Skyrimis known for simplifying a lot of the systems found in olderElder Scrollsgames. While some fans disliked the changes, they helped make the game accessible, very likely contributing to its massive success even when compared to the previous games in the series. It has been ten years since the last game, however, and many fans are wondering what changes will come inThe Elder Scrolls 6.
There have already been some rumors about potential changes coming to the spell system inThe Elder Scrolls 6. If this requires an overhaul ofSkyrim’s constellation perk system, Bethesda could face a tough balancing act between keeping the simple accessibility ofSkyrim’s system and expanding the number of viable playstyles in the next game.
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Skyrim’s Skill System
Using Nirn’s constellations forThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim’s skill system was a stroke of genius on Bethesda’s part.Oblivion’s attribute and skill system was familiar to most RPG fans, butSkyrim’s move towards a skill-level based system and unique perks made it far more accessible and enjoyable to progress through. Using the stars inSkyrim’s sky as the different skill trees was a great visual touch that fitted well into the world.
There has been a lot of speculation about what sort of combat and ability systemThe Elder Scrolls 6might have.The Elder Scrollsmay be known for itsbreathtaking open worlds, huge number of NPCs, and the freedom the games give the player, but they are not known for their robust combat systems.
Skyrim’s revised skill system made progressing through the game more satisfying, butSkyrim’s combat still fell victim to many of the complaints players had been voicing sinceMorrowind. Much of the combat was still a sword-swinging war of attrition, for example. Back in March, video game leaker Tiffany Treadmore suggested that the nextElder Scrollsgame might introduce a spell-crafting and rune-drawing system, raising some big questions about the changes that could be on the way for Bethesda’s flagship fantasy franchise.
WhileOblivion’s system was closer to traditional TTRPG stat systems,Skyrim’s constellationswere visually clean while also introducing more tangible checkpoints for progress than pastElder Scrollsgames. WhileOblivionplayers levelled their skills at the moment of levelling up,Skyrimplayers did so through exercising their skills in the world. Not only did this make more intuitive sense, with player characters immersively practicing, but the skills unlocked were satisfying rewards in a way that the older games' stat-based boosts often were not.
Many fans are wondering how Bethesda can improve on combat andspellcasting inThe Elder Scrolls 6while still keeping the clean simplicity of the constellation-based skill system. Fortunately, there are plenty ofSkyrimmods which offer some great revised skill trees that keep the simplicity of the original while introducing some fantastic new ways to progress through the game.
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Improving Perks For The Elder Scrolls 6
For a start, it’s possible to rebalanceSkyrim’s vanilla skill system without changing the way that players progress and unlock perks. This can be seen in mods likeOdin - Skyrim Magic Overhaul. This mod made plenty of changes toThe Elder Scrolls 5, but its rebalancing may be most worthy of note for Bethesda while working on the next game. The mod made scrolls and staves as powerful as their respective spells, for example, as well as adding effects with them that supported perks players could pick up in their skill trees. This opened up a wider variety ofSkyrimplaystyles while still keeping the core simplicity and accessibility that undoubtedly helpedSkyrimbecome the most successful game in the franchise to date.
The mod also added a bunch of new spells, which might give fans some inkling into howThe Elder Scrolls 6might expand its spell and combat system while still using the same formula. These could be particularly useful ifThe Elder Scrolls 6is going to introduce a flexiblespell-crafting system. Some of Odin — Skyrim Magic Overhaul’s more innovative spell additions include spells like Milestones, which allows the player to put down 5 different teleportation anchors and move between them.
Odin — Skyrim Magic Overhaul is far from the only mod which shows howSkyrim’s constellation skill system could be expanded upon and improved while remaining accessible. Ordinator — Perks of Skyrim keeps a lot of theoriginalSkyrimperks- although it does shuffle around when some of them are unlocked.
Expanding The System, Keeping The Formula
Ordinator — Perks of Skyrim also adds a huge amount of new perks, while doing some interesting rebalancing across the board. While keeping the perk system familiar, it makes changes like increased damage for archers based on distance, or for landing several successive shots in rapid succession. WhileSkyrim’s combatcan feel like a war of attrition, mods like Ordinator — Perks of Skyrim help directly connect the advantages of different perks to the player’s own skill in combat.
The extra perks helped expand the number of viable playstyles inSkyrimmassively. Ordinator adds plenty of perks which make specificplaystyles like battlemage- or even new ones like bards — more viable in combat.The Elder Scrolls 6’s perk system could expand to make its combat similarly diverse.
In a similar manner, mods like Imperious —Races of Skyrimintroduced more skills based on the player’s race, while keeping it lore-friendly and tied into the game’s base mechanics. InSkyrim’s retail release, for example, Bosmer get the ability to make an animal their ally for 60 seconds, and to resist poison and disease. Imperious - Races of Skyrim makes some fantastic additions. The Green Pact ability allows Bosmer to cannibalize corpses to fortify themselves for 20 minutes, while the Harrier ability uses a wild bird to help debuff enemies or target animals to hunt for extra loot. InThe Elder Scrolls 6, each race could even have a skill tree if they were well-balanced.
The changes in these mods aren’t perfect, but they do show just how muchSkyrim’s constellation perk system can be changed while still staying true to its accessible nature. Hopefully, therumors aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6’s spell-crafting and rune-drawing systems won’t also see fundamental overhauls to the perk system. Instead, Bethesda should work on expanding it outward fromSkyrim’s system, creating an even more diverse batch of viable playstyles that could giveThe Elder Scrolls 6even more replay value than Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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