Bethesda hasn't commented about the future of the Elder Scrolls series, but one of the most common topics of speculation is where the next game will be set. Rather than trying to keep this in the official suggestion/discussion thread we've decided to give this a separate topic.

This discussion doesn't need to be tied entirely to geography; other setting details are also appropriate. However, let's keep this focused on the game world and leave other matters (such as gameplay mechanics or NPCs) in the main http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1606956-official-beyond-skyrim-tes-vi-87/


http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1605442-tes-vi-location-and-setting-speculation-33/

And at the current rate, in 20 years we'll just be getting to the Dominion, and by the time we get to Alinor, you and I will be a few years away from being able to apply for social security benefits in the US.

Either way, however, I do not think that the Dominion and the Thalmor needs several TES titles to properly develop them as an entity and as a potentially cosmic threat, especially considering how vast each TES title is. And from a pragmatic standpoint, it seems unwise to draw a story arc across literal decades. Even the entire Harry Potter series took no more than slightly over 10 years from the publishing of Philospher's Stone to the publishing of Deathly Hallows.

I'd rather they fast forward the Thalmor threat in a book or two (by Keyes or someone else) and move on to a new story involving the beast races and Tamriel-Akavir wars.

Black Marsh could be pretty amazing, provided they pull off a combination of dark fantasy / horror themes and a map designed for highly rewarding exploration. Every inch and every stone and every bush should hide a danger, a treasure, a secret or a portal. Traveling inside worm holes, becoming one with trees and dreaming their dreams, ect. Learning to communicate with savage tribes of sarpa Argonians. Exploring the ruins of ancient civilizations and the bottom of the swamp for long forgotten treasures guarded by horrible creatures. I hope a game in Black Marsh would mix a fair proportion of familiar and bizarre to make it appealing but also unique and very memorable.

Elsweyer, no seriously it makes sense from a story standpoint as much as being a good change of pace. At the end of the Civil war questline, everyone hints at the Great War reigniting, so it makes sense to be in Elsweyr because

1) The Imperials, either bolstered by Skyrim's soldiers, or desperate to seize the initiative after losing Skyrim will want to strike first, so they'll hit either Valenwood or Elsweyr. Valenwood has a heavier Dominion presence though from the sounds of how unruly Bosmer are getting purged, so it could be that the Empire will find support in Elsweyr from Khajiit factions that want independence. That can be reflected in an Elweyr that changes in landscape based on what faction holds control in that area.

2)Because it's between Cyrodiil and Valenwood, it would be a good way to introduce players to a province that has bits of something familiar(Cyrodill border will have Imperial-esque towns and villages) while introducing Alinor piecemeal from the Valenwood border.

3)The Tropical landscape will be a good offset to the Tundra-Arctic landscape in Skyrim. And all those Skyrim Tropics mods show that's something players want.

4)Back to the 1st point, I think there are some hints that the Stone for Crystal-Like-Law is an individual. Maybe the storyline could focus on that Stone escaping to Elsweyr to get away from the Thalmor? Given their tendency to deactivate Towers they might want to introduce something large and pointy to the Stone and they don't want that?

5) Want Skyrim Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo? Well there's the Mane that would lead the Khajiit people. Could let the player actually take a more pivotal role in guiding/assasinating the new Mane so they could support the Empire/the Dominion/Anequina/be dead.

I'm starting to notice my posts are either long winded or short as all get out...

Elsweyr would be a good change of setting, if done right. However, to be a bit of a devil's advocate to some of your points:

1) That depends on how exactly the Civil War gets resolved. If they really want to take a shot at the Thalmor, it may be a better idea to split Aldmeri Dominion territory by invading Valenwood instead. The Thalmor probably still have a large presence in Elsweyr. Still, we don't know a whole lot about how Thalmor occupation is going in either province. By the time of TESVI, either one may be leading an uprising. Even for any Khajiit that want independence, there is no guarantee that they will accept support from the Empire, and many Khajiit will still probably feel fairly loyal to the Thalmor who they believe brought back the moons.

2) It isn't really between Cyrodiil and Valenwood.

3) Players want all kinds of different settings. You could make similar arguments for other provinces like any desert mods (although Elsweyr has these as well, and Elsweyr has pretty diverse environments.

4) The Crystal Tower fell during the Oblivion Crisis. Whatever--or whoever--the stone is is probably not going to be relevant, especially over in Elsweyr, unless there was some way that I can't think of to fit the Crystal Tower into the story. The stone for the Khajiit could be a bunch of different things, like the Mane or the moons.

5) On the contrary, many players won't want a total rehash of the Civil War with an Elsweyr skin. It needs to have enough added to it to keep it fresh instead of Civil War 2.0. Also, we don't know what the relationship between the Mane and the Thalmor is like. We don't know much about the Mane apart except for the fact that he/she is more or less the leader of the Khajiit and some other tidbits of information.

Now, this isn't to say that there isn't any merit to these arguments. However, I think there needs to be a bit deeper reasoning behind them, because there are plenty of arguments to be made to the contrary.

1) Well to be honest I'm thinking that Bethesda will just time jump ahead to where the resolution of the Civil War will be a moot point. I still feel regardless of outcome that it would be Elsweyr because Khajiit tend to resist outside influences. They resisted the Empire when under Imperial control, chances are they also chafe under Dominion control. It would make the most sense to have the Empire come in to 'liberate' Elsweyr and give Cyrodiil a stepping stone into the Dominion.

2) I know it isn't between, but the way both provinces bleed into Elsweyr I feel is a way to start players off in something familiar(Cyrodiil-Elswyer border towns) while still showing of a more Mer-controlled province.

3)Granted but it shows there is more a shift towards 'warmer' climates for a setting.

4) I know the Tower fell, but I don't know what happened to the Stone, and I'm not sure if Elsweyr even has a Tower so that's why I brought the Crytsal Tower into it. One could argue for Green-Sap but I would think that would be better the game was in Alinor(both Summerset and Valenwood)

5)When I say Civil War 2, I mean the was as it was meant to be: Taking forts, soldiers moving around the map trying to take them while you are gone, disrupting supply lines, winning allies from neutral factions around the province, etc rather than the rather short questline we got in Skyrim. And on top of it all it can be closer to the Battle of Hoover Damn in New Vegas: all culminating in a final Battle Royale between the Dominion and Empire with the outcome dependant on who you backed and who you want in control when the dust settles(doesn't even have to be the Empire or Dominon, but instead one of any other factions present).

Either Argonia or Elsweyr would be great for me. These beast races deserve more spotlight.

I suspect we will be seeing more of the THalmor. After all, they came across as a very sinister bunch; surely Bethesda has long term plans for them in the mythos.

I wonder............since they were ejected from both Cyrodiil and Hammerfell with terrible losses, could the THalmor attempt to shore up their political power in Summerset by a campaign of terror against their own citizens?

It's possible. From a regular Dominion citizen's perspective, the Great War achieved nothing but a lot of pointless death. The Dominion failed to expand its borders and the gains achieved- the ban on Talos worship and power to enforce it in the Empire- means nothing to the average mer in Alinor or Valenwood. And to add insult to injury, the Thalmor were working with the devourer of Trinimac. For the Thalmor, it'd be a good of a time as any to remind their subjects who's in charge.

I'm kind of hoping that the Thalmor aren't dethroned by the mannish nations, but by the very mer subjects that they deceived, murdered by the hundreds, and sent to their deaths in a war waged for their own twisted, petty purposes.

Elsweyr hasn't existed as a province since the early 4th era. Large parts of Argonia is uninhabitable, not to say life-threathening to all non-Argonians. An open-world game where you're forced to play as one particular race in order to access all the content is hardly a very good idea.

Elsweyr is still a recognised region, even by Khajiit, and the inherent threats of Blackmarsh could be easily dealt with, or turned into gameplay mechanics. Neither are particularly strong reasons to disregard the areas.

Hammerfell and Blackmarsh represent 2 of the more feasible options, from a technological stand point (unless Bethesda wants to try to pull off shifting sands). They are relatively 'mundane' provinces with easily dealt with populations (only one variety of Argonian has ever been playable, and they have never been depicted to be as varied as the Khajiit). Even as exotic as Blackmarsh has been described, it's still fundamentally a swamp, with the most mechanically complex element being under water environments, something that is well within the area of reasonable execution today.

Then don't call it Elsweyr, call it the Khajiit land, I still want a game based on that place regardless of political borders or anything. As for Argonia, nobody is saying we should be restricted to play Argonian, BGS has already proved that game > lore in their eyes, so I'm sure the lore will be bent to accomodate any story they see fit.

Has it ever been specified how much of Black Marsh is inhospitable to non Argonians?

A Black Marsh game will almost certainly have a spell/potion/artifact/prophecised ability etc that the player character will receive, allowing him to enter these inhospitable areas. Or these areas will act a bit like radiation in Fallout.

They can allows change the size of these dangerous areas, reducing them slightly if needed.

Yeah, eslweyr hasn't existed as a province for quite a while - so what? Makes it MORE interesting, when you think about it.

The thing about the BM interior being too dangerous for non-argonians is utterly irrelevant. You can start out with a special 'charm' that wards off infectious vectors in the center of the province. Or maybe some Aedra or Daedra will sponsor the PC and protect him from the icky stuff.

If Bethesda wants to go all - out with truly original storytelling, either beast province would be an excellent choice. Something tells me, though, that if they ever do another ES single player game, the next one will be 'safe.'

Latest rumors have gone back to Valenwood (that alleged 2014 memo that mentions things like "Fallout Nuka World", "Boston Project" and "Project Greenheart.")

That would make sense, given how nerveless/spineless bethesda has become regarding storytelling.

Also, it negates the argument that they are waiting for the right technology to come along to 'realize their vision.' They don't need anything special for Valenwood and could do it quite well with even the Skyrim engine.

There's more to a game than a setting. The technology could be related to NPCs, or dialog, or quests, or any number of things. We have no idea what they have in mind, so we have no idea what their vision entails, nor the kind of technology they need to realize it. But regardless, don't forget that Valenwood is home to a major city in a walking tree, so that would be impressive in its own right.

I hear you, but the excuse they make about technology simply raises doubts with me.

Lemme 'splain:

Remember Morrowind? Miserable technology. A game that was, for me, hard on the eyes. But the STORIES!

In other words: you don't need amazing technology in HW or SW to create a fantastic game. Using whatever you have at that moment, you can still create wonderful gaming experiences.

With that in mind, it makes me skeptical regarding their need to wait for an applicable technology to come along in order to implement whatever ideas they have. Perhaps if they rethought those ideas, they'd find them much more implementable and just as exciting.

You could do it with the 1983 King's Quest engine, but this is a province I feel there's so much to gain by waiting. As technology advances you can put more detail on screen and have more lifelike animations, and Valenwood as I see it would benefit greatly from both.

No, you don't. You can make great games without 3D graphics too, but not being satisfied with what you have is part of what helps drive technological advances, which helps make games better than they would have been. I could play and enjoy a TES game that had graphics and sound like Zelda 1, but that doesn't mean a 3D first-person view with high quality graphics and sound doesn't improve the experience.

Fair enuf.

But hey - Bethesda CAN make a good game with today's technology if they really wanted to. If a given province has certain features that they want to cover in a particular way but the tech is not yet available, then DO A DIFFERENT PROVINCE.

But not developing a new ES title 5 years after Skyrim's release shows poor judgement, planning and biz acumen.

At every high tech company I've ever worked, you constantly develop new products, and do it with the best technology you can get your hands on THAT DAY. You may not have everything you want to make your product light years ahead of your competition, but you nevertheless do your best.

So should it be with Bethesda. Not doing so indicates lack of commitment.

Again, it's not necessarily about the province. There are many things that they could want better tech for that has nothing to do with where the game is set.

Yes, and Bethesda is going to still develop video games. No one has said they're stopping all game development until they can do TES6 like they want. They're still going to make and release games at their usual schedule, just not the TES series right now. They will get back to it, but in the mean time they're going to continue with other titles.

On the subject of Hammerfell, which seems to be a popular guess for the next game, I've been thinking of the similiarities differences compared to the Nordic culture we saw in the last TES game (excluding spinoffs like ESO and Legends). Both are martial warrior cultures that seem lean towards reliance upon individually skilled warriors rather than a cohesive professional army. Both are on record for having a disdain for magic, and both place great importance on honor. If TES VI does take place in Hammerfell, I'd like to see some of the differences between the cultures emphasized, as to distinguish itself from its predecessor. Here's what I can think of.


From what I can tell from what little lore I know, Redguards are said to be excellent guerilla fighters and lean towards finesse and speed, as opposed to the Nordic preference for heavy weapons, sheer physical strength, and a relative lack of subtlety in their martial traditions. Hammerfell also has knightly orders which serve as the military arm of various cities, as martial brotherhoods as opposed to the professional soldiers of Cyrodiil's cities or the warrior militias of Skyrim's holds. And unlike the Nords, they use curved swords. Curved. Swords.

As for magic, Hammerfell was established as being pretty disdainful of it in TES IV, but 200 years later during the events of TES V, Redguards gain a skill boost to Destruction and Alteration. This could be simply a poorly thought out attempt to distinguish each race, or it could be possible that Hammerfell has become more tolerant of magic over the last two centuries, as opposed to Skyrim's growing disdain for it.

Finally, for their code of honor and how it compares to that of the Nords, we've already seen a bit of it with the Alik'r. As fitting a culture known for its prowess at guerilla warfare, they seem a bit more open to pragmatism, subtlety, and even some degree of trickery, nonetheless, failure and/or capture seems to bring great disgrace, enough that the captured Alik'r will not rejoin his brothers.

I think it's wrong to say that Redguards have a disdain for Magic... They don't like GUILD magic, but they have their own magical traditions. It's similar to how the Dunmer revile Necromancy, but their own traditions regularly summon a and commune with the dead, create undead guardians and even use the remains of their ancestors to power magical barriers (the Ghost Fences).


If the same apparoach is taken with Hammerfell, it would allow room for an interesting expansion of Magic, and reinforce the collapse of the Mages Guild and it's control over magic in Tamriel.


This could offer lots of options (both good and bad) in how Magic can be represented, but also can serve as a major thematic variation from previous games. A resurgence of Yokudan magical traditions butting heads with the more traditional Altmeri based Guild Traditions, when combined with the Hammerfell-Dominion thing, could be interesting... And grounds for some disastrous events.

Tired: Dual-province setting

Wired: Border Region

Which border region offers the most potential for a game setting?

Argonia + Morrowind (either just the mainland or the entire province) would be awesome, but I doubt they would want to revisit Morrowind so soon.