In the world of The Elder Scrolls, magic is a part of life. Every culture has an opinion on magic, and it's intertwined with theology and cultural practices. It's also one of the things that have made the games so great, but they haven't added much to it over the years, so there's a lot of pressure to introduce new magic in The Elder Scrolls 6. Skyrim even removed some forms of magic, such as Spellcrafting and the Mysticism school. The same kinds of magic have been used in almost every game in The Elder Scrolls series, and players need innovation.
To add new life into The Elder Scrolls 6's magic, Bethesda could expand upon the current systems. Adding new spells to the skill trees available would go a long way towards making magic feel new and exciting. Fire, Frost, and Shock are already available in the Destruction school, so adding other elements such as water, earth, and wind would be a good start, especially if fans are looking to live out their Avatar fantasies in a Skyrim-like setting. Alteration is another school that can be far more than what the games have chosen to make it. Its applications in the games have largely been outside of combat, but it can be expanded to include using the environment to a player's advantage, or to better traverse the world.
Even the forms of magic that don't quite feel like magic are ripe for expansion in The Elder Scrolls 6. Enchanting and Alchemy don't involve shooting fire or summing Atronachs, so they've been largely glossed over in the past. Done right, both could be made to feel like real magic, and make the player feel like a powerful mage while they're using them. The Elder Scrolls 6 could improve Enchanting and Alchemy immensely. Cumbersome mini-games have been a problem in Bethesda games, and should be avoided if these two schools of magic were to be expanded, but the schools should still grow beyond the basic lists of effects and ingredients that Enchanting and Alchemy have involved in past games.
The Elder Scrolls 6 could also include forms of magic that have been seen in the past, but have not been usable by the player. Shadow Magic is a powerful form of magic that players haven't been able to use in past Elder Scrolls games, and it is a prime candidate for a new school. Dark Magic, used by the Sorcerer class in Elder Scrolls Online, is similar, but it is not the same thing. More obscure forms, like Auramancy, Chronomancy, Soul Magic, and The Shehai would be refreshing new options for players who want to do more with magic than what past games have let them.
There's also the option to include things like curses, debilitating effects, and buffs. Giving negative effects to enemies with poisons is already in the games, but using magic for it would give players more options to tip the scales of combat, especially since poisons need to be applied to weapons, and therefore become moot at later levels. Being able to buff companions in The Elder Scrolls 6 would greatly increase their combat effectiveness as well as give the player the opportunity to take on more of a support role, and curses can be used both in combat and outside of it, to allow players to bypass Speech, Bribery, or Intimidation checks, among other things.
Even minor forms of magic can be exciting if done right. Cheesemancy and Ovamancy are two forms of magic that might seem odd, but they can be integrated into the games' cooking mechanics to make even the basic parts of the games feel magical. Seemingly mundane forms of magic can add to the lore and make players feel like they're actually the next Elder Scrolls game's protagonist, even if they're not used in combat. Introducing magic to the games' crafting systems can go a long way towards improving gameplay and making difficult parts of the game fun and easy.
Alternatively, Bethesda could add entirely new forms of magic in The Elder Scrolls 6. In the lore, magic first came from the light of the sun and stars, so a form of magic based on light would be a fantastic new territory to explore, an opportunity to build on established lore, and the perfect counter to Shadow Magic. It would also be the perfect way to introduce new magics to the Elder Scrolls series.
Being able to use pure light for offense, defense, healing, and more would make any player feel like they're really in The Elder Scrolls 6, and in Tamriel. Light Magic has been used in some form in Elder Scrolls Online, by the Templar Class, but primarily in the form of sunlight instead of the concept of light itself, and leaves a lot of room for expansion. The simple Candelight and Magelight spells in past games can provide light, but true Light Magic could be a focal point of The Elder Scrolls 6's new magic.
Light Magic could also tie in very nicely to the game's potential themes. Introducing both Shadow Magic and some form of Light Magic can add a duality to The Elder Scrolls 6's story and lore that would give it depth and nuance that no previous game has had before. Almost every game up until now has had the player be the hero of the story; despite being able to do some evil things, players have had few options for playing the villain. Shadow Magic could give players that chance, just as Light Magic could give them the chance to be the most righteous hero in the series yet. They could even blend the two, and let players delve into the deepest depths of Shadow Magic only to redeem themselves later, or dutifully practice Light Magic and corrupt themselves later in the game.
New magic could also come from the deities of The Elder Scrolls, the Divines and the Daedra. Daedric Artifacts and blessings and amulets from the Divines are already a major part of the series, so adding magic given to the player by the Aedra and Daedra in The Elder Scrolls 6 wouldn't be too much of a stretch. It would also add on to the potential Light Magic and Shadow Magic themes, and together, they could vastly improve the game.
There are also ways for Bethesda to combine new and old magics. Conjure Familiar is a basic Conjuration spell that lets players summon a spectral wolf to temporarily fight by their side, but little else. Expanding on familiars would bring exciting new mechanics and lore to The Elder Scrolls, especially TES6. A permanent magical animal companion, one that players might even be able to choose and improve, would be another great way to introduce new forms of magic to the game. Having a fierce saber cat or a sly fox to fight and grow with players on their adventures can add to not just the games' magic, but to the gameplay as a whole.
Another possibility for combining new and old mechanics to add magic based on music and the various musical instruments in the series. Despite not adding much to gameplay, Bards are a part of every Elder Scrolls game. In Skyrim, there's a college where players can become an honorary bard, but the quests for it don't add anything besides a couple of new skill trainers. The concept has been widely underutilized, and giving players the option to truly become a bard, learn magical songs, and fight their enemies with music instead of swords or spells would add entirely new ways to play.
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November 07, 2021 at 11:59PM
