Although the Skyrim, one detail may show that the two do in fact share the same universe. Nirnroot, the elusive glowing plant that grows near Skyrim's water sources, has a doppelganger in Fallout 4 called Experiment NRT-0001, or "Glowleaf." The two are almost an exact match, and though it's far from hard evidence that Skyrim and Fallout exist in the same world, it does open the door for it and raise some fascinating prospects regarding the possibility.
The world of Skyrim is known as Nirn. It consists of seven continents, but only one, Tamriel, has been the setting for the Elder Scrolls series. Fallout is a post-apocalyptic version of an alternate timeline of the real planet Earth, one where grotesque monsters like Super Mutants roam ruined cities. Skyrim follows Fallout's template closely, and the two have much in common such as running gags and various Easter eggs. Skyrim's Nirnroot - one of many alchemical ingredients players can utilize in potions - is one of them, though it may be tough to find. It might sound like the two worlds being one and the same is implausible, but it might not be as much of a stretch as it seems.
Bethesda VP of Marketing & Communications Pete Hines has specifically stated that Fallout and Skyrim are two separate worlds, and though this may seem like it disqualifies any such theories, there's still the possibility. He is not a developer or creatively involved with either series, so his word alone does not eliminate the idea that the various protagonists of the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games walk upon the same earth. It's possible that the developers even have their own ideas on the subject that they haven't stated, and that the two series are more similar than most know.
How Elder Scrolls & Fallout's Nirnroot Are Related
In Skyrim, Nirnroot is a bizarre plant that grows near water. It glows, makes an odd sound, and is apparently toxic due to the Damage Health and Damage Stamina effects it gives to potions. One quest given by Ingun Black-Briar requires players to retrieve 20 of them for her, which is rather difficult due to its rarity. A variant, Crimson Nirnroot, is only found in Blackreach, where players have to pick 3o of it for another quest that is not quite as difficult but is much more tedious. Gathering Nirnroot may be somewhat annoying, but it can be worth it since it can help players make one of the best alchemy recipes in Skyrim, Invisibility, which will hide them from sight and is invaluable for stealth builds.
In Fallout 4, Experiment NRT-0001 was first discovered by a Brotherhood of Steel Scribe who created it after grafting a root found near a river onto an unnamed plant. It was at first used to make an addictive tea, but this was quickly discontinued. It can only be found in two places; the first is the biolab onboard the Prydwen, which means that players will have to the Brotherhood if they wish to obtain it. The second is on the Far Harbor DLC's Island, west of Eden Meadows Camp. It's undeniably similar to Skyrim's Nirnroot, and even its name bears some resemblance. It's one of the most obvious Elder Scrolls or Skyrim references in Fallout, one that will hopefully make a reappearance in future titles.
Could Elder Scrolls & Fallout Really Share A Universe?
Elder Scrolls is a fantasy series, while Fallout is science fiction. It may seem logical if the two were to share a world that Fallout would be millennia in the future of Elder Scrolls, but the opposite may be the most plausible explanation; Elder Scrolls may be in Fallout's future, in a time when nature has long since retaken the world and humanity has forgotten advanced technology. If Nirnroot truly connects the two, then it may make more sense for it to be created by the Brotherhood and then proliferate throughout the world instead of the Scribes recreating it by accident. NRT-0001 isn't a carbon copy of Nirnroot, but there are explanations for how one of Skyrim's rarest and weirdest items could have come from a Brotherhood experiment. After the eruption of Red Mountain, Nirnroot went through dramatic changes in response to the ash blocking out the sun, and the Crimson Nirnroot is an adaptation to the environment of Blackreach; if it and Nirnroot are the same plant, NRT-0001 could therefore have highly adaptive properties, which makes sense since it is the result of two species grafted together, both of which are assumably radioactive.
Of course, if Elder Scrolls is Fallout's future, then there must be some explanation for how the various monsters and deities that inhabit Tamriel - as well as the magic that men and mer are capable of - came to be when they weren't present in the Wastelands, and it may be simpler than it appears. In Fallout 76, various mythical creatures such as the Mothman, Snallygaster, and Sheepsquatch are brought to life by radiation. In Fallout's lore, Super Mutants come from the FEV, or Forced Evolutionary Virus, which also creates other creatures such as Nightkin. Elves, monsters, and magical abilities could all be the result of radiation or FEV-induced mutations.
Fallout Has Its Own Brand Of Magic Separate From Elder Scrolls'
Even without radiation or FEV creating monsters and magic, Fallout has its own supernatural phenomena that cannot be explained by normal means. Mama Murphy has precognitive abilities when she takes chems, and Lorenzo Cabot is fused with an ancient artifact that gives him powers and allows his family to extend their lifespans through a solution extracted from his blood. Though it's not on par with Elder Scrolls' magic, it's still evidence of some form of mystical power that may indicate that there are greater forces at work in post-apocalyptic America. Mind control similar to Skyrim's Illusion Magic exists in Fallout in the form of the Mesmer, so it's possible that some of Elder Scrolls' magic works along the same lines as technology that achieve similar effects in Fallout.
Almost nothing is impossible in a fictional setting until its creators say that it is. Crossovers happen all the time in all sorts of different media, and even though they're not usually meant to be taken seriously, they still make a canonical link between two games or shows that cannot be ignored. Even if characters never truly interact, small details can point to a shared universe. Sweet rolls are a consumable item that both Elder Scrolls and Fallout feature, and one of the magazines in Fallout 4, Issue #12 of Taboo Tattoos, features a design exactly like Elder Scrolls' Iron Helmet, which could have been its in-universe inspiration. None of these things mean that Elder Scrolls and Fallout have explicit lore connections, but they do mean that it's possible until one of the creators behind them says otherwise.
