A History Of The Elder Scrolls Series

Now a vastly popular MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls series has come a long way since the arena combat game released in 1994. The world and lore has expanded and continues to sprout on to new platforms from collectible card games to open worlds. Here you’ll find a history of The Elder Scrolls Games…

The Elder Scrolls: Arena - 1994

Beginning as an arena combat game, Arena soon became so much more than that, an unforgiving RPG quest game, where you needed to free the emperor Uriel Septim VII from the Imperial Battlemage. Arena is the title in which you must prove yourself worthy of the land of Tamriel.

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall – 1996

Daggerfall opened up The Elder Scrolls universe, to make the game feel more like a world, with large empty expanses and juicy politics and guilds.

You could wander round and chat to people, buy your own house and it was the first game in the series where The Elder Scrolls games formed a solid identity. The game was incredibly clever, with multiple diverse endings which spun and affected future games.

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire – 1997

Wavering slightly from previous Elder Scrolls entries, Battlespire focuses on the demonic threat that’s taken over the land. Much more of a dungeon crawler than the open world RPG games we’ve come to know and love.

The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard – 1998

A very different type of game to previous Elder Scrolls entries in the series. This third person action adventure puzzler doesn’t allow you to choose your character. Instead you take on the role of Cyrus, a Redguard on the island where the game is set. Searching for your missing sister, this game is more story driven and focussed on events instead of customisation and personalised playstyle.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – 2002

The start of Morrowind and the way the game became more diverse, stretching out from Daggerfall’s sometime bleak appearance, is what really made this game come alive. Morrowind was set in the island of Vvardenfell and was a crafted, dark land, with tonnes of player freedom, making this game and the beautiful island of Vvardenfell an Elder Scrolls fan favourite. Morrowind is coming back to Elder Scrolls, in the form of an expansion for Elder Scroll Online the popular MMO in the series.

The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold, Dawnstar, and Shadowkey – 2003/2004

When The Elder Scrolls universe took to mobile, before the iPhone was even released. In a time where tiny screens and clunky keypads took up most the phone. A simple Elder Scrolls experience.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – 2006

Another of the larger titles to launch from The Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion was set in Cyrodil, a region not visited since the first game Arena. Another open world in the series, the landscape is very different to that of Morrowind, transporting back to the mundane setting of Daggerfall. However, the gameplay experience came on leaps and bounds, injecting heaps of intriguing quests, fantastic interactions and a boundary of interesting places.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 2011

Possibly one of the most talked about game in The Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim became a universally loved game between fans of the series and newcomers. The 200 year leap from the last game, was set in a region crammed with war, politics and dragons! Skyrim really captured people’s attention with the variety of beautiful and threatening settings.

The Elder Scrolls Online – 2014

The first MMO in the series, ESO takes place over most of Tamriel with a base story being the threat of war. This game grasps the play your own way and customisation features that fans love in previous games and ran with it, so players can make their own mark on the game. ESO continues to be updated and expansions released, including the upcoming Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends – 2017

Another platform for Bethesda to try with The Elder Scrolls universe, the game launched as a collectible card game. The game is free to play and lets you go up against opponents in 1v1 card battles.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind is out Thursday 6th June.