It’s a hard task deciding which one deserves to be the best Elder Scrolls game, but we’ve prepared a list for you to read about them in a brief manner and decide for yourselves. If you haven’t yet played any of the titles from the series, and are looking to start off on it, this guide can prove to be very helpful to you. The Elder Scrolls franchise by Bethesda Game Studios has given us some of the most successful video games of all time. All these titles feature action role-playing gameplay, and possess the capability to evoke a wide variety of emotions through their offerings. Those who’ve played the games will tell you about their engrossing fantasy atmospheres and their vast open worlds. The series has its roots set in 1994 when the first game came out for DOS systems, and it’s still going strong with its latest edition having been released in 2011. Here’s a list of all the main games from the series with short descriptions to help you know more about them.
1 – Arena
Made by a pretty small outfit, and released after a considerable delay in March 1994, The Elder Scrolls: Arena was thought to be a disaster at first. But gamers slowly started fathoming its huge scope, leading to The Elder Scrolls: Arena establishing a large enough base to spawn a series. Like all future games from the franchise, the continent of Tamriel present in a fictional world called Nirn formed its main setting.
Arena plays in the first-person perspective, and focuses mainly on melee combat and magic spells. Environments ranging from the wilderness to dungeons are all there in it, apart from randomly generated terrains. Its pixel graphics have their own unique appeal, and so does its old school RPG gameplay.
2 – Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall was yet another DOS release from Bethesda Game Studios. This 1996 fantasy open world action role-playing game lets you explore the High Rock and Hammerfell provinces of Tamriel, and features some really engaging quests to embark upon. It even gives you the the ability to buy houses, ships, clothing and equipment.
The melee combat is pretty much similar to that of its predecessor, but the ability to become a vampire, werewolf or wereboar determines a lot about your strengths. The vast open world which is thrown at you by The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall kicks in over 15,000 towns, cities, villages and dungeons.
3 – Morrowind
Released in 2002 for Windows and the Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was one of the more modern titles from the series, and it’s greatness can be mapped from the fact that it has sold more than four million copies. It features a deeper story set within Vvardenfell, an island far away from the settings of Arena and Daggerfall. This game is extremely non-linear, letting you decide its course through your actions. A diverse character creation system, some really satisfying combat and a complex skill system have been infused into it by Bethesda Game Studios.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind offers an excellent original soundtrack as well, involving you deeper within its offerings. This game was blessed with two expansion packs, namely Tribunal and Bloodmoon in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Both of them were well received as well, and provided Morrowind fans with plenty of new areas to explore, fresh enemies to defeat, new weapons to use and a lot more. The two expansions for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind are whole new experiences in themselves.
4 -Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the second highest rated game from the series, and it thoroughly deserves to get this honor. Available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows, this title is a massive game in every sense of the term. Its stellar action role-playing gameplay is accompanied by a superb atmosphere that’s capable of keeping you hooked onto it for hours on the trot. Its main story is based on the player character’s efforts towards foiling a fanatical cult known as the ‘Mythic Dawn’ which is planning to open the gates to a realm called ‘Oblivion.’
Fully voiced NPCs made their way into The Elder Scrolls series for the first time with Oblivion. Great pacing makes this game a wonderful experience overall, whereas its tremendously open-ended approach grants role-playing fans a thousand reasons to jump into it again and again. 2006 saws its first expansion being released for it in the form of Knights of the Nine, while a second one, called Shivering Isles was launched in the following later.
5 – Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the latest installment to the much loved series, and it’s also the highest rated game from it. What makes Skyrim the over the top experience that it is, is the immense satisfaction it renders you with each time you jump into it. And yet, it keeps you pulling back into it for more. Intricate and diverse quests, plenty of side quests and combat which involves dragon-slaying are just some of the highlights of this game.
Moreover, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim features some of the most enthralling visuals in video games ever, apart from a tremendous soundtrack. Released in 2011, it has been blessed with three equally awesome expansions titled Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn.
Conclusion:
One of them can be your best Elder Scrolls game depending on your taste, so we’d recommend you play all of them to experience the magnificence that they have on offer. A must buy for you will be The Elder Scrolls Anthology which bundles all the games as well as the expansion mentioned above together, and sells for a pretty reasonable price.