Elden Ring V. Skyrim: Which Is Better? [Comparison]

The Elden Ring’s release as an open-world RPG has bought up one of the monoliths of the past. That is The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Skyrim has been known as one of the best open-world RPGs of its time. Although it is more than a decade old, Skyrim still holds onto its status as a die-hard classic. That is why many players still have Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparisons, where they differentiate aspects of both games, including their core aspects such as map sizes.

Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim Comparison

Elden Ring and Skyrim have a lot of differences. To give an idea, here is a brief comparison of them.

New Updates

• Skyrim is an 11+ years old game, so it does not get any major updates.
• It gets some minor updates that are mostly bug fixes.
• But that means that it is a well-balanced game.

On the other hand, Elden Ring looks quite promising when it comes to updates.

• Elden Ring, on the other hand, got released last year in 2022’s Feb meaning there is a possibility of many major updates.
• It receives major updates that tweak a lot of items, weapons, etc., to change the experience for the players.
• There are a few broken weapons that allow players to have a rather easy time in Elden Ring.

Skyrim is an 11-year-old game, but time has passed for Skyrim, and it usually gets updates to fix a few bugs here and there. Elden Ring has just entered the scenes, and it is bound to get regular updates that change some major aspects of it. Elden Ring takes the win when it comes to updates.

DLCs

• Skyrim has had a total of three DLCs since its release.
• As the age of Skyrim has almost ended, players should not expect to see any more DLCs.
• The DLCs add more content to Skyrim, allowing for a new and ‘updated’ experience for the players.
• Players get to see more detailed followers, House building options, and a completely new region thanks to these DLCs.
• All DLCs are available in the Skyrim Special Edition.

As for Elden Ring’s DLCs, there is a lot of hope.

• Elden Ring is a rather new release, so there aren’t any DLCs released.
• But that doesn’t mean that the developers have no such plans.
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is the first DLC announced with much promise ahead.
• We’re hopeful that it will bring much more content for the players.

Skyrim has had more than 11 years to work on its DLCs. That allows it to release three expansions. As Elden Ring has been out for one year, it has not yet received any DLCs. But, due to the already available DLCs and how they improved the gameplay, Skyrim is the winner.

Map

• Skyrim’s map size is 15 Square Miles.
• The Map of Skyrim is mostly empty, with a few settlements or enemies here and there.
• Although a Civil War is going on in Skyrim, the map feels static.
• Skyrim’s map becomes available from the beginning.
• The world is free to explore without anyone stopping you other than bandits and other enemies.

Elden Ring has a bigger than Skyrim map, and it has a lot to offer to players.

• Elden Ring’s Map is double that of Skyrim, at 30.5 Square Miles.
• The Map in Elden Ring is densely packed with different creatures and enemies.
• While exploring, Elden Ring’s map feels alive.
• Elden Ring’s full map is hidden from players, and they discover it step-by-step by collecting Map Fragments.
• The World isn’t available to explore in Elden Ring unless you find secret ways. You can’t go to other regions before defeating a region’s boss.

On Skyrim’s release, the map of Skyrim left its players in shock as it was the largest and most detailed map of the time. But with how much it has aged and with the advancement of game development, it feels incomplete when you look at it now. Although game development had advanced, when Elden Ring was released, it left every single critique and player in awe. In the comparison of Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim map size, Elden Ring takes the win here.

Lore

• Skyrim isn’t a stand-alone game like the Elden Ring. It is part of a bigger series called ‘The Elder Scrolls.’
• As it is part of a large game series, Skyrim has a well-thought-out lore that has been going on since the first installment.
• There are nine different provinces in Tamriel, the region of The Elder Scrolls series, each with its own history and culture. That gives Skyrim and, in turn, the series a much larger scope.
• Skyrim, or The Elder Scrolls, to be exact, had 29+ years to develop their universe’s lore.

As for the lore of Elden Ring, you don’t get to see that much detail in it in Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparison. Here’s why.

• Some fans believe that Elden Ring is a continuation of the Dark Souls series, but the fact is that it is a stand-alone game with no other games yet.
• Elden Ring had to construct a new lore that still has tons of gaps in it that often end up leaving players confused.
• Although there are different regions in Elden Ring, they are all part of the same game with very little to add to the story.
• Although the story of Elden Ring is crafted by the legendary writer G.R.R. Martin, the developers and writers had very little time to work on the lore compared to Skyrim and its series.

Elden Ring can’t beat the well-developed lore of Skyrim. Skyrim had more than two decades to develop its lore as it is a part of The Elder Scrolls series. That allows Skyrim to take a win in the Lore department.

Worldbuilding

• The World of Skyrim took everyone in awe when it was released.
• Its world looks promising, and it has a lot to offer to its players in terms of lore and everything.
• Players can visit different Points of interest on the map while exploring.
• Each city is unique, with its own NPCs and side quests.

Although Elden Ring is a new release, it shows promise.

• Elden Ring uses a much more advanced engine to deliver amazing worlds for the players to explore.
• Every aspect of the world is enriched with its lore and characters.
• The limited number of structures and NPCs are given in full detail, making it an experience worth remembering.

The World of Skyrim is complete in every aspect. But when you talk about Elden Ring, there is much more to offer. The new engine allows it to have better overall graphics. When making an Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparison, the new and much more advanced World of Elden Ring lets it get its win here.

Exploration

• The world of Skyrim is beautiful and fun to explore.
• Skyrim has peaceful exploration where you are rarely attacked by any enemy.
• Skyrim has different interesting locations that make players curious to explore.
• Places have markers that help players know where they are and where they have to go.

As for Elden Ring, the exploration part is a hassle of its own.

• The Elden Ring has modern graphics that allow it to have much better visuals.
• During exploration, enemies can attack you, which will be a problem unless you don’t successfully run away.
• Elden Ring has interesting scenery and locations.
• In Elden Ring, there is no marker of any important location. The only indications are those which are available on the map.

If you want peaceful exploration, then Skyrim is the one for you. But in Elden Ring, a lot of the time, you might get attacked by different creatures. These creatures can kill you easily if you aren’t careful. Because of the rather peaceful experience, Skyrim is the winner.

Mods

• Skyrim has been the pinnacle for the modding community. There are thousands of Mods for Skyrim, as the modders had 11+ years to work on them.
• Players can change its graphics for a start, giving it a much-needed modern look.
• Apart from that, you can get mods that add extra content to Skyrim, such as newer regions, more quests, and many more. With that, they will add more detail to existing characters too.
• Whereas a few mods add quality-of-life updates to Skyrim.
• The Modding community is adding more mods every day that are up to date.

Although a new game, Elden Ring still has enough to show in Mods.

• Elden Ring just got released, so it doesn’t have that great of a Mods portfolio.
• Some mods are quite impressive as they add flavor to Elden Ring.
• A few mods make it much easier, improving the overall experience for newer souls like fans.
• Whereas others bring improvements to the gameplay.
• Elden Ring has had a relatively shorter time for the modding community to work on it, but there is the promise that we’ll get to see something phenomenal in the near future.

The long years of dominance of Skyrim in Mods have helped it become one of the most modded games. These mods add extra flavor to Skyrim or enhance its already superb gameplay. In Elden Ring Vs Skyrim comparison, Elden Ring isn’t far behind, but here Skyrim takes a clear win.

Character Choice

• Skyrim has a wide range of races available for the players to play as.
• There are a total of 10 playable races in Skyrim.
• Each of these races has different passive abilities, giving players different role-playing options.
• They can play as a sneaky archer, or as a barbarian warrior, or as a mage.

Whereas in Elden Ring, here is what you get to see.

• Elden Ring has a few different playstyles for players.
• These are the same race with different stats to try out different builds.
• If players grind enough, there is no difference later in Elden Ring as they all become the same (unless players have something specific in their minds).
• What Starting Class you choose will determine your gameplay style.

What character you choose in Skyrim will have consequences. That helps a lot when a player is trying to role-play. But you don’t get to see that in Elden Ring. Although there are different builds, players can interchange once they get high enough levels. That’s why Skyrim is the winner for Character choices.

Leveling Up

Here is how the Leveling Up system in Skyrim works.

• In Skyrim, the players level up by improving one of the eighteen skills.
• These skills level up as the player uses them in Skyrim.
• Once a certain number of skills have leveled up, the player’s level increases.
• The Leveling Up in Skyrim can be completely passive, with players not ‘focusing’ on it.
• That allows players to focus more on other aspects of Skyirm instead of on leveling among all others.

Elden Ring takes its inspiration from its sister games.

• In Elden Ring, players level up by spending runes at the Site of Grace.
• As there is no save or quick save option, if the Tarnished dies, they lose all their runes unless they go to the area where they died and recover them.
• The Runes consumption for leveling up increases with each level.
• Players will have to focus on their runes and ensure that they have enough so they can level up.

Skyrim’s Leveling Up system is easier for players to handle. But, in Elden Ring, players have to spend their Runes to level them up. And keeping a check on Runes can get a little tedious. For that reason and many more, Skyrim’s leveling-up system takes the win here.

Character designs

• Although Skyrim was said to be ahead of its time, its characters’ design and everything has become outdated.
• Skyrim’s characters and models are now 11+ years old.
• Skyrim still manages to give the player an experience a new experience when facing different NPCs in it.
• The older design of characters seems negligible when you consider that you can interact and have a dialogue with almost every character.

Elden Ring uses its latest engine to give the players some phenomenal designs.

• Elden Ring has new and updated character designs that feel much more natural.
• It uses a modern engine to design its characters.
• Every character has a unique design and experience.
• Even though players can’t interact with NPCs on Skyrim’s level, it is still extraordinary.

Skyrim had some phenomenal character designs, but its engine and designs are outdated by now. And as Elden Ring uses its latest engine, it easily takes the win here when you do an Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparison.

Dialogue And Interaction

• Skyrim beats Elden Ring when it comes to dialogues. There are hundreds and hundreds of different NPCs with unique dialogues.
• Each of these NPCs has a different dialogue or voice (unless it’s a recurring character like a bandit or a guard).
• During conversations, you will be given a few different dialogue options that can have consequences according to the choice.
• The Dialogues help players better understand world-building and lore.
• Often, the dialogues play a significant role in where you stand when supporting fractions.

Like the Dark Souls, there are no such dialogues in Elden Ring.

• Although Elden Ring has its own fair share of NPCs, the dialogues don’t hold any importance.
• As you can’t hold a ‘conversation’ with characters, you don’t get any dialogues other than yes or no.
• Elden Ring’s dialogues help understand the world, but players can’t get in-depth details like in Skyrim.
• The Dialogues have no role in how Elden Ring proceeds because you’ll only have options like yes or no’ or ‘do or don’t.

Skyrim helps its players learn about it with the help of different NPCs. These NPCs help understand what the player has to do and about the lore. But in Elden Ring, the players can go about without having to talk with most of the NPCs. So, for dialogues, Skyrim takes the win here.

Role Playing

• Skyrim allows the players to play different types of character builds.
• They have the character of Elf, Orc, Nord, Redgaurd, and many more.
• That gives the players Role Playing possibility in Skyrim.
• Players can have a wife and then live in a house as a merchant.
• They can play as Warriors that are on their way to help everyone.
• Or you can Role Play as an emperor, thanks to mods.

Elden Ring falls behind in Role Playing.

• In Elden Ring, the players have no such options.
• They can only play as the Tarnished on their way to becoming the Elden Lord.
• Although players can be harsh on certain NPCs, it isn’t as diverse as Skyrim.

In Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparison, remember that Role Playing is possible if players can have dialogues with NPCs as you can interact with them and continue with your roleplay. There are no dialogue options in Elden Ring; the roleplaying becomes harder. The hundreds upon hundreds of possibilities of Roleplaying are why Skyrim is better.

Quests

• Skyrim has hundreds of side quests.
• These quests involve different NPCs and different stories.
• The Side Quests are what keep Skyrim alive.
• A few quests are repetitive, but they will always give you something to do in Skyrim.
• Quests have Markers guiding you on where to go.
• The Journal in Skyrim helps players keep track of all the quests.

As for Elden Ring, I was somewhat disappointed when I looked at it after checking out Skyrim.

• Elden Ring doesn’t emphasize Side quests.
• Although Elden Ring has different NPCs for each quest, they don’t bring much to the quests.
• Elden Ring doesn’t depend on its side quests like Skyrim.
• There are very few quests.
• The Quests don’t have any marker or anything to help you with.
• You will have to find the NPCs yourself and then understand what they ask, all from a few limited dialogues.
• There is no Journal/tracking system in Elden Ring to help you keep track of the quests. You will have to remember on your own what the NPC requested you to do.

In quests, Skyrim takes the clear winner thanks to its immersive side quests. Players won’t have to fry their brains to remember what they had to do. However, that doesn’t mean that Elden Ring is bad in its methods. The mystery in Elden Ring is what makes it interesting.

Difficulty

• Skyrim is a lot easier as there are different difficulty levels.
• Even if you were to play Skyrim at Legendary difficulty, it is still manageable.
• Skyrim is overall easy to play as you won’t have to discover everything on your own; most of it is already provided to the players.
• Unless you’re fighting a high-level enemy/boss, you won’t have any problem later on in Skyrim.

Considered to be one of the hardest games, here is how difficult it is in Elden Ring.

• Elden Ring has only one difficulty setting that can’t be changed unless you get a mod for it.
• Even players that are well experienced in souls like games will have problems playing them.
• Generally, Elden Ring is much more difficult compared to Skyrim, as you have to discover everything on your own.
• Even at later stages of Elden Ring, normal enemies can kill you if you don’t pay attention.

Skyrim is for players who want a laid-back experience on their couches. But that all changes in Elden Ring because players can get killed by weaker enemies if they aren’t paying attention. In difficulty terms, Skyrim is for everyone, but Elden Ring is for the hard-core players. When you make an Elden Ring vs. Skyrim comparison, there is no definite victor as both games are for different player types.

Combat System

• Skyrim has a much easier combat system compared to Elden Ring.
• Most of the combat is clicking on the attack button while rushing into the enemies.
• There is no punishment for missing a combo or attack.
• Although there are hundreds of weapons available, they don’t have anything different apart from their enchantments.
• Players can craft weapons and add enchantments to them.
• Often, players don’t need to dodge the opponent’s attacks.

Elden Ring’s Combat is what makes it unique among all RPG games.

• Combat is the main aspect of Elden Ring, and that is what makes it different from Skyrim.
• The Combat system includes timing your attacks and being ready to parry or roll back if getting attacked.
• If you fail to land your attack/combo, you can get punished by the enemy.
• Elden Ring has a variety of weapons available for players to try out, each with its own unique abilities.
• Weapons can be further upgraded and enhanced using Ashes of War.
• Rolling or dodging attacks is a big part of Elden Ring’s combat system.

Skyrim’s combat is run into enemies while clicking. And most of the time, you will come out successful. And if things go south, you can then load an earlier save. Whereas in Elden Ring, the combat system is completely different. There is a punishing system that happens if you miss a shot or two. The Elden Ring has a realistic combat system, so it takes a win here.

Magic in combat

• Skyrim was one of the best games for Magic, but that magic lacks combat smoothness.
• Skyrim has a total of three types of magic damage spells.
• In addition to that, you can summon different creatures such as Dremora, the undead, and others.
• Skyrim has staves, but apart from a few, they don’t have any special effects.
• The Mage Robes only enhance Magicka for the most part.

Elden Ring’s developers had the experience from Dark Souls. Let’s check how it helped Elden Ring in Magic in Combat.

• Unlike Skyrim, Elden Ring has completely implemented Magic into its combat.
• The Elden Ring has a variety of offensive Spells, including but not limited to Magic Swords, Meteorites, Lightning Strikes, and Fire Balls.
• In Elden Ring, Players summon Spirits to help them in combat. There is a large variety of spirits available.
• In terms of Magic Gear, Elden Ring has a lot to offer to its players.
• There are complete gear sets that further enhance the Magic aspect of the combat.

Skyrim had a great entry in adding magic to its superb RPG. But as time passed, improvement in game development allowed developers to add much more content to them. That’s where you get to see Elden Ring’s combat magic. Shooting meteorites, fireballs, and many more allow it to win that category.

Followers

• Skyrim focuses on Followers to help you on your journeys.
• You can have a variety of followers with unique attributes to help you on quests.
• These followers can carry items for you, acting like extra storage in lengthy dungeons.
• Mods further enhance followers by often giving them witty dialogues.

Elden Ring has its own take on followers to help you in fights.

• Spirit Summons in Elden Ring take the place of the Followers.
• There is a wide variety of Spirit summons with a replica of you to fight battles for you.
• Spirit Summons have no role other than helping you fight difficult bosses or help clear harder regions.
• As there are no dialogues, Spirit Summons don’t add any flavor to Elden Ring.

Skyrim’s followers are much more interactive and helpful in quests. Whereas in Elden Ring, the Spirits you summon can be powerful and help a lot in defeating the hard bosses. But even then, Skyrim takes the win here.

Multiplayer

• Skyrim has no emphasis on Multiplayer.
• Unlike Elden Ring, you can’t bring over any friend to help you in quests.

Players get to see something new with Elden Ring’s Multiplayer.

• Multiplayer is an important aspect of Elden Ring.
• Elden Ring allows you to bring friends in Co-op to your world or you to go to your friend’s world.
• You can complete quests, explore worlds, or do many more tasks.
• Through Multiplayer, players can do PvP, where they fight with other players.
• Other players can also invade your world, where you will have to defeat them.

Playing with friends is something that cannot be underestimated. Skyrim has no Multiplayer. Whereas Elden Ring can become much more enjoyable with the help of Multiplayer. So, in Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparison, Elden Ring is the winner in the Multiplayer category.

Bosses

• Players get to fight different bosses, such as Draugr lords, Dragon Priests, and Dragons in Skyrim.
• The Bosses in Skyrim are somewhat linear.
• You can rush into bosses (if you’re leveled up) and come out victorious.
• There is no learning curve with bosses.
• Players can do ‘quick saves’ during fights with bosses and try out different methods.

Elden Ring’s bosses are much more punishing.

• In Elden Ring, all the bosses are unique with their design size and everything, except for a few recurring mini-bosses.
• The bosses are all unique in their fighting styles.
• Players can’t just go and fight a new boss and hope to come out victorious. Most of the time will be spent learning their moves.
• Each boss has a learning curve where you learn their moves and work from that.
• You can’t do a quick save during a fight to resume back from there. Instead, you’ll have to start again from Site of Grace.

In Skyrim, most of the bosses seem like higher-level enemies. And the final boss of Skyrim, Alduin, seems like any other Dragon. Players felt that the fight was underwhelming. But that is not the case in Elden Ring. If you get hit once, the boss can make you run for your life. The experience that Elden Ring’s bosses give is why it wins here.

Ending

• The ending of Skyrim’s Main Questline remains the same, regardless of how you play it.
• As the DLCs add two more stories, you get to see two more endings to Skyrim.
• Skyrim’s Main Questline ending occurs when the Dragonborn kills Alduin in Sovngarde.
• After that, the Dragonborn holds a meeting with all the remaining dragons on the Throat of the World, where the Dragonborn is exclaimed to be the leader.
• The Ending is not that fulfilling as the players usually spend more of their time on Side quests and often forget the story of Skyrim.

In its comparison, you have Elden Ring’s ending.

• Elden Ring has six different endings that the players can get.
• These are the only endings that are currently available in Elden Ring.
• The story of going from a Tarnished to the Elden Lord is much more fulfilling than that of Skyrim.
• The Ending feels much more fulfilling as the journey to becoming the Elden Lord is quite hard.
• There is a secret ending named ‘Age of Absolute Ending.’ 

Skyrim does not have different endings. Its only one ending allows the players to finish Skyrim and continue playing it. But the ending does not seem fulfilling. Unlike that, Elden Ring’s journey is harsh and worth all the time. Thus, there are six different endings, with each being much more fulfilling than the other. That is why Endings of Elden Ring are the winner.

Even though Elden Ring and Skyrim have a decade in between, that doesn’t stop players from doing Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim comparisons. Like this Subreddit Post, almost every other post compares their gameplay. you have listed some of the major differences in the debate of Elden Ring Vs. Skyrim helps players decide which game they want to choose.

A few minor things to consider are that Skyrim lets you become a Vampire. That adds a lot to Skyrim’s flavor. In contrast, you can get Dragon Build in Elden Ring. In addition to that, you get to see one of the hardest bosses, Malenia, that had players get extra help. Skyrim has its own fair stuff in it, the Standing Stones. The Volcano Manor is one of the most interesting spots in Elden RIng.

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