The Elder Scrolls: Arena

The Elder Scrolls: Arena
Developer: Bethesda Softworks Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Platform: DOS Released in US: February 1994 Released in EU: later in 1994 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has revisional differences. This game has a prerelease article

This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article?

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

To do: Search through the files some more, including the executables (Floppy 1.00 to CD 1.07), in particular GLOBAL.BSA

The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first entry in the Elder Scrolls series. It was initially a gladiator game where the player would use several characters to fight in battles that was transformed into a CRPG over time as playtesters found the added sidequests more fun than the gladiatorial battles.

Sub-Page

Prerelease Info

Unused Text

Present from 3C4D8 to 3C60A in a decompressed executable of a.exe are a few leftovers from when the game allowed the player to have team members:

Team leader
Team member 2
Team member 3
Team member 4

Revisional Differences

• Version 1.01 added the ability to check the version number.
• v1.05 added the ability to rename spells.
• v1.06 added the ability to slow the game down with the '-delay' command for faster processors, such as the Pentium.
• Patches added the ability to have messages instantly pop in instead of pixellating in by pressing F4.

Unused Graphics

These two HUDs are in the graphics files, but there is seemingly no way to enable either. The HUD on the left is featured in screenshots from very early versions of the game, where the player could have up four characters in his or her party.

Unused Drop Rates

Creatures, such as Homoculi, Ghosts and Wraiths leave no corpse still have drop rates associated with them. It is possible to paralyze then kill an enemy to prevent it from vanishing before the player can interact with it.

Unused Music

WINGAME

Present within GLOBAL.BSA, presumably it was meant to be played at the end of the game.

CREDITS

Same story as previous file, except it was presumably going to be played during the credits, The Elder Scrolls: Arena doesn't have a credits sequence, the first mainline game to do so was The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

EVIL

Maybe this was Tharn's theme?... if he had one.

COMBAT

Unused combat music.

OVERSNOW

Overcast snowing theme, unused for some unknown reason.

(Source: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Monsters)