The scale of the Elder Scrolls universe and media based on it is immense. As such, there are cases where certain entries into the franchise may contradict established lore and may not be considered canon.
Todd Howard's Order of PriorityEdit
During an interview in 2019, when asked about fan theories, Todd gave a list on what one should prioritise as canon over other sources:
- 1: In-game events viewed through the eyes of the player
- 2: A book published in-universe that can be read inside the game
- 3: An official work published outside of the game (examples given include the game manual and the official cookbook)
Todd went on to say that anything stated by a fan would not go on the list. This would imply fanfiction and other unofficial works are non-canon and not to be considered a part of The Elder Scrolls lore or canon.
CanonEdit
This is a list of Elder Scrolls media that can be considered canon.
Official MediaEdit
Main SeriesEdit
Spin-OffsEdit
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Dawnstar
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey
- The Elder Scrolls Online
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- Exile Blades Survival Test prequel
BooksEdit
Dubious CanonEdit
This is a list of Elder Scrolls media which falls into an ambiguous state of canon, as, for one reason or another, it may contradict "higher tier" lore, or break the continuity barrier entirely, yet still exist within the Elder Scrolls universe.
Reasons for this may include:
- Statements on in-universe happenings from real life, out-of-universe sources
- Crossover content from a different IP that does not exist within the Elder Scrolls universe
- Unofficial, player-created content acknowledged or referenced in some form by official sources
Official mediaEdit
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- OB Mobile is superseded by TES IV: Oblivion in that the latter contains a more extensive account of the events that occur in both games. However, original content that appears in OB Mobile that appears in, and doesn't contradict, TES IV: Oblivion (such as Baynham) may still be considered canon.
- Fall of the Space Core, Vol 1 for TES V: Skyrim
- The Legend of Zelda-themed items for TES V: Skyrim on Nintendo Switch
Official or quasi-official sources outside of official mediaEdit
- Developer Posts
- Interviews
- Various archived materials
- Unofficial Lore
Non-CanonEdit
This is a non-exhaustive list of official Elder Scrolls media and major unofficial works based on The Elder Scrolls. These are generally considered non-canon because they completely contradict "higher tier" lore or are by no means officially recognised as an authentic entry to the franchise.
Reason for this may include:
- Official tie-ins set in the Elder Scrolls universe but do not intend to contribute to its worldbuilding
- Official media not to be taken seriously (joke products, parody media, etc.)
- Content created behind the scenes but never fully implemented into an entry of the franchise nor officially released (beta, cut, or cancelled content, etc.)
- Unofficial content created by unauthorised third-parties (mods, fan games, fanfiction, etc.)
Official MediaEdit
- Most trailers or similar pre-release media, as they tend to contain beta or cut content and may contradict the events of the final product
- Ditto with concept art
- TES V: Skyrim Game Jam
- TES V: Skyrim Pinball
- Skyrim Very Special Edition
- Smolder Scrolls Online
- TES V: Skyrim Monopoly
- TES V: Skyrim Risk
- The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms
- TES V: Skyrim - The Adventure Game
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Betrayal of the Second Era
Cancelled GamesEdit
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Eye of Argonia
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Paradise Sugar
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for PSP
Fan or Otherwise Unofficial ContentEdit
ModsEdit
MorrowindEdit
- Morrowind developer mods
- Project Tamriel
- Tamriel Rebuilt
OblivionEdit
SkyrimEdit
- Skyrim developer mods
- Beyond Skyrim
- The Elder Scrolls Renewal: Skywind
- The Elder Scrolls: Skyblivion