Considering that the very firstThe Elder Scrollsvideo game, called Arena, was launched all the way back in 1994, it can definitely be overwhelming to choose a title as the gateway to the franchise. With five mainline games, numerous expansions, and various spin-offs launched in a period spanning decades, questions regarding their overall connection with one another naturally arise.
Is it necessary to play Arena to understand what is happening in Daggerfall? Will it be difficult to fully enjoy Skyrim without playing Oblivion? Well, The Elder Scrolls is an expansive universe, and the answers to those questions are a little more complex than a simple yes or no.
Are All The Elder Scrolls Games Connected To Each Other?
Although the main narratives of The Elder Scrolls video gamesare not directly linked to one another, each title in the franchise further builds on the overarching lore that surrounds the massive universe created by Bethesda.This means that while it isnot really necessary to play every gamein the franchise to understand what is going on in a certain title, doing so increasesthe overall enjoyment andimmersiveness that can be achieved with these games.
That is becauseevery game in The Elder Scrolls franchise takes place on the same huge continent called Tamriel, but each title takes the player toa different province and time period, acting as somewhat of a fresh start, so it is easier to just jump in without caring too much about the past.
So while the second game in the franchise, calledDaggerfall, takes place in the Third Eraand between the provinces of High Rock and Hammerfell, the fifth mainline title, Skyrim, is set in the Fourth Era and in the titular mountainous region of Skyrim. It is also important to note that the first four mainline games,Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion, are all set within a few decades, as they all take place within years of one another.
However,Skyrimtakes its time skip a bit more seriously andis set 200 years after Oblivion, making the fifth mainline The Elder Scrolls game the most accessible when it comes to acting as a gateway to the franchise.
Because of the relativelyshorter time period difference between the first four games, there are a lot more recurring elements that get carried over to each subsequent release. One major example of that isEmperor Uriel Septim VII, who is a major presence in the first four games and basically acts as the catalyst to kickstart their respective plots.
But since each gameis set in a different province, there is always a new playable character, a fresh main narrative, and disparate quests that give every title its own individual identity.
That is not to say that the events that take place in each game do not have overarching consequences on the world created by Bethesda, as since every title is set on the same continent, there are alwaysrepercussions that shape the political landscapesof each subsequent release. For example, the civil war that plagues the world of Skyrim isa direct consequence of the Oblivion Crisis, as although the fourth and fifth mainline games are set two centuries apart from one another,there is a lot that happenedduring that time period to shape the political unrest in Skyrim.
However, since the main narrative in Skyrim deals with fresh concepts like the return of dragons, it does not feel like an explicitly direct story continuation to Oblivion, which helps each The Elder Scrolls game existas standalone titles that can be enjoyedwithout going too deep into the established lore.
In The Elder Scrolls,where factions from the past, like theBlades that almost got completely wiped out during the Great War, are featured or at least mentioned in the subsequent titles, but since the characters and the areas that the story revolves around are mostly all new, it does not feel jarring to choose any game to get into the franchise. Bethesda also relies onin-game scriptures and side queststo cement the overarching importance of previous titles to the lore of The Elder Scrolls, which makes the world of Tamriel feel more alive and much bigger.
All of that makes each The Elder Scrolls title feel like an addition tothe long-running historical account of Tamriel, showcasing the most important events that took place in every era and prominent locations that shaped the continent as a whole.
And much like humanity’s own history in the real world, the player can simplyjust choose which era or personalitythey want to focus on, and if that introduction feels interesting, they have the choice of going even further back in time to learn more about how Tamriel got to its current state. So, whether it is the province ofCyrodiil from Oblivion or the mountainous peaks of Skyrim, each setting and title has an impactful role to play in building the world of Tamriel, but it is not essential to visit every era just to enjoy the one that feels the most intriguing and accessible.
