The Elder Scrolls 6has a lot of expectations, especially since Bethesda announced it far too early and then Microsoft went and bought the developer for a ridiculous sum of money. Naturally, this has fans speculating wildly about what kind of features it will include and how it will be better than Bethesda’s current offerings. However, while it would be great to seeTES6include the wealth of improvements seen across other triple-A titles, there is one area it needs to nail above all else.
Bethesda was once the best at creating immersive worlds, and it has since lost its touch. Fortunately, there have been plenty of incredible RPGs over the past decade or so that have proven how RPGs can be immersive in ways Bethesda never dreamed of. WithTES6’slocation potentially leaked,there are lots of amazing opportunities for the developer to create something truly unique. All it needs to do is learn a couple of lessons from 2024’s best RPG.
Dragons Dogma 2 Has One Of The Most Immersive RPG Worlds
It Feels Like Anything Could Happen
Dragon’s Dogma 2has one of the most immersive worlds in the entire RPG genre. It brings together the best immersion-building mechanics from across generations of RPG games - and adds in a handful of its own - to create a world so teeming with life, it feels real. Its world is just one of the manyreasonsDragon’s Dogma 2reviewed so welland continues to be a fan-favorite to this day. Somehow,Capcom threw absolutely everything at the wall, and it all stuck, implementing gameplay mechanic after gameplay mechanic to ensure that the player’s journey felt believable at all times.
For example, players will either need to learn Elvish or teach it to their Pawns in order to understand what the Elves are saying. Additionally,when out in the wild - and sometimes even in towns - it feels as if anything can happen, such as heading out on an adventure in a cart, only to be stopped by a Troll in the middle of the road and then have a Griffin swoop down and destroy that very cart. Players will also stumble across other groups of Pawns while exploring, and can even join active fights against enemies alongside them.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Won’t Tolerate The One Bad Habit All RPG Players Are Guilty Of
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is pushing players to treat the world as a real, living place, and failing to do so could result in major consequences.
It’s possible to see groups of enemies fighting each other, stumble into one ofDragon’s Dogma 2’s many hidden interactionswhile exploring vast caves full of surprise bosses, and miss entire questlines because too many days passed and the quest giver died.There are too many immersive elements inDragon’s Dogma 2to list, but each one of them helps to make it one of thebest RPGs of 2024. Of course, the potential best RPG of all time on the horizon,The Elder Scrolls 6, can learn a thing or two from these immersive elements.
Elder Scrolls 6 Needs To Learn From Dragon’s Dogma 2’s World
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s World Should Act As A Blueprint
There is plenty thatElder Scrolls 6can take fromDragon’s Dogma 2, at least when it comes to immersive elements. Having plenty of emergent gameplay and making the world feel alive - with travelers roaming and events happening at a moment’s notice - feels like the bare minimum, but it can go a long way to improving a game’s atmosphere.TES6should also take inspiration fromDragon’s Dogma 2’s deeper forms of immersive gameplay, such as entire towns being wiped out thanks toPawn’s contracting diseases while with other players, or discouraging fast travel by making it a limited resource.
Frustratingly,Bethesda has already implemented a lot of these mechanics in their previous games, such asSkyrim. However, it seems like it’s forgotten about them for the most part, as bothFallout 76andStarfieldlack the same immersion, and evenFallout 4is without a lot of the elements that made earlier Bethesda games feel as enthralling and immersive as they do.Dragon’s Dogma 2just puts these mechanics at the forefront of its gameplay as it wants to prioritize the journey and not the destination. Ultimately, that’s the lessonTES6needs to take away.
Elder Scrolls 6 Update From Bethesda Raises The Bar Even Higher
Bethesda celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Elder Scrolls franchise by sharing a retrospective and some updates for the upcoming title.
It would also help ifThe Elder Scrolls 6finally implemented a completely seamless open world, one not marred by endless loading screens that have become an easy target for Bethesda andStarfieldhaters.Dragon’s Dogma 2’sworld feels boundless, although it is somewhat linear in its design, and it being seamless allows for opportunities such as Cyclops invading towns like itsAttack on Titan. Hopefully, as it has promised,Bethesda will learn from its mistakeswhen it developsTES6.
Elder Scrolls 6 Should Be The Most Immersive RPG
Bethesda Has No Reason To Fail
Elder Scrolls 6has to be one of, if not the most, immersive RPG ever made. That expectation may seem high, butit’s important to remember that not only hasTES6been in development for a long time, but it also has the backing of Microsoft and its budget surplus, plus the once incredible expertise of the Bethesda development team. Fans want toenjoyTES6for 10 years, just like they did withSkyrimand just like Bethesda wants them to withStarfield, and that’s only possible if Bethesda steps up its game.
Starfieldhas cut contentto suggest it may have originally been more immersive, including a fuel mechanic that would have segmented players' journeys through the Settled Systems.
So, while it is a lot of pressure to put onThe Elder Scrolls 6,it’s not exactly outrageous to assume that Bethesda will put a lot of effort into making its triple-A next-genElder Scrollsgame feel, at the very least, more immersive than titles coming out now. It’s had all this time to learn from its competition and to grow from the series' mistakes. There’s really no reason that it should be any less immersive thanDragon’s Dogma 2or even Bethesda’s earlier titles likeMorrowindorOblivion.
Starfield Has One Major Lesson To Teach The Elder Scrolls 6
Players need Bethesda to learn from one critical launch failure with Starfield so that the Elder Scrolls 6 can avoid the same fate on release
Yet, it’s hard not to feel like players shouldtemper their expectations forElder Scrolls 6. After all, Bethesda hasn’t exactly had the greatest run, and it seems like in almost every category the studio is being surpassed by other developers. It remains to be seen whetherThe Elder Scrolls 6will incorporate immersive elements likeDragon’s Dogma 2to make the player feel as if anything could happen. Of course, it would be incredible if that was the case, but there’s always a chance thatTheElder Scrolls 6turns out to be a bitter disappointment.
