The Elder Scrolls community has been ignited by a fresh wave of collective speculation.
YouTuber Any Austin recently unveiled a meticulous new digital investigation. Returning to the familiar landscapes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, he set out to answer a deceptively simple question: exactly how many trees are rooted in the game’s world?
After an exhaustive analysis of Bethesda’s open world and a deep dive into the internal game files, he reached a final tally of 46,430 trees. Interestingly, Austin put the same question to Todd Howard; the Bethesda director’s blind guess of “111,111” turned out to be a massive overestimation.
While the tree count was revealing, a different exchange has truly captured the imagination of the fan base:
- Question: Will The Elder Scrolls VI feature more trees than Skyrim, or fewer?
- Answer: More. Definitely more.
This brief confirmation has sent theorists into overdrive regarding the sequel’s setting. While Tamriel boasts several forested regions, the prime candidate is currently Valenwood—a province legendary for being the “Forest Kingdom”:
A vast territory in southwestern Tamriel, Valenwood is the ancestral home of the Bosmer and the bastion of their culture… Throughout Tamriel, this realm is celebrated as a woodland empire, where unusual Wood Elf cities—some rumored to be sentient and mobile—exist beneath a massive emerald canopy. To outsiders, it is a primal and untamed wilderness where the Bosmer follow ancient, savage customs to protect their sacred groves. Yet, despite its wild reputation, these forests also provide sanctuary to a diverse array of other races who have lived there for generations.
Source: iXBT.games