Fans have been waiting for news aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6ever since Bethesda first announced the game back at E3 2018. That news, however, has been few and far between, and very little of it has been confirmed by official Bethesda sources.
A new leak has suggested thatThe Elder Scrolls6will contain survival mechanics in its base game, as well as a new system which will allow players to craft their own spells. Though this has yet to be confirmed, considering the history of the franchise and the way it has dealt with magic and crafting mechanics, there are some great reasons that this leak would make a lot of sense.
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The Elder Scrolls 6 Leaks
On March 20, historically credible leaker Tiffany Treadmore was reported to have claimed thatThe Elder Scrolls 6would include survival mechanics. Treadmore has previously been correct about some big leaks, correctly calling the cancellation of a Nintendo Direct and last year’s E3.
This post aboutTiffany Treadmore’s new leaks was followed up with a tweet regarding more features which could be making it intoThe Elder Scrolls 6— a “Rune Drawing” system, and a system for crafting spells.
According to the source, Rune Drawing itself has yet to be confirmed, butThe Elder Scrolls 6will have a new feature which will allow players to craft spells in a way which deviates from bothSkyrimand olderElder Scrollsgames. Although the new system may be different from previous games it is certainly supported by the franchise’s history.
ManyElder Scrollsfans got their introduction to the franchise throughSkyrim, which remains the best-selling addition to the series. However, Bethesda massively simplified thespell system inSkyrimcompared to the one found in previousElder Scrollsgames. InSkyrimthere are a set number of spells - a handful of which all players know by default, and many more which can be learned by reading spell books which can be found throughout the world.
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The History Of Spellmaking
The simplification of spells inSkyrimhas been criticized in the past, with some fans of olderElder Scrollsgames claiming it removed a lot of the fun of playing a spellcaster by omitting the player’s ability to make their own spells. InOblivion, players who joinedthe Mages Guildcould learn how to make their own spells using the Altar of Spellmaking.
The Alter of Spellmaking allowedOblivionplayers huge amounts of control over the specifics of their custom spells. Spellcasters in the Mages Guild could define four main parts of each spell. The first was its range — whether or not it would be cast on Self, on Touch, or on Target. The second was the spell’s area of effect. The third was the spell’s magnitude, and its duration.Oblivionwould then use a formula to determine the necessary skill level to cast the spell, how much Magicka it would cost, and how much gold would be needed to create the spell in the first place.
Spellmaking also appeared in a slightly different form inMorrowind. InThe Elder Scrolls 3, players could create custom spells which combined up to eight different magical effects from across all the schools of magic, and unlikeOblivion,this did not require enrollment in the Mages Guild.Morrowindused similar factors like magnitude and duration to determine the price of creating the spell. UnlikeOblivion, however, these factors were not a part of the customization of the spellmaking process itself. To add an effect to a custom spell, players just needed to know a spell which already had that effect.
Instead of using the Alter of Spellmaking, theNerevarinecould visit many different Spellmakers across Vvardenfell in order to procure their services. All in all, it should not come as a surprise that spellmaking is returning in some form inThe Elder Scrolls 6. If true, spellmaking will likely undergo some changes from previous iterations, just as the system did between previous games in the series.
The Future Of The Elder Scrolls
Many fans of the earlierElder Scrollsgames will be delighted if custom spells make a return in some form. It was a feature Zenimax promised forThe Elder Scrolls Onlinewhich never came to fruition. InOblivionandMorrowind, without the balancing considerations of an online game, spellmaking was one of the most fun aspects of using magic. Players were allowed to come up with their own creative combat solutions.
Although unconfirmed, that rumoredThe Elder Scrolls 6"Rune Drawing" feature could be some form of compromise between the spellmaking systems found in earlierElder Scrollsgames and the simplified spell system inSkyrim. Although many fans will be glad to see the return of custom spells, there’s no doubt that the simplicity and accessibility ofSkyrimwas part of what helped it become such a huge success, withSkyrimalready selling 20 million copiesin three years.
It is reported thatBethesda’s engine will be undergoing a massive overhaulbefore the release of the studio’s upcoming sci-fi RPGStarfield. Considering the fact thatStarfieldwill be set in space, this could include significant upgrades to the engine’s ability to emulate physics. This in turn could make a custom spell feature inThe Elder Scrolls 6all the more exciting. Bethesda could set some far-reaching but consistent rules for magic, which could allow players to make creative new spells without worrying that they would break the game.
The removal of spellmaking inSkyrimcame as part of a double-punch for more traditional RPG fans, withSkyrimalso removing the series' class system. InSkyrimthe player already essentially starts off as a Jack-of-All-Trades, and there are far fewer incentives to specialize. Though it seems unlikely that the class system will be making a return as well,The Elder Scrolls 6’s rumored spellmaking system could prove to be a good compromise betweenSkyrim’s simplicity and the customization found in previousElder Scrollsgames. Whether or not the feature ends up making it to the game’s retail release, and just what Rune Drawing may entail, remains to be revealed.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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