The confirmedThe Elder Scrolls 6is a massively anticipated title, with any of the franchise’s releases having a track record for aspiring beyond their preceding installments. With this knowledge, many fans are more than eager to ascertain which game mechanics within the upcoming title will be altered, and to what extent.
One of the most popular factors of anyThe Elder Scrollstitle is the robust follower and companion mechanics that the games foster, as well as other Bethesda RPG franchises such as theFalloutseries. This particular mechanic will surely be built upon withinThe Elder Scrolls 6, and Bethesda may want to look towards the popular recent RPGThe Outer Worldsfor inspiration for how best to go about this.
RELATED:The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Bring Oblivion’s Custom Classes Back
The Basics of The Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls 6is set to be the next mainline installmentto the massively popular and longstanding fantasy RPG franchise, being one of the most talked about impending releases across the entire video game industry. Despite being initially announced back in 2018, there have been little to no subsequent updates regarding the core details and information of the title.
That being said, fans have scoured every piece of available information regarding the game for hidden details, with many thinking thatThe Elder Scrolls 6may be set in Hammerfellas a result of the featured landscapes within the title’s reveal trailer. With mostElder Scrollstitles taking place exclusively within a chosen province of Tamriel, it is more than possible that Hammerfell will be the recipient of a deserved revisit in the upcoming game.
Of course,The Elder Scrolls 6will have to bring about huge changes to the established norm of the franchise, with over a decade having passed since thelast mainline series release in 2011’sSkyrim. With fan expectations being massive as a result, many of the core features of theElder Scrollsformula may need to look towards other more contemporary RPGs for inspiration. It is no secret that NPC followers or companions are now an engrained feature of the Bethesda RPG framework, andThe Elder Scrolls 6would do well to look towardsThe Outer Worlds’follower structure for ways to improve this aspect ofTESgameplay.
The Outer Worlds and Its Follower Structure
The Outer Worldsreleased quite recently in 2020, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Take-Two Interactive. A first-person action RPG,Outer Worldsprovides a stylized space-faring experience in which the fully customizable player character can travel freely acrossthe seven planets of the Halcyon system.
Set in a dystopian branching future in which human existence is dominated by hyper-corporate institutions and a purely class-driven society,The Outer Worldsprides itself on the range of NPC interaction and branching storylines that it fosters. As well as giving huge amounts of narrative freedom to the player,The Outer Worldsset itself apart from other RPGs with its truly robust companion system, which earned the core gameplay of the title many plaudits from fans.
WithinThe Outer Worlds,players are able to recruit a huge range of companionsand can utilize two of them at once in general gameplay. These companions are all wholly unique, with each one having individual skills and attacks and even skill trees that can be progressed over time.
Of course, these companions help significantly during combat and exploration, but also possess their own flaws and unique worldviews that can directly alter quest lines and player interaction depending on what choices the player makes. Given just how popular this companion system was withinThe Outer Worlds,and how it is likely to continue within the upcoming sequelThe Outer Worlds 2,The Elder Scrolls 6should definitely take inspiration from it.
RELATED:The Elder Scrolls: History of Tamriel Through The Eyes of the Khajiit
How The Outer Worlds' Companion System Could Fare in The Elder Scrolls 6
One of the most immediate things thatThe Elder Scrolls 6could take from thecompanion and follower system ofThe Outer Worldsis the ability to simultaneously utilize two humanoid companions at once. WithinSkyrim, it is only possible to have one humanoid and one animal follower at any given time, but the increased scale and better hardware ofThe Elder Scrolls 6should greatly increase this.
Akin to otherfantasy set RPGs like theDragon Ageseries,The Elder Scrolls 6should allow the player to form a small party of different followers to use in exploration and combat, adding an optional but entirely different spin to the classicElder Scrollsformula. As well as this, the followers should be much more layered and nuanced than what they have been historically inThe Elder Scrollsas a franchise, and should instead have the personality and human element that is seen inThe Outer Worlds’companions.
LikeThe Outer Worlds, the followers inThe Elder Scrolls 6should have their own flaws and world outlooks, with their allegiance to the player shifting as a result of certain interactions and decisions that the player has to make. A far cry from the relativeblind loyalty ofSkyrimcompanions, this would foster a much more grounded level of world-building and weight behind key player decisions, befitting of the much more expansive experience thatThe Elder Scrolls 6will have to provide. While the previous companion systems ofTEShave been fondly received by fans, it is clear that a more contemporary overhaul of the game mechanic will be needed inTES 6, andThe Outer Worldshas a perfect follower structure to emulate.
The Elder Scrolls 6is currently in development.
MORE:The Elder Scrolls 6’s Dungeons Need to Be More Like Oblivion’s Than Skyrim’s
