Marriage in Skyrim was rather boring, to say the least, and this is one aspect of the series' roleplaying that The Elder Scrolls 6 can fix. First introduced in Skyrim, it serves as little more than a way to obtain a steady supply of gold and a home-cooked meal. Players can also marry another player in The Elder Scrolls Online, and the two will get a 10% bonus to experience when they are both online.
While these mechanics are fine, they still lack options for players. One of the ways The Elder Scrolls 6 can improve on what came before it is by fixing the boring marriage system introduced in Skyrim. Players will want marriage in Elder Scrolls to impact gameplay in some form beyond just income and being called “dear” rather than “Dragonborn.” Divorce, children, and quests are some of the ways Elder Scrolls 6 could deepen the marriage mechanics and enhance the experience for players.
There Are Many Ways Elder Scrolls 6 Can Fix Marriage
One of the most requested aspects of marriage from Skyrim players is, ironically, divorce. Players can only divorce using console commands or mods in Skyrim and remarry the same way. Divorce should be an option in Elder Scrolls 6, with the opportunity to remarry afterward. This option should be part of the vanilla Elder Scrolls 6 game and have associated quests.
Quests would be an excellent way for Elder Scrolls 6 to add to the marriage mechanic. Quests associated with marriage in Elder Scrolls 6 could be to learn about the player’s potential spouse’s family or help them with a personal adventure. Quests could help build relationships, spouse-specific quests after marriage, and then if needed, a divorce questline.
The wedding itself should also feel unique. Although the Elder Scrolls universe has many different cultures, that isn’t reflected in the marriage system seen in games such as Skyrim or The Elder Scrolls Online. Weddings in both Skyrim and ESO revolve around Mara, taking place in the temple of Mara in Riften or any shrine of Mara in ESO. This makes sense as Mara is the goddess of love, but having different ceremony options would enhance roleplay for players. The player’s Altmeri wife might want a traditional big wedding to show everyone their status. In contrast, another player’s new Khajiit husband might want a simple wedding in a forest grove.
Speaking of different cultures, one thing that many players wanted was more choices in Skyrim for characters to marry. Elder Scrolls 6 could have spouses of diverse backgrounds who retain their professions even after marriage. A blacksmith or alchemist spouse could boost crafting, while a mage or thief could give Magicka or lockpicking perks. Having a warrior spouse give up everything to open a store felt odd in Skyrim, so having some continuation of who they were before would be a vast improvement.
Hearthfire introduced children into a player’s family, but they acted as little more than gift-giving pets. Elder Scrolls 6 needs to expand the role of children if it intends to keep them as part of the marriage/family system. Children could be given specific tasks, such as chopping wood or taking care of the garden, adding a little life and gameplay to their role.
There are quite a few ways Elder Scrolls 6 could fix the problems with the marriage system seen in Skyrim. Various mods have already shown how relationships with NPCs can develop fluidly, making them feel natural and realistic. At the same time, many have pointed to a Dragon Age style romance system as the way forward. Whatever Bethesda chooses to do in The Elder Scrolls 6, it should ensure that marriage adds to the player’s experience rather than feel like a tacked-on feature.
