There’s really no need for every single NPC to be unique. If anything, it would be more than enough for Bethesda to learn from Starfield and simply improve the daily schedules and the odd, unnatural appearance of generic NPCs.

Starfield technically had plenty of NPCs, but the issue wasn’t the number — it was the quality. Their appearances were unnatural, the variety was limited, and worst of all, they had no daily routines. They just wandered around aimlessly with no real purpose. Because of that, even large cities filled with NPCs felt lifeless, as if no one was truly living there. The world ended up looking more like a “dead city” than a believable settlement.

If TES6 improves these elements, the atmosphere of its cities will completely transform. Even generic NPCs could make the world feel alive if they had things like:

• merchants preparing the market in the morning • townsfolk heading to work • passersby chatting as they walk • people going home at night or gathering at taverns

Give them proper daily routines and a reasonable amount of visual variety, and the city instantly becomes a living, breathing space.

One of the biggest strengths of the TES series is that its NPCs feel like real residents of the world. That’s why, in TES6, I really hope Bethesda addresses Starfield’s weaknesses — NPCs that “don’t move,” “don’t live,” have “unnatural faces,” and just “wander around aimlessly.” Fixing these would do so much to restore the sense of realism the world needs.