Todd Howard confirms Elder Scrolls 6 will feature significantly more trees than Skyrim, fueling speculation about Valenwood’s setting.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is generating buzz on par with GTA 6, yet details remain scarce even after more than seven years since its reveal trailer. Recently, Bethesda’s director and executive producer Todd Howard shared one of the few concrete pieces of information about the game, which, while intriguing, may not hold significant weight in the grand scheme.

In an engaging video by content creator Any Austin, the long-standing question of “How many trees are there in Skyrim?” is finally addressed. Skyrim’s expansive map is filled with pine trees, but the exact count is 46,430. Austin arrived at this figure through extensive exploration, statistical surveys, and checking game files, all without relying on mods or wikis. Interestingly, he even got Howard to take a guess, which turned out to be quite off the mark.

Howard estimated there are 111,111 trees in Skyrim, likely a nod to the game’s 2011 release. However, the real kicker came when he was asked if The Elder Scrolls 6 would feature more or fewer trees than Skyrim. With dramatic flair, Howard responded, “More… most definitely, more.”

While this might not mean much in the long run, it opens the door for some fun speculation about what Howard’s comments could imply.

The most straightforward interpretation is that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be significantly larger than Skyrim, leading to a natural increase in tree count, regardless of the terrain. Based on Howard’s remark, we can reasonably infer that the game won’t be set in a desert—unless he’s counting cacti as trees, which seems unlikely.

For those who want to dive deeper into speculation, examining the map of Tamriel could lead to guesses about the game’s setting. My personal bet is on Valenwood, described in unofficial sources as “a densely forested, sub-tropical region” in the southwestern part of Tamriel. A Pocket Guide to the Empire paints Valenwood as “a sea of endless green,” filled with cities nestled among gigantic, migratory trees.

If Valenwood becomes a key location in The Elder Scrolls 6, it would lend even more weight to Howard’s emphasis on the abundance of trees compared to Skyrim.

Does this mean Valenwood has a better chance of being featured in The Elder Scrolls 6 than any other region? That’s up for debate, but it’s certainly an entertaining theory.

Howard has also mentioned that Elder Scrolls 6 is “progressing really well” and that “the majority of the studio” is focused on this highly anticipated sequel, emphasizing their commitment to thorough pre-production to ensure a solid foundation for the game.