The Elder Scrolls

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{|class="wikitable" style="max-width: 400px; border: 2px solid #000; text-align: left;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #000; color: #fff; text-align: center;" | ![[The_Elder_Scrolls_logo.svg|400px]]
|-
! style="width: 35%; color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Developer
| style="width: 65%;" | [[Bethesda Game Studios]]
|-
! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Publisher
| [[Bethesda Softworks]]
|-
! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Genre
| Action role-playing
|-
! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | First release
| 1994 (''Arena'')
|-
! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Platforms
| PC, consoles, mobile
|-
! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Setting
| [[Tamriel]] ([[Mundus]])
|}

{{Bethesda Game Studios Games Navbox}}

{{The Elder Scrolls Navbox}}

'''The Elder Scrolls''' (often shortened to '''TES''') is a fantasy [[role-playing video game]] franchise created by [[Bethesda Softworks]]. The games take place on the large continent of [[Tamriel]] and are known for giving players an unusual amount of freedom to shape their own character and choose how their story unfolds. This open, "living world" approach helped set a standard for the role-playing genre.

= Origins of the name =

The franchise began with the game ''[[The Elder Scrolls: Arena|Arena]]''. While ''Arena'' was being made, it changed from a combat-focused action game into a role-playing game. To make this clear to players, the phrase "The Elder Scrolls: Chapter I" was added to the title. The word "Chapter" was chosen to make the series feel like a book or tome, one that new "chapters" could be added to over time.{{Note|name="vijay"|Source: ''The First Podcast — Everyone is a Hero of Their Own Story (with Vijay Lakshman)''. [https://audioboom.com/posts/7102926-everyone-is-a-hero-of-their-own-story-with-vijay-lakshman audioboom.com]}}{{Note|name="anniversary"|Source: ''The Elder Scrolls — 10th Anniversary'' article, originally published on elderscrolls.com.}}

The original idea was modeled on tabletop [[Dungeons & Dragons]] campaign packs, with large and small "chapters" being added to the first game over time, similar to what players today would call expansions or add-ons. However, the company did not yet have the technology to support that kind of system, so future "chapters" became full standalone games instead.{{Note|name="vijay"}}

A few of these planned "chapter" campaigns were originally designed for ''Arena'', including adventures set on the open ocean, gladiator arenas, and a vampire castle called Mournhold. The Mournhold idea was first meant to be "The Elder Scrolls: Chapter II" before the team decided to build an entirely new game. The setting was later moved to the [[Iliac Bay]] region and the city of Daggerfall, which became the second main game.{{Note|name="vijay"}}

= Games =

The main series consists of five released games, with a sixth confirmed to be in development.

{{Collapse|text="'''[ Show / Hide full game list ]'''"|color="#8B6914"|style="text-align: left;"}}
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | '''Main series'''
|-
| style="width: 60%;" | [[The Elder Scrolls: Arena|''The Elder Scrolls: Chapter I — Arena'']]
| 1994
|-
| [[The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall|''The Elder Scrolls: Chapter II — Daggerfall'']]
| 1996
|-
| [[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind|''The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'']]
| 2002
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''Tribunal'' <small>(expansion)</small>
| 2002
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''Bloodmoon'' <small>(expansion)</small>
| 2003
|-
| [[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion|''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'']]
| 2006
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''Knights of the Nine''
| 2006
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''Shivering Isles'' <small>(expansion)</small>
| 2007
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''Oblivion Remastered''
| 2025
|-
| [[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'']]
| 2011
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard|Dawnguard]]'' <small>(add-on)</small>
| 2012
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn|Dragonborn]]'' <small>(add-on)</small>
| 2013
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;• Creation Club <small>(Special Edition add-ons)</small>
| 2017–2021
|-
| ''[[The Elder Scrolls VI]]'' <small>(in development)</small>
| TBA
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | '''Spin-off games'''
|-
| ''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire''
| 1997
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard''
| 1998
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Dawnstar''
| 2003
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold''
| 2003
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey''
| 2004
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion'' <small>(mobile)</small>
| 2006
|-
| ''[[The Elder Scrolls Online]]''
| 2014–present
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls: Legends''
| 2017–2025
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls: Blades''
| 2019–present
|-
| ''The Elder Scrolls: Castles''
| 2024–present
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | '''Canceled games'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | ''Eye of Argonia'' &middot; ''Paradise Sugar'' &middot; ''Oblivion'' (PSP) &middot; ''Legends China''
{{Endcollapse}}

''The Elder Scrolls Online'' is a [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] (MMORPG) that has continued to grow through yearly story "Chapters" such as ''Morrowind'' (2017), ''Summerset'' (2018), ''Elsweyr'' (2019), and later releases, along with regular downloadable content.

= Other media =

Beyond video games, the franchise has expanded into other formats, including:
* '''Books''' — novels, guides, and other publications set in the series.
* '''Merchandise''' — physical media and official products.
* '''Board games''' — tabletop titles including ''The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms'' (2020), ''Skyrim — The Adventure Game'' (2023), and ''Betrayal of the Second Era'' (2025).

= The game world =

The world of ''The Elder Scrolls'' is known for its detailed setting, with interconnected societies, cultures, and religions, each given its own history. Players learn about this world through in-game books and detailed conversations with characters. Fans who study this material closely sometimes call themselves "loremasters."

The games take place within the mortal world of [[Mundus]], and almost always within one or more of the nine provinces of the continent of [[Tamriel]]:

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #8B6914;"
|-
! style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | Province
! style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | Home of
|-
| [[Black Marsh]]
| the [[Argonian]]s
|-
| [[Cyrodiil]]
| the [[Imperial]]s and the extinct [[Ayleid]]s
|-
| [[Elsweyr]]
| the [[Khajiit]]
|-
| [[Hammerfell]]
| the [[Redguard]]s
|-
| [[High Rock]]
| the [[Breton]]s and [[Orc]]s
|-
| [[Morrowind (province)|Morrowind]]
| the [[Dunmer]] and the presumed-extinct [[Dwemer]]
|-
| [[Skyrim (province)|Skyrim]]
| the [[Nord]]s and [[Falmer]]
|-
| [[Summerset Isles]]
| the [[Altmer]]
|-
| [[Valenwood]]
| the [[Bosmer]]
|}

Some titles—especially ''Battlespire'', ''Oblivion'', and ''The Elder Scrolls Online''—also take place partly within the [[Planes of Oblivion]], alternate realms ruled by powerful beings called the [[Daedra]]. While other continents are known to exist beyond Tamriel, players have not yet visited them in any official game.

= The Elder Scrolls themselves =

Within the fiction, the "Elder Scrolls" are also a set of mysterious, ancient artifacts that the series is named after. They are prophetic objects said to contain knowledge of the past, present, and possible futures, and they play a role in several games' stories.

= Other wikis =

* [https://en.uesp.net/wiki/General:The_Elder_Scrolls The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)]
* [https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_Wiki The Elder Scrolls Wiki (Fandom)]

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{|class="wikitable" style="max-width: 400px; border: 2px solid #000; text-align: left;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;" |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: #000; color: #fff; text-align: center;" | ![[The_Elder_Scrolls_logo.svg|400px]] |- ! style="width: 35%; color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Developer | style="width: 65%;" | [[Bethesda Game Studios]] |- ! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Publisher | [[Bethesda Softworks]] |- ! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Genre | Action role-playing |- ! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | First release | 1994 (''Arena'') |- ! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Platforms | PC, consoles, mobile |- ! style="color: #8B6914;" darkstyle="color: color-mix(in srgb, #8B6914 55%, #f5f5f7);" | Setting | [[Tamriel]] ([[Mundus]]) |} {{Bethesda Game Studios Games Navbox}} {{The Elder Scrolls Navbox}} '''The Elder Scrolls''' (often shortened to '''TES''') is a fantasy [[role-playing video game]] franchise created by [[Bethesda Softworks]]. The games take place on the large continent of [[Tamriel]] and are known for giving players an unusual amount of freedom to shape their own character and choose how their story unfolds. This open, "living world" approach helped set a standard for the role-playing genre. = Origins of the name = The franchise began with the game ''[[The Elder Scrolls: Arena|Arena]]''. While ''Arena'' was being made, it changed from a combat-focused action game into a role-playing game. To make this clear to players, the phrase "The Elder Scrolls: Chapter I" was added to the title. The word "Chapter" was chosen to make the series feel like a book or tome, one that new "chapters" could be added to over time.{{Note|name="vijay"|Source: ''The First Podcast — Everyone is a Hero of Their Own Story (with Vijay Lakshman)''. [https://audioboom.com/posts/7102926-everyone-is-a-hero-of-their-own-story-with-vijay-lakshman audioboom.com]}}{{Note|name="anniversary"|Source: ''The Elder Scrolls — 10th Anniversary'' article, originally published on elderscrolls.com.}} The original idea was modeled on tabletop [[Dungeons & Dragons]] campaign packs, with large and small "chapters" being added to the first game over time, similar to what players today would call expansions or add-ons. However, the company did not yet have the technology to support that kind of system, so future "chapters" became full standalone games instead.{{Note|name="vijay"}} A few of these planned "chapter" campaigns were originally designed for ''Arena'', including adventures set on the open ocean, gladiator arenas, and a vampire castle called Mournhold. The Mournhold idea was first meant to be "The Elder Scrolls: Chapter II" before the team decided to build an entirely new game. The setting was later moved to the [[Iliac Bay]] region and the city of Daggerfall, which became the second main game.{{Note|name="vijay"}} = Games = The main series consists of five released games, with a sixth confirmed to be in development. {{Collapse|text="'''[ Show / Hide full game list ]'''"|color="#8B6914"|style="text-align: left;"}} ! colspan="2" style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | '''Main series''' |- | style="width: 60%;" | [[The Elder Scrolls: Arena|''The Elder Scrolls: Chapter I — Arena'']] | 1994 |- | [[The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall|''The Elder Scrolls: Chapter II — Daggerfall'']] | 1996 |- | [[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind|''The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'']] | 2002 |- |   • ''Tribunal'' (expansion) | 2002 |- |   • ''Bloodmoon'' (expansion) | 2003 |- | [[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion|''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'']] | 2006 |- |   • ''Knights of the Nine'' | 2006 |- |   • ''Shivering Isles'' (expansion) | 2007 |- |   • ''Oblivion Remastered'' | 2025 |- | [[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'']] | 2011 |- |   • ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard|Dawnguard]]'' (add-on) | 2012 |- |   • ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn|Dragonborn]]'' (add-on) | 2013 |- |   • Creation Club (Special Edition add-ons) | 2017–2021 |- | ''[[The Elder Scrolls VI]]'' (in development) | TBA |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | '''Spin-off games''' |- | ''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire'' | 1997 |- | ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'' | 1998 |- | ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Dawnstar'' | 2003 |- | ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold'' | 2003 |- | ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey'' | 2004 |- | ''The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion'' (mobile) | 2006 |- | ''[[The Elder Scrolls Online]]'' | 2014–present |- | ''The Elder Scrolls: Legends'' | 2017–2025 |- | ''The Elder Scrolls: Blades'' | 2019–present |- | ''The Elder Scrolls: Castles'' | 2024–present |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | '''Canceled games''' |- | colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | ''Eye of Argonia'' · ''Paradise Sugar'' · ''Oblivion'' (PSP) · ''Legends China'' {{Endcollapse}} ''The Elder Scrolls Online'' is a [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] (MMORPG) that has continued to grow through yearly story "Chapters" such as ''Morrowind'' (2017), ''Summerset'' (2018), ''Elsweyr'' (2019), and later releases, along with regular downloadable content. = Other media = Beyond video games, the franchise has expanded into other formats, including: * '''Books''' — novels, guides, and other publications set in the series. * '''Merchandise''' — physical media and official products. * '''Board games''' — tabletop titles including ''The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms'' (2020), ''Skyrim — The Adventure Game'' (2023), and ''Betrayal of the Second Era'' (2025). = The game world = The world of ''The Elder Scrolls'' is known for its detailed setting, with interconnected societies, cultures, and religions, each given its own history. Players learn about this world through in-game books and detailed conversations with characters. Fans who study this material closely sometimes call themselves "loremasters." The games take place within the mortal world of [[Mundus]], and almost always within one or more of the nine provinces of the continent of [[Tamriel]]: {| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #8B6914;" |- ! style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | Province ! style="background-color: #8B6914; color: #fff;" | Home of |- | [[Black Marsh]] | the [[Argonian]]s |- | [[Cyrodiil]] | the [[Imperial]]s and the extinct [[Ayleid]]s |- | [[Elsweyr]] | the [[Khajiit]] |- | [[Hammerfell]] | the [[Redguard]]s |- | [[High Rock]] | the [[Breton]]s and [[Orc]]s |- | [[Morrowind (province)|Morrowind]] | the [[Dunmer]] and the presumed-extinct [[Dwemer]] |- | [[Skyrim (province)|Skyrim]] | the [[Nord]]s and [[Falmer]] |- | [[Summerset Isles]] | the [[Altmer]] |- | [[Valenwood]] | the [[Bosmer]] |} Some titles—especially ''Battlespire'', ''Oblivion'', and ''The Elder Scrolls Online''—also take place partly within the [[Planes of Oblivion]], alternate realms ruled by powerful beings called the [[Daedra]]. While other continents are known to exist beyond Tamriel, players have not yet visited them in any official game. = The Elder Scrolls themselves = Within the fiction, the "Elder Scrolls" are also a set of mysterious, ancient artifacts that the series is named after. They are prophetic objects said to contain knowledge of the past, present, and possible futures, and they play a role in several games' stories. = Other wikis = * [https://en.uesp.net/wiki/General:The_Elder_Scrolls The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)] * [https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_Wiki The Elder Scrolls Wiki (Fandom)]