Six Things We Would Like To See In The Elder Scrolls 6
The shelf life for video games currently is a testament to its quality and craftsmanship; good games will be celebrated for years but eventually fade away over time. Great games, however, are remembered forever. Not every game will be the next Grand Theft Auto V, selling roughly ninety-million copies since its 2013 launch and continues to be one of the highest selling games each week. Moreover, no one could have predicted the critical acclaim that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim received, taking the open-world genre to new heights, receiving multiple re-releases and a remaster for the current gaming platforms. There is huge anticipation for this game’s release, heightened further by the fact we are not likely to see it for some time. Speaking as someone who clocked around six hundred hours of playing time for this title, my expectations for the next release in this series is particularly high.
With the likelihood that the next release in this series is a long way away, we are given the opportunity to speculate a whole host of new features and improvements. Therefore, without further ado, here is a list of six things I would like to see in the Elder Scrolls VI, or things that can be improved upon.
1. Necromancer Skill Tree
As you hack, slash and Thuum your way through Skyrim’s vast world, you will encounter many necromancers on your travels. These mages use black magic in communication with the undead; conjuring spirits, reanimating the dead and a general love for anything macabre. Sure, one could argue that you can just don a black mage robe, max out your Conjuration tree and apply the Necromage Restoration perk but this lacks a certain authenticity. Things like rituals, sacrifices, gaining notoriety and recruiting the underworld to do your bidding. This would make for a very interesting character build, particularly the impact on Mage College or Dark Brotherhood questlines.
2. More Customisation
This may sound like a ludicrous statement to make, Skyrim prides itself with its customisation mechanics, but I want more! Think of pouches and backpacks that match your armour set and increase carrying capacity, the ability to design your own armour, maybe from specific materials from creatures you have hunted. In the case of Skyrim, imagine wearing a set of armour made from frostbite spiders, or from Draugr remains. The possibilities would be endless. The same principle applies for weapons, designing weapons to be one-of-a-kind in appearance and ability, meaning every character build would be unique. When you improve the armour or weapon rating, perhaps the appearance can be altered, looking sharper or more menacing. An ebony sword with fifty-rated damage should not look the same as one with over one hundred damage.
3. Improved Combat
When you play through an Elder Scrolls game, you will be spending a lot of time in combat situations. Everything you do, from sourcing materials to craft weapons or improving various skill trees, it is all dedicated to defeating enemies as swiftly and mercilessly as possible. Nevertheless, the combat, specifically close-quarter melee, is a significant flaw. Strikes feel loose and without much impact, only the lowering of an enemies health bar indicates your swing made significant contact. Enemies should be staggered more with each blow and less damage sponging. Perhaps even a lock-on system, as found in the Dark Souls and later Assassin’s Creed titles could add a new and maybe better mechanic for the next Elder Scrolls release.
4. Settlement/Property Building
Although you can buy property in Skyrim and with the Heartfire DLC make increased customisations, overall, this aspect to the game is very limited without the aid of mods. The Fallout 4 settlement mechanic, albeit without the flaws and bugs that it had, would be a welcome addition to the next Elder Scrolls title. Constructing a homestead or settlement to your preferences, with security posts, settlers or maybe a home business could have the potential for greatness in the Elder Scrolls universe. Building up small towns and cities as a self-proclaimed Jarl, protecting them from bandits and invasions or conducting your own attacks on neighbouring locations is something I personally would love the ability to administer.
5. Climbing Abilities
During the time I invested most of my social life in high school to playing Skyrim, I came face-to-face with monolithic mountains that stood in the way of my quest destination and me. I was far from the minority whom, out of stubbornness and impatience, I would choose not to follow the path around but to walk straight ahead and attempt to ascend these behemoth obstacles. Most of the time I would either fall to my death or admit defeat that mashing the jump button was an unreliable tactic. In addition, it made the game feel closed off as you were required to walk in a certain direction, the potential for mountaintop exploration could be endless. With this in mind, I think a climbing mechanic of either a grappling hook or maybe a skill tree would display a real evolution in the series’ gameplay and make it a truly open world.
6. Better Graphics
Graphics are not everything in a game, this much we know. However, the first glances at Skyrim’s vistas in 2011 were a joy to behold, misty mountain ranges with swirling clouds, crumbling architecture and sun-dashed forest regions with vibrant and colourful landscapes. Sadly, though, it quickly began to look outdated compared to other franchises released in the short years that followed. Even with the remastered ‘Special Edition’ in 2016, it did little to resurrect the magic of the first playthrough on its original release. What Bethesda needs to improve the graphics to not only the current standard but in a way to stand the test of time, as well as limit the framerate bugs that plagued Skyrim. This will be a difficult task for Bethesda, as they vow their loyalty to the outdated Creation Engine that has been in use since The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002) and as recently as the technical disaster of Fallout 76 (2018).
