The Elder Scrolls 6 Can’t Repeat the Worst Mistake of Skyrim

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For over ten years, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been a hugely important and popular role-playing game. It set the standard for open-world game design, drew in millions of players with its vast, icy landscapes, and showed that letting players freely explore a game world could become a mainstream success. Even now, thanks to updates, improved versions, and re-releases, Skyrim is still a widely recognized and celebrated game. This incredible history creates high hopes for The Elder Scrolls VI, which needs to successfully continue one of the most popular RPG series and bring it into the future.

While it’s easy to feel nostalgic for games like Skyrim, simply recreating that experience in The Elder Scrolls VI could be a mistake. Skyrim was innovative, but looking back, it has weaknesses. Today’s RPG players want more than just a huge, open world; they want that freedom to feel purposeful. Skyrim offered a lot of freedom, but it often came at the expense of a compelling story and meaningful experiences, and the new game risks repeating those issues if it doesn’t address them.

Skyrim’s Freedom Hurt the Big Picture

It’s clear that Skyrim really changed how much freedom players had in a game. You could completely ignore the main story, join and lead any group, learn every skill, and the game world wouldn’t really react – you’d still just be another traveler. While this made the game incredibly replayable, it also weakened the story. When you can become anything and everything, achievements don’t feel as meaningful, and that’s a major drawback of the game for me.

In Skyrim, your choices often didn’t feel impactful, especially within the game’s different factions. You could become a powerful Arch Mage without really knowing magic, lead a criminal gang while still being a celebrated hero, or even choose sides in a civil war with little noticeable change to everyday life. The game world seemed to adjust to your actions instead of reacting to them, which broke the sense of realism and constantly reminded me that I was just playing a game.

Today’s role-playing games are increasingly focused on meaningful consequences, and Baldur’s Gate 3 really demonstrated how much players want their choices to have a real impact on the game world. While Skyrim was popular because it let players access all content regardless of their decisions, this also made those decisions feel less important. Skyrim’s approach broadened its appeal, but it ultimately sacrificed the strong, choice-driven narrative that makes the best RPGs so compelling.

The Elder Scrolls 6 Needs Stronger Narrative Paths

The next Elder Scrolls game should find a balance between a compelling story and player freedom. Having a stronger main storyline doesn’t mean the game needs to be restrictive; it means choices should truly matter. For example, siding with one group should create enemies with others, and important decisions should have lasting consequences, both positive and negative. Bethesda can still let players explore and do almost anything, but those actions need to feel impactful.

Bethesda could create quests with clear, distinct paths that really emphasize a player’s chosen role. For example, players could side with one of two political factions, and whichever one wins would permanently change the game world – affecting cities, economies, and relationships between groups. Guild storylines could also demand skill and dedication, instead of just showing up. These kinds of systems would make players care more about their characters and the choices they make, adding real depth and meaning to the game.

Many successful role-playing games have demonstrated that complex stories can actually draw players in, not push them away. Games like The Witcher 3 have shown that compelling narratives and meaningful choices can work together seamlessly. The Elder Scrolls VI should avoid the limited options of Skyrim and instead allow players to truly experience the impact of their decisions. Even if certain choices close off other paths, the unique experiences those paths offer can enrich the world of Tamriel. I’d prefer a more impactful questline for a faction like the Dark Brotherhood – one where choices matter – rather than a series of superficial quests that don’t change the overall story.

Bethesda Needs to Focus On Depth, Not Width

A frequent criticism of Skyrim is that it offered a vast world but lacked depth. Many players felt it was expansive but ultimately repetitive – filled with locations and quests that followed predictable patterns. While there was a lot to do, much of the content didn’t feel particularly meaningful or unique. Starfield suffered from the same issue, even more so, and Bethesda needs to avoid repeating this mistake if they want their next game to be a success.

Okay, so for The Elder Scrolls VI, Bethesda really needs to focus on quality over quantity. I’m not saying they need to make a smaller game, but all those little systems? They need to be really well done, not just a bunch of simple ones. I want cities that actually feel different – like each one has its own culture and politics. And please, let NPCs remember what I’ve done! It’s so immersion-breaking when they forget everything after a single quest. It’d be awesome if my skills actually mattered in conversations, affected my reputation, and even changed the story. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and some of those systems would be perfect in a new Elder Scrolls game. They really made the world feel reactive, and that’s what I want to see!

Games with depth offer more replay value. When choices truly matter, players want to experience the game multiple times, not necessarily because there’s a ton of extra stuff to do, but because each playthrough feels different. This is a great way to keep players engaged for a long time, encourage modding, and foster a thriving community. Skyrim was successful because it gave players a sense of freedom, not just importance. The Elder Scrolls VI has the opportunity to offer both. Bethesda should build on what made Skyrim popular, but also improve upon it.

Look, with all the powerful tech we have now, and after years of telling Bethesda what we like and don’t like, there’s really no reason for them to make the same old mistakes. We don’t want less stuff in The Elder Scrolls VI; we want better stuff. Seriously, whether this game is amazing or just…okay, totally depends on if they actually listen to us. It could be what makes The Elder Scrolls VI even bigger than Skyrim, or it could just be another RPG from a studio that used to be untouchable.

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2025-12-28 20:43