Skyrim's Lead Designer Hopes The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel Makes Ladders Climbable

Bruce Nesmith, the lead designer of Skyrim, says he hopes The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel finally lets players climb ladders for real.

Nesmith made the comments in an interview with The Examined Game, which GamesRadar+ reported on 7 November 2026. The issue is a simple one. In Skyrim, a player does not climb a ladder. They click it and are moved from one end to the other.

That shortcut has a cost for the people building the levels. Nesmith said the approach limits the art team when it comes to multi-layer levels, such as a building or dungeon stacked over several floors. A ladder that can be climbed lets the team link those floors in a way that feels like a real space.

He also hopes for a better version of mounts, the horses and other creatures players ride. Nesmith listed mounts alongside ladders as the two things he would like to see improved in Sentinel. He spoke about them as hopes, not as confirmed features.

Bethesda Game Studios, the studio behind The Elder Scrolls series, is developing the game. Bethesda's help site hosts a page for the game's official announcement teaser and name reveal. It states that Sentinel is in pre-production, the early stage when a team plans a game and works out its core ideas before full production begins. Bethesda calls it the highly anticipated next chapter in the series.

Fans who want a piece of the name can also look at merchandise. Bethesda's Gear store lists an official The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel Tee at US$34.99.

The interview did not include a release date.