The Elder Scrolls 6: Should Bethesda Consider Adding Unlockable Combat Styles?

At GamingBolt, we like to think of the directions that Bethesda could take with their upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6, the next entry in their flagship franchise, which has been officially confirmed, but is also years and years away from release. Skyrim is one of the greatest games ever made, and certainly one of our all time favorites- and we are very interested in seeing how Bethesda follow that up.

One of the things we considered was a deeper, more nuanced combat system. So far, so good, especially since the combat in Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the game’s weakest points. This could, for instance, entail Bethesda locking moves and entire combat styles behind progression meters, so players would unlock more as they leveled up.

But then when you think about it, you realize this is the antithesis of what The Elder Scrolls should be- Bethesda emphasizes the player’s freedom, including in the kind of character that they want to play, by not locking the player into any specific kind of style or ‘class,’ and letting them switch over to something else at will. It is a beautiful system, and this would run counter to that.

Combat is definitely something that could stand to improve in the next Elder Scrolls game, don’t get me wrong- but maybe there are better ways to achieve this than by taking options away from the player.

This article is part of our weekly series on Bethesda’s next big entry into the world of The Elder Scrolls. Through this series we take a look at the possible new features that Bethesda can add into the next The Elder Scrolls game, based on what they implemented in the previous entries and player feedback.