TheElder Scrollsfranchise is known for its expansive open worlds and for giving players the ability to play however they’d like. The most recent single-player installmentThe Elder Scrolls: Skyrimhas a map measuring over 15 square miles, making it an ample possibility that the upcoming game’s map will be even bigger. With large maps comes mounts, butThe Elder Scrollsfranchise has stuck with horses and carts for almost the entirety of the franchise. Hopefully,The Elder Scrolls 6will level up travel by giving players more options.
Within the realm ofThe Elder Scrolls,horses and carts have been vital tools to traverse the vast open-world environment, especially because quest objectives can be on the other side of the world at times. But there are many times when horses are simply speed buffs that don’t benefit immersion. As more medieval fantasy RPGs likeThe Witcher 3have made the use of horses and carts commonplace in games,The Elder Scrolls 6has to make traversing the in-game map more dynamic, interesting, and creative than ever before.
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Why Carts and Horses Won’t Cut It In The Elder Scrolls 6
WhenSkyrimwas released, it was arguably the most expansive open-world role-playing game on the market. In an age when open-world games are all the rage, the game’s open-world and travel options aren’t as revolutionary as they used to be. WhileSkyrimhorses are essentially mountain goats as an “unwritten rule,“it would be great to see the transportation options in the upcoming game go beyond just being simple mounts or fast-travel options. Bethesda should look for inspiration in community-made mods and options found inThe Elder Scrolls Online.
The sheer number of community-made mods for travel underscores the need for more immersion travel methods. A few stand-out travel mods allow wayshrines, tamed horses, transportation tomes and even touring carriages to be used as methods of travel acrossSkyrim. Some players even curate their travel methods based on their character type, sticking to magic-based traversal when playing mages and a fast steed as a fighter or rogue-based character. Gamers shouldn’t have to create immersion this foundational for themselves in the upcoming game, especially when popularopen-world games likeRed Dead Redemption 2have made travel so immersive in the wild west.
How The Elder Scrolls 6 Can Level-Up Travel
While horses are standard travel tools in open-world games, they don’t have to be removed entirely fromThe Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda can revitalize horses by allowing them to be the living breathing creatures that they are. Players could be given the option to care for their horses, feeding, brushing, cleaning, and caring for them on the road or in their own stables. It would also be awesome to be able to purchase and customize carts, so players can have theDungeons & Dragons-esque video game experienceof riding a cart across an open world. The game could take a page out ofThe Oregon Trailby introducing breakable carts as well.
The Elder Scrolls 6could adopt the expansive travel options found inthe popular MMORPGThe Elder Scrolls Online. While many mount types are locked behind paywalls, there is a wealth of options - including camels, wolves, large dogs, elk, clock-work horses, and more. While it is not yet know ifThe Elder Scrolls 6will adopt microtransactions, Bethesda already has access to a diverse system for travel. With more mounts could come the option to fly, swim, sail, or even tunnel underground as a means to travel as well.
The Elder Scrolls 6is currently in development.
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