In 2011, we watched for the first time as the Dragonborn pulled themselves from the grips of Sovngarde onto the snowy wastes at the Throat of the World. Alduin finally lay slain, the Blades were recuperating after being ruthlessly purged, andSkyrim’sbloody civil war had come to an even bloodier crescendo.
The 4th Era was a bold new chapter for The Elder Scrolls, finally stepping away from Emperor Uriel Septim VII after four games and his untimely death at the hands of the Mythic Dawn. The door had been opened for all kinds of new stories, with his empire crumbling as Tamriel plunged into war with itself, each territory fighting for independence. But with the sequel taking so long to release, most of us have given up speculating about the Thalmor’s true motives and the fate of a Tamriel ravaged by dragons.
I’d love to reignite that spark and get swept back up in an era that not only tossed out The Elder Scrolls rulebook, but burned it to cinders. Another replay won’t do that: we’ve all been playing Skyrim repeatedly with each re-release for the better part of a decade. If Bethesda wants to bring us back to that world, it needs to take a leaf fromThe Witcher 3’sbook.
Skyrim Could Finally Tell Us What Happens To The Dragonborn
According to the Polish podcast Rock and Boris,developer Fool’s Theory is working on a new Witcher 3 DLCahead of its The Witcher remake. Details are scarce, but plenty of fans —including my colleague, Ben Sledge— are hoping that it will serve as a prologue for the next game, answering what Ciri gets up to after defeating The Wild Hunt, while also giving the studio room to cut its teeth on the series before working on a mainline entry.
Regardless of whether the rumours are true, it’s a novel idea that I’d love to see other studios try out, especially Bethesda. It doesn’t have to be a Dragonborn or Dawnguard-sized expansion, but Skyrim would benefit immensely from a small-scale side quest sowing the seeds for whatever story comes next, perhaps even revealing what region of Tamriel we’re due to explore. It wouldn’t even be a first for the series.
In the Tribunal expansion forMorrowind, the founder of the End of Times cult, Eno Romari, prophesied the events of the sequel directly: “We believe that the gates of Oblivion will open, and the multitude of daedra will roam this world freely.” It wouldn’t have to be as on the nose as Romari’s rantings; it just needs to drip feed enough to get us talking again, speculating among ourselves about what horrors might be unearthed in the sandy dunes of Hammerfell or the mountain crags of High Rock.
The Elder Scrolls Onlinesimilarly introduces new expansions with smaller prologue quests.
Granted, The Elder Scrolls is a little different to The Witcher, which continues each game with the same characters, rather than the more anthological approach of TES. But a smaller story like this could explain the Dragonborn’s absence in future titles. A master of the Thu’um would be useful in whatever events are set to unfold, but like past protagonists, I doubt they’ll lend a hand. Where the Nerevarine went adventuring to Akavari, and the Hero of Kvatch mantled Sheogorath, we could have an answer to our Dovahkiin’s fate, finally closing the book on Skyrim after 14 years.
