With an ever increasing log of seemingly repetitive quests Indrel, the Bosmer huntress, decided she has had enough. She was bored of carrying out mundane chores for stupid lazy Nords who could not find a sweet roll in a bakery. She wasn’t the adventurer she dreamed she would become when she arrived in Skyrim. She was a dogsbody to anyone who cast their eyes upon her. Granted she understood upon arriving in Skyrim as a nobody that being a dogsbody was required until she made a name for herself, but she has been here for months already! She is deadly with a bow and arrow, killing many with just one shot. But instead of being feared by the residents of Skyrim she is still running around tying loose ends for a Guild that cannot be bothered doing it for themselves! Well, Indrel knows when she isn't appreciated. As we speak she is probably half way back to Valenwood, not giving two foxes if dragons toast Skyrim to a crisp.


There is little doubt that with Skyrim Bethesda has created an epic gaming world with a strong sense of place. It is difficult to explore this varied frozen landscapes without asking questions like “What is that settlement?”, “Where does that highway lead to?“ or “What’s in that cave?“ The land of Skyrim is filled with opportunities for exploration. It is therefore such a shame that the game's quests do not capture that same sense of adventure. Beyond the first 10 hours of play time you soon begin to feel that for the rest of your playthrough you are most likely going to be going on near identical quests to retrieve/steal something from someone/somewhere, kill someone, or both.


There is definitely something not quite right with the quest structures of Skyrim, so much so that it is not unheard of gamers playing this title, and its predecessors for that matter, without even touching upon the quests on offer and getting much more enjoyment for it. Maybe it is because the quests provided by Bethesda, as alluded to earlier, just aren't engrossing enough? Maybe it is because Bethesda has provided us with such vast playing fields that there are so many places to explore that you can embark on your own custom made adventures instead?


Whatever the reason I would like to hypothesise whether we actually need structured quests in any future Elder Scrolls titles at all? When I say 'structured quests' I do not mean 'no quests'. Gamers need a solid foundation to embark upon their adventures and from this sturdy platform make informed decisions about their actions. I want to discuss the possibility of a future Elder Scrolls title which focuses on the gamer making their own quests based upon how they interpret the game’s back story; the dialogues they have with NPCs and the information they choose to take from these conversations; and how they interpret the events they encounter in game, be they intentional or unexpected.


Give us the beginning, we will give you the ending.


It is important that every game has some form of back story in order to help establish the feel of the gaming world to the gamer. The gamer consequently has an insight into recent events that have shaped the game world and helps explain to them why their intervention could make this world a better, or worse, place. The opening to Dark Souls, which is not a million miles away from the dragon lore of Skyrim, gives us a hint of what is happening in its world. And that is all - we are not told what to do next, unlike Skyrim where it feels like we are constantly being told what to do and where to go upon leaving Helgen. After the brief tutorial in Dark Souls' Undead Asylum players can explore the gaming world by taking any path they so desire from the Firelink Shrine. Our individual quests are then informed by the brief dialogues to be had with NPCs and the items we pick up on our adventures.


I wish I had a choice in the matter.


Character dialogues with Skyrim’s many residents emphasises another flaw with the handling of quests. Conversing with an NPC can trigger a quest which you may not want to embark upon. As stated earlier the gamer can choose to ignore the quest lines that are forced upon them, but you should not have to. The gamer should be given the choice to take on these quests. Instead the quests you have unwittingly activated are automatically recorded in your quest log demanding that you complete them. The quests log inevitably becomes a list of chores and Bethesda's handling of it comes across as the mother figure nagging at you to get them done.


It does not help either that the entries in the quest log are written in the first person, making it seem like your character that you developed wants to complete these quests when it may be quite out the opposite of the motivations that drives the character you have created. Remember it is you that has spent all this time creating and developing your character, not Bethesda. Therefore you should have complete control of what your character's actions are.


I could kill for a decent adventure...


It therefore feels that with Skyrim and Oblivion Bethesda’s need to lead the gamer by the hand is at odds with the vast open world that they have created for the gamer to discover on their own. In saying that there are some occasions presented in both games that truly give gamers feel the consequence actions, essentially allowing them to embark on quests of their own making.


In Oblivion, for instance, if you murdered an NPC the Dark Brotherhood would seek you out, opening up a quest line you could not have started by conversing with any other NPC. You were aware that this could happen though as you could hear on occasion NPCs talking amongst each other about the Dark Brotherhood seeking out those who have committed a murder. The key thing is, however, that you are not directed to kill someone - a fatal flaw with the introduction of the Dark Brotherhood quest line in Skyrim.


It is clear to see that the Oblivion Dark Brotherhood quest line is not forced upon the gamer, rather it gives the gamer a choice to embark on that quest line and therefore suffer (or benefit) from the consequences of that action. I strongly believe that choice and consequence gives the gamer more satisfaction than forcing them to take a certain path. I therefore believe that any future Elder Scrolls title would benefit greatly by focusing on the creation of events based upon taking note of observations, in game events and background chatter to enable gamers to discover their own quests.


Fangs for the memories…


Another example of where a quest is activated without it being directly forced upon you is vampirism. Vampirism is not a scripted event and can have a dynamic impact on any gamer's adventure. In Oblivion, for example, if you don’t treat Porphyric Hemophilia within three days of being bitten by a vampire you will inevitably become one yourself, suffering or benefitting from the symptoms that brings to your character. You have the time to prevent vampirism from completely infecting your character, therefore it is not forced upon the gamer, but should you choose to let it spread vampirism will have an immense game changing impact upon your adventure.


I still remember when my first character in Oblivion succumbed to the effects of vampirism and the adventure I embarked upon to try to cure them from it. It is not the scripted quest I remember most fondly but how it impacted on me carrying out the quest to cure myself - travelling from location to location during the night to avoid contact with sunlight, feasting on NPCs when the opportunity arose whilst doing my utmost to avoid contact with them at any other time. The symptoms my character suffered made me think about how I was going to play the game to ensure my character would survive in order to be cured. This unexpected event helped me craft my own adventure and because of that it is one of my favourite moments of playing Oblivion.


Maybe we just aren’t smart enough?


Bethesda have demonstrated that they can create events for us to make our own adventures which are more memorable and consequently more successful than the enforced scripted quests they provide for us. One could rightly question why they have not done more of this given how successful it can be. Maybe they fear that today‘s gamers do not have the time, patience or intelligence to find their own way? Perhaps that is right - every fan of Morrowind that I have encountered seems to think so. When you look at “Morrowind for Oblivion Players” on The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages website http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Morrowind_for_Oblivion_Players it is hard not to disagree with them. When you read through some of the items in the guide - such as the ability to kill essential NPCs, the lack of a quest compass marking where you are meant to go and the commonsensical travel limitations - their complaints that Oblivion and Skyrim are ‘dumbed down unit shifters for the masses' seem to be well founded.



Do you think a future Elder Scrolls game will benefit from letting the player develop their own adventure as opposed to being force fed quests that are built using structures which are no longer fit for purpose? Do you feel that quests are still required but their current structure is dated and requires some maintenance? Are you perhaps happy with the current quest format and feel no changes are necessary? I really look forward to reading your comments.