The expansive lore of The Elder Scrolls is one of the features that have made it so endearing over the decades, including how its world-building and character-building mechanics are masterfully intersected. Each game in the series balances it differently, but many of the lore and character customization mechanics in The Elder Scrolls games remain familiar and recognizable. Some of these changes can be unpopular thanks to the newness of the concepts, but many veteran players are now accustomed to mechanics that have been a big part of Skyrim, such as the Standing Stones, which could use a fresh coat of paint in The Elder Scrolls 6.
With each new game will come changes, and with change comes the opportunity to improve on the previous game. Skyrim received criticism for simplifying character customization options as opposed to what had been available in Oblivion, though streamlining the class skills in skill trees received a welcome reception. There are, however, still improvements that could be made to Skyrim's character customization, and one part of the lore deeply affects how it may happen.
The Standing Stones Across The Elder Scrolls' Tamriel
One of the biggest changes from The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion to Skyrim was the removal of astrological signs during character creation, which instead became the Standing Stones in Skyrim. Standing Stones are upright, magical stones located throughout Skyrim that correspond to a different astrological sign. Each stone, when activated, confers the Last Dragonborn a special bonus or ability related to the sign associated with that stone, and only one stone can be activated at a time.
Standing Stones weren't new to Skyrim and appeared in Oblivion as Doomstones. The player chose their character's sign at character creation and couldn't change it throughout the game, but could find and activate the Doomstones scattered across Cyrodiil which conferred various Powers in The Elder Scrolls that could be activated once a day. Thirteen of the Doomstones were named after birth signs, while the rest were named after cults lost to time. These Powers were connected to the sign of the Doomstone they were associated with, allowing for cross-functional astrological power.
How the Standing Stones Could Change in The Elder Scrolls 6
Going further back in the timeline, The Elder Scrolls Online makes use of the Mundus Stones, which have more in common with the Standing Stones of Skyrim. There are thirteen Mundus Stones, each associated with a different birth sign, and interacting with one confers an effect while removing any effects from other Mundus Stones.
Standing Stones and their mechanics haven't changed much since their introduction in Oblivion, and The Elder Scrolls 6 would be the perfect time to do something new with them. An option would be to find the middle-ground between Oblivion and Skyrim, where a birth sign is chosen at character creation, while Standing Stones are available across the map to be interacted with, providing bonuses based on the player character's chosen birth sign, creating new combos, roleplay opportunities, and replay value.
Another quirk of the Standing Stones is that they only grant their gifts to the worthy, and a change could see the player character needing to complete tasks or achieve a level of notoriety or fame before being able to interact with the Stones. The cult Doomstones in Oblivion had this requirement, and applying it across gameplay could improve immersion in The Elder Scrolls 6. Another improvement would be for the Stones to interact with their environments in ways that add to the lore, or have followers and NPCs comment on the Stones the player character has chosen. Ralof or Hadvar comment on the Dragonborn's choice in Skyrim, but it's not carried through throughout the game, and more in-game recognition would be a positive change.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
