As the sixth main entry in The Elder Scrolls, The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be built on decades of lore and millennia of in-game events. Consequentially, The Elder Scrolls 6 has a lot of pressure to pay off many of the lore questions raised across the various stories in The Elder Scrolls, particularly the questions introduced in Morrowind, Skyrim, and The Elder Scrolls Online.
One of the biggest mysteries in The Elder Scrolls is the fate of the Dwemer, a race of elves who lived underground but were incredibly technologically advanced. Even thousands of years after their disappearance, Dwemer machines still operate in their ruins. In the First Era, during Nerevar’s battle at Red Mountain with the Tribunal regarding the fate of the Heart of Lorkhan, the Dwemer collectively disappeared from all of Tamriel under mysterious circumstances, and haven’t been seen since.
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The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Be More Like Oblivion Than Skyrim in One Key Area
Despite Skyrim being well-loved, The Elder Scrolls 6 could benefit from following Oblivion’s lead instead when it comes to a key story element.
Signs of Dwemer civilization are found all over Tamriel, but Hammerfell is rife with Dwemer ruins. While Morrowind and Red Mountain, in particular, have a strong link to the original disappearance of the Dwemer, Hammerfell’s stronger connection to the Dwemer’s culture when they were thriving makes The Elder Scrolls 6 the perfect opportunity to address the disappearance of the Dwemer, and even possibly bring them back to the series, especially if it reintegrates them.
Bringing the Dwemer back to The Elder Scrolls would be an incredible boon to its lore while introducing many new narrative dynamics, especially political implications. When the Dwemer disappeared, they were largely hostile towards the rest of Tamriel, or neutral at best, with the sole exception being their eventual alliance with the Chimer, thanks to the Dwemer king, Dumac, and his friendship with Nerevar. Ironically, this alliance and friendship was likely the main cause of their disappearance, as they disappeared during the Battle of Red Mountain in 1E700.
The Dwemer’s disappearance appears to have been linked to Lorkhan and could also be linked to a Dragon Break. It may be possible for the Dwemer to return all at once, and the sudden return of an entire culture of people could cause chaos in Tamriel, especially if they’re the same people from the First Era displaced in time. They could also offer a wealth of knowledge about the events of the Battle of Red Mountain, such as the death of Nerevar and the rise of the Tribunal, how the Dwemer disappeared, and insight into their culture.
The Dwemer adapting to the current Era in The Elder Scrolls 6 would be an interesting problem for the player character to solve and a unique challenge that hasn’t been addressed in The Elder Scrolls yet. It could present an opportunity to have The Elder Scrolls 6‘s player character’s race and lineage matter and be an opportunity for some interesting role-playing. Moreover, it could also be a great chance for the player to change Tamriel’s history in a meaningful way for an entire culture at a crossroads; if the Dwemer wish to isolate themselves as they did in the past, or if they want to change and integrate with the rest of Tamriel.
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Bethesda Game Studios
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