Summary
Even though it is still likely a few years away,The Elder Scrolls 6has a lot riding on its shoulders. Bethesda’s follow up to its massively successful and perpetually popular predecessor,TES5: Skyrim, has remained on the minds of the many fans who are eagerly awaiting the next installment of the studio’s flagship RPG franchise. And the longer the wait goes on, the moreThe Elder Scrolls 6remains the subject of much speculation about how precisely Bethesda aims to deliver a title that will honor the series' legacy and fulfill players' considerable expectations.
AmongSkyrim’s many engaging sidequests, one of the most well-known is the civil war between JarlUlfric Stormcloak’s band of rebels and the Imperial forces occupying the region. Right fromSkyrim’s opening sequence, fans are introduced to this divide and the tensions brewing before it inevitably comes to a head. Players can delve more into the reasons behind the war, eventually being able to choose a side to align with and determine its outcome. And although memorable in the moment, the ramifications of the civil war aren’t as extensive within the overarching tale, with many noting that its aftermath doesn’t affect as much as it ostensibly should. With this in mind,The Elder Scrolls 6has the opportunity to show how the war impacted Skyrim in more substantial ways.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Can Provide Better Closure For Skyrim’s Civil War Questline
Skyrim’s Civil War Was Ultimately Less Impactful Than it Promised to Be
While it is set up to be one of the more significant story threads,Skyrim’s Civil Waris often criticized for coming up short in terms of meaningful impact beyond its immediate conclusion. Though players are free to support either the Stormcloaks or the Empire in the power struggle over control and treatment of the province, whichever one they end up assisting seems to matter less in the grand scheme. Aside from some pretty minor changes and interactions, one side’s victory or defeat doesn’t really affect the rest of the plot or other factions in ways as epic or sweeping as might be expected from such a seemingly important narrative beat. It’s a bit of a letdown given the potential it had to more dynamically come into play throughout the main campaign.
How The Elder Scrolls 6 Could More Fully Round Out the Consequences of Skyrim’s Civil War
Bethesda hasn’t been forthcoming with many details about thedirection and vision forThe Elder Scrolls 6, but that hasn’t stopped rumors and conjecture from circulating. One prevailing theory is thatTES6will see fans journey to Hammerfell, which opens up a number of paths to showcase more facets of the lasting results of the war, as it almost certainly would’ve had ripples in the wake of the conclusion of the Dragonborn’s quest.
Of course, the elephant in the room is that Bethesda would have to establish acanon ending to the Stormcloak conflictto incorporate into the next release.
Along with the possible Hammerfell setting, another aspect that will naturally inform how the Civil War might be portrayed iswhereThe Elder Scrolls 6will be in the timeline. A current assumption is that it will take place afterSkyrim. If this ends up being the case, it could allowTES6to include a quest chain or subplot that retroactively fleshes out the larger ramifications of the conflict and extrapolates on the original events to provide further information from the perspective of the next narrative.
The Elder Scrolls' wealth of loreand meticulous world building provide the perfect opportunity and potential methods for the next title to fill in some of the missing information regarding the effects of the Civil War as they were left inSkyrim. Even if the upcoming installment is otherwise far removed fromSkyrimand its era, diving back into the war through a series of quests or collectibles would grant some needed closure and put a satisfying cap on it, while continuing to build upon the franchise’s extensive and intriguing in-universe history.
