Summary
Releasing all the way back in 1994,The Elder Scrolls: Arenawas far from Bethesda’s first video game, but it quickly became the studio’s most defining piece of work upon its initial launch. Though it wasn’t the first fantasy RPG out there,The Elder Scrolls: Arenalearned from those that came before it, and used that knowledge to produce a truly genre-defining experience. Though it looks and feels extremely dated all these decades later,The Elder Scrolls: Arenais still incredibly impressive to think about, establishing so much of the expansive world and lore that the franchise would use as its basis going forward.
Obviously,theElder Scrollsfranchisehas evolved a lot in the last 30 years. With around 4–6 years coming between mainline entries, eachElder Scrollsgame represents a major leap in technology, coinciding with the rapid evolution of video game technology at the time. But no matter how advancedThe Elder Scrollshas gotten over the years, Bethesda never forgets the series' roots, and that’s evidenced by the number of times thatElder Scrolls: Arenahas been referenced in the rest of the series.
Oblivion’s Elder Scrolls: Arena Easter Eggs Explained
One of the most iconicElder Scrolls: ArenaEaster eggscan be found inThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. When players arrive in the Imperial City in Cyrodiil, they’ll be able to find a collection of posters strewn about the city’s walls. These posters depict four characters, all wielding various fantasy weapons and wearing a range of different armor. Above their head reads “The Arena.” This poster is a clear reference to the original cover art forThe Elder Scrolls: Arena, which itself depicts four classic fantasy archetype characters, all positioned in a very similar way and wielding very similar weaponry. Though the classes of these characters don’t quite match up, it’s a very neat reference that’s been integrated well into the world ofOblivion.
But this poster isn’t the only reference toThe Elder Scrolls: Arenafound inOblivion. When players eventually get tothe Imperial City Arena, they’ll find a slew of references to a character named Gaiden Shinji. A Redguard Blademaster, Gaiden Shinji is a character frequently mentioned throughoutTheElder Scrolls: Arena, including the game’s opening line of text, which is a quote that reads “The best techniques are passed on by the survivors.” Gaiden Shinji is also mentioned a few times throughout the rest ofThe Elder Scrollsseries, including onSkyrim’s loading screen.
Arena References in Other Elder Scrolls Games
Being the first game in the franchise, it’s only natural that certain elements fromThe Elder Scrolls: Arenahave popped up a few times throughout the rest of the series. One of the best examples of this isSkyrim’s Labyrinthian. Introduced duringArena’s main quest, the legendary Labyrinthian is the resting place of a piece of the Staff of Chaos, which the player needs to find and restore. The Labyrinthian returns inSkyrim, where another staff can be found, this time the Staff of Magnus. While the Staff of Magnus and the Staff of Chaos are two different weapons, the Staff of Magnus can also be found inElder Scrolls: Arena, albeit through a weapon-specific questline that doesn’t involve the Labyrinthian at all.
The Elder Scrolls: Arenais also the birthplace of Bethesda’s long-running Sweet Roll inside joke.
Though it isn’t a weapon in the game,Skyrimdoes feature a direct reference to the Staff of Chaos. The shattering of the Staff of Chaos can be seen engraved onAlduin’s Wall, where major plot points from the rest of theElder Scrollsseries can also be seen.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
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The imperial battlemage Jagar Tharn betrays the Emperor Uriel Septim by imprisoning him in an alternate dimension, then assuming the Emperor’s identity and place on the throne. A lone prisoner must travel to Tamriel’s most famous and dangerous sites to collect the shattered Staff of Chaos, save the Emperor and free the Empire.
