what Elder Scrolls 6 might be like - and gameplay features they want to see introduced or brought back into the series.
Given The Elder Scrolls long history, there's been almost countless design iterations from game to game. Morrowind and Oblivion, released only four years apart, are so fundamentally different in their gameplay that it can be jarring for players to go from one to the other. The tone of the series has also shifted, not just in story content but in design choices. Later games such as Skyrim are much less punishing and difficult to learn than earlier Elder Scrolls games.
Morrowind is regularly considered one of - if not the very - best among the franchise, with players praising its dedication to the deep lore and roleplaying aspects of The Elder Scrolls series. But Morrowind definitely has its more merciless elements, and some fans are wondering if The Elder Scrolls 6 will take the opportunity to return to its roots and re-introduce the sometimes unforgiving roleplay elements Morrowind was so known for.
How Players Could Break Their Morrowind Save
In Oblivion and Skyrim, essential NPCs - characters that would break questlines if they were killed before they fulfilled their purpose within the game - were simply invincible. They could be knocked unconscious, in the case of Oblivion, or simply take a knee to recover in Skyrim. Morrowind still featured the concept of essential NPCs, but it wasn't quite as kind when it came to keeping them safe.
In Morrowind, essential NPCs could very much still be killed, effectively entirely removing the player's ability to complete the main questline through normal means in most cases (though by killing Vivec, players could still proceed through an alternate method of completing the quest). The game even directly informs the player of the consequences of their actions, warning that the death of an essential character has severed the thread of prophecy. Players are then prompted to restore a saved game or persist in the doomed world they created.
This mechanic was in sharp contrast to the invincible NPCs method that later games in the series would take, and while it may have been jarring or frustrating at times, it undeniably stood out in the memory of players. The Elder Scrolls 6 has the opportunity to take a step in that direction, relying less on unexplainable mechanics such as in-game invincibility and instead leaning more on an immersive roleplaying experience as Morrowind did.
With so little known about its release, there's a lot of questions about what features The Elder Scrolls 6 will be carrying over from previous titles in the franchise, but players can expect to see at least a few familiar game mechanics make a comeback.
