The wait forThe Elder Scrolls 6is starting to feel interminable, but that hasn’t stopped fans of the franchise from being excited about it. Of course,The Elder Scrollsis considered by many to be one of the best western RPG franchises out there, withSkyrimregularly topping lists of greatest-ever open-world games, so it would definitely be tough to staunch the overall hype for a new entry in the series, even if Bethesda hasn’t actually shown anything yet.
Having said that, Bethesda’s formula has been the recipient of a good deal of criticism in recent years, especially following the release ofStarfield. While the bread-and-butter design philosophies that have driven the company’s games sinceOblivionare still satisfying for many, others have argued that the developer has failed to innovate and evolve, relying too heavily on world and RPG systems of the past. There’s certainly some truth to this, as a game likeStarfield, for better or worse, feels awfully familiar, with predictable open-world elements and progression systems that don’t deviate too much from the likes ofFallout 3andSkyrim. There are a number of ways Bethesda could address these criticisms of stagnation comeThe Elder Scrolls 6, but one option is to learn from the series' vibrant modding scene.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Take Notes from Elder Scrolls “Survival” Mods
Previous Elder Scrolls Games Have Received Comprehensive Survival Mods
In an effort to make the games both more realistic and more engaging, ambitiousElder Scrollsmodders have released patchesforMorrowind,Oblivion, andSkyrim, elevating their immersion and deepening their open-world systems. Perhaps the most impressive and smoothly implemented of these mods would be Skyrim: Survival Mode, available on the game’s Creation Club storefront. Survival Mode includes a bevy of major changes toSkyrim’s core gameplay, including:
Such mechanical changes are, in some ways, antithetical tothe coreSkyrimexperience, which is why it’s so surprising that Survival Mode has garnered so much support over the years. But it makes sense:Skyrim’s world is a fantastical one, but it’s also inherently dangerous, and being forced to keep track of one’s resources and prepare for things like changing climates and diseases makes for a more intense, immersive gaming experience. The mod also lends new weight to features that are rather trivial in the base game, like cooking and food in general. Taking a page out of this playbook could be a great boon forThe Elder Scrolls 6.
The Benefits of an Official “Survival Mode” in The Elder Scrolls 6
Bethesda is clearly apprised of the fondness players have for, at the very least,Skyrim’s survival mod, as evidenced by its inclusion in the Creation Club. But at the end of the day, Survival Mode is just a mod, not developed with the intention of being part of the core experience. With resources, time, and effort dedicated toward making a similar mode an inextricable part ofThe Elder Scrolls 6, it could be both more accessible to players and more fleshed-out.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s survival systemsmay serve as good inspiration for this theoretical design choice inTES6, as the former can be likened to a hyperrealistic version ofThe Elder Scrolls.
An optional survival mode toggle inThe Elder Scrolls 6could open new doors for deep, rewarding exploration and thoughtful gameplay, just like thealready-existingElder Scrollssurvival mods. But Bethesda could build upon the concept with new features, like baked-in progression mechanics that improve survivability, and perhaps even nuanced base-building. The sky is the limit with this idea, so it would certainly be worth exploring.
