Nolan Shuman

Raven Rock isn’t just isolated. As a primarily Dark Elf settlement, the player is constantly reminded of their "Outlander" status even if they’re a Dunmer . Despite being an abandoned Imperial outpost, Raven Rock is undeniably Dark Elven. Its architecture, clothing, and the characters’ accents are all reminiscent of Morrowi In fact, those differences could be the source of many of the "petty wars" across the landmass, while allowing players to interact with cultures that feel as alien as Morrowind ’s, seeing the difference imprints those cultures leave on the unmarked territory of the front It's in the best interest of Obsidian Entertainment to keep a balance between RPG mechanics and action gameplay. While there is going to be competition between The Elder Scrolls 6 and Avowed due to the titles sharing a genre, the developer should look at doing enough to ensure it stands out from the Bethesda game series. There is a balance to strike between taking enough from PoE and keeping the title action-heavy while not leaning into its RPG roots too much. Adapting too many role-playing mechanics has the potential to alienate a new audience to the world of Eora, who are looking for a more combat-focused experience. It's possible that if Avowed concentrated on role-playing features too much, it could push gamers towards Skyrim or the forthcoming Elder Scrolls Open-world games need their worlds to feel immense and unexplored at the start of the game. There’s an argument to be made that The Elder Scrolls 6 could still achieve this - after all, Skyrim was able to create a world that felt worth exploring despite previous games like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion . However, while Oblivion sold under 10 million copies, Skyrim surpassed 30 million sales all the way back in 2016, and could risk being a victim of its own success, unable to capture the sense of originality players felt in the last g Avowed will be set in the Living Lands, described as a "lawless land where communities band together, fall apart, and fight petty wars with eachother constantly." The two Pillars of Eternity games were set in Dyrwood, a warring kingdom, and the Deadfire Archipelago , a distant chain of islands populated by pirates and outca Most fantasy fans also have far fewer expectations when it comes to Avowed Strategy ’s lore and what they might expect to find in the Living Lands . While players of The Elder Scrolls 6 might find exploring Dwemer ruins less exciting and more familiar than it was when they first played Skyrim , Avowed 's players are far less likely to know about aspects of the lore like the ancient Engwithan ruins running underneath Eora and their connection to the world’s backst Grounded stands out among the list of current projects at Obsidian Entertainment, as it has technically already been released but just in Early Access. It's a survival RPG where players embody a person who has been shrunk and must survive the terror of creatures like bees and spiders in a backyard. Grounded is in early access and has already seen several updates with new content, and this looks set to continue for some time. The unique game has resonated well with gamers and critics alike and will likely be a big focus for Obsidian going forward until and probably after it has received a full rele One of the reasons Obsidian is moving its Pillars of Eternity setting to a first-person RPG format is financial. As well-received as the Pillars of Eternity games were, it is hoped that moving the RPG series to a more recognizable format will help draw new players. This, in turn, would help further establish Obsidian Entertainment as Microsoft's RPG powerhouse (especially considering the Bethesda acquisiti There are few known details about the game, but the reveal trailer did show it's going to be a first-person action-RPG where players will be able to wield traditional weapons in addition to magic. With the title being set in the world of Eora, there's a wide variety of locations it can be, set in and conflicts for players to resolve. Avowed is reportedly set in The Living Lands , a frontier rife with lawlessness and petty warring, so it should be interesting for players to see where their protagonist fits into the equation in this troubled pl Raven Rock is one of Skyrim ’s best towns when it comes to environmental storytelling. Each of Skyrim ’s towns has some level of intrigue - there’s the feud between the Stormcloak and Imperial families of Whiterun, the chatter and tension surrounding the recent public execution of High King Torygg in Solitude, and the string of mysterious murders in Windhelm, to name a CHIM and the Godhead may rarely be touched upon in The Elder Scrolls games, but "the mantlings of an uncaring godhead" are explicitly mentioned in Hermaeus Mora's Black Book "Waking Dreams of a Starless Sky." The Godhead has many similarities to Lovecraft's "Blind Idiot God" Azath