Bethesda Game Studios has had a fairly consistent relationship with base-building systems in its past few RPGs. Such systems have seen a good deal of evolution over the years, from their status as rudimentary novelties in Skyrim to their more ambitious implementation in Starfield, and there’s good reason to believe that The Elder Scrolls 6 will continue the tradition in some way.
But what exactly this theoretical system will look like is anyone’s guess. In Starfield, the primary purpose of customizable bases is to gather various upgrade and crafting materials, harvesting them from the game’s many diverse planets. Meanwhile, Fallout 4’s Settlements play into the broader RPG framework, allowing players to create safe havens for various NPCs which can then be endlessly improved, tweaked, and personalized. These two games represent two distinct approaches: one is mostly practical and isolated, while the other is rooted in a sense of in-game community, requiring regular player involvement. The Elder Scrolls 6 may walk one of these paths, or it may forge a new one, but either way, reintroducing base-building could have a transformative effect on the overall experience.
Related
Why Skyrim’s Giants Deserve a Deep Dive in The Elder Scrolls 6
Giants have long been underexplored in The Elder Scrolls, and The Elder Scrolls 6 could be the first in the series to change that.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Could Realize a Huge Leap from Skyrim’s Homesteads
As previously mentioned, Skyrim includes a very early form of base-building as part of the Hearthfire DLC. Through this system, players can purchase and build a home, customize its rooms, and make use of several practical amenities such as alchemy benches, but the feature is far less fleshed-out than its successors in Fallout 4 and Starfield. At the time, it was a great addition to an already content-rich game, but it’s quite quaint by modern standards.
Expanding this concept in The Elder Scrolls 6, with the same level of detail as a game like Starfield, could be extremely gratifying and engaging. Deeper building and customization tools, including options for constructing new buildings and rooms at will, could make The Elder Scrolls 6 considerably more replayable and feature-rich, not to mention deeper from a role-playing perspective. If a player wants to be a wealthy merchant-like character, for instance, they could express that fantasy through an opulent or gaudy home.
The buttressing of the RPG experience, especially those aspects of it that take place in players’ minds, is among the most significant positives of the base-building systems in previous Bethesda games. This is one of the most commonly cited benefits of such features, since they typically offer little in the way of significant gameplay benefits. At the same time, this lack of concrete value may be something that The Elder Scrolls 6 will need to address, if it does indeed allow players to create their own HQs.
Base-Building in The Elder Scrolls 6 Could Be Superfluous
The most common criticism of base/outpost-building as a whole in Bethesda’s RPGs is that it can feel unnecessary. In Starfield, for instance, outposts often pose little to no benefit to many players, as the materials they yield can be easily obtained elsewhere. Engaging in base-building features is optional, of course, but many players who bounce off such systems are left feeling like development resources could have been better spent elsewhere.
Having said that, base-building systems that are more finely-tuned could be more than worthwhile in The Elder Scrolls 6. If there were stronger incentives to build, improve, and visit homesteads, such as resources that can only be attained through farming or cooking, then it’s unlikely that many players would lament their inclusion, as they would be enriching additions to the broader RPG experience rather than tacked-on gimmicks.
- Released
-
2026
- Developer(s)
-
Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
-
Bethesda Softworks
- ESRB
-
m