Considering it's a franchise tradition at this point, there's no doubt about it The Elder Scrolls 6 will dangle plenty of unsolvable mysteries in front of the player base. That said, it'll also be a great opportunity to work out some of the series' holdovers — especially from Skyrim. And given the game's rumored setting, a perfect mystery too The Elder Scrolls 6 shedding some light on would be the Magnus Eye, a huge glowing orb Skyrim was proud to set the whole College of Winterhold quest around, yet completely unwilling to explain.
In fact, the next part of the The Elder Scrolls franchise could be setting up shop right next to some potential answers to what the Eye of Magnus really is. Especially since the game's rumored settings – which have leaned towards Hammerfell or High Rock for years – are two regions that happen to sit within easy reach of one of Tamriel's oldest and strangest landmarks, the Adamantine Tower. If Bethesda ever wants to take the lid off the Magnus Eye, that landmark would be the perfect area to do it.
Skyrim and the Eye of Magnus
Backing up a bit is worth retreading though Skyrim a bit here for context, as the Eye's on-screen story is shorter than it is interesting. During the College questline, the Dragonborn pulls the strange artifact from the ruins of Saarthal, a Thalmor agent named Ancano harnesses its power and becomes hostile, and the Psijic Order eventually arrives to remove the thing because the world is “not ready for it.” From that point on, the eye is simply gone, and the credits roll on that plot line.
The game never bothers to tell you what the eye actually is, what it does, or where the Psijic Order took it. Tolfdir, by far the best of Winterhold's trainers, openly admits that the markings on it are not Dwemer, Falmer, Ayleid or Daedric, ruling out most of the usual suspects while answering absolutely nothing. But these dangling questions are arguably the biggest magical loose ends Skyrim leaves lying around, because despite all the whims, it's incredibly clear that Magnus Eye is incredibly powerful.
What fans actually know about Magnus Eye
It has been well over a decade ago Skyrim summarized, so there are a few things we know or can ascertain about the Magnus Eye. First, it is very likely of Aedric origin – which best suits the name – and it is somehow connected to the Staff of Magnus, the only item that reliably contains it. Conversely, when the eye is unstable, it carries enough raw power to instantly make or break the world.
The Eye of Magnus is also magically powerful enough to mask other relics on a Dwemer detection device that the Synod uses, completely drowning out the energy of other legendary artifacts such as Auriel's Bow.
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Image via Bethesda -
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Image via Bethesda
Given what we know (or how much we don't know), the setup for The Elder Scrolls 6 is actually quite simple. If the game lands in Hammerfell or High Rock, its story takes place next to Iliac Bay, and out in that bay is the Isle of Balfiera and the Adamantine Tower. That tower happens to be the oldest known structure in all of Tamriel, or very close to it.
In fact, the next part of the The Elder Scrolls franchise could be setting up shop right next to some potential answers to what the Eye of Magnus really is.
The Adamantine Tower would be relevant to the Eye as it is tied to Magnus himself as well. The surface layer of comic lore claims that this is where the gods gathered to discuss the creation of Mundus, and it is closely tied to the moment Magnus, the chief architect of the mortal world, took leave of it. His departure tore the hole in the sky that became the sun, and the spirits that followed him out became Magna Ge, whose own exits left the stars behind.
It may rely on some less than 100% confirmed speculation, but place a Magnus-linked artifact in a game that sits next to a Magnus-linked tower, and the potential connections are pretty obvious, despite the gap in location between these two Aedric remnants. Bethesda would have a natural, in-world reason to finally address where the eye came from, what it was for, and whether it goes back to the same act of creation that produced the sun and stars. Whether the studio takes that bait is another matter, but the pieces have so far lined up pretty cleanly.
Where existing theories become fun
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Image via Zenimax/Bethesda
And in the huge gap between the games, fans have already had a field day theorizing about the true nature of the eye, so it's not like gamers aren't curious. Some of these conjectures are also wonderfully weird: a popular idea beyond the powerful artifact angle is that the Eye is an unfinished artificial sun that Magnus built for a world he hadn't yet decided to abandon. Another treats it more like a capsule or seed, a container that holds power with a much more specific purpose than being generically powerful.
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Start
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
My personal favorite of the bunch leans towards the name itself. It implies that the Magnus Eye is literally an eye, a magical lens that Magnus used to look at Mundus from some metaphysical vantage point. It fits well with the Khajiit mythos surrounding that race's pantheon, where the corresponding god Magrus loses an eye and falls from the sky, which is a suspicious amount of thematic smoke for there to be no fire.
There's also the Thalmor angle to all of this, which follows Ancano's presence, but that's where the speculation gets ambitious. Some fans link the eye to the elves' rumored endgame involving the Towers and their collapse, with an artifact like this powerful actor in a starring role. There's no promise that The Elder Scrolls 6 will ever confirm the Thalmor's master plan, so the safe reading for now is that they're simply hoarding powerful relics, and the Eye is conveniently placed on that shelf.
Bethesda holds all the cards
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Image by GameRant | Image Credits: Bethesda Game Studios -
Image via Bethesda -
The beauty of an open mystery like this is that Bethesda can do almost anything with it. The studio could deliver a clean origin story, casually reset the whole thing, or leave the Eye exactly where the Psijic Order hid it and never mention it again. Either of these outcomes would be in character for a series that treats its deepest story like a buffet rather than a curriculum, but I certainly prefer the former to the latter.
Whether the studio takes that bait is another matter, but the pieces have so far lined up pretty cleanly.
Especially considering that what makes the eye worth chasing is that the journey has been fun the deeper into the conspiracy it has gone. If The Elder Scrolls 6 finally cracking the case in the shadow of the old tower or simply adding another delicious layer of uncertainty, it's neat that the speculation has brought its own reward. But if The Elder Scrolls 6 can actually shed some light on Magnus Eye, it would really prove that sometimes the most memorable mysteries are the ones a game is confident enough to leave glowing in the dark.
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- Released
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2026
- ESRB
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m
- Developer
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher
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Bethesda Softworks
