What I would like to see from the next Elder Scrolls...
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Location -
I honestly don't see the appeal of the next game taking place in Black Marsh, Elswyr, or the Summerset Isles. I know a lot of people are wanting Elswyr or Summerset Isles, but why? Having only played Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, each of these
games is set is a specific province of Tamriel. This has a tendency to make players want to create a character that is native to the province they are playing in (Morrowind - Dunmer, Oblivion - Imperial, Skyrim - Nord). Maybe you do that maybe you don't. Either way the games react to your race and it makes it that much more believable. Personally, I don't want to play as an Argonian (unless they look more like Raptors in the next game), a Khajiit, or Altmer. I understand that I would have a multitude of races to choose from but I don't even find those regions to be that interesting.
Valenwood certainly sounds interesting, with massive moving trees, etc. And I certainly think there is plenty of room for creativity from the developers as far as creating environments/crafting story. But in all honesty I really want to see Hammerfell. It has the potential to be very familiar yet very fresh at the same time. Skyrim was a great environment and harbored an aesthetic that was heavily reminiscent of old-school dungeon games, very archaic, very legendary. Furthermore, Skyrim was a rigid, harsh landscape, an inhospitable entity, in a way. That's what made the Nords that much more hardcore. From what we know Hammerfell is a vast desert region sprinkled with mountains. Skyrim's opposite and twin at the same time: Hammerfell's hot and sandy, Skyrim is cold and snowing, but both are inhabited by a hearty race that endures and makes a living regardless. This could make for an extremely new aesthetic in the series. The closest any previous game has come to deserts is Morrowind, but that's a whole different beast in itself. Just say the name, "Hammerfell." For those who said it, you know it has an epic ring to it....
It's probably just a matter of time before TES expands across the seas to other lands of Nirn but I think Tamriel still has room for at least one more game.
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Story -
I'm not going to say what I want the story to be because Bethesda has done a pretty fine job on their own thus far, and I want to be surprised when I play through it. But I will say what I don't want.
Skyrim was an excellent execution of a game. Lots to do, lots to explore, learn, etc. As I said earlier though, my favorite part was the civil war quest line. Not slaying dragons and being the dragonborn. Dragons are cool but it seems like every other fantasy franchise has dragons in some form or another. Granted Bethesda put its own unique twist on the scaly fiends, but they were still dragons. Fire-breathing, winged beasts that are virtually invincible. My character just so happens to be the first dragonborn in ages, right when dragons just so happen to reappear in Tamriel? That's convenient, okay I'll go eliminate that threat for you but I REALLY want to kick some Imperial butt instead. Why? Maybe because the empire is a joke, being puppeted by the ever-so-hateable Thalmor, who are trying to tell me that I can't worship my patron deity Talos. Why is this an awesome set up? My first experience in the game is nearly being executed by Imperials based on no charges whatsoever. That gives me a distaste of the Empire right off the bat. This struggle for power between a native people and a religiously/politically oppressive Aldmeri Dominion is beautiful. I can be a part of something so much larger than myself, yet I can have a massive influence of the direction the war takes. It's so much more motivating to me.
What was even cooler about the civil war is that you could pick sides. Sides that are neither 100% good or 100% evil. Each is doing what's right in its own eyes, but both have obvious flaws. Moral gray areas have so much potential.
I'm not saying that TES:6 should be a continuation of Skyrim's civil war because each game should be independent story-wise. There are plenty of scenarios that the writers can come up with, and if they take place in Hammerfell there's tons of room for fresh ideas. The story doesn't always have to be a giant world-breaking magically-saturated catastrophe (Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind). Some of the best stories unfold between political corruption and an underdog's thirst for justice.