The lights are on
While most of us have probably been plenty busy just trying to fully explore the massive chunk of land that exists as part of Skyrim itself, a savvy PC gamer has discovered that Bethesda laid the basic foundations for other countries of the continent of Tamriel within Elder Scrolls V.
Over on his Tumblr account, an Elder Scrolls fan used no-clip to travel beyond the normal boundaries of Skyrim's map and was shocked at what he discovered. The scenery and foliage keeps populating far further than you'd expect, and though it eventually stops, the nation of Morrowind's full geography seems to be accounted for, including the island of Vvardenfell and Red Mountain (areas that were the focus of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind).
If that's not crazy enough, this intrepid virtual explorer also discovered a landmass that looks like the realm of Cyrodiil (the country that Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion took place in).
Speculation has raged over why these approximated versions of other regions of Tamriel exist. One popular (though questionable) theory is that Bethesda put in the basic work of designing the geography of these regions to make it easier to incorporate them as DLC in the future. It's fun to imagine this being the case, but I find it hard to believe that they would include regions that made up whole games in the series as bonus downloadable content in Skyrim.
Other possibilities include that it was just to help make the 3D map more accurate and the world look correct if you looked out from high points in Skyrim, or that Bethesda put it in so that modders hoping to add other regions of Tamriel to the game would have a strong base to build off of. These seem more realistic to me, but with the Thanksgiving holiday in swing, we can't check in with Bethesda itself at the moment.
Check out full pictures and a travelogue of the mysterious new regions of Tamriel on the PPSh-41 Tumblr, and post your own crazy theories in the comments below.
[Map image via The Elder Scrolls Wiki]
interesting.. but unexpecting the expected unexpecting has un-occurred. :P
wouldn't it be cool if this was the map for the next elder scrolls on the next gen consoles?
Oooh awesome! :)
Ooh I want Cyrodiil and Morrowind as DLC that would be epic!!! :D
I think it's most likely for the modders so they don't have to re-create the entire landmass by themselves. But who knows until Bethesda reveals why they actually put it in.
i smell dlcg
i smell dlc
Could you really imagine if the game was this big and you had to explore this entire world with quests to do and dungeons to explore in every inch of it....?
It would be cool if the DLC was other countries, but that's probably not going to happen.
It's not anything new, they were there before. It has to be on the map, because, I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but each game takes place in a new region. Well, new to the player at least. I hope The Elder Scrolls VI is in Black Marsh, I do love Argonians.
has anybody checked for the gates to the other coninents for 360 and ps3
I doubt it is hard to put land mass in those areas. They probably did this to make the backdrop more realistic.
Pretty cool... Elder Scrolls Tactics anyone?
Screw Fallout....
Bethesda should just funnel EVERYTHING into The Elder Scrolls VI: Tamriel
and according to the race you choose you will begin on that race's homeland and start from there.....
pretty please....???
whatever is going on with the backgrounds, it is for certin that it works. If its soely for making the area look more real, then its playing its part very well. BUT if it is for something else, who can say other wise.....
I hope the DLC gives us an Arena. Perhaps you could be taken prisoner by an Argonian slaver ship. And you end up as a fighter in an Arena on a small island in Black Marsh. You get to explore the island once you gain your freedom. Which has a couple of small villages as well as a major city with various quests and jobs, mining, woodcutting etc. etc.
Something in Hammerfell wouldn't be too bad either. I want a different setting. I don't want to return to Cyrodiil or Morrowind. Well I do, but I'd rather visit a new province first.
I have found a gate east of Riften and a trail leading to Morrowind northeast of Windhelm. And a gate near Helgen that undoutelly is the border with Cyrodill in wicht the player is captured at the begining of the game.