If Starfield’s E3 2021 trailer is to be believed, The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely to be set around the Iliac Bay, Tamriel’s rough stand-in for the Mediterranean Sea that separates the petty kingdoms of High Rock from the desert cities of Hammerfell. Starfield’s trailer contained a small symbol that many Bethesda fans noticed looked similar to an outline of the Iliac Bay region of Tamriel’s map, supporting long-held beliefs that western Tamriel was the top candidate for the next game’s setting.

Exploring the Iliac Bay is Bethesda’s best chance to add pirate elements to The Elder Scrolls 6, just as Skyrim forged a unique identity for itself as a Viking-inspired addition to the franchise. Here’s why the region could work so well for the introduction of sailing and piracy mechanics, the lore it connects to, what may have inspired that lore, and why Bethesda should take advantage of the opportunity to add new mechanics to the famous RPG franchise.

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Piracy In The Iliac Bay

The Mediterranean Sea was a hotbed of piracy throughout much of its history, whether that piracy came in the form of state-sponsored privateers from countries like France, England, and Spain or the North African Corsairs who raided coastal towns throughout the early modern era. This real-world history had a clear influence on the development of western Tamriel. South of Hammerfell lies the island of Stros M’Kai, described in The Elder Scrolls Online as a “haven for freebooters, sea-rovers, and other nautical entrepreneurs.”

With the steady decline of the Empire of Tamriel as seen throughout Skyrim’s Civil War and Dark Brotherhood questlines, it’s reasonable to assume that piracy likely increased around Hammerfell in the Fourth Era. The Empire even released Hammerfell as an Imperial Province between Oblivion and Skyrim due to the Redguards continuing to fight the Aldmeri Dominion after a peace accord had been reached.

The Empire’s retreat and the presence of the Aldmeri Dominion sets up a pirate-themed game very well. With the Empire’s exit, Hammerfell becomes something of a frontier again. The ships of the Aldmeri Dominion to the south offer some villainous targets that make pirates seem benevolent in comparison, while the ships leaving Hammerfell's prosperous northern neighbor are equally tempting targets.

A pirate group makes sense as at least one of The Elder Scrolls 6’s major factions, but there are some vastly different ways piracy could work in the upcoming game. The Elder Scrolls would likely need to introduce ship mechanics that have yet to be seen in the series but were well fleshed out in games like Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. There would need to be a variety of ship types with different stats like speed and durability, and players could even have the option to customize their ships.

Ship Mechanics And Starfield

Figuring out exactly how to pull of ship mechanics in The Elder Scrolls 6 will be no easy task, but Bethesda has the perfect opportunity to experiment with ship exploration, customization, and ships as a new form of player base in Starfield. Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi game may be set in space, but creating a system for spaceship customization and exploration could teach Bethesda plenty of valuable lessons when creating a similar system for The Elder Scrolls 6.

The variety of real-life pirate allegiances point to some of the ways Bethesda could avoid piracy being connected to a single faction or moral alignment as well. Piracy mechanics could be used by the player in service of any number of groups. They could act purely in their own interests, they could be part of a band of bucaneers, or the player could even be a sponsored privateer acting to harass ships from Hammerfell and High Rock on behalf of the Dominion if Bethesda gives them the option.

Proper sailing and piracy mechanics could be a great way for The Elder Scrolls 6 to step out from under Skyrim’s shadow, forging a new and instantly recognizable identity for itself. Bethesda will need to strike a careful balance, introducing exciting new features while still leaving the game recognizable as an Elder Scrolls RPG. As long as piracy and ship mechanics in general remain largely optional and don’t take away from the player’s freedom on land, they could be an interesting addition to a series that needs to spice things up after nearly a decade of Skyrim re-releases.

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Ships, Travel, And Companions

Back at Brighton Digital 2020, Todd Howard suggested that The Elder Scrolls 6 would make use of greater procedural generation than previous games to make a larger world. Whether or not this is true and to what extent has yet to be seen, but if The Elder Scrolls 6 does have a larger world than Skyrim, ships could become particularly useful. Having a movable base that players can bring with them across multiple coastal cities – of which the Iliac Bay has plenty – could strike a rare balance as both immersive and convenient.

Players could even put together a crew of their companions. Skyrim had dozens of potential followers, but with the game only allowing the player to have one humanoid follower at a time, they rarely had the opportunity for any character development or to interact with other NPCs. Building a crew could create an opportunity to change that, with a smaller cast of well-developed companion characters that, even if the player isn’t bringing them along for a particular adventure, can still be found back on the ship in the style of Fallout: New Vegas’ Lucky 38 presidential suite.

One of the biggest challenges will be making the seas themselves an interesting place to explore instead of just feeling like a repetitive expanse. Plenty of pirate games have made that work, however, and if Bethesda commits to building a sailing and ship system that learns from Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 6 could stand out against both its RPG competition and previous games in the series.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.

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