E3 2021 came and went without any announcements regarding The Elder Scrolls 6. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, made a passing comment that the title was in active development, but nothing about the game was actually revealed. Nevertheless, fans scoured Bethesda's content for any hint about the next installment and found a possible hint at the game's setting in Starfield's trailer, pointing to Hammerfell. If that is true, it could signal the return of the Dwemer (aka the Dwarves) in The Elder Scrolls 6.
Though currently inhabited by the human Redguards, Hammerfell was originally founded by the Dwemer. The Rourkin clan broke from the rest of the Dwemer in 1E 420. Their leader at the time threw his hammer, Volendrung, vowing to build an empire where it fell and aptly naming the region Hammerfell. Though the Rourken clan disappeared with the rest of the Dwemer during the events at the Battle of the Red Mountain, it's possible the physical distance between the clans gave Hammerfell's Dwarven residents what was needed to either hide or devise a way back to return after the sudden genocide.
If Hammerfell is the setting of The Elder Scrolls 6 and does, in fact, bring about the return of the Dwemer, the focus would most likely be on this Rourken clan. However, ZeniMax Online Studios' creative director recently revealed Bethesda's Todd Howard didn't want the Dwemer in ESO. While such a decision could be to save Dwarven content for The Elder Scrolls 6, it's also possible Howard just isn't interested in exploring the lost race, so fans should keep expectations in check. At the very least, an Elder Scrolls game set in Hammerfell would host a number of ancient Dwemer sites and structures. At most, it would radically change the narrative Bethesda has been creating thus far and open a world of possibilities.
What A Dwemer Return In TES 6 Would Mean For The Elder Scrolls
If the Dwemer were to return to Tamriel, it would cause a significant shift in the political landscape, especially given the race's homeland has been occupied by a new race for centuries. Additionally, the Rourken clan initially split from its brethren over an alliance with the Chimer; the Hammerfell founders disagreed with the Dwemer's decision to make peace with these dark elf ancestors. Discrimination against the elven races is already prevalent in The Elder Scrolls, so introducing a faction that is so openly antagonistic towards the Chimer could change the social dynamics in Tamriel greatly. Alternately, it could open room for an unexpected relationship between the Dwemer and elves.
The Dwemer's return would also create tension with the Redguards, who currently inhabit Hammerfell. It's doubtful the Dwemer would leave the region they built out of respect for its new settlers, and it's equally unlikely the Redguards would pack up and leave for the nation's founders. It's also possible additional conflict would arise if the Dwemer decided to try and reclaim artifacts and technologies from the nations that have harvested them over the years. Who knows - perhaps The Elder Scrolls 6 will even have the Dwemer build a third massive Numidium golem and wreak havoc across Tamriel.
Header Image: DwayneTheSonRockJohn/Imgur