Many fans are looking forward to Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield, as it’ll be the first new IP from BGS in quite some time. Set to release in September, a lot has already been revealed as to what kind of improved mechanics the game will possess, but more will be shown at the upcoming Starfield Direct.
For example, the dialogue system of Starfield has already been outlined in detail. When looking at Starfield’s dialogue system compared to Skyrim’s, it’s clear that the former possesses some big advantages over the latter and that Starfield could rectify some of the biggest dialogue-based mistakes made by Skyrim, while also maintaining its benefits.
The Pros and Cons of Skyrim’s Dialogue System
The dialogue of Elder Scrolls titles has become iconic for a variety of reasons. Meme culture has carried forward a lot of the discourse behind TES dialogue, and Skyrim was no exception to this rule. For example, Skyrim’s dialogue system was responsible for the game’s iconic “I took an arrow to the knee” meme. The spread of this meme came directly from the often recycled voice lines that Skyrim possesses, with players quickly exhausting the ambient dialogue of the game.
On the other end, this can also be considered one of Skyrim’s biggest dialogue cons, with the often-repeated voice lines of the game breaking player immersion and giving way to repetition. This con has always been a form of a double-edged sword for Skyrim, with the aforementioned memes that this small dialogue range produces being a huge benefit. With many NPCs sharing the same voices and phrases, there is clearly room for Starfield to improve Skyrim’s dialogue system, but it can also smartly maintain a lot of its charm.