Some fans take their love of the studio a step further by permanently marking their body with a tattoo from one of Bethesda’s franchises, such as The Elder Scrolls or Fallout. And we admire that kind of passion. So let’s take a look at the 10 coolest tattoos we’ve seen which have been inspired by Bethesda and its franchises.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Arrow in the knee
We’re starting out strong here, as this is probably one of the most adorable Skyrim tattoos on the entire internet.
The iconic “took an arrow to the knee” line repeated by guards across the entirety of Skyrim has been immortalized as a caricature on this person’s forearm. Just look at that coloring!
Honestly, we’re a little bit jealous we didn’t think of this first.
Dragonborn portrait
The sombre look in those black and gray eyes are enough to fill anyone with a deep desire to load up Skyrim once more. The intricate detail that went into every single crack, crevice, and beard hair on this man’s face is just impeccable. We can’t even imagine how long it took to finish up the top portion alone.
And of course, the Dragonborn is front and center in the bottom half of the tattoo. Anyone who has played the game will know where this monster of a character comes from.
Black and red Dragonborn
Of course, anyone considering getting an Elder Scrolls tattoo may immediately think of the Dragonborn, as he is the most recognizable character in the entire franchise at this point. Some may think it would get boring, but when done right – like it is in this tattoo to the left – that really does not matter.
The deep black and red shading of the piece really helps it stand out.
Dark Brotherhood
This Elder Scrolls piece may seem kind of vague, but the owner of said piece was inspired by the Dark Brotherhood – the assassin’s guild – of the franchise.
Whoever did this tattoo has a lot of skill, as the knife blends incredibly well. The blood drops look fake, but that could simply be an aesthetic choice.
Fallout
Vault Boy
Fallout is one of the only open-world, post-apocalyptic role-playing games that has stood the test of time. Today, with the recent release of Fallout 4, the franchise is as strong as ever, which means the love of the community is only growing.
This little chest tattoo is nothing more than the iconic Vault Boy inside of a Vault door. But it’s still striking.
The coloring is bright, the detail is nearly impeccable, and the overall feel is really just wonderful.
Brotherhood of Steel
I’ve always been a fan of the Brotherhood of Steel within the Fallout world. They always seemed like the last knights trying to retain order in a dying world. Their motives are a bit more nefarious than that, though.
Their symbol, however, is known by every single player. The single sword at the forefront over gears and wings. This particular tattoo managed to capture the rugged appeal of their logo while shading it perfectly.
NCR Ranger
The NCR Ranger from Fallout: New Vegas wore what is probably considered the best armor in the entire game. The hidden nature of the face behind the mask makes it so much more mysterious and interesting.
While this tattoo does appear rugged and rough, we believe that may be the entire point. The Rangers were a rough-and-tumble type of group in the Mojave Wasteland, and this piece of artwork resembles that nature quite well.
Fallout (Shelter?)
This one reminds us more of Fallout Shelter than any of the role-playing games in the franchise.
Here we can see Vault Boy over the Vault-Tec logo. In the background, wary people are slowly entering the fallout shelter in an attempt to escape the bombs.
Overall, the high level of quality allows the viewer to make out everything with ease.
DOOM
DOOM may be one of the newest releases from Bethesda, but the franchise has been around for a long, long time. This most recent iteration of the first-person shooter was good enough to warrant some ink, apparently.
This piece covers the entire back shoulders of one lucky fan, who has a monster from the franchise surrounded by machinery in a black-and-gray tattoo.
Dishonored
There are very few instances where a Dishonored tattoo might work quite well, but this hand tattoo is certainly one of them.
Sporting the same magical mark as the one adorning Corvo - the masked assassin - this fan really shows off his love for the series.
Thankfully, the first game wasn’t the end. Bethesda recently announced Dishonored 2! Which means even more tattoo material is on the way.
The gaming community can sometimes be fanatical and difficult, but then you find those willing to show their love and support for a single developer/publisher and remember that it’s all out of passion for the games we love. These tattoos are only the beginning, we promise you that.
