Do you have to play the Elder Scroll games in order?
The Short Answer
No, you do not have to play the Elder Scrolls video games in any particular order. Each main title features a stand-alone story set in a different era and region across the fantasy world of Tamriel. They contain self-contained plots, characters and introductions catered towards newcomers.
However, many fans argue going back to earlier series entries allows better understanding the rich lore and callbacks to noteworthy figures or events from past games.
Let‘s explore the main Elder Scrolls games in order of release to assess playability for first-timers:
Elder Scrolls Main Series Overview
| Release Year | Game Title | Setting | Standout Features |
| 1994 | Arena | All Tamriel Provinces | – Huge scope for the era – Open world exploration |
| 1996 | Daggerfall | High Rock, Hammerfell | – 60,000+ NPCs -Join factions and guilds |
| 2002 | Morrowind | Vvardenfell Island | – Rich lore and environments – Spellcrafting |
| 2006 | Oblivion | Cyrodiil | – Beautiful graphics via Radiant AI – Introduced fast travel |
| 2011 | Skyrim | Skyrim Province | – Dragon battling epicness – Quality of life improvements |
| 2014 | Online | All Tamriel Provinces | – Full MMORPG experience – Ever-expanding content |
Elder Scrolls Story Connections
The continent of Tamriel has a rich underlying history spanning eras and cultures. Playing the games in sequence unveils political developments, god/Daedric Prince influences plus overarching phenomena like Dragon Breaks (cosmic events with timeline ramifications).
For example, veteran fans who followed TES III:Morrowind appreciated returning two centuries later during Skyrim to see its consequences under Imperial occupation. Or understanding Oblivion‘s demon crisis afterlearning earlier eras nearly saw Tamriel dominated by Mythic Dawn cultists (Daggerfall) or Akaviri Potentate rule (Arena and prior).
Nevertheless, each numbered title essentially functions as a standalone epic. Skyrim is fully newcomer-friendly with lore recaps where required – looking up supplementary wikis fills any gaps! Just brace for casual spoilers about fateful events or figures like Tiber Septim should you play later chronological entries beforehand.
Where Should New Fans Start Elder Scrolls Journey?
My recommendation for rookie wanderers looking to embark on inaugural Tamriel quests: Begin with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim then branch backwards at your own pace!
Skyrim represents the most refined and accessible modern entry point. Its frozen Northern tundra, bestiary of mythic critters to slay like frost trolls or hulking Giants, hearty mead-quaffing Nord culture plus threat of apocalyptic dragons creates an instantly memorable tableau greeting newcomers.
Yet equally rewarding avenues await intrepid heroes who explore preceding Elder Scrolls titles from Oblivion’s pastoral charm to Morrowind‘s hallucinatory mushroom domain! Just be prepared to grapple with relatively dated interfaces/graphics or unforgiving retro gameplay.
And there you have it – hopefully I‘ve covered key considerations on play order for this legendary RPG franchise without veering into extreme TLDR territory! Feel free to select your start point based on personal appeal factors among such badass offerings. Most importantly, prepare to lose waking hours once Tamriel‘s siren song grabs hold! Let me know your own experiences or suggestions below…
