Gamers who’ve delved into Skyrim’s vast world are no strangers to the formidable Giants that wander its terrain. These massive entities might send an uninvited traveler flying through the air if they wander too close to their primitive campsites. Combining an air of danger and mystery, the Giants remain one of Skyrim’s most fascinating features. Yet, it’s a shame that the game never fully delves deep into their potential. With The Elder Scrolls 6 on the horizon, Bethesda has a ripe opportunity to explore these intriguing beings, integrating them more meaningfully into the game’s story and world.
Introduced early in The Elder Scrolls saga with Daggerfall, Giants didn’t receive much attention until Skyrim. In Daggerfall, they appeared as rather bland dungeon enemies with a nod to their unique language through the Giantish skill. This small detail eventually blossomed into the more detailed and visually captivating Giants of Skyrim. In Skyrim, players get a slight glimpse into their lore, hinting at their shared origins with the Nords and displaying their intelligence through specific in-game actions. Their existence as a community with culture and awareness suggests there’s much more to uncover about them.
Taking a closer look at these towering creatures in Skyrim, you might first think they’re just another type of brainless beast. But this assumption misses layers of depth hidden beneath their rough exterior. By simply observing the Giant characters in the game, you can gather several insights:
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Mammoth Herders: The fact that Giants have domesticated mammoths and produced cheese from their milk signifies a certain level of civilization and knowledge.
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Tool Use: Although basic, Giants’ weapons and attire show they possess a capability for tool usage akin to humans.
- Decoration: With their scarred torsos and braided hair adorned with ornamental bones, Giants hint at cultural or possibly religious practices.
Even without delving into the additional historical context offered in the game, these observations alone highlight that there’s more to Giants than meets the eye. In-game texts like "Giants: A Discourse" and "Songs of the Return" provide further insight into their mysterious world, discussing their mating and burial customs and referencing half-Giants, which suggests possible interbreeding with humans—a concept future games might choose to explore or ignore.
So, what role could Giants play in The Elder Scrolls 6? A large part of their allure in Skyrim lies in their ambiguous past. Conflicting societal viewpoints combined with prejudices from authority figures make for a rich tapestry of cultural dynamics waiting to be explored. Therefore, The Elder Scrolls 6 doesn’t need to simply outline Giants’ history and customs but rather expand upon them to add new layers.
A compelling method to achieve this could involve incorporating missions that focus on Giants, allowing players to learn their language and engage directly with Giant NPCs. By doing so, the player’s character could explore Giant culture from their perspective rather than just reading about it in historical tomes. This wouldn’t necessarily make the depiction of Giants more objective; rather, it would provide a richer exploration of the complexities hinted at throughout Skyrim, enriching Elder Scrolls lore by embracing its inherent intricacies.
