Summary
Exploration has almost always been a cornerstone of Bethesda games, especially when it comes to its flagship series likeThe Elder ScrollsandFallout. For the most part, thegames in these franchises thrive on open-world design, where finding hidden locations, valuable collectibles, unexpected encounters, and in-depth lore makes exploring the furthest reaches of their maps worthwhile. AfterThe Elder Scrolls 5: SkyrimandStarfield, however,The Elder Scrolls 6has a lot to live up to regarding its size, andStarfieldmight be the benchmark it needs to move forward.
IfThe Elder Scrolls 6were to use the scale ofStarfield’s open world as a standard, doing so would inevitably come with pros and cons.Starfield’s open world does some things right (and even more so now after some considerable updates were made to the game), but it also does plenty of things wrong. In light of that, ifThe Elder Scrolls 6chose to go in the direction ofStarfieldwith its scale, it would come with equal benefits and downsides, making a case both for and against the open world of the nextElder ScrollsmatchingStarfield’s size.
The Pros and Cons of The Elder Scrolls 6 Having a Starfield-Sized Open World
Pro: A Larger Map Would Potentially Allow for an Even Richer Open World
Obviously,The Elder Scrolls 6’s open world wouldn’t be able to match the size ofStarfield’s entirely, asStarfieldconsists of nearly 1,700 planetsspread across 120 different solar systems. However, the size ofThe Elder Scrolls 6’s open world could matchStarfield’s proportionally by increasing the density of its open world to matchStarfield’s. The content ofStarfield’s open world is spread very thin due to its size, soThe Elder Scrolls 6increasing the density of its open world to match its larger scale could eventually reach a point where it is proportionally the size ofStarfield’s.
With a larger,Starfield-sized open world,exploration inThe Elder Scrolls 6could be a vast improvement overSkyrim’s, which has been deemed one of the greatest achievements in open-world design and continues to act as a standard in the genre. Ultimately,Skyrimis the barThe Elder Scrolls 6needs to clear, and offering a more expansive open world would be a great place to start. Within that larger open world, perhaps players could not only find a more diverse array of secrets to discover, but also even more factions, enhanced verticality, and side quests that are far more engaging thanSkyrim’s turned out to be.
Con: A Larger Open World Could Feel Barren if Not Executed Properly
The biggest challenge with an open world the size ofStarfield’s is ensuring it is executed properly to avoid feeling barren. The more space there is on a map, the greater the opportunity for that map to feel empty. For the most part, this is a roadblockStarfieldhit with its open world, despite the vast number of planets and solar systems it features. At some point whileexploring inStarfield, the planets all begin to feel like the same road players have traveled dozens of times already, featuring very little of interest and making venturing even deeper into the universe less exciting.
With a larger,Starfield-sized open world, exploration inThe Elder Scrolls 6could be a vast improvement overSkyrim’s, which has been deemed one of the greatest achievements in open-world design and continues to act as a standard in the genre.
Unfortunately, that stumbling block is almost always an inevitable one, as crafting an open world of that magnitude while ensuring that it will continue to surprise players after hundreds of hours spent in the game has largely proven to be impossible. In light of that, ifThe Elder Scrolls 6attempted to feature an open world that was proportionally the size ofStarfield’s, it would likely run into the same issue, thereby garnering the same criticism all over again. And sinceBethesda arguably needsThe Elder Scrolls 6to hit differentlythan its past couple of titles have, going that route is probably not the best idea.
All of that said, it isn’t impossible to craft anopen world the size ofStarfield’sand execute it well; it’s just very challenging. However, perhapsThe Elder Scrolls 6is up to that challenge, and it will surprise its fans with something they didn’t expect.
