With no official information about “The Elder Scrolls 6” in sight, all fans can do is rely on rumors to satisfy their hunger. And while there is certainly no shortage of rumors about the game, it’s hard to tell which of them can be trusted and which are false, especially when some are getting repeated by multiple sources and then contradicted a few days later.
Currently, the main speculation about the game is focused on its setting and release date, and we have no idea about either of those. It’s been claimed that the title will be set in Argonia and this will actually be its sub-title, but on the other hand other rumors have indicated that “The Elder Scrolls 6” might actually move away from the original setting and explore completely new lands.
The setting for “The Elder Scrolls Online” might even be used for “The Elder Scrolls 6”, as even though the online version of the game wasn’t entirely successful among the fans, people still enjoyed its location and atmosphere and many gamers were convinced of its potential if expanded further. It remains to be seen what Bethesda will choose to do. In all likelihood, we won’t see another online “Elder Scrolls” game soon, which could make it even more probable that Bethesda could choose to reuse the setting.
There have also been rumors about the game’s combat system, claiming that Bethesda are looking to significantly revamp it. This would certainly be good if it turns out to be true, as the outdated nature of the combat mechanics has been one of the main criticisms towards the franchise as a whole so far. Even “Skyrim”, the latest installment, which offered high quality visuals and animations, felt very poor in this regard.
Last but not least, another interesting rumor that’s getting repeated more and more often, is that Bethesda could start bringing the series back to its roots with regards to its quest system. Instead of pointing the player to their goal with an arrow, the next “Elder Scrolls” game might revert to forcing players to investigate on their own, asking around and exploring the environment to get the clues they need to solve their current objective.
That wouldn’t be a bad thing, and even though it could take away from the game’s mainstream appeal, it could also make it more attractive to old-school fans and work to revive the genre’s “hardcore” crowd a little bit. Which could certainly have a positive impact on the industry as a whole, as many other games have been following a similar simplified pattern for their quests lately, much to the disappointment of some fans.