing different aspects of society.
This religion played a huge role in the events of 2011's Skyrim, conflicting with the traditional religion of the province's Nords, who historically worshiped the Nordic Pantheon of Gods. With this leading to an explosive civil war within Skyrim between Nords and Imperials, the importance of religion within the IP speaks for itself, and it may look very different within the next Elder Scrolls game.
The Potential Religion of The Elder Scrolls 6
Primarily thanks to the now infamous 2018 announcement trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6, fans have theorized that the game could take place within the province of Hammerfell due to the kind of landscapes that said trailer portrayed. This gives an excellent glimpse into the potential cultures that will feature in The Elder Scrolls 6, with Hammerfell being home to the Redguard race.
The Redguard are an ancient warrior race, originally hailing from the continent of Yokuda which was mysteriously destroyed in the First Era. Upon traveling to Tamriel and settling in Hammerfell, the Redguard maintained a lot of their Yokudan culture, including their religion. Like the Nords, the Redguard possess their own extensive pantheon of Gods, with this religion co-existing with a strong sense of ancestral worship.
This would be the first time that this pantheon is properly explored within The Elder Scrolls, and could provide a fascinating fresh take on the true breadth of Tamrielic culture. Religion even played its own part in Hammerfell's own civil war, although this conflict was different to Skyrim's in that it occurred entirely among the Redguard as opposed to between two races. This civil war was caused by a conflict of traditional Yokudan values such as religion versus the adoption of Tamriel's cultural cornerstones, and would likely be explored in TES 6. While it is currently unconfirmed, it is clear that a Hammerfell-set The Elder Scrolls 6 could feature a fascinatingly fresh and layered take on religion within the IP.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.