What is a .ESS file?
The file extension .ESS is associated with EasySpreadsheet Spreadsheet, but it is also used in a completely different context as a saved game file for The Elder Scrolls (TES) series of video games. These games are popular first-person role-playing games (RPGs) developed by Bethesda Softworks. The series includes well-known titles such as Skyrim (The Elder Scrolls V), Oblivion (The Elder Scrolls IV), and Morrowind (The Elder Scrolls III).
When used in the context of The Elder Scrolls games, an .ESS file contains all the necessary information about a player's progress in the game. This includes the status of various quests the player has undertaken, the level of the player's character, the items the character possesses, and the total playtime. Essentially, this file acts as a snapshot of the game at the time it was saved, allowing the player to return to that exact point in the game whenever they load the .ESS file.
To open an .ESS file that is a saved game from The Elder Scrolls series, you would need to have the specific game the save is from installed on your computer. For example, if you have a saved game file from Skyrim (TES 5), you would need to have Skyrim installed to load and continue playing from that saved point. The same goes for saved games from Oblivion (TES 4) and Morrowind (TES 3); you would need to have each respective game installed to open and use the .ESS files created by them.
In summary, while the .ESS file extension might initially seem to be related only to spreadsheets, in the context of gaming, it plays a crucial role in allowing players of The Elder Scrolls series to save their game progress and return to it later. The specific programs needed to open these .ESS files are the games themselves: Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
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