The Elder Scrolls 6 May Be Doing Elsweyr and Black Marsh a Disservice
Although The Elder Scrolls 6 was officially confirmed over three years ago, fans still have a long wait ahead of them. It is perhaps the earliest case of a game ever being revealed too soon, as news about it won't come out until after Starfield releases at the end of 2022. Now, fans also know that Fable is set to release before The Elder Scrolls 6, really putting the game into a mid-to-late 2020s release at least.
Still, The Elder Scrolls 6 is in the works at Bethesda and one of the most interesting prospects right now for many is where the game will be set. Tamriel has quite a few unexplored locations (at least in the mainline single player games), and there's quite a few hints that it'll take place in Western Tamriel. However, there's a strong case that hopefully it pivots toward either Elsweyr or Black Marsh instead.
Perhaps surprisingly enough, the Starfield trailer gave fans their first clue to the location of The Elder Scrolls 6. The above image on the left was spotted in it, with many noticing similarities between it and the locations of Hammerfell and High Rock. As such, it stands to reason the game may take place across both these countries, but there are quite a few differences too. This would suggest a large time gap or some cataclysmic event that terraforms the area, but either way, many have used this trailer to suggest this area as the location.
Much as Morrowind is home to the Dark Elves, Skyrim to the Nords, and Cyrodiil to the Imperials, Hamerfell is home to the Redguards who left Yokuda and came to Tamriel. The country is incredibly arid, with one of its main features being the Great Alik'r Desert. There are a few forests on the coasts and borders, with the Dragontail Mountains bordering Skyrim. In comparison, High Rock belong to the Bretons, whose clans and houses have warred against each other for thousands of years on its rolling hills, plateaus, and more. Perhaps its most notable feature is the Adamantine Tower in Iliac Bay.
With the wide swath of climates and potential conflict, it's easy to see how Hammerfell and High Rock would make for an excellent The Elder Scrolls 6, especially if some event terraformed the countries. However, there is a big problem which is more of a case of the who than the where.
In Tamriel, there is a big umbrella for the Mer (elven folk), Men, and Beastfolk. Aside from Morrowind, which took place in a land of Mer, every major mainline game (assuming this one, if the tease is accurate) has taken place in the land of Men. Oblivion was related to the Imperials, Skyrim to the Nords (and their war), and, in this case, The Elder Scrolls 6 to the Bretons and Redguards. Not only does it ignore the Mer who have only received one game, it leaves the Beastfolk without a game to call their own.
Elsweyr and Black Marsh are close enough that one game could take place in them, with a little bit of Cyrodiil between them, or it could just take place in one or the other. Both offer as intriguing climates. Black Marsh, or Argonia, is hard to travel through and has never been invaded as a result of its marshes, rainforests, waterways, and huge forests. Elsweyr, much like Hammerfell, is a desert land, yet complete with dunes, planes, thick forest. The locality is as interesting if not more so than Hammerfell or High Rock, but it has the more interesting who.
As beastfolk, Argonians and Khajiit in Skyrim, Morrowind, and more are often treated as outsiders and simple beasts. It would make for a compelling game to see them in their homeland instead, even if that makes for a more alien game. The emphasis on the human races of Tamriel likely come from an aversion to the "alien," perhaps on the players' part equally to those developing it, but it's not like familiarity is truly necessary in a game like this. Players could still play a variety of races, they could still be exposed to some major plot (perhaps a war breaking out between southern Cyrodiil with the Khajiit and Argonians on both side), and the alien nature of the lands would truly make for some interesting gameplay.
Perhaps understandably so, many may be turned off at first by the alien nature of a foreign land, with players encountering more Argonians and Khajiit than ever before in a game. That's a possibility Bethesda may be trying to avoid it, as neither the Starfield teaser or the original 2018 teaser quite look like either place. Either appearing in The Elder Scrolls 6 is unlikely based on those an this alien factor, but if there's a franchise that wouldn't have to worry about becoming too "alien," it's The Elder Scrolls. With name alone, it has drummed up unimaginable hype, but it will also likely limit the Beastfolk to being simple outsiders once more, no matter where it takes place if it is in the land of men.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
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