Skyrim side quests players can miss, "The Mind of Madness" serves as a unique gem of content in a game full of iconic moments and stories. For The Elder Scrolls 6 to recapture some of the magic of Bethesda's 2011 smash-hit, the design philosophy and playfulness of this style of quest ought to be duly noted.
"The Mind of Madness" begins with players encountering Dervenin, a homeless man in Solitude, who tasks them with ing their master Sheogorath, a powerful Daedric prince. Players go on to complete a series of seemingly mundane or run-of-the-mill quests before the game takes a sharp turn into the absurd and fantastical, transporting the player into the abstract, nonsense world of Pelagius's mind, where Sheogorath has been hiding. From there, the quest requires the player to complete a series of tasks to help Pelagius heal his mind, thus removing Sheogorath.
Aside from awarding players with one of the rarest items in Skyrim - the Wabbajack - "The Mind of Madness" manages to stand out from the rest of the game, and is strongly ed more than a decade after its release. The creative premise, strange setting, and thoughtful gameplay design make it an interesting and one-of-a-kind experience and one that stands alongside some of Bethesda's best quests. Most importantly, the aspects that make The Mind of Madness work would translate well to The Elder Scrolls 6.
What The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Take From Skyrim's The Mind Of Madness
Much like Fallout 3's famous "Tranquility Lane" quest, Skyrim's "The Mind of Madness" pulls players away from the regular game world and into an alternate reality of sorts, one ruled by Daedric Prince of Madness Sheogorath. Because of this change in setting, the quest is allowed to be much more bizarre and unpredictable, as the established rules of the game have effectively been thrown out the window. Whereas the overworld of Skyrim is ruled by Tamriel's politics and law, this alternate reality is much more chaotic, allowing the developers to remove the constraints of internal logic, if only for a brief time. The way the quest escalates is also part of what makes it work so well, as unassuming players will be completely taken by surprise by its strange turn.
Of course, if every quest in Skyrim or The Elder Scrolls 6 were just like "The Mind of Madness," the no-holds-barred approach would lose a bit of its appeal. That said, the unpredictability, creativity, and boldness of the quest are fundamental strengths that can and should be carried into the quest design of the sequel to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. If The Elder Scrolls 6 can deliver on these fundamentals while capitalizing on its rich fantasy lore, its quests will provide considerable value similar to "The Mind of Madness."
