The Elder Scrolls has always been a series that has some excellent quests and questlines. Sure, the games are more about providing players with the utmost freedom to do whatever they want in the world they’re inhabiting, but that freedom doesn’t take away from the excellence of the quests. Sure, they have their flaws, the writing could definitely be better, and there are a few damp squids every now and then, but those are smaller concerns in the larger schemes of things.
However, do Bethesda need to change up the formula a bit with The Elder Scrolls 6, whenever it comes out? For instance, what would it be like to have to complete pre-requisite tasks or fulfil pre-requisite conditions to have to play a particular quest or questline? On paper, that doesn’t sound too good. The concept is one that is often used a lot, but it isn’t something that would fit very well in a single player formula if used too heavily, especially in a sandbox game.
However, when you start thinking about it, the idea is actually quiet appealing. Not because it will add extra hours of gameplay, which it will do, but because it will also lend personality and individuality to so many of Bethesda’s quest. For instance, having reached a minimum level for sneaking around or lockpicking in order to be able to to tackle Thieves Guild quests or Dark Brotherhood quests is an interesting idea, to say the least.
Bethesda will of course have to be careful that they don’t fall into the trap of putting in pre-requisites just for the sake of it. Often games try to do this and end up adding padding to the gameplay, and it ends up feeling like it’s just been done for the sake of it. Bethesda will need to make sure that they work around this and if they choose to toy with this idea, they’ll have to do it smartly in a way that complements the quests and questlines themselves.
What do you think of this? Tell us in the comments section below.
This article is part of our 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.
