Now that Bethesda has finally confirmed thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is in development, fans have been quick to speculate where the next game in the series will take place. Considering that every release in theElder Scrollsseries are centered around their settings, including many of theElder Scrolls Onlineexpansions, exactly where the next title takes place will set the pace for the game.
Looking back at some of the settings that previousThe Elder Scrollstitles have already visited in the past, such asSkyrimandMorrowind, there is still plenty of room in the larger world of Tamriel. One of these places that might be the most likely is Hammerfell, with some fans theorizing that Bethesda may have even teased the location with a recent tweet about the upcoming title.
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Bethesda Tweet Theories
In a tweet by Bethesda, the developer revealed a map of the region of Skyrim that some have interpreted as a tease thatThe Elder Scrolls 6will be in Hammerfell. The leading clues that fans have clung to is the three candles that appear scattered across the map, with one placed under the label for the region of Hammerfell to the southwest of the main area. It’s the highlighting of the region’s label, as well as the fact that surrounding regions have been obscured by objects or cropped out of the tweeted image that seems to have “confirmed” the tease for these fans.
Additional clues include people assuming that another candle on the northern shore of the map is meant to represent a boat, one that can actually be found by players inSkyrim. As far as teases go, it isn’t uncommon for developers to hide this kind of content in the background of released images, and the placements might be as deliberate as fans claim. However, not everyone is completely convinced by this tease, similar to othersuggested teases for upcoming Bethesda titles, and some that have commented on what is in the image are playing along for more comical reasons.
Redguards in Skyrim
While some of the fan theories about how Bethesda has already hinted at Hammerfell might be questionable at best, there is plenty of reason to believe that the region has been in the planning for some time. Specifically speaking,Skyrimpreviously gave players a much clearer view ofHammerfell and the Redguard inThe Elder Scrollsthan its predecessor did. This on its own excited many players to the idea that some upcoming DLC involving the Redguards and this new culture thatOblivionhad never really delved into.
In fact, it always seemed strange that the sidequest pertaining to the Alik’r warriors that come into Whiterun looking for Saadia is really all players get to see of Hammerfell natives. Their presence is strange enough in the game world for it to warrant a spoken line from the guards that has been the center of hundreds ofSkyrimmemessince the game launched. After the “they have curved swords” line inSkyrim, it really felt like the game might send players there at some point, but it never did.
There are few New Places Left to Explore
One of the benefits ofThe Elder Scrolls Onlineis that the game technically takes place in an ancient past, well before any of the main titles of the series occur. This means that it can easily tread over olderareas like, Skyrim and Morrowind inElder Scrolls Onlinewithout feeling like it’s just repeating previous games. However, the “modern” times of the gamesSkyrimandMorrowindhave essentially been explored as completely as they can be.
This means that there aren’t too manyplaces left forElder Scrolls 6to explorewithout retreading over the previously explored areas of Tamriel. While it is possible that future titles will head back to previous regions, there are still a lot of sections of the larger world that still need proper representation. In the main series, the three that stand out the most are Elsweyr, the Summerset Isles, and Hammerfell, with the last being one of the most requested by fans.
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Meeting with Fan Requests
Of the many areas that Bethesda has to choose from when it comes to planning thesetting for the nextElder Scrolls, Hammerfell also stands out as a fan favorite. It might not necessarily be the developer’s intention to simply give players everything they ask for, since this can make it difficult to deliver meaningful surprises. On that same note, considering how little fans really know of the Redguards from firsthand interactions with the culture, Bethesda still has room to work with.
There’s a delicate balance to maintain when it comes to both delivering fans a compelling experience while also being open to requests. This is something that players have seen Bethesda struggling with in it’s other franchises, most notably withFallout 76’s Wastelanders expansionthat brought new requested features, but its own list of issues as well. That being said, giving into fan requests for where to go as far asElder Scrolls 6’s location goes is a much smaller concession in the grander scheme of the series.
Make Up for a Previous Trip to Hammerfell
So, mentioning up above that Hammerfell hasn’t been explored in the “main series” is a bit of a workaround for how the region has previously been explored by the extended canon. BeforeElder Scrolls Onlinefirst visited Hammerfell, there was a game released in 1998 titledThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguardthat had mostly taken place within the region. Unfortunately, this game was panned by fans, in most cases for being a major departure from titles likeThe Elder Scrolls 2:Daggerfallthat had come before it, as well as every open-world title that would come after.
The game was an action-adventure title with a set character and specifically crafted set of skills for the player to use, instead of the vast customization options players had been used to. Altogether, it wasn’t to say that the game itself was flawed, as the critical scores were about what players might expect from anearly Bethesda title. However, the change in style made “exploring” Hammerfell a much less exciting adventure than any of the other regions have been, which has led fans to request a return to the region so heavily.
