One of the biggest reasons whySkyrimis still so relevant 14 years after its release is the immersion that it provides, and many players are extremely excited to get immersed in a fresh environment inThe Elder Scrolls 6. The vast tundras and rolling hills of northern Tamriel have served as a benchmark for video game immersion sinceSkyrimwas released, and one of the title’s major draws is its cities, with the iconic location Whiterun being one of the most recognizable places in all of video games.
ButSkyrim’s cities are not perfect in every aspect, and certain places in the game miss the mark when it comes to reflecting the rich lore of the series.The Elder Scrolls 6needs to address that issue and make sure that its cities set a new benchmark, especially since a seventh installment in the series could be more than two decades away.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Needs to Make Cities Feel Right
Many people believe that Whiterun is the quintessentialSkyrimcity. Its rustic wooden architecture, its clear position in the great plains, and the wonderful cast of characters that call Whiterun home make the place unforgettable. EvenNazeem, a character that players love to hate, lends a great deal to the city, preventing its population from feeling completely one-note.
The Elder Scrolls 6needs its Whiterun, a point on the map that everyone can recognize and call home. But there needs to be more than just one city that speaks to players deeply. Each city should be used as a way to appeal to the hearts of different roleplaying styles, whether it be a grimy town fit for thieves or a fortress of virtue for a noble knight.
Skyrimgets close to providing these types of places, but it doesn’t quite manage to get the right atmosphere in every city.Skyrim’s unique cities all look vastly different and are individually memorable, with Windhelm’s cold, inhospitable stone andSolitude’s beacon of Imperial poweracting as standouts. But even these places, full of individual charm, pale in comparison to Whiterun, and there is one in particular that falls short.
Sticking out like a sore thumb is Riften, a place that should be dangerous, full of crime, and very uninviting to the player. Instead, Rifted is markedly beautiful, and many players report that they have spent a great deal of time there due to its cozy and welcoming feel.
The discrepancy between Riften’s reputation and its feel could be due, in part, to thepoor state ofSkyrim’s Thieves Guild. Indeed, the Guild gets knocked down several pegs at the start of the game, and perhaps it cannot project its influence over the city as a result. However, even after the Guild is restored, Riften does not live up to its reputation, as all the NPCs who can be shaken down for coins will still befriend the player if they do a minor fetch quest for them.
The Problems Facing Cities in the Elder Scrolls 6
TES 6is rumored to be set in Hammerfell, and that region would provide plenty of opportunities for creating cities that feel iconic. However, Bethesda may face a problem due to the fact thatTheElder Scrolls: Onlinealready lets players explore Hammerfell, giving them a preconceived notion of what the region’s cities should look like. This is a problemSkyrimnever had, as its setting was a clean slate Bethesda could shape however it wanted.
There is also aStarfield-shaped problem. While that new IP took players to new horizons, many players were disappointed by its approach to unique locations, feeling as though they did not move the needle forward. For example,New Atlantis felt like it was missing something, as it tried to look like a grand city, but it did not quite feel like the heart of a bustling, multi-planetary nation.
So, between the expectationsTES Onlinehas created for Hammerfell and Bethesda’s occasional missteps when making iconic population centers,TES 6has an uphill battle to fight. If the game hopes to surpassSkyrim, and the elements that makeWhiterun so memorable, it needs to get its atmosphere right and have more than one iconic city.
How the Elder Scrolls 6 Can Avoid the Whiterun Trap
While creating many cities at the level of Whiterun is a huge undertaking,TES 6could change everything. With the power of current gen consoles supporting the game, there are fewer limitations on the scale of these locations, allowing for cities of all dimensions to be created, whether they sprawl out across a desert or are packed vertically into a tight valley. The developers will be much more free to make enormous monuments and palaces, but scale is just the first part of the equation.
The second part is that every city needs to nail its theme and know what type of player it appeals to. Lots ofSkyrimplayers spend entire playthroughs in just a couple of its cities because those places speak to them personally. Encouraging this type of gameplay is not a bad thing, as players having favorite locations leads to a healthy diversity of experiences, and theElder Scrolls 6could push things further by offering more cities with precisely defined themes.
The third part is to avoid using world design and preliminary quests to immediately push players towards just one city, as was done with Whiterun inSkyrim.While it is not a bad thing to have tutorial locations, as they help to onboard people,TES 6has a golden opportunityto give new players a choice; perhaps a fork in the road that could change the story depending on where the player goes first. This would let players form connections with several cities straightaway and allow those cities to build their own legendary reputations.
Finally, the art direction ofTES 6’s cities needs to be exceptional. The look and feel are vital to what makes Whiterun what it is, even when far grander places exist, as there is a simple, unspoken charm to the city. A careful balance of factors in Hammerfell’s cities could achieve this, and the rich variety of cultures that thrive in that province could inform the unique aesthetics of the locations. As mentioned before, not every place inSkyrimmanaged this, a shortcoming of whichTES 6needs to be aware.
How the Elder Scrolls 6 Can Avoid the Riften Trap
Riften should be a place that players find revolting, or alluring, depending on their roleplaying interests. However, the unique beauty of the Rift, the sheer number of quests that send players to Riften, and the city’s cozy atmosphere make it feel quite inviting. In some ways, this can be seen as a failure of vision, asRiften should feel like a seedy place, not one that many players call relaxing.
This issue could be due to technological limitations, and it may not have been possible to create the kind of atmosphere in Riften that Bethesda were shooting for. Or perhaps it is simply due to a lack of attention. Even when NPC thieves are out picking pockets, and Maul is warning players tostay out of the Black-Briars' business, a lot of the set dressing feels inconsequential, and Riften feels like a town with a closely-knit community that was brought together in spite of the Thieves Guild, not because of it.
TES 6needs to let its unsavory locations flourish with better crime systems, better NPC interactions, and characters who remember the player for more than just one deed. There need to be more unique interactions, like muggings, brawls, and extortion, with fewer chances for a player to just dismiss them with a low-level speech check. It isn’t a problem to have a town beset by strife that still has a friendly core, but that core of good-natured NPCs needs to feel like it is at the mercy of the circumstances it finds itself in.
Markarth is a great example of a nasty citythat Bethesda did get right. It is outwardly impressive, an old Dwemer hold stuck between the cliffs, but all this stone soon feels oppressive, as beneath the wondrous aesthetic is a place rotten to the core.
Very few locals are friendly, and many residents reside in the filthy Warrens. Forsworn surround it, running a guerrilla campaign within the city walls, and the prison teems with them. The Silver-Bloods mercilessly put down competition, and conspire for the Jarl’s throne, while Thalmor Justiciars sit right around the corner of said Jarl, watching every move. A Daedra haunts an old house, andbeneath the city, cannibals hold feasts, while Dwemer constructs threaten to break back into the old home of their masters.
The Elder Scrolls 6has a lot to get right, and Bethesda has its work cut out for it hopes to meet and exceed players' high expectations for the game. But if the developer can learn the right lessons fromSkyrim,Fallout 4, andStarfield, then there is no doubt thatTES 6will set the new standard for how to do cities right.
