10 Things Nobody Wants To Admit About The Elder Scrolls Games

This particular point really cannot be stressed enough. The Elder Scrolls has gotten noticeably stale since the fourth instalment. Skyrim relocated the series – and made several improvements – but did nothing to differentiate itself from previous iterations, serving as an adequate re-tread, perfecting the formula but not evolving the series in any significant way.

Oblivion was a watered-down Morrowind, and Skyrim was a technically superior Oblivion.

In both cases, the plot revolves around prophecies and omniscient antagonists; both games are mired by fetch quests and identical quest lines; they both begin with the sacking of a city (Kvatch and Helgen); they both involve travelling to alternate dimensions in order to combat powerful adversaries (Mankar Cameron in Paradise, and Alduin in Sovngarde), they both feature – mostly – the same factions and guilds, and they both end as they begin, with nothing really changing.

There’s something to be said for playing it safe, as well as sticking to what you know. 'Don’t fix what ain’t broken' is another popular defence against this kind of criticism, but that said, nothing stale is worth keeping, and this particular series is starting to decompose, fast.

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Where do you stand on The Elder Scrolls, and what should Bethesda do for the sixth main instalment? Let us know in the comments!