Like most Elder Scrolls fans, The Elder Scrolls 6 is probably one of my most anticipated games of all time, after Skyrim essentially set a new open-world RPG standard for me and many others that very few games have even scratched the surface of since. I’ve been a devoted fan of the series from Morrowind on, as that clueless teenage kid stepped into a world he didn’t know would change his gaming appetite for good, and The Elder Scrolls 6 marks one of the next steps in that journey. However, while I certainly have general excitement for its release, the chances of it shutting the door on one of my favorite Skyrim builds makes me a bit anxious.
Even beyond the RPG space, I love some good stealth gameplay. I find that feeling of being able to infiltrate a place, steal everything, and then leave without anyone ever noticing to be immensely satisfying, not to mention just how overpowered one can feel when you’re able to take out entire enemy camps without raising the alarm. Needless to say, if a game allows an opportunity for a stealth playstyle, I’m going to take it, with the intention of never being seen when I’m up to no good. That’s ultimately why I’m keeping my fingers crossed that The Elder Scrolls 6 won’t shut the door on one of my favorite builds in Skyrim: the stealth archer.
In My Eyes, Skyrim's Stealth Archer Build Must Live On in The Elder Scrolls 6
How the Stealth Archer Became My Skyrim Identity
Again, to say that I enjoy stealth gameplay is a bit of an understatement, as it is, in all reality, my playstyle of choice. Even if it takes me longer to get through a game than someone who prefers to go in guns blazing, I’ll commit to it. To me, it’s the truest approach to role-playing, not just because it would be a smart approach to conflict in real life, but also because it often literally pays off. Using Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s fantastic stealth system, for instance, I can stay alive by eliminating foes from afar and become filthy rich as I plunder money and other valuables from businesses and homes.
As such, I naturally gravitated toward a stealth build when I played Skyrim — and in every one of my re-release playthroughs, for that matter — and I took advantage of the bow’s ability to take enemies out before they could get within six feet of me. In fact, my stealth archer build in Skyrim was one of the first memories I have of truly committing to a stealth playstyle when I was given the choice in a role-playing game, and I simply can’t bring myself to play it any other way. It helped that it was (and still is) an incredibly overpowered way to get through Skyrim, but it’s that satisfying feeling of catching the world by surprise that really makes it worthwhile for me.
Why Losing It Would Break The Elder Scrolls 6 for Me
In light of that, I will admit the tendency of builds like Skyrim‘s stealth archer to completely break a game. When you allow a meta to persist in any game, especially an RPG, it almost trivializes the other role-playing opportunities that are offered. However, the stronger argument is that the problem is not the build’s existence, but perhaps Skyrim‘s underinvestment in alternative playstyles. Yes, Skyrim‘s stealth archer build is probably the best in terms of combat efficiency, but if other builds were brought up to its level, playing as a stealth archer wouldn’t be mocked as easy mode.
I bring that up because after the sheer level of infamy Skyrim‘s stealth archer build has managed to achieve, there’s a chance Bethesda could respond by making that playstyle one of The Elder Scroll 6‘s worst builds. But the better option — and I’m not just saying this because it’s what I want — would be to evolve the stealth archer build to fit in a world where multiple playstyles are given the same amount of love. If The Elder Scrolls 6 offered equally compelling melee, magic, and hybrid build options, the stealth archer could live on, and I would be much happier for it.