The Elder Scrolls 6: 5 Things It Could Borrow From The Fallout Franchise (& 5 Things It Should Avoid)
Bethesda is known for a variety of different franchises, but few come close to the scale and popularity of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games. These two series of games have single-handedly introduced millions of gamers around the world to RPG's.
Since Bethesda acquired the Fallout franchise back in the early 2000s, their development and gameplay features have been highly influential to The Elder Scrolls franchise. With The Elder Scrolls 6 just on the horizon, Bethesda should take the time to borrow a thing or two from past successes while avoiding these past failures made in the Fallout franchise.
10 Borrow: The House/Settlement Building
When houses were introduced in Skyrim with the Hearthfire DLC, players were excited to get their hands on some in-game property. However, when Fallout 4 released back in 2015, it launched with a system that not only lets you build your own house but multiple large settlements as well. It would be tragic to not see Bethesda expand upon this popular feature in Skyrim. With the high fantasy setting of The Elder Scrolls, it will be interesting to see what medieval settlements the game developers deliver come launch.
9 Avoid: DLC Focused on Building
In today's gaming landscape, it is only a matter of time before companies release DLC and additional content. So when Bethesda announced that Fallout 4 would have a season pass back in 2015, players were not surprised. They were surprised, however, that three out of the five DLCs were focused solely on the building features. Although the building mechanics in the game were a welcome and popular feature, they hardly warranted their own DLC packs. With The Elder Scrolls 6 still a ways off, here's hoping that Bethesda has had plenty of time to flush out a housing/settlement system that doesn't warrant additional DLC content.
8 Borrow: The Infinite Level Cap
Reaching max level is nice, but do you know what's even nicer? Over-leveling way past your enemies only to one-shoot every single one of them with ease. In Fallout 4, this was entirely possible because Bethesda didn't introduce a level cap, a notable departure from previous games.
With the endless fun the lack of a level cap brings, it is doubtful that Bethesda would backpedal from this. That is unless Bethesda is trying to actively differentiate the two series by developing different leveling systems.
7 Avoid: Radiant Quests
"Another settlement needs your help!" If you cringed at the mere sound of that, then you know where this is going. Radiant quests in Fallout 4 were endless quests that offered very little content and became tiresome after multiple attempts. Although they were meant to offer missions well after players completed all the game had to offer, these missions could have been executed better. Bethesda is better off going back to the drawing board to evolve this type of questing system. That is until they come back with a more meaningful and enjoyable repetitive questing cycle.
6 Borrow: Weapon & Armor Modding
One of the biggest features introduced in Fallout 4 was the weapon and armor modding system. This was a noticeable upgrade from Skyrim. Fallout 4 was the first Bethesda game to let you configure your arsenal into entirely different gun variations. If Bethesda carries this feature over to The Elder Scrolls 6, it will be interesting to see what they can do with all the different materials and enchantments players have at their disposal.
5 Avoid: A Voiced Protagonist
With rumors still circulating about The Elder Scrolls 6, we have yet to pin down the exact location of where the next installment will take place. However, one thing that should be pinned down by now is the fact that Bethesda should not include another voiced protagonist.
Although this was a feature that had mixed reception, one thing remains true for both sides. The magic of projecting the player's internal voice onto the game’s dialogue options disappeared with voice acting. To preserve that magic in a world where magic actually exists, Bethesda is better off sticking with a silent protagonist.
4 Borrow: The Traveling Tunes
Although The Elder Scrolls is well known for its iconic music, there are quieter moments when traveling between destinations. One feature The Elder Scrolls 6 can borrow from Fallout is its implementation of traveling tunes. The continent of Tamriel might be missing a Pip-Boy, but one replacement that fits the high-fantasy setting is bards. Singing NPCs already exist within the franchise, and it would be interesting to have a bard chronicling the player's exploits rather than another sword-wielding companion.
3 Avoid: Simplified Dialogue
When Bethesda unveiled Fallout 4, players initially may have been excited to see voice acting and the improved graphics. However, they were unaware of one significant change. Fallout 4 had done away with complicated dialogue options in favor of a more simplified approach. Gone were the well written and nuanced dialogue options of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. They were instead replaced with button prompts that often lead to unintentional aggression, attacks, or actions that would have been clearer with the previous system. Hopefully, The Elder Scrolls 6 takes a page out of Skyrim's book rather than Fallout 4's with regards to dialogue.
2 Borrow: Non-Human Companions
If there is one thing the Fallout franchise has done exceptionally well, it has to be its companions. Players have always known Fallout for having dynamic and well-written human and non-human characters to interact with. Although The Elder Scrolls franchise might not be a stranger to companions, one thing the sixth installment in the franchise can learn from Fallout is to include more non-human companions.
Fallout: New Vegas had ED-E, while Fallout 3 had the famous Fawkes. With the deep lore and history surrounding The Elder Scrolls franchise, it will be interesting to see what Bethesda delivers. Anything can happen in a world infested with Frost Antronachs, werewolves, and dragons!
1 Avoid: An Undefined Season Pass at Launch
With The Elder Scrolls 6 still rumored to be a few years off, Bethesda has plenty of time to iron out the game and its inevitable DLC. If players remember, Fallout 4 had a very interesting thing happen with its season pass. Not only did Bethesda increase the amount of content offered with the season passes from 3 to 5 offerings, but they also increased the price of the season pass only a few weeks after its initial run at a lower price. When The Elder Scrolls 6 and its inevitable DLC come around, hopefully, the developers have better communication with how the season pass will be delivered.
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