Summary
- The Wayward Realms introduces climbing of structures, a feature not seen in The Elder Scrolls since Daggerfall.
- The Elder Scrolls 6 could benefit from adopting the climbing mechanics seen in The Wayward Realms.
- The Wayward Realms emphasizes player agency and explores traversal elements beyond The Elder Scrolls offerings.
There's a reason The Wayward Realms looks so much like an Elder Scrolls game, and it's because two of its leads originally worked on The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. As such, any comparisons between the two are warranted. At the same time, The Wayward Realms is taking its world further than The Elder Scrolls has ever been, claiming to be the first "Grand RPG" of its time by delivering players a world that is larger than anything they've seen so far. Furthermore, despite the freedom of choice The Elder Scrolls has always given players, The Wayward Realms seems to emphasize player agency even more.
With such a vast world and the freedom to do just about anything, The Wayward Realms is serving up some traversal features The Elder Scrolls has never implemented thus far. Fans of The Elder Scrolls are likely familiar with getting around on foot or by horse, both of which players will be doing in The Wayward Realms. However, The Wayward Realms includes one traversal and exploration feature that has yet to be seen in an Elder Scrolls game, although The Elder Scrolls 6 may include it. Nevertheless, The Wayward Realms has already beaten The Elder Scrolls 6 to the punch as far as this particular mechanic goes, and it could even serve as inspiration for the next Elder Scrolls game.
The Wayward Realms Allows Players to Climb Structures
Players Can Climb Structures Like Buildings in The Wayward Realms
As shown in The Wayward Realms' "Life of an Adventurer" gameplay trailer, players can climb structures in the game to reach new heights or infiltrate locked buildings. This is all complimentary to The Wayward Realms' emphasis on choice and improvisation, as it allows players to make their own progression in many cases. The trailer, for example, shows the player climbing the wall of a locked building and entering it through a door on its balcony. It can be assumed that players will be able to climb natural structures as well, including rock walls and ledges. While this mechanic hasn't been entirely excluded from the Elder Scrolls franchise, it hasn't been seen since The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.
The Elder Scrolls Hasn't Featured Legitimate Climbing Since Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls has featured climbing mechanics like those in The Wayward Realms before, but not since 1996 with the release of The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. In Daggerfall, players could approach a wall and climb it, just as they seemingly can in The Wayward Realms. The inclusion of said mechanics makes sense, considering the developers at the helm of The Wayward Realms also worked on Daggerfall, but it's unfortunate that The Elder Scrolls has excluded the feature since then. It is possible to climb in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim on horseback thanks to some janky and unintentional mechanics.
Some good has come from Skyrim's horse-climbing in the countless memes that have carried on for over a decade.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Could Draw Inspiration From The Wayward Realms' Climbing Mechanics
With The Wayward Realms already showing what it is capable of and The Elder Scrolls 6 remaining in hiding, The Elder Scrolls 6 might be remiss not to "steal" The Wayward Realms' climbing mechanics. A feature like this could be lumped in with the Acrobatics skill, which allowed players to jump higher in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion but was not included as a passive skill in Skyrim. Assuming The Elder Scrolls 6 still has at least a couple of years of development left, it might be the perfect time to start implementing a feature like this in the game, especially considering it has been requested by fans.
- Released
- 2026
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- RPG
