The Elder Scrolls 6 has a lot of expectations, especially since Bethesda announced it far too early and then Microsoft went and bought the developer for a ridiculous sum of money. Naturally, this has fans speculating wildly about what kind of features it will include and how it will be better than Bethesda’s current offerings. However, while it would be great to see TES6 include the wealth of improvements seen across other triple-A titles, there is one area it needs to nail above all else.

Bethesda was once the best at creating immersive worlds, and it has since lost its touch. Fortunately, there have been plenty of incredible RPGs over the past decade or so that have proven how RPGs can be immersive in ways Bethesda never dreamed of. With TES6’s location potentially leaked, there are lots of amazing opportunities for the developer to create something truly unique. All it needs to do is learn a couple of lessons from 2024’s best RPG.

Dragons Dogma 2 Has One Of The Most Immersive RPG Worlds

It Feels Like Anything Could Happen

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has one of the most immersive worlds in the entire RPG genre. It brings together the best immersion-building mechanics from across generations of RPG games – and adds in a handful of its own – to create a world so teeming with life, it feels real. Its world is just one of the many reasons Dragon’s Dogma 2 reviewed so well and continues to be a fan-favorite to this day. Somehow, Capcom threw absolutely everything at the wall, and it all stuck, implementing gameplay mechanic after gameplay mechanic to ensure that the player’s journey felt believable at all times.

For example, players will either need to learn Elvish or teach it to their Pawns in order to understand what the Elves are saying. Additionally, when out in the wild – and sometimes even in towns – it feels as if anything can happen, such as heading out on an adventure in a cart, only to be stopped by a Troll in the middle of the road and then have a Griffin swoop down and destroy that very cart. Players will also stumble across other groups of Pawns while exploring, and can even join active fights against enemies alongside them.

It’s possible to see groups of enemies fighting each other, stumble into one of Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s many hidden interactions while exploring vast caves full of surprise bosses, and miss entire questlines because too many days passed and the quest giver died. There are too many immersive elements in Dragon’s Dogma 2 to list, but each one of them helps to make it one of the best RPGs of 2024. Of course, the potential best RPG of all time on the horizon, The Elder Scrolls 6, can learn a thing or two from these immersive elements.

Elder Scrolls 6 Needs To Learn From Dragon’s Dogma 2’s World

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s World Should Act As A Blueprint

There is plenty that Elder Scrolls 6 can take from Dragon’s Dogma 2, at least when it comes to immersive elements. Having plenty of emergent gameplay and making the world feel alive – with travelers roaming and events happening at a moment’s notice – feels like the bare minimum, but it can go a long way to improving a game’s atmosphere. TES6 should also take inspiration from Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s deeper forms of immersive gameplay, such as entire towns being wiped out thanks to Pawn’s contracting diseases while with other players, or discouraging fast travel by making it a limited resource.

Frustratingly, Bethesda has already implemented a lot of these mechanics in their previous games, such as Skyrim. However, it seems like it’s forgotten about them for the most part, as both Fallout 76 and Starfield lack the same immersion, and even Fallout 4 is without a lot of the elements that made earlier Bethesda games feel as enthralling and immersive as they do. Dragon’s Dogma 2 just puts these mechanics at the forefront of its gameplay as it wants to prioritize the journey and not the destination. Ultimately, that’s the lesson TES6 needs to take away.

It would also help if The Elder Scrolls 6 finally implemented a completely seamless open world, one not marred by endless loading screens that have become an easy target for Bethesda and Starfield haters. Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s world feels boundless, although it is somewhat linear in its design, and it being seamless allows for opportunities such as Cyclops invading towns like its Attack on Titan. Hopefully, as it has promised, Bethesda will learn from its mistakes when it develops TES6.

Elder Scrolls 6 Should Be The Most Immersive RPG

Bethesda Has No Reason To Fail

Elder Scrolls 6 has to be one of, if not the most, immersive RPG ever made. That expectation may seem high, but it’s important to remember that not only has TES6 been in development for a long time, but it also has the backing of Microsoft and its budget surplus, plus the once incredible expertise of the Bethesda development team. Fans want to enjoy TES6 for 10 years, just like they did with Skyrim and just like Bethesda wants them to with Starfield, and that’s only possible if Bethesda steps up its game.

Starfield has cut content to suggest it may have originally been more immersive, including a fuel mechanic that would have segmented players’ journeys through the Settled Systems.

So, while it is a lot of pressure to put on The Elder Scrolls 6, it’s not exactly outrageous to assume that Bethesda will put a lot of effort into making its triple-A next-gen Elder Scrolls game feel, at the very least, more immersive than titles coming out now. It’s had all this time to learn from its competition and to grow from the series’ mistakes. There’s really no reason that it should be any less immersive than Dragon’s Dogma 2 or even Bethesda’s earlier titles like Morrowind or Oblivion.

Yet, it’s hard not to feel like players should temper their expectations for Elder Scrolls 6. After all, Bethesda hasn’t exactly had the greatest run, and it seems like in almost every category the studio is being surpassed by other developers. It remains to be seen whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will incorporate immersive elements like Dragon’s Dogma 2 to make the player feel as if anything could happen. Of course, it would be incredible if that was the case, but there’s always a chance that The Elder Scrolls 6 turns out to be a bitter disappointment.