Skyrimwas a legendary game for many reasons, but one of the most awe-inspiring elements it introduced was its dragons. Now thatSkyrimis nearly a decade old, games like Obsidian’s newAvowedwill likely surpass it in their portrayal of giant monsters, but at the time,Skyrim’s dragons held the lead. For fantasy RPGs, the way they portray these fantastical beasts is a good benchmark for the setting and can predict how they may affect the story and gameplay.
Now, as Obsidian’s newElder Scrolls-like titleAvowedis poised to become both a competitor toElder Scrollsand spiritual successor toSkyrim, it’s time to dive into the lore ofAvowed’s world and see just how its dragons work compared to those in theElder Scrolls. WhileAvowedis nowhere near release yet, it is set in thePillars of Eternityfantasy world, Eora, so there is a treasure trove of lore to dive into that can help predict how dragons will work.
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Elder Scrolls Dragons
InSkyrim, dragons were central to the plot. The main villain was a dragon, the player character’s destiny was entirely intertwined with the dragons, and many of the most iconic fights were fought against dragons to gain dragon powers. Needless to say, the loresurrounding dragons in theElder Scrollsis very robust. They are intelligent, ancient beings who used to rule over humans. They have immense power from their language, which is used to cast a unique type of magic, and they are inexorably linked to the flow of time via their relationship to the god Akatosh.
There is some contention over whether or not TheElder Scrolls 6will include dragons, but it seems unlikely that Bethesda would pass up the opportunity to keep them present in their new games. Dragon-like beasts are present inFallout 76, for example, and they are still just as impressive and fun to fight as they were inSkyrim. It just wouldn’t make sense to let fans down by leaving one of the most iconic fantasy monsters ever out of a fantasy game. Dragons will likely have a reduced roll in the nextElder Scrollsgame, since after the events ofSkyrimno more are being resurrected, but beyond that no one can say for certain.
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The important thing to remember is thatSkyrimrevolutionized dragon fights. There were plenty of dragon bosses and enemies in games before, butSkyrim’s dragons had a uniquely awe-inspiring effect as they soared through the sky, swooping down to wreak havoc as part of randomly scripted encounters. Seeking outunique, named dragonsto loot their well-guarded lairs resulted in engaging, dynamic battles that hadn’t seemed possible with such large enemies in games before. Dodging flaming breath from above, waiting for an opening, and trading blows up close was more than just a boss encounter; it was a regularly occurring, yet still relatively rare and special part of the game’s natural flow.
In the story, dragons were usually beasts meant to be killed, with only a rare few dragons, such as Paarthurnax, acting as friendly allies. Even despite their antagonistic nature, dragons were all as intelligent, if not more so, than the humanoid races ofSkyrim. They had written and spoken language, as well as their own goals and plots. All the same, dragons were not usually spoken to or interacted with peaceably as NPCs, which is the greatestdifference betweenElder ScrollsandAvowed’s settingwhen it comes to dragons.
Dragons in Avowed
Avowedis being hailed as a successor toSkyrimin more ways than one, especially because it may very wellrelease before TheElder Scrolls 6. Obsidian and Bethesda have an interesting history of both cooperation and competition, but the pattern here is clear:The Outer Worldswas a pretty direct attempt at a take on the Fallout formula, andAvowed’sElder Scrollsimagery is almost too on the nose. For many fans who long for a more old-school feeling in their RPGs, Obsidian’s offerings scratch the right itch, while Bethesda has received plenty of backlash for its recent experiments. Despite the clear callbacks toSkyrim,Avowed’s monsters will likely be a far cry fromElder Scrolls' though.
As far as combat gameplay is concerned, looking back onPillars of Eternitywon’t shed much light on how dragons will fit intoAvowed.Pillars of Eternitywas a story-driven tour de force, but it was also an isometric RPG with combat that can only be described as vintage.Avowedwill probably play a lot likeThe Outer Worlds, at least moreso than it will play likePillars. However, given the way that dragons are portrayed inPillars of Eternity, it is unlikely that dragons will be swooping down at random to cause chaos for the player character.
InAvowed’s setting, Eora, dragons are far more rare and secluded than inSkyrim. They tend to create a lair far away from human activity and stay within it, hoarding treasure and raising their sparse young. Worshiped by lizard-like Xaurips, they are often heavily guarded by small settlements of the goblin-sized lizard people. Like inElder Scrolls, dragons are extremely intelligent, but that intelligence comes through far more in how they can interact with the player. While any dragon can be fought, they are also often quest givers, or can at least be reasoned with to avoid combat in exchange for some mutual benefit.
Make no mistake though, the dragons found in Eora are some of the toughest fights inPillarsif players choose to go that way. Often, combat is the only option, given that the high intelligence and suspicious nature of dragons makes them hard to persuade out of killing such nuisances as adventurers. Dragon fights will likely be very unique from each other, as dragons in Eora change their physiques to match their surrounding environment.Pillars of Eternitysaw poisonous swamp dragons, a frigid alpine dragon, a feathered sky dragon, and even a massive, flightless Adra dragon encrusted in Eora’s living soul-stones.
Avowedplayers are likely to find dragons only late into end gam, in tough, isolated areas, and they should be prepared to speak carefully—a dragon is a tough foe but an even stauncher ally. WhileSkyrimtreated dragons as monsters to be slain,Avowed’s setting sees them as powerful, dangerous NPCs that teeter on the edge between neutral party and terrifying enemy, and they will surely be rarer thanSkyrim’s constant threat of dragon attack. How their sizes and combat differ betweenElder Scrolls 6andAvowedwill simply be down to how well each developer can leverage the power of next generation platforms.
Avowedis in development for PC and Xbox Series X.
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