The Elder Scrolls VI is likely still years away at this point but that hasn’t stopped fans from getting excited about what the game could be. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was a mega-hit and took the already popular franchise and planted it in the headspace of the general consumer. That game was sold on dozens of platforms because it wouldn’t stop selling.
It wasn’t perfect and had plenty of issues fans made rather apparent. With a new entry on the way, it gives Bethesda Game Studios a real opportunity to fix these issues and deliver the best Elder Scrolls game ever made.
10 Weird NPC Faces
Melee combat is often the looming criticism Bethesda Game Studios faces whenever they release a new AAA game, but there’s another that’s often brought up alongside it. The faces of the NPCs could use some work as they often come across as awkward and weird and have never even come close to the uncanny valley.
Adding that to the fact that the process of getting into a conversation with an NPC is equally as jarring, it’s safe to say that NPCs and their interactions with the player should be of utmost importance when designing The Elder Scrolls VI.
9 Field Of View Slider
For a game that’s primarily played in the first-person mode, it’s pretty wild that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim didn’t have a field of view slider. This option is more commonly used and requested on PC, but in recent years the console space has become much more PC-like.
Players are welcoming the idea of changing their field of view, among other settings. It seems almost impossible that the next Elder Scrolls title wouldn’t have this option, but in the world of game development, anything is possible.
8 Embrace Non-Human Races
Though no official word has ever come out regarding this, it wouldn’t be surprising if most The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim players chose Nord as their race in the character creator. The game’s narrative felt like Nords were the race of the main character and choosing anything else felt like it went against what the game wanted.
The next game should embrace the weirder races The Elder Scrolls franchise has introduced and make it feel as though choosing something out of the box is just as impactful as choosing one of the more human-like ones.
7 Variety Of Voice Acting
A weird part about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is that the game featured just a handful of actors voicing hundreds of characters. Though the feat originally sounded quite impressive, the lack of detail and variety in the voices ultimately became apparent and built a barrier between the player and their investment in the world.
Bethesda doesn’t need to hire a different voice actor for every role, but doubling or tripling the overall cast could go a long way in making the NPCs feel much more unique.
6 Destructible Environments
Destructive environments are a feature that could add an additional layer of combat and action that the series hasn’t seen. This one’s a long shot as the scope and ambition of Elder Scrolls games often limit the amount of dynamic things that can take place.
The entire game world doesn’t need to be destructible, but if certain caves, holds, or buildings could be broken it could give players an additional option in terms of completing a mission or discovering secret rooms full of treasures and/or danger.
5 Jarring Dialogue
Bethesda Game Studios is known for several things, but none are more meme-able than the process of an NPC snapping into place to converse with the player. This jolted behavior can break the immersion and more often than not leads to some strange experiences.
Earlier the weird faces of the NPCs were mentioned, and fixing those while also making the act of talking to them easier and less jarring could go a long way in making the narrative story-telling more cohesive and digestible.
4 More Meaningful Choices
The Elder Scrolls is a series that’s more than capable of leaning into player choice and making their voice feel heard and felt across the game world. Most fans would likely appreciate a system similar to that of the Mass Effect series, albeit a bit more nuanced and open.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim felt rather structured as players took on a specific role and it didn’t provide enough wiggle room for players to feel as if it was a journey unique to them that they were experiencing as they overcame dragons and explored the world.
3 All Of The Bugs & Glitches
Bethesda Game Studios has always rode a thin line where they would release these incredibly ambitious games that would be filled with tons of bugs and glitches. These issues were overlooked in favor of the ambition and overall experience provided, but that may no longer be as forgivable.
Between the severely rocky launch of Fallout 76 by Bethesda and the disappointment that was Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt Red, Bethesda better understands that the audience will likely be the least forgiving it’s ever been.
2 Loading Time Reduction
With a new generation of video game consoles and optimization becoming quite important in the industry it’s a no-brainer that the next Elder Scrolls entry should have acceptable loading times.
To be more specific, the game shouldn’t force players to a loading screen if the building they’re entering is rather small. That was a major complaint with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and players got impatient having to wait every time they went into small houses or item shops. It’s 2021 and that should no longer be a thing.
1 Melee Combat
One of the weaker parts of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was the melee combat. Though the magic-wielding felt natural and smooth, using melee weapons in fights always felt clunky and unpolished.
If Bethesda Game Studios wants to take the franchise to the next level they’ll have to completely re-tool the melee combat and make it feel reactive. None of the swings a player does with their character feel impactful and that results in weapons feeling way more floaty and weak than they actually should.
NEXT: Elder Scrolls VI: Everything We Know (& Hope For) So Far
