Summary
It has been alongtime sinceSkyrimlaunched. For context, I was 11 when it came out, still in primary school (or elementary for the yanks), making fake Top Trumps cards forDoctor Whoin the playground. I’m now 24, still obsessed with Doctor Who and still waiting for TES6.
Thankfully, it hasn’t been a complete drought in the 13 years since Skyrim. Ten years ago, Zenimax launchedThe Elder Scrolls Online, an MMORPG spin-off set during the Second Era in which Molag Bal invades Tamriel in the midst of the three-prong Alliance War.It has received eight major expansions since it was released, taking us to Orsinium, the Summerset Isles, Black Marsh, and so many more iconic locales.
“Todd [Howard] has said many, many times that we’ve been carrying the torch for The Elder Scrolls and [that] we are canon,“creative director Rich Lambert tells TheGamer. “All of the stuff we have done, they absolutely have to think about when they go and build their next thing. How they do that and what they’re doing, I don’t know. But, you know, we’re absolutely part of the world of Tamriel in the end.”
Bethesda Considers The Elder Scrolls Online Canon Without A Shadow Of A Doubt
Ever since ESO launched, a subsect of the wider TES fandom has been vocal about their disdain for its new lore. The Second Era was a dark period in Nirn’s history that we knew very little about before 2014. As Lambert himself says, “there [was] almost nothing known about this 400-year period” prior to ESO.
That makes it the perfect spot for a TES-themed MMO, as it doesn’t step on the toes ofMorrowindorOblivionin the Third Era, or Skyrim in the Fourth. We get to see the origins of fan-favourite characters like Mannimarco, as well as the history of the Tharn family (Jagar Tharn was the villain in the very first TES game).
With some inconsistencies likea missing jungle in Cyrodiil, and Nirn-shattering events every Mondas, there were of course detractors who said it simply couldn’t fit and that this must be an elseworld interpretation, but all of that is simply untrue—ESO is canon. Lambert even says that it’d be “brilliant” to see something his team has made make it to the main games. Maybe that new Daedric PrinceIthelia, eh?
The Elder Scrolls Online
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The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG enjoyed by millions of players, set in the continent of Tamriel. Initially launched in 2014, multiple expansions take you to Skyrim, Morrowind, and other iconic locations from the series. You can choose from one of ten races and five classes before taking on a multitude of quests, dungeons, and trials.
