Summary
It’s been six years since the first teaser trailer forThe Elder Scrolls 6dropped during E3 2018, and there is still very little known about the title. Given how massively successful its predecessorSkyrimwas, many probably expectedThe Elder Scrolls 6to be out by now, and yet it’s not even close to release. Since Bethesda Game Studios has been busy working on other titles over the last several years, it hasn’t had the time to begin full production onTES 6up until only recently, after the launch ofStarfieldin 2023. Because of this, it seems likely that the next mainline installment inThe Elder Scrollsfranchise won’t come out until the late 2020s or even the early 2030s.
As fans have waited for more official updates onThe Elder Scrolls 6, they’ve spent their time coming up with theories and ideas about what the upcoming action RPGcould end up looking like. One aspect ofTES 6that gamers have speculated for years about, for example, is its setting. Every previous mainline installment in the series has taken place in at least one specific province on the fictional continent of Tamriel, whether that be Cyrodiil inTES 4: Oblivionor, well, Skyrim inTES 5: Skyrim. As such, many fans have made educated guesses aboutwhat Tamriel regionThe Elder Scrolls 6may take place inby looking at potential hints and teases hidden in some of the franchise’s previous installments. One of these clues could, in fact, be present withinThe Elder Scrolls Online.
One Aspect of The Elder Scrolls Online Could Clue Fans in on TES 6’s Setting
The Elder Scrolls Online Has Oddly Overlooked One Major Region in Tamriel
Ever since its debut in 2014,The Elder Scrolls Onlinehas received consistent content updatesin the form of annual expansions and other DLCs. Due to how large the game’s scope is,ESOtakes place across the entirety of Tamriel, with new zones and explorable locations being added by developer Zenimax Online on a regular basis. Many of the fictional continent’s nine provinces have been heavily featured in the game as a result, with some regions like Elsweyr, Summerset Isles, and Morrowind having even received expansions centered entirely around them.
One province that has barely made an appearance inThe Elder Scrolls Online, however, is Hammerfell. Best known for beingthe home of the Redguards, this enormous region is situated on the western side of Tamriel near Cyrodil, Skyrim, and High Rock. It features a wide variety of biomes, including jungles, swamps, grasslands, and deserts. Even though it seems like a place that would make for an ideal setting in anESOexpansion, Hammerfell has only been given a minor presence in the game. The only time the province was featured inThe Elder Scrolls Onlinewas in the 2016 DLCTheThieves' Guild, which took place in an arid peninsula in southernmost Hammerfell called Hew’s Bane.
Hammerfell’s Limited Presence in ESO Could Be Related to The Elder Scrolls 6
Following the release of this expansion,The Elder Scrolls Onlinehasn’t revisited Hammerfell in over eight years. This potentially has something to do with the reveal ofTES 6, given that it was formally announced two years after the launch ofThe Thieves' Guild. If the next mainline installment intheElder Scrollsseriesis primarily set in Hammerfell, then perhaps Bethesda Game Studios asked Zenimax Online to avoid covering the region in great detail. That would explain why Hammerfell hasn’t been properly covered inESOup to this point, if this is indeed the case.
Hammerfell has lacked a major presence not only inThe Elder Scrolls Online, but in other modernTESgames as well. In fact, the last time the province was featured in a mainline title was inThe Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. Therefore,Hammerfell would be a great choice for the setting ofTES 6, as it’d provide a refreshing new location for players to explore. Of course, nothing has been confirmed at this point, but if the province’s omission inESOis anything to go by,The Elder Scrolls 6being set in Hammerfell seems like more and more of a likely possibility.
