Summary
Oblivion Remasteredhas been an enormous hit for Bethesda and Virtuos, getting many traditionalSkyrimfans to go back to an older title as they eagerly awaitThe Elder Scrolls 6. It’s given many players a new appreciation for what makes aTESgame, with so many unique quests, memorable NPCs, and the gorgeous forested landscape of Cyrodiil to roam through.The Elder Scrolls 6has a lot to learn from the remaster, and Bethesda should take notes, as the cultural landscape has changed significantly since 2006, with many people more willing to dive into weirder IPs likeDune.
The next game is still some time away, with the earliest estimates sayingThe Elder Scrolls 6could release in 2026, although this is not based on anything concrete. With the last mainlineTESgame being so long ago, there are a lot of expectations to live up to, but there is one aspect of the series’ identity in particular thatThe Elder Scrolls 6should not shy away from.
Oblivion Remastered Makes the Case for the Elder Scrolls 6 Needs to Be Weirder
Way back in the early 2000s,Morrowindwas a make-or-break project for the strugglingBethesda Game Studios. Had it failed, there may not have been any futureTESgames, or even aFalloutcontinuation. Thankfully for everyone, it was a success, and fans all over the world fell in love with its rich world and beautifully diverse cast of characters. One thing that many players ofMorrowindloved was how unafraid it was to be strange. Set among a backdrop of ash plains and mushroom trees, warriors wearing chitin and bone armor rode giant flea-like mounts, while the almighty Tribunal gods and their esoteric wisdom protected the population from Dagoth Ur and his enlightened Ash Zombies.
WhenThe Elder Scrolls 4was released, though, something was different. The bizarre vistas were gone, replaced with a European fantasy aesthetic. Characters now all wore leather or metal armor, riding horses around tranquil forests, fighting goblins and skeletons. Upon release,Oblivionwas lauded for its incredible size and detail, but it was hard not to think back to the sheer uniqueness ofMorrowind’s bold themes and feel like something had been lost.
Though many missed out on the olderElder Scrollstitles, some have since gone back to play games likeMorrowind, or at least read into its deep lore. The tales of jungle Cyrodiil, the overt elf influences in the half-breed Bretons, and theold pantheon of Nordic godsare just some of the many details that were lost over a decade. Even though a lot of present-dayElder Scrollsfans did not play the older games when they were contemporary, there is good reason to be intrigued by the stranger version ofThe Elder Scrolls, and it would be incredibly interesting to see it come back.
The Elder Scrolls 6’s Hammerfell Setting Would Be the Perfect Strange Setting to Explore
While many may see a Hammerfell setting as a typical Middle-Eastern-looking place, its influences are far more Japanese, creating this fascinating blend of cultural touchstones. The Redguards themselves, the people of Hammerfell, are not native to it. Their home is thesunken continent of Yokuda, lost long ago, and rumors conflict about whether it is even still around, or if it is even in the same kalpa as Tamriel. Their aesthetic is more than just a homogenous Arabian allegory, as it blends elements of Moorish, Japanese, Egyptian, Eastern Roman, and pre-Islamic Arabian themes.
Hammerfell’s recent history creates the perfect tense political narrative. Sold out to the Aldmeri Dominion in the Great War, Hammerfell is a nation divided similarly to Skyrim. The vast deserts, mountain ranges and coastal cities play host to two major factions, theCrowns and the Forebears. These ancient factions have been warring for millenia over how cosmopolitan the region should be, and only the strife of a full elven invasion managed to unite them for a moment. There are many ways a complex story of alliances and betrayals could be told that would make the main quest of the game uniquely memorable in the wayMorrowind’s is.
The Elder Scrolls 6is not confirmed to be in Hammerfell, but it is the most popular community theory.
In the current timeline, the province is no longer under Imperial control, and because of this, the stranger elements ofRedguard cultureshould flourish.Skyrim’s portrayal in olderTESgames made the land seem utterly frozen over, with elemental people who did not need dwellings to survive. It painted this vivid picture of a mythical people, which was ultimately lost whenTES 5showed a far more Imperialized, civilized Skyrim society that didn’t even recognize its old gods, appearing much closer to a snowy Cyrodiil.
The Elder Scrolls 6should strive to avoid this cultural homogenization to create a breathtaking and one-of-a-kind look. Fans have had a long time to read the old lore and appreciate the stranger things that have been forgotten in more recent games, and whileOblivion Remasteredlooks beautiful in its own right, it is a far cry from thejungle description Cyrodiil had inMorrowind. Thankfully, there is one very unlikely cultural influence in modern cinema that might give some fans what they want.
A Hammerfell Setting Should Take Big Inspiration From Dune
It’s been said that Todd Howard pivotedOblivion’s direction after watchingThe Lord of the Rings, seeking to emulate Peter Jackson’s vision of Tolkien’s masterpiece. The film trilogy has had a massive influence on fantasy ever since the first one came out, but some have argued that its depiction of medieval fantasy worlds has forced other fantasy IPs to copy it. Whether this is true or not, there are undoubtedly many other games, TV, and films that closely resembleLOTR, making it hard to distinguish some of them.
On the other hand, whenDune Part Onereleased in 2021, it was incredibly well-received as a fresh, strange take on some very odd source material. The sand-blasted deserts of Arrakis combined with Villeneuve’s directorial style made many people who had not read the books fall in love, wanting more of this obtuse approach to fiction. As the second film was arguably an even bigger success, there is clearly a market for weird sci-fi and fantasy.
Naturally, Hammerfell’s desert setting and cultural inspirations make it very similar toDune, and if Bethesda is as inspired byDuneas it was byLOTR, then Hammerfell could be a return to form similar toMorrowind. It’s been a long time sinceSkyrim, andTES 6has a huge hurdle to clear to have the same cultural impact, so this is not the time for Bethesda to pull punches.The Elder Scrolls’ strange lorehas kept fans excited during the long wait, and it’s time they were rewarded.
