GameRant - The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

7 Open-World RPGs That Give You Almost Too Much Freedom

Josh Cotts — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 22:45:12 GMT

Is there such a thing as too much freedom in an open-world RPG? It may not seem like it's possible, but it is. While open-world RPGs are quite literally defined by the freedom they offer—as the genre's name even implies—sometimes, that freedom gets out of hand, and what was originally designed to be flexible for the player's sake ends up being a spineless organism that ultimately moves against them instead. Those are the open-world games that some players never even finish due to how aimless they leave them feeling and the general lack of purpose their limitless freedom gives the story and the world itself.

The Elder Scrolls 'Father’ Julian LeFay Steps Away from the Games Industry Over Serious Health Battle

José V. Rossi — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:57:22 GMT

Julian LeFay, also known as The Elder Scrolls’ “father,” is stepping away from the game industry due to his worsening battle with cancer. LeFay was a crucial part of the Bethesda team, helping the studio create The Elder Scrolls games, and had recently been working at his own studio, OnceLost Games, where he was developing the open-world RPG The Wayward Realms.

RPGs That Shouldn't Have Been Open World

Ritwik Mitra — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 14:10:16 GMT

Open-world RPGs have become all the rage in modern times. These titles combine two of gaming's most popular genres, letting players enjoy an epic adventure across a riveting world that is full of side content to explore and secrets to uncover.

Elder Scrolls Protagonist Tier List

Emma Neeson — Thu, 22 May 2025 14:00:15 GMT

Plenty of world-ending threats have threatened the fate of mortals in The Elder Scrolls, but thankfully there is always a protagonist on hand to stop things. Many doom-driven heroes have come and gone over Tamriel’s millennia of history, foiling plots by invading gods and politicking monarchs. But not all champions are made equal, as some are made in the image of legendary figures, while others serve to hold the Empire together despite their simple mortality.

How a Single Elder Scrolls Character Shapes Three Games' Lore

Shayna Josi — Mon, 19 May 2025 14:30:14 GMT

As an open-world sandbox RPG, The Elder Scrolls games are as simple or as complicated as the player decides. The Elder Scrolls' lore follows the same pattern, and players can engage with it on a surface level. Dig deeper, however, and the lore of The Elder Scrolls proves to be one of the most complicated among video game RPGs.

Most Hateable Elder Scrolls Characters, Ranked

Anthony Everett — Thu, 08 May 2025 07:00:16 GMT

The long-running Elder Scrolls series is filled with colorful characters, from the godlike Aedra and demonic Daedra to smug shopkeepers and world-destroying dragons. Naturally, some NPCs draw the ire of players for various reasons. The likes of the Adoring Fan in Oblivion or Skyrim’s religious zealot, Heimskr, often taste the protagonist’s blade as a result of their irritating behavior. That’s not to mention Nazeem’s vexatious and arrogant attitude.

The Elder Scrolls: The Origins of Black Soul Gems Explained

Josh Cotts — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:30:15 GMT

Black Soul Gems are powerful and controversial artifacts in the Elder Scrolls universe, designed to trap the souls of sentient beings, collectively known as "black souls." Soul trapping itself dates back to at least The Elder Scrolls' First Era, where binding a soul to an unhatched egg was a common practice in Black Marsh before it was banned. Black Soul Gems, however, were created in the Third Era as a way to more efficiently trap the souls of sentient beings, all while those souls remain conscious within the gem.

Elder Scrolls Mainline Series Should Explore These Three Provinces

Jake S — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:30:16 GMT

One of the most important elements of The Elder Scrolls franchise's success over the years is the locations that its many entries take place within, with the continent of Tamriel being a now-iconic major setting that fans have come to love. The franchise has found a winning formula by using its mainline entries to usually focus on a single province within Tamriel, with this often playing a massive role in the kinds of narratives, locations, and themes of a given project.

Oblivion's Rumored Remake Would Be Welcome, But Bethesda Could Dig Deeper

Cameron Swan — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:45:14 GMT

Back in September 2023, a major leak sprouted from the FTC v Microsoft court case, with a plethora of confidential documents hitting the internet. One such document detailed a handful of projects that Bethesda was working on before it was acquired by Microsoft. On that list were a Fallout 3 remaster slated for 2024, a Doom prequel slated for 2023, and an Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster slated for 2022. Though it's been years since these projects allegedly began development, many fans are holding out hope that an Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster is still in the works, with a Doom prequel (Doom: The Dark Ages) finally set to release this May.

How The Elder Scrolls' Cyrodiil Has Evolved Over Mainline Games

Josh Cotts — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 17:15:16 GMT

While The Elder Scrolls has taken players to many different provinces in its expansive world of Tamriel, Cyrodiil is one of the most memorable locations, on account of its dominant presence in one of the best games in the series, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, as well as the part it plays in the series' overarching political landscape. For the most part, Cyrodiil has played a significant role in The Elder Scrolls lore, but it hasn't always remained the same. In fact, Cyrodiil has transformed considerably over the course of the Elder Scrolls series, which is now over three decades old.