Some video games go down in human history by becoming more of an icon than just a digital product or piece of fun. As it turns out, they don’t even have to be around for a great length of time to reach the fame of older titles, and that’s the case with Elden Ring and Skyrim.
Although separated by a ten-year gap, these two titles share many similarities that draw their mutual fans. Well, it’s okay to want to see if the other video game is actually as good as they say. But can the classic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim really stand a chance against the new Elden Ring? And is Elden Ring a new Skyrim?
Let’s answer some of these crucial questions to make this choice easier. Welcome to the ultimate comparison!
Gameplay Comparison
Elden Ring and Skyrim are role-playing games focusing on exploration, completing quests, combat, and gaining experience. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released in 2011 by Bethesda and revealed the complex situation in the faraway northern land of the Tamriel continent. The story begins with choosing a race and creating a dream hero to embark on a grand journey through the open world. Players can freely roam this magical realm, deciding what activities they want to enjoy. In the entire The Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim features the most challenging combat system, requiring players to use some skills and practice. But combat is not vital, everyone can play as whoever they want and do what they desire.
There is one feature that makes this game unique – choices. In Skyrim, every risky action, choice of dialogue option, or attack can determine the further development of the entire adventure and a dramatic loss of reputation.
Elden Ring is a highly challenging title from the creators of video games like Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls. Like the previous titles in the Soulsborne series, it is famous for its high difficulty level while sharing the same gameplay features as Skyrim. You also start by creating a hero and embarking on a journey through a gigantic open world. Players can develop their characters as they wish, and their adventure evolves in an aura of epicness and divinity. So what makes it different from Skyrim? The first essential difference regarding the gameplay is the presence of multiplayer.
In Skyrim, you are the one who has to deal with all the enemies alone. In Elden Ring, you can instantly summon other players to help in the battle against the most challenging opponents. The second fundamental difference is the combat system. It is much more complex and requires particular tactics for each enemy. The whole game actually focuses on combat, upgrading weapons, and learning many magic attacks. You can encounter an enemy around every corner, and death is guaranteed. In this comparison, Skyrim is a definitely more casual choice.
Map size
If you crave a truly massive game world, we’ve got good news! Elden Ring features a much larger map than Skyrim, providing many varied locations filled with potential enemies and quests to complete. While in Skyrim, you often travel gigantic distances never using your weapons – Elden Ring promises plenty of activities and breathtaking locations to explore.
Graphics and Visuals
Although visually enhanced in recent years, Skyrim still features outdated graphics. Is it delightful? Yes, but it does not provide such a memorable aesthetic experience as Elden Ring, where every glittering blade of grass reflects the light, becoming part of a beautiful entirety. So if you care about the visual experience, definitely choose Elden Ring.
Story and Characters
Both video games feature an epic story about battling a reigning or rising evil. In Skyrim, you will play as the legendary Dragonborn, prophesied to fight dragons and harvest their extraordinary powers. In Elden Ring, your hero is an exile returning to the Lands Between to complete the pieces of the legendary artifact and prove his worth. But know that, like previous Soulsborne games, the newer title only gives you hints of what the story is all about.
To discover it all, you must wander the land and unravel bits and pieces of the plot and information about this world’s past. Skyrim features unimaginably deep lore, evolving from 1994’s The Elder Scrolls: Arena. You can chat with NPCs, read books, obtain mysterious papers and explore the ruins – fragments of Tamriel’s rich past are scattered everywhere.
When it comes to NPCs, you can choose from two categories – visual design and essential input to the story. The characters in Elden Ring are better designed, providing a different experience every time. Each creature is its own being, endowed with unique appearance details. In Skyrim, non-playable characters are often repetitive in terms of visual design, but they contribute more to the overall adventure. The conversations are much more interesting, there are many dialogue options, and the behavior is unpredictable. You can gross anyone out or make them worship you forever.
Conclusion
Elden Ring is an action-driven role-playing game, perfect for enthusiasts of challenges and a complex combat system. It can be an immersive introduction before starting more difficult titles in the Soulsborne series or a moment of necessary rest from a campaign in Dark Souls. But while it is stunning with its gorgeous graphics, massive map, atmospheric locations, and high difficulty level, Elden Ring still lacks something that Skyrim delivers.
Therefore, The Elder Scrolls V wins this comparison as a more flexible game. You don’t fight all the time, can decide about the entire adventure, the soundtrack enchants, and the lore is enormous. And there are more mods that can shape it and turn it into anything you want – even Elden Ring.