Summary
The Elder Scrollsis a series with great characters and seemingly endless worlds for players to explore. WhileSkyrimwas the fifth addition toThe Elder Scrolls, it was the first to make the addition of marriage to the series. While previous games inThe Elder Scrollsinvolved recurring characters and relationships with the player character, none of them involved romances, with any romances needing to be imagined on the player’s part. The inclusion of romance and marriage inSkyrimwas a welcome one, but it was a limited system, andThe Elder Scrolls 6has a lot of space to make it much better.
The Romance and Marriage System in Skyrim
Getting Married in Skyrim
The basis of howThe Elder Scrolls 6can improve romance lies in how marriage works inSkyrim.Romance and marriage inSkyriminvolve having at least a positive relationship with an NPC and an Amulet of Mara. While the Dragonborn is wearing the Amulet, any NPC eligible for marriage will suggest marriage. If the Dragonborn agrees, a ceremony will be held at the Temple of Mara in Riften, with all the Dragonborn’s closest NPC acquaintances and followers in attendance. The couple will then move into one of the Dragonborn’s homes or the NPC’s home.
After Marriage
The Dragonborn’s new spouse, regardless of their role before marriage, will then stay at the home and give new spouse dialogue lines. These lines are the same for all spouses and can be a little jarring depending on the NPC’s role before marriage. Some NPCs—who had large story roles in guilds and who had distinct personalities—suddenly switching their personalities to very different ones is extremely strange and also dissatisfying for anyone who wants to romance a specific character hoping they remain authentic.
How to Improve Romances in The Elder Scrolls 6
The First Step
While the process of marriage inSkyrimis better than nothing, there are a number of waysThe Elder Scrolls 6could make romance better. The first thing it can do is separate romance and marriage, so player characters don’t have to get married to romance a character. Another option would be to make the pool of romance candidates smaller so that the romances could be better written and a more integrated part of the story. Popular characters who have major roles in the story, such asSerana fromSkyrim: Dawnguard, and Vilkas and Farkas from the Companions are popular romance options and would have benefited from their own romance storylines rather than the dozens of NPCs inSkyrim.
Tying the Plot
Main characters from other games inThe Elder Scrollshave also been popular, such asMartin Septim fromThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.The Elder Scrolls 6could take major characters from its storylines that Bethesda anticipates will be popular and give them their own optional romance story arcs. A system like this would give players fewer romance options, but it would result in better storytelling and more narratively satisfying romances. It would also avoid removing NPC personalities once they get married to the player character.
A More Natural Progression
Marriage inSkyrimis also extremely abrupt, with theentire marriage process in Skyrimbeginning and ending in around two in-game days; the process should be longer and more gradual to feel more natural and progressive. IfThe Elder Scrolls 6ties romance to a story arc, such as the Dragonborn’s relationship with Serana inDawnguard, the natural progression of the story will allow the relationship to progress at a reasonable pace that feels far more natural than the marriage system inSkyrim.
Skyrim
WHERE TO PLAY
Skyrim is a beloved game for a reason. There is so much to do in the game, and with the new anniversary updates, even veteran players will have a fresh experience if they haven’t played it in a few years. The modding community around the game is beyond active with some fans even using Skyrim’s foundations to rebuild previous entries into the Elder Scrolls series.Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail. The Special Edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features like remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more.Skyrim Special Edition also brings the power of Bethesda Game Studios Creations to PC and consoles. New quests, environments, characters, dialogue, armor, weapons and more – with Creations, there are no limits to what you can experience.
