Summary
Elves have long been a staple in fantasy stories. These pointy-eared humanoids have existed in fiction for many centuries, going all the way back to European folklore and becoming part of pop culture thanks to stories such asThe Lord of the Rings.
As gaming has progressed, gamers have also been able to experience vast worlds to explore from top to bottom as elven characters. Whether it is a preset character or one that the player creates, elves have often been the main protagonists who can explore open worlds in action games, RPGs, and other genres.
While not the most expansive map,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdomdoes provide fans with an explorable map of Hyrule in the style of theLink’s Awakeningremake. On top of that, it is a different experience than usual. In this game, the player controls Princess Zelda on her own adventure rather than Link.
While Link and Zelda are called Hylians, fans commonly accept that with their pointy ears and bright eyes, Hylians are an interpretation of fantasy elves. InEchoes of Wisdom, Zelda goes on a classic adventure for the series, featuring dungeons, distinct locations, and monsters, but with unique puzzles that fitZelda’s focus on magicin the Switch title.
One of thelongest-running MMORPGs out there,World of Warcrafthelped make the genre commonplace with the chance to roam Azeroth. Players can choose one of twenty-eight playable races, including the Night Elves, Blood Elves, Void Elves, and Nightborne, each with distinct looks, strengths, and abilities.
World of Warcraftcontinues to get regular updates and expansions, allowing players to experience new storylines, dungeons, bosses, and locations across the fantastical universe. On top of the four choices of elves, there are also several classes to pick from, such as mage, warrior, rogue, paladin, and plenty more.
These days,The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionis often overshadowed by its arguably superior sequel, but it still deserves plenty of praise. Many things that the sequel is known for started withOblivion.The game provides an immersive open world that had very little direction for the player after the opening quest, allowing them to go anywhere and do whatever they wanted.
Similar toWorld of Warcraft, there are multiple elven races to choose from: High Elf, Wood Elf, and Dark Elf. Each one has different stat attributes that can drastically change the way players choose to play their custom classes. InOblivion, players can freely explore the serene land of Cyrodiilto complete various questswhen they are not diving into the titular Planes Of Oblivion.
Perhaps if a player is looking for something different from the usual fantasy setting, they can turn to a world of pirates on the high seas withPillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Theswashbuckling isometric RPG adventurefeatures six playable races, including the elf, which comes with the options for two sub-races: Pale Elf and Wood Elf.
As an upgrade from the first game,Pillars Of Eternity 2features an explorable world with oceans, tropics, towns, deserts, mountains, and more to delve deep into. The sequel is often considered superior to the original, with strong RPG gameplay developed by Obsidian Entertainment and the pirate theme that allowed it to stand out from similar games.
The same three elf races from previousElder Scrollsgames return inThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but withan even more detailed character creator, allowing gamers to craft their dream orc characters.Skyrimhas become a gold standard in the fantasy RPG genre. Gamers consider it a step up fromOblivionin nearly every aspect, from the massive Northern Territory of Skyrim itself to the gameplay.
Bethesda knows thatSkyrimwas a massive hit, because it has been re-released and remastered multiple times on different console generations, including virtual reality. Mods have also allowed players to go even further with options for customization, new missions, and mechanics to keep the game thriving over a decade later.
Monolith Productions' open-world adventure games set in theLord of the Ringsuniverse already surprised gamers with the patented Nemesis system to make every playthrough different.Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Warwent even bigger than before, with Talion’s rise as the Bright Lord becoming beloved by gamers and Tolkien fans.
However,Shadow Of Waralso features two alternate playable characters: Eltariel and Baranor. Eltariel starts as an ally of Talion, but is also the main protagonist of theBlade Of GaladrielDLC. This expansion furthers the story, allowing gamers to wield her skills as an Elven assassin. Eltariel can also be used as a skin for Talion in the main story.
The first time theDragon Agegames embraced an open world was withDragon Age: Inquisition, an RPGin the same vein asMass Effectby the same development studio: BioWare. LikeMass Effect,it featured plenty of story and dialogue options that could impact the plot and characters dramatically, but with spells and magic.
The main protagonist ofDragon Age: Inquisitioncan be created from scratch, with four playable races to choose from: Human, Dwarf, Qunari, and Elf. BioWare’s take on the elves is similar toThe Witcheruniverse, where elves and other non-human races are the victims of prejudice. Choosing to play as an elf changes interactions with characters throughout the story.
Open worlds have existed inThe Legend of Zeldafranchise for years, with the original arguably being one of the first in gaming. However,The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdomtakes it to another level with the largest Hyrule to explore, over twice the size of the map fromBreath Of The Wild, which already broke the record for the largest map.
Link receives new rune abilities inTears Of The Kingdomthat lend themselves to even more intricate puzzles inside the shrines andthe return of more traditional dungeons. The abilities also allow Link to traverse up into the flying islands, which can also be explored.
