Best Open-World game where you play as an elf

Important takeaways

  • Elves have been central to fantasy games such as
    Dragon Age
    and
    The Legend of Zelda
    giving players the chance to explore vast worlds.
  • Games like
    World of Warcraft
    and
    The Elder Scrolls
    features several different elven races with unique abilities in huge open world environments.
  • Elven characters in
    Pillar of Eternity
    &
    Midgard
    game offers immersive RPG experiences layered with unique storytelling.



Elves have long been a staple of fantasy stories. These spiky humanoids have existed in fiction for centuries, dating all the way back to European folklore and becoming part of pop culture thanks to stories such as The Lord of the Rings.

As the gameplay has progressed, players have also been able to experience huge worlds to explore from top to bottom as elven characters. Whether it's a preset character or one that the player creates, elves have often been the main characters that can explore open worlds in action games, role-playing games, and other genres.

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8 The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom

Fans have wanted to explore Hyrule as Zelda for years


System

super grayscale 8-bit logo

Released
September 26, 2024

Developer
Nintendo, Grezzo

While not the most expansive map, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom gives fans an explorable map of Hyrule in style Link's Awakening remake. Also, it's 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 usually accept that Hylians, with their pointy ears and bright eyes, are an interpretation of fantasy elves. IN Echo of wisdomZelda embarks on a classic adventure for the series, with dungeons, distinctive locations and monsters, but with unique puzzles that fit Zelda's focus on magic in the Switch title.

7 World of Warcraft

Still the king of MMOs over 20 years later


System

PC-1

Released
November 23, 2004

One of the longest running MMORPGs out there, World of Warcraft helped make the genre commonplace with the chance to roam Azeroth. Players can choose one of twenty-eight playable races, including Night Elves, Blood Elves, Void Elves, and Nightborne, each with distinct looks, strengths, and abilities.

World of Warcraft continues to receive regular updates and expansions, allowing players to experience new storylines, dungeons, bosses and locations in the fantastic universe. In addition to the four choices of elves, there are also several classes to choose from such as mage, warrior, rogue, paladin and more.

Cyrodiil is arguably the most beautiful Elder Scrolls world


These days, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is often overshadowed by its arguably superior sequel, but it still deserves plenty of praise. Many things the sequel is known for started with Oblivion. The game provides an immersive open world that had very little direction for the player after the opening mission, allowing them to go anywhere and do whatever they wanted.

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Similar World of Warcraftthere are several elf races to choose from: High Elf, Wood Elf and Dark Elf. Each has different stat attributes that can drastically change how players choose to play their custom classes. IN Oblivionplayers can freely explore the peaceful land of Cyrodiil to complete various quests when not diving into the title Planes Of Oblivion.

5 Pillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire

A fusion of fantasy and pirates


Perhaps if a player is looking for something other than the usual fantasy setting, they can turn to a world of pirates on the high seas with Pillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire. The cool isometric RPG adventure features six playable races, including the elf, which comes with the options of two sub-races: Pale Elf and Wood Elf.

As an upgrade from the first game, Pillars of Eternity 2 has an explorable world with oceans, tropics, cities, deserts, mountains and more to immerse yourself in. 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.

Bethesda's RPG that took the world by storm


Released
November 11, 2011

Developer
Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher
Bethesda Softworks

The same three plots as before Elder scrolls the games are coming back The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimbut with an even more detailed character creator, allowing players to create their dream orc characters. Skyrim has become a gold standard in the fantasy RPG genre. Players consider it a step up from Oblivion in almost every aspect, from the massive Northern Territory of Skyrim itself to the gameplay.

Bethesda knows it Skyrim was a huge hit, as 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 customization options, new missions and mechanics to keep the game thriving over a decade later.

3 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War

The most immersive Middle-earth experience


Released
October 10, 2017

Monolith Productions open world adventure game set in The Lord of the Rings universe already surprised players with the patented Nemesis system to make each playthrough different. Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War became even bigger than before, with Talion's rise as the Bright Lord beloved by players and Tolkien fans alike.

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However, Shadow Of War also features two alternate playable characters: Eltariel and Baranor. Eltariel starts out as an ally to Talion, but is also the protagonist of it Blade Of Galadriel DLC. This expansion enhances the story and allows players to exercise her skills as an elf slayer. Eltariel can also be used as a skin for Talion in the main story.

2 Dragon Age: Inquisition

Playing as an elf can change the story and dialogue


Released
November 18, 2014

The first time Dragon Age games embraced an open world were included Dragon Age: Inquisitionan RPG in the same vein as Mass effect by the same development studio: BioWare. As Mass Effect, it featured lots of story and dialogue options that could dramatically affect the plot and characters, but with spells and magic.

The main character in Dragon Age: Inquisition can be created from scratch, with four playable races to choose from: Human, Dwarf, Qunari and Elf. BioWare's take on the elves is similar The Witcher universe, where elves and other non-human races are victims of prejudice. Choosing to play as an elf changes how you interact with characters throughout the story.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Old and new converge in the largest rental map to date


System

super grayscale 8-bit logo

Released
May 12, 2023

Developer
Nintendo

Open worlds have existed in The Legend of Zelda franchise for years, with the original arguably one of the first in gaming. However, The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom takes it to another level with the largest Hyrule to explore, over twice the size of the map from Breath of the Wildwhich already broke the record for the largest map.

Link gets new runic abilities in The tears of the kingdom which lends itself to even more intricate puzzles inside the shrines and the return of more traditional dungeons. The abilities also allow Link to ascend the flying islands, which can also be explored.

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