Another reason why Hammerfell seems like the obvious setting. Plus, I'm of the opnion that BGS can do a better job portraying a culture in small incraments. Le'ts say for example that the Nords in north-eastern Hammerfell are limited to the eastern half of Dragonstar East, or perhaps even the majority of Dragonstar, depending on events and changes in the Fourth Era. Other than Dragonstar, we could find large Nordic populations and Nordic architecture in the village of Snowline, potentially the village of Azra's Crossing and perhaps the village of Belkarth Guard.

The Nords of the Bend'r-Mahk and Craglorn would be Nordic traditionalists, an enclave founded nearly two centuries before Ulfric Stormcloak was even born. Worship of the Hearth Gods would likely be the norm. It would also be a good way to implement some of the cooler unused ideas for Skyrim. Just looking at the concept art, I could see Dragonstar being somewhat similar to Markarth in terms of function and trade. Two cultures, sharing a city and region, while powerful smithing and trading guilds control the flow of wealth, while Nord reavers endanger the status quo.

As for the other provinces, perhaps something Nord-like would suffice? The Colovian Imperials are are descendant from Nords and supposedly share some customs. We've already seen that the Colovians' dress, architecture, names and so forth are inspired by Germanic and Slavic influences. Valenwood, Hammerfell and even Elsweyr to a degree could have some Colovian presence. Valenwood could also feature Hircine's Hunting Grounds, and Kodlak did promise a rescue mission by the heroes of Sovngarde to free the other Harbingers - the Harrowing of the Hunting Grounds.

Ya know, it just occurred to me - the area from elinhir up to Dragonstar is likely to have nords, especially farther north. The dragontail mountains were also an area settled by non-rourken dwemer (remember that Markarth is a dwemer city with extensive ruins still concealed deep within the mountains behind the city.) There were also other dwemer ruins scattered about.

What this suggests to me is that the Western slope of the dragontail mountains might have other non-rourken dwemer ruins as well - and those ruins are almost certain to host Betrayed Falmer.

Now that you mention it, Shadowkey was the first game to feature the Falmer, or at least an interpretation of the Falmer in the form of the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Ice_Tribes. These are without a doubt an interpretation on the Betrayed Falmer, though, seemingly somewhat more advanced, perhaps a sect that has risen in intelligence as suggested by Gelebor? In any case, I think the Betrayed Falmer could certainly factor into a Hammerfell game. Perhaps the recent Falmer raids on surface settlements, in addition to the devastating civil war is why the Nords could be flocking to places like Jehanna and Dragonstar, trying to make a better life for themselves outside of Skyrim? This would in turn heighten tensions between the Nordic and Crown clans in northern Hammerfell, perhaps made worse by militant Nordic reavers that intend on driving the Redguards from what they claim to be their ancestral holdings. The two sides would eventually be forced to work together when the Falmer endanger Dragonstar, potentially even besieging the city. TES VI could try and tie up some loose ends left over from Skyrim, the civil war for example devolving into a quagmire of madness and bloodshed, the fragmented Stormcloaks fighting entrenched Legionnaires, while both sides are tormented by Falmer and Forsworn. A war such as the Rebellion would certainly produce more Ulfric-wannabes.

Honestly, I've been recently looking into the plausibility of Black Marsh as a setting for TES VI, or any future game within the current story arc. Black Marsh would by far be one of the most difficult, and without a doubt the most strange province to tackle, just because how alien it is. Black Marsh's many deadly diseases and poisonous gases would be countered by the player character ingesting Hist Sap early on in the game, becoming sort of an agent of the Hist hivemind, an outsider, or, if an Argonian, a Lukiul, untainted by the corruption that has taken hold of Black Marsh. This chosen hero would then do the Hist's will, gifted not just with the ability to fight off the Hist's defense mechanisms, but also to understand Jel to a degree. Essentially, only an Argonian, one with a connection to the Hist, can survive Black Marsh, and Argonians aren't just hatched. They are made through ingestion of Hist Sap. Along with this, the player character would rely on their connection with the Hist to fight off the various threats they might face, slowly mastering shamanic powers, using their connection to the Hist to influence other things with a similar connection. Be it flora or fauna. Perhaps a trailer shot of a battle, where the hero is bested by an Argonian abomination, only to enter into a trance, ripping the monster apart with roots and vines, offscreen of course.

Another thing I think they could do to make Black Marsh more appealing as a setting is bring in some as of yet unfeatured Great House players. The southernmost regions of Morrowind, such Arnesia and Deshaan, were hit the hardest during the Accession War, and it is likely that they were lost to the Argonians, the disputed regions becoming a vast no man's land between Morrowind and Black Marsh. These regions would incompass the Dres District and the southern Hlaalu District. http://i.imgur.com/x5gs5fY.png, still being on the Grand Council, would probably have some kind of presence in the region, perhaps scattered into various tribes, engaging in guerilla warfare against Argonian settlers. On the other hand, there is http://i.imgur.com/3RRvEJk.png, the upstart that took Hlaalu's seat on the Grand Council. It wouldn't be much of stretch if they gained some of Hlaalu's former holdings as well, and Narsis, their ancestral seat of power, would certainly be desirable. Tear and potentially Narsis could be featured in a Black Marsh game, bringing some Great House politics into the mix and potentially revisiting one of the more interesting and eye catching elements of Argonian culture: the slave trade. Only, instead of the abolition of slavery, it would be the threat of the return of slavery. A conflict between Dres and Sadras could arise, Dres endangering Sadras' monopoly and vital trade routes.

It'll be Hammerfell, no doubt in my mind. A nation of soldiers fits perfectly with Bethesda's recent focus on action, the main story is a layup with Skyrim setting the stage for a fight against the Dominion, and it's just a lot easier to do human race nations. That's not even touching on all of the fitting mechanical stuff that people have been discussing.

Honestly, if the game took place in Hammerfell, the Dwemer ruins would already be enough to create nostalgia. That said I wouldn't mind a naked Nord who got his clothing robbed by a witch as an Easter Egg.

Redguards are more warriors than soldiers. At least we will have the arena in it's full glory this time. Bethesda better not screw that up like they did with the Combat Zone.

Personally I hope for either Hammerfell or the Summerset Isles.

The issue here is, from what we know, the Argonians didn't keep any of the land they took. They either abandoned it, or were driven out by the Dinner (I tend to think the Redoran rallying the Dunmer to drive out the invaders is more propaganda than anything, but Dragonborn does indicate that Redoran was able to mount a fight against the Argonians). Based on the information we have, there's no contested regions, Argonian settlement or occupation, and the Dunmer have been doing a decent job rebuilding.

If ES6 were in Black Marsh, I would want the devs to truly go all out in story-telling. If they tried to 'gentrify' the province by making it not terribly marshy and jungly, I'd be very upset.

They need to let their imaginations run completely wild in such a setting. It should be much more alien and exotic than Morrowind.

But of course. Generifying wouldn't be the aim of introducing, or even expanding upon some of Black Marsh's less Argonian societies. I'd include the southernmost regions of Morrowind, which are historically disputed land, as part of northern Black Marsh, bringing the port city of Tear and the trade city of Narsis, http://36.media.tumblr.com/81635d63a410373fa71a1736cb2f69a4/tumblr_mr4svzcl2y1seyqzco2_1280.jpg, http://40.media.tumblr.com/eb6ff77f25fd4c288e6fac251b1e7e6e/tumblr_nc0b55W1691seyqzco1_1280.jpg http://www.darkcreations.org/static/uploads/attachments/monthly_2015_07/bm2.jpg.2d6759451c098b34e3d63dbbd1dca476.jpg, into the game. The main problem with Black Marsh's northern border as it is is that there isn't one. An artificial border, marked by how far the Dunmer could expand into Arnesia. Since the abolition of slavery, much of Arnesia was returned to Black Marsh, and with the Red Year, vast swaths of the north would be lost to the Argonians. Geographically speaking, the Black Marsh expanded northward, and I think an interesting story could be told in the north, revolving around two Great Houses with opposing ideologies. The actual game border would be drawn at the Valus Mountains briefly stretching eastward, the Thirr River and a small mountain range near the mountain of the Thirr River. There is also a precident to include the Clockwork City, likely as a Blackreach-style massive dungeon like Murkwood.

The main quest itself could revolve around the player character becoming an agent of the Hist through the ingestion of Hist sap, as I said before. Aside from entering into a trance like battle state, the player character could perhaps have access to temporary abilities and mutations, granted by the ingestion of Hist sap and purification of "rogue" Hist? Scale-like textures appearing across the body, with a cloak of lightning enveloping the player character, Wamasu Skin, or summoning up a swarm of Fleshflies and breathing them at enemies. As for the actual main quest, I'm compelled to somehow involve "The Striking" and possibly the Tsaesci, perhaps even forces from Oblivion conspiring to take possession of the Realm of the Hist, influencing Tamriel through control of the Hist Hivemind. As for the various factions, I think I'd like to see Gideon expanded upon, something like Gideon being ruled by Kothri-Nibenese merchant families, essentially Nibenese Imperial clans with strong Kothringi ancestry. The merchant nobility, would be devout Zenithar worshipers, treating their workers no better than slaves. We would also seen traces of the Alessian Doctrines in their culture, especially the whole "guilty untill proven innocent" thing.

Here is how I think Gideon could be handled. Sort of a microcosm of Nibenese culture and Black Mash's history with Imperial colonialism:

Gideon, known as the Black City, is a major trade city located in the western region of Murkmire in the province of Black Marsh, near the Cyrodilic border. Originally built by the Barsaebic Ayleids, Gideon was settled by the Kothringi after their disappearance, which rebuilt the city and opened it up to trade with their neighbors in Nibenay. After the Knahaten Flu wiped out the Kothringi, the city was settled by the Naga, one of the more prominent Argonian tribes, who constructed the Black Pyramid of Gideon, a temple devoted to Sithis.

When Black Marsh was incorporated into the Third Empire, Gideon and its adjacent lands came under the ownership of the Nibenese merchant nobility, which wrought disastrous to Black Marsh’s economy, as the small farms of Argonian peasants were replaced by massive cash-crop farms, saltrice plantations and large peat bogs. Interestingly, the Nibenese merchant nobility that settled Gideon had strong Kothringi ancestry, many descendant from Kothringi nobles that resided in Nibenay and early refugees from the Knahaten Flu.

There have even been some attempts to convert Argonians to the Cyrodilic pantheon, though, few have been successful. They have however given rise to a strange heretical cult of Saint Alessia, the Argonians identifying with her radical doctrines of freedom, transcendence and violent opposition against slavery. The merchant nobility on the other hand are devout followers of the Cyrodilic pantheon, with elements of the Alessian Doctrines, such as the principle of “all are guilty until proven innocent” still guiding the legal system of Gideon.

The Black Pyramid still stands and is home to the Brotherhood of Sithis, a religious order devoted to the one primordial state of chaos. The Brotherhood is a rather obvious front for the remnants of the Dark Brotherhood, which is used by the merchant nobility to remove competition and at times “stabilize” their position as rulers of Gideon. Slavery is illegal, but the workers of the plantations are treated so horribly and paid so little they might as well be slaves anyway. Most Nibenese don’t notice or care about the hypocrisy.

We're going to Hammerfell. No question. There's no other place it would be. The only places of interest in Skyrim that are really talked about are Cyrodiil, and we're not going there. Morrowind, which would be great to see the mainland but we're not going there. Summerset Isles are talked about, but we almost certainly arent going there (although that would be pretty fun.)

Elsweyr is mentioned a decent amount, but if you read the lore you can see that it would take so much work to actually make that province playable without retconning literally everything would be overwhelming. Valenwood is unlikely because they already got hassled in Oblivion about making a cookie cutter fantasy setting, and the forest home of nature elves wouldnt be well received, even if they did something amazing with it.

High Rock is boring and no one really cares about it. And Black Marsh has much the same problem as Elsweyr.

The only other place left, which also happens to be the subject of the most open for interpretation quest, is Hammerfell.

I'd wager that Black Marsh, Valenwood and Hammerfell have had the most world-building of the as of yet unfeatured provinces. Just looking at http://www.imperial-library.info/content/infernal-city-lore-notes and http://www.imperial-library.info/content/lord-souls-lore-notes, we have an in-depth description of the city of Lilmoth and its surroundings, a detailed description of the Hist's relationship with the Argonians, from an Argonian no less, and so much more. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Argonian_Account is also a great source of world-building for Black Marsh, as is http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:A_Dance_in_Fire a great source of world-building for Valenwood. Black Marsh also supposedly seized some of the disputed southern marshlands of Morrowind, bringing the city of Tear and Great House Dres into the conflict. Furthemore, it appears that the Accession War was indeed a Thalmor plot and that the Aldmeri Dominion has been supplying Black Marsh with cheap Elven arms and armor. This seems to point to the Thalmor still having some machinations surrounding Black Marsh. While Black Marsh might not be the setting of TES VI, as this is likely Hammerfell, Black Marsh and Valenwood are also likely settings.

No, Skyrim is the boring one and yet it happened.

I'm not buying it. The major criticism Fallout 4 got was that it wasn't innovative enough compared to Skyrim and felt like Fallout 3 with better graphics. I hope Bethesda doesn't make the same mistake with TES.

If anything, TES fans are far more nostalgic of Morrowind than Skyrim, and Elven provinces have a great chance to recreate Morrowind's magic and atmosphere. By the time TES 6 comes out, TES fans will be playing Skyrim for 6-7 years (as Steam shows, Skyrim is still very much alive thanks to mods), so they will want something different, not another Skyrim.

Er. Valenwood is nothing like Cyrodiil. It's supposed to be a very wild land with strange flora and fauna. Eh, who told you that the forest home of nature elves wouldn't be well received? When I played ESO, AD faction was the most popular, despite a rather unimaginative representation of the Southern provinces.

Valenwood, along with Hammerfell and Alinor, is a very likely setting for TES6, IMO.

Vampires that hunt by pulling people through solid ice? Tribes of naked Nords living on Glaciers? Witch-Kings with armies of undead? Flying whales that piss cocaine?


Skyrim most certainly was Not boring.

Hang on:

There are two 'sets' of fans for the ES series now.

There's a core element who came aboard with Morrowind - a breakout game, if I may say so.

There's a second group, however, that is much larger - the group that first got introduced to ES thru Skyrim.

This second group will (probably) ask Bethesda for something in ES6 that reminds them, at least briefly, of Skyrim. Example: the city of Dragonstar in Hammerfell. Should ES6 be a Hammerfell game, Skyrim fans will likely get their 'fix' in Dragonstar.

I don't know how something equivalent can be provided for the other unexplored provinces - perhaps thru a DLC that takes us to Roscrea for a couple of adventures or something of that sort (in the same way that Morrowind fans got their 'fix' in Skyrim thru the Dragonborn expansion to Solstheim.)

Let's see what Bethesda comes up with. Like I said, for any new province that does not share a border with Skyrim, it's going to be a bit of a challenge.

I think Dragonborn showed us that Bethesda is well aware how fond and nostalgic TES fans are about Morrowind. Bethesda people are not stupid. They know what game of the series is universally praised by fans for atmosphere, lore and writing and it's not Skyrim, despite its huge success(though Morrowind was very successful for its time, too, saving Bethesda). Even with Fallout 4, Bethesda clearly attempted to recreate Morrowind's writing, trying to make sure that the choices you made in the game mattered (but they still got it wrong, though, but it's neither here nor there). I actually think Dragonborn DLC might be a hint that Bethesda is planning to revisit Mer lands next: they successfully introduced a Mer land to new TES fans who didn't play Morrowind.

Also, if we think from nostalgia perspective, it will probably make more sense to revisit Cyrodiil in TES 6 than Skyrim. In TES V we revisited TES 3, so I won't be surprised if we revisit TES 4 in TES 6 expansion. In that case, Hammerfell and any of the Southern provinces are perfect for it. Though, keep in mind that if the game is set in Mer lands, where magic is highly used, then we can easily revisit any province, Skyrim included, through some teleportation devices, maybe even visit Akavir.

Hmmm - I see your point. If, then, ES6 is elven, that would indicate Valenwood or Summerset. Either is fine with me.

There are people who asked for a DLC in ES5 that took us into Cyrodiil. The roads leading south from Skyrim suggested that the devs may have been thinking along the same lines. If we go to Valenwood in ES6, I would be surprised if there weren't at least one DLC that took us into at least a portion of the Imperial province.

There was someone else who suggested that a re-visit to a tiny piece of Skyrim could be done from a non-adjacent province thru magic. As long as it's 'credible', it opens up many possibilities.

I bet before summer we get news regarding ES6. Not necessarily a commit date for a release, but something official from Bethesda that still gives us some idea of a where and when for ES6.

Yeah, I hope we get some news by the end of the year. Having played FO4, I simply don't believe Bethesda have been working only on that game for four years since Skyrim. The map is smaller than Skyrim's, many Skyrim assets have been reused, and the game has far, far less factions and quests than Skyrim, even though there was only a 3-year-gap between FO3 and Skyrim. What Bethesda have been doing for 4 years, then? They seemed to be constantly hiring new people, but I think Todd said the team working on FO4 was the same size that worked on Skyrim. Of course they wouldn't admit that they're working on TES too while FO4's DLCs haven't even been released yet, so I'm taking their words of denial with a grain of salt. I'm inclined to believe the next TES is at least half-done by this point.

I still think that, when it comes to familiarity, Black Marsh would be one of the better choices, along with Hammerfell. Valenwood is a province rich in culture and nature, with strong Aldmeri and Khajiit influences. Essentially, we have three groups in Valenwood, in which we can fit the various architectural types and culturaly influenced regions: those influenced by the Summerset Isles, likely found along the southern coast, those influenced by the Colovians/Khajiit, found in the north and east respectively, and those un-influenced by outsiders, found deep in Valenwood's interior. DLC could allow us to visit perhaps Colovia, exploring the Gold Coast, bordered to the east by the hills and highlands. Auridon would also be a good DLC for Valenwood, though, they would likley save it for a Summerset Isles game.

As for Black Marsh, it's chock full of foreign influence and potential nastalgia for both Morrowind and Oblivion. The north and east would be influenced by the Cantemiric Velothi and the Dunmer Great Houses, while the east and likely the south would be heavily influenced by Nibenese culture and Imperial colonialism. I'd like to think that Gideon and its surroundings are home to the more "out-there" Nibenese cults and nobility, some possessing strong Kothringi ancestry, which is apparent in their skin pigmentation. Traces of the Alessian Doctrines can still be seen in Gideon's culture, such as the principle of "all are guilty untill proven innocent" still guiding the legal system of Gideon. There could even be rumors of "Ayleid Revivalists" being present in Gideon, a fringe group that reveres the Ayleids of old.

Supposedly, the Ayleid Revivalists claim that the many atrocities of the Ayleids were invented by the power-hungry Alessian Order, to further fuel their pogroms. The Revivalists seek to, well, "revive" Ayleid civilisation. I'd assume that they would be present in Gideon, originally an Ayleid city. Architecture imitating that of the Ayleids, coupled with Argonian and Nibenese architecture, with perhaps a series of underground tunnels, constructed by the Ayleids, connecting Gideon to Stormhold, as well as other Ayleid ruins. As for the north, Netches, Wild Guars, Kwama, Kagouti, Alits, Silt Striders, Skylamps and other creatures common to Morrowind would also be common to the north of Black Marsh. Ancestral Tombs and Daedric/Velothi ruins could also be found in the north, now that parts of the south were reclaimed.

Black Marsh would be pretty amazing to explore, alien like Morrowind but even wilder. I think the pacing of the game should be slower, like Morrowind. Dark and brutal, but also magical and full of treasures and wonders for an outlander explorer who wants to assist the Hist in a great spiritual journey. Start from a harbor town and know the place and the inhabitants before you take sides in the main story.

I think the map should be very dense (with a lot of dangers that can be avoided by exploiting the vertical level design) and a layered difficulty like concentric circles (the outer map is easier to explore, tribes of Argonians are more friendly, the cities have a nice mix of races and cultures, and the more you go inside the heart of Argonia the harder the enemies, the weirder the tribes, the deeper the underwater dungeons, ettc).

Personally, I think the five major cities of Black Marsh would be Soulrest, Lilmoth, Gideon, Stormhold and Tear. The other major settlements would be more towns, as you said. Larger than your average village, likely with unique architecture and structures. Blackrose for example would be defined by the Rose, Tamriel's most secure prison. Archon would have originally been an old Cantemiric Velothi town, with Velothi architecture still present in the town's older districts and the supposedly abandoned Shadowscale Training Facility located bellow the town. Thorn seems to have been a holding of House Dres, now likely a border stronghold of sorts.

And Helstrom, I personally see Helstrom as a Blackreach-style location, perhaps underwater? In any case, it would be "The Lost City of Argonia". If Helstrom was not treated as a proper city, BGS could potentially also include Narsis in its place, or Mir Corrup. Black Marsh would be similar to Morrowind's layout of Vvardenfell. Only wherein Vvardenfell''s interior was home to Red Mountain, Black Marsh's interior is home to Murkwood, both deadly, in their own way. Choosing a main antagonist for a Black Marsh game is somewhat difficult. I think Sithis, or rather, as aspect of Sithis, trying to destroy creation though the Hist, would be appropriately grand.

Essentially, a mixture of cosmic horror and a treasure hunt, mixed in with colonial and nativist politics, and the ever-present threat of the return of slavery.

They've likely offered some assistance to Zenimax with ESO. Possibly also to id with the newest Doom. Most likely they are also working on their new IP (Starfield).

Is it confirmed BGS is doing Starfield? It seems far more likely that they would be planning out, if not beginning work on TES VI. I've also entertained the notion that Starfield may be a working title for TES VI, a project name, like the rumored project name "Greenheart" from a while back, and other hoaxes and supposed leaks from Bethesda.

As for ESO, I believe they certainly got assistance in the lore department. Any major updates of the lore did go through Bethesda, it's their baby after all. I know of your opinions on ESO, but you must admit, it does introduce tons of interesting and not so interesting lore that really fleshes out the world and lays a foundation for future titles.

Ya know, despite the fact that a considerable effort was put into ESO and there is legitimate reason to praise some of the work, I have the impression that ESO is going to die. I heard that beyond the support group, a significant portion of other people are being cut.

Too bad; I thought ESO might serve as a skeleton platform for assembling all the SPgames and their provinces into one experience in the future.

Regarding Black Marsh:

I have some hard and fast requirements:

1. Verticality. There are highlands to the NW and some highlands towards the center/south. I absolutely have to have vertical relief in an RPG. Pet peeve.

2. Genuinely unique architecture and cultural features. Bethesda did it in morrowind with insectoid dwellings, buildings and armor. I absolutely don't want to see every building in Black Marsh look oblivion-like generic european medieval. In fact, the culture, art and architecture need to be significantly more alien than Morrowind. The argonians are a much older race; it stands to reason that they would be quite unique.

3. Liberal use of the littoral. When I get to the shore, I don't simply want to see a beach and ocean stretching out. There need to be small islands to explore, reefs, underwater towns and so forth, along with plenty of natural flora and fauna. If GTA5 can give me a somewhat interesting underwater experience, Bethesda should be able to easily shock and awe me.

4. Though the argonians are, by lore, not very expressive in facial features, Bethesda has to make them very physically expressive by other means - postures, gestures, changes in skin color, mottling, patterns, scale puffing, crest extensions, changes in eye dilation, size and color, etc.....