Summary
The Elder Scrollsis one of the most belovedrole-playing gamefranchises. With the first game in the series being released in 1994, it has been over 3 decades since players were first introduced to the land of Tamriel.
Most of the games inThe Elder Scrollsseries have featured anopen-world mapdesign. Initially, these were huge maps that were procedurally generated, with thousands of points of interest to explore. However, the switch was made to building the game map by hand inThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and subsequent titles have featured a smaller map, but one with much more detail and atmosphere.
Procedurally Generated Open World
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The imperial battlemage Jagar Tharn betrays the Emperor Uriel Septim by imprisoning him in an alternate dimension, then assuming the Emperor’s identity and place on the throne. A lone prisoner must travel to Tamriel’s most famous and dangerous sites to collect the shattered Staff of Chaos, save the Emperor and free the Empire.
The Elder Scrolls: Arenawas an ambitious game for its time. The large open-world map wasprocedurally generated, including all of the cities and dungeons that were spread across the nine provinces of Tamriel. The player explores this large game map whilst trying to rescue Emperor Uriel Septim VII Jagar Tharn, the evil sorcerer. As an older game in theElder Scrollsfranchise, The Elder Scrolls: Arenalacked some of the main tropes and features that players have come to expect in more recent titles. However, it is an interesting historical journey of players that want to give it a try.
This was the first game in theElder Scrollsfranchise to feature open-world gameplay. At the time of its release, TheElder Scrolls: Arenawas at the forefront ofopen-world technology, offering players a game world far larger than any other. The game is a little long in the tooth now, but deserves its place on this list for being so groundbreaking.
Enormous Open World Playing Map
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
The ancient golem Numidium, a powerful weapon once used by the great Tiber Septim to unify Tamriel, has been found in Iliac Bay. In the power struggle that follows, the King of Daggerfall is murdered and his spirit haunts the kingdom. The Emperor Uriel Septim VII sends his champion to the province of High Rock to put the king’s spirit to rest and ensure that the golem does not fall into the wrong hands.The developers describe the content like this:Animated Violence, Mature Sexual Themes
Few games have offered players such a massive open world to explore asThe Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. How massive? There are over 15,000 dungeons, towns, and cities for players to discover and explore. All of these are procedurally generated, with the method for doing this having been improved over that used inThe Elder Scrolls: Arena. With such a large playing map, it can take months to explore inThe Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, with many players only ever visiting a fraction of the points of interest.
The player is sent on a quest by Emperor Uriel Septim VII, to look into the goings on that involve King Lysandus’s shade. The story arc covers political and supernatural plots, in a far-reaching main campaign.The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfallgets a place on this list simply because the game world was so immense.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindmarks a watershed in theElder Scrollsworld-building ethos. The concept of procedurally generating a huge playing map was replaced by hand-crafting a smaller, but much more unique and detailed open-world. From the volcanic ashlands to the enchanting mushroom forest, the attention to detail is evident everywhere in The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. This is the game that gave players a glimpse at how the Elder Scrolls franchise would evolve in the future.
The main plot sends the player across the entirety of the island of Vvardenfell, offering an almost curated journey of discovery as it unwinds. Morrowind gets a place on this list because it is unlike any other open world in theElder Scrollsfranchise.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Obliviontakes place in the Cyrodiil province. This is a verdant, green region, replete with thick forestation, open planes, and gentle hills. Dotted around this aesthetically pleasing landscape are various dungeons, towns, and other points of interest. The dynamic weather system often adds to the drama of the scenery as well. But the main new feature of the open-world map, is the Oblivion Gates. These are portals to theDaedric realm of Oblivion.
The player is tasked with stopping the invasion of Tamriel by Mehruns Dagon, the Daedric Prince. During the main plot, the player will need to traverse the Oblivion Gates, to bring order back to the land of Tamriel. The game gets a place on this list for the clever way that the Oblivion Gates are used, and for the dynamism of the environment.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis a game that really needs no introduction, it is one of the most influentialfantasy role-playing gamesof all time, and is seen by many players as the pinnacle of theElder Scrollsfranchise. With its incredibly detailed open-world game map, realistic day-night cycle, and fully dynamic weather system, it is the most realistically rendered of all the Elder Scrolls games to date.
The player takes on the mantle of a Dragonborn, and sets forth on a quest to defeat the dragon Alduin, the World-Eater. As the plot unfolds, the player will learn new abilities, and uncover game lore, and impact the ongoing civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion.The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimtakes top place on this list for being such a huge game, with so many places to explore, and side quests to discover.
