The Elder Scrolls' magic system is among the most elaborate in gaming. Players can choose to play as a pure wizard, slinging fireballs and summoning Daedra, or they can use magic to supplement their warrior or thief-oriented builds. In the past, spellcrafting deepened the possibilities with magic, and The Elder Scrolls 6 would benefit from encouraging this once again.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim skipped out on spellcrafting, opting for premade spells. While not uncreative in its implementation, especially as players could dual wield spells, it did take a certain amount of autonomy away from the player. With The Elder Scrolls 6 on the distant horizon, spellcrafting could make a return to the franchise like never before.
Spellcrafting's Future in The Elder Scrolls Franchise
Spellcrafting made its first appearance in The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, but would be remembered for iterations in The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Players could learn new spell effects by purchasing spells from other mages, and could use those spells to craft others. They were able to edit the magnitude, longevity, and power of a spell, while also mixing certain effects. For example, players could create a fireball that left an ice debuff to damage the target over time, and at the same time paralyze them. The power of a spell was offset by its cost to use, which helped create a somewhat balanced system. However, this also resulted in some of the strongest spells in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
Due to a different creative vision for the game, spellcrafting would be left out of Skyrim. This helped with the issue of magic becoming overpowered, but ultimately took away from the experience of being a skilled mage. Unlike before, Skyrim's spells no longer felt like they belong to the player. In Morrowind, players rarely used premade spells, opting instead to create their own as a way of building a specific reputation. This allowed every spell book to feel unique, with players even being allowed to name their own spells. The importance of certain magic types felt lost in Skyrim.
Despite the lack of spellcrafting in Skyrim, there is still the possibility that The Elder Scrolls 6 could bring it back. After all, Bethesda has quite a bit of time on its hands to work on the next installment and its features. The Elder Scrolls 6 could start by including more spell effects than ever before, rather than continuing trend of abandoning certain spell effects like armor break and feather that began with Morrowind. This would allow for a greater amount of spells to be utilized, so even non-mage builds have opportunities to adopt magic that fits their play style. It could even add more diversity to The Elder Scrolls' schools of magic, giving them more specialized uses.
The Elder Scrolls 6 could also introduce new forms of transmission not seen in Oblivion or Morrowind. Previously, players only had access to touch and projectile spells, but Skyrim featured new ways to apply magical effects like consistent streams of fire and ice, or setting down an explosive sigil trap. The Elder Scrolls 6 could apply this to the spellcrafting system, allowing players to use these effects to a greater degree. This would not only diversify the themes available to a mage, but also the way they approach combat. This would allow for a ton of broken but fun Elder Scrolls builds that the franchise has become known for.
Spellcrafting's return in The Elder Scrolls 6 would be a strong return to form for the franchise. While it may not come to fruition, it is interesting to think about the possibilities available when expanding a removed system. Even if Bethesda doesn't provide spellcrafting, at least Skyrim's modding community will be sure to pick up where they left off in a new region of Tamriel.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.