Elder Scrolls Veterans Sound Off: 8 Hot Takes After 2,500 Hours

Ever spent 2,500 hours in Tamriel and still can't decide which Elder Scrolls game is best? You're not alone. Five PC Gamer editors recently did just that, and they've got some scorching hot takes to share. From defeating Dagoth Ur to buying horse armor, they've done it all—and now they're shouting at each other about the past and future of the series.

One big gripe: The Elder Scrolls should be an RPG again. According to the piece, Bethesda's obsession with removing numbers—stats, skill points, distinct classes—has turned the experience into "uniform mush." You can become a master of everything, which makes the games more accessible but also more boring. The call is to go back to the old ways, where limitations made choices matter.

Another spicy opinion: Skyrim's main quest is actually better than most of its sidequests. While Oblivion had standout side stories like the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood, Skyrim's side content often feels like filler—procedurally generated jobs and repetitive assassinations. But the main quest? You're fighting dragons, climbing mountains, and traveling to the land of the dead. Plus, it gave us Paarthurnax, one of the few memorable NPCs.

Remember Oblivion's spellmaking? The editors argue it should've never gone away. Sure, it broke the game—you could make absurd custom spells and become an immortal mage—but that was part of the fun. The Elder Scrolls has been less of an RPG with each installment anyway, so why not let players break the game over their knee? It's pure old-school D&D: start as a weenie wizard, end as a god.

Morrowind is great, but they didn't know how to do side quests yet. While Morrowind's atmosphere and worldbuilding are top-notch, its side quests were straightforward—like a simple assassination for the Thieves Guild. Oblivion and Skyrim made huge leaps in side quest design, with moments like The Ultimate Heist and A Night to Remember. The editors feel Morrowind gets a free pass from purists who dismiss the newer games too quickly.

Finally, there's doubt that current-day Bethesda can deliver another good Dark Brotherhood questline. Oblivion's Dark Brotherhood is legendary, especially "Whodunnit?"—a miniature immersive sim with a spiderweb of outcomes. But after Starfield, which felt "beige," and reports of tighter constraints on developers, the magic might be gone. A Dark Brotherhood questline needs weirdness, creativity, and gallows humor—qualities that seem in short supply.

So, what do you think? Are these takes too hot, or do you agree? Will you be picking up the next Elder Scrolls game, or are you sticking with the classics? Let us know in the comments!