Did Bethesda corner themselves with the Dragonborn? I mean, how do they plan to top the Dovahkin? In Skyrim your the most powerful being since Tiber Septim, whom ascended to become a god. "Shouts" are amazing and add a completely new mechanic to TES. Can you imagine the next TES not having said mechanic? Its kind of like power creep of sorts. People will come to expect it. While one may not be Dragonborn in the next ES per say, what other possibilities exist in TES that could even rival the experience?

Top a dumb drunk nord who followed whatever order anyone told him to do without question? Shouldn't be too hard.

Who said they have to?

Do they have to? By that question I mean that there are other things they can market. Being a "chosen hero" is one of the easier ones, granted, but not the only path. Marketing it something along the lines of "stepping up to the role no one else will take" can work rather well. I'd say it can work better with the type of games TES is too, not forcing you towards any specific path. I know I liked that better in Oblivion, compared to how "chosen" I was in Skyrim.

If that makes any sense.

I can easily imagine the next TES without shouts. Here's hoping we'll get a proper magic system instead.

I don't care about playing a powerful character, especially not one powerful right from the start. I couldn't care less about divine connotations. I want a gripping, coherent storyline and the rest I can take care of myself. It's TES, the protagonist is only as interesting as you make him.

As for marketing? A reluctant hero or an ordinary person rising to greatness can work just as well.

Absolutely this. I didn't play Morrowind to be the Nerevarine, I didn't play Oblivion to be the Champion of Cyrodiil and I didn't play Skyrim to be a Dovakhiin. I play these games to participate in an interesting story and explore an interesting world.

Yep, let me be a regular guy who happens to get caught up in the happenings of the world...and I want a well written story with choices and consequences. I do not want a story shoved down my throat, or play as a character who was clearly intended to be as one particular race. If I play as an Argonian, I don't want that rp to feel out of place because the devs intended the hero to be a Nord and a Nord alone.

And I want a game that brings back back Spellmaking. If that's the only thing they bring back, I will consider that an improvement over Skyrim. I will not play another TES without improved writing and quests, and I will not play another TES without Spellmaking...or at the very least, a way of combining existing spells into a new, unique spell

Yep, Beth can easily top the Dragonborn, it wouldn't be very hard to do.

Hear, Hear!

it is no achievement to be born to greatness. What is truly impressive is when you earn it. That is what the Eternal Champion did, what the Agent did and what the Champion of Cyrodiil did.

Nerevarine as well to some degree, at least he wasn't handed everything on a silver plate, though he loses points for being a prophetic hero.

The Dragonborn got everything handed to him, he did absolutely no work of the mind, just pingponging around for the bidding of his betters, and up until the end he was little more than a tool for the Blades, Greybeards and whatever faction he joined in his time.

Wouldn't it be so much better if TES6 hero would actually have to do his own damn research in things. I was strongly annoyed when the only way to complete Skyrim's story was to take orders from people, be it the Jarl, Greybeards, Paarthunax, anyone. In good old school RPGs the protagonist would be an autonomical entity which could follow the story through intermediaries, but he could also do everything on his own.