Summary
Over the course of the past decade, there have been countless seminal RPGs and open-world games released that have raised the bar on what gamers have come to expect in terms of combat, storytelling, and world design - a bar thatThe Elder Scrolls 6now needs to clear.Baldur’s Gate 3, arguably the biggest RPG of 2023, is certainly one of the games that is lifting the bar forThe Elder Scrolls 6, and the latter can learn a number of lessons from the former, specifically when designing one key area.
WhileThe Elder Scrolls 6might not replicate everythingfromSkyrim, there is one area that it will likely pay homage to in some way: Blackreach. This sprawling underground environment is iconic for a number of reasons, including its distinct aesthetic, eerie tone, and great opportunities for worthwhile exploration.The Elder Scrolls 6probably won’t take place in the country ofSkyrim, so an exact recreation of Blackreach is improbable, but some sort of massive, multilayered underground area will most likely be included, as such environments are staples in open-world RPGs, and Blackreach’s design principles would make some sort of return in this case. Assuming that Bethesda does craft an extensive underground zone, it should look at oneBaldur’s Gate 3area as a template.
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What The Elder Scrolls 6 Can Learn From Baldur’s Gate 3’s Underdark
As previously mentioned, the bar wasalready high forThe Elder Scrolls 6, andBaldur’s Gate 3certainly didn’t help lower it. While Larian’s latest game does several things right, its environment design and exploration are definitely major highlights. One of the most unexpectedly impressive parts of the game is the Underdark, a huge, complex underground region that games likeThe Elder Scrolls 6should be inspired by when crafting similar subterranean realms.
Most players will first encounter the Underdark during the main campaign ofBaldur’s Gate 3, when attempting to reach Moonrise Towers. Players with preconceived notions of underground levels in games may imagine the Underdark as a series of drab, nondescript caverns, but the actual zone could not be more different from this. The Underdark is dangerous, unsettling, and actually seems to have taken some inspirationfrom some ofSkyrim’s iconicunderground locations, Blackreach included. The Underdark is filled with alien, glowing fungi that light the paths the player will be traveling, paths lined with disturbing and formidable creatures, alongside ancient, abandoned structures. In these ways, the Underdark is similar to Blackreach.
Where the Underdark differs from Blackreach is in its complexity and dynamism. Blackreach may be filled with enemies and side content, but it feels mostly abandoned and devoid of life. This is typical of so many underground regions in video games, which is why some gamers may dread these levels. The Underdark takes a rather different approach; it’s dense, geographically complex, and multilayered. Players have to wrestle with the environment in more ways than one, and the history of the area is still being written as the protagonists explore it.
The Elder Scrollsis defined by choice, but there aren’t too many interesting choices to be made in Blackreach and other underground areas. Contrast this with the Underdark, which is crawling with not just mindless monsters, but groups of intelligent humanoids as well, with their own goals that may conflict or align with those of the player. A good example of this is the Dwarf slavers that have taken over a Deep stronghold. This sort of rich, high-stakes narrative content is something that is missing in the underground regions ofSkyrimand previousThe Elder Scrollsgames.
The follow-up toSkyrimis going to be very different fromBaldur’s Gate 3, but comparisons between the two will likely still be drawn. This is because, despite their differences, they are both ambitious Western RPGs, and potential mechanics likein-game relationships inThe Elder Scrolls 6now have to abide by the new standard set byBaldur’s Gate 3, at least in the eyes of gaming audiences.The Elder Scrolls 6shouldn’t attempt to copyBaldur’s Gate 3, but there is plenty that it can learn from it, with underground environments being but one example.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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