The Elder Scrolls: Arena

The Elder Scrolls: Arena is a first-person action role-playing game set in the fictional world of Tamriel, which it introduces as the series' first entry. The central narrative involves rescuing Emperor Uriel Septim VII from a dimensional prison, a quest initiated by the dream-visions of a slain apprentice. To achieve this, the player must locate the eight fragments of the Staff of Chaos, an objective that unfolds linearly despite the open world.

Character creation begins with selecting a race, each tied to a home province and conferring specific advantages, such as the physical attack bonuses for Redguards from Hammerfell. Progression is handled through experience points, with level-ups granting attribute points for the player to distribute freely, as there is no formal skill system. The player controls a single character in real-time, engaging in melee combat via mouse gestures and casting spells through a menu interface.

Exploration is a key feature, offering access to virtually all of Tamriel's expansive territory. This includes over 400 settlements and a wilderness that generates procedurally as the player walks, though travel between major locations requires the use of a fast-travel system. The world is populated with enemies to fight for loot in dungeons and wilds, and non-player characters in towns who offer trade and services. The specific locations of important items are randomized at the start of each game.

The game presents 3D environments where characters and foes are represented as sprites. The CD-ROM version of the game includes additional content not found on floppy disks, such as voiced cutscenes and extra rendered sequences.