The Elder Scrolls VI is still just a dream in the mind of gamers, but in the meantime we can discuss how Bethesda can improve on the next game in the series and what went wrong with previous games. There were many shared complaints about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by gamers; notably the limited bestiary and drab color palette.
It’s safe to say a lot of the changes made to the series between Oblivion and Skyrim were not welcomed by fans. A logical first step to improving the next game in the series is to examine the previous games of The Elder Scrolls series and identify what features should remain and which ones need to be replaced with something better.
10 Want: Picking A Class
With Skyrim, Bethesda changed the character-class system. Players no longer chose a profession for their character – like Fighter, Wizard, or Thief. Instead, characters simply got better by performing actions repeatedly over time. A marriage of the two systems would allow for better customization, and help eliminate super-characters that are masters of every skill.
Bring back the ability to pick a class when creating a character, but also allow limited use of skills that aren’t under the umbrella of the chosen class. An enchantment (for items) could be added to lessen these cross-class limits.
9 Don’t Want: Stiff Animation
One of The Elder Scrolls franchise’s most consistent and obvious flaws, and this has been true since The Elder Scrolls: Arena, is the stiff animation of the characters. At times the animation seems more like the stop-motion animated action figures on Robot Chicken.
Many gamers forgave this stiff animation because of the sprawling game-worlds The Elder Scrolls titles provided players. Most considered it a trade-off; larger game-world = stiffer animation. More recent titles, like The Witcher 3, have shown this trade-off is no longer necessary.
8 Want: Boat Ownership
Those who played The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall will probably remember how in depth the role-playing features were in that game. It felt like you could do almost anything. One of the coolest options was the ability to buy a ship which could be used for fast travelling.
This gave the player their own base of operations that could be moved to any location accessible by sea. This should be brought back to the franchise, with the sailing game-mechanics similar to those in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. It would also be a nice feature to be able to navigate rivers with smaller ships.
7 Don’t Want: The Dialogue System
Over the life of the The Elder Scrolls series it seems like the player’s dialogue options have gotten steadily worse. In Skyrim, when interacting with an NPC that’s giving the player a choice, the options almost always got broken down into four basic responses.
You can agree, you can ask a question (before you agree), you can deliver an angry or sarcastic response (before agreeing), or saying no (with the understanding the game’s story is paused until you agree). The Fallout games also use this dialogue system, and the system needs to be updated.
6 Want: Large Cities
Skyrim and Oblivion had some large cities – that is until they’re compared to the large cities in many of the current open-world games. Solitude looks impressive, but there’s only about ten dwellings in the whole town.
The main city in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, absolutely dwarfs any of the cities in Skyrim and Oblivion– and Daggerfall was released in 1996. It would be nice if players were given at least one large city in which to get lost and find adventure; one without separate zones that require loading would be preferable.
5 Don’t Want: Copy-And-Paste Dungeons
Another major complaint about The Elder Scrolls series is that with each successive title the dungeons get more…samey. A lot of players dread the thought of ever having to go into another Draugr burrow or abandoned Dwemer city.
Oblivion had slightly more variety of in regards to dungeon settings, but still not enough for most gamers (and not as much as its predecessor Morrowind). Having dungeons that don’t all feel like extensions of the same dungeon is something every fan of the series is hoping for in The Elder Scrolls VI.
4 Want: Romantic Options
One endearing feature of Skyrim is the ability to begin a relationship with an NPC. This increases the role-playing potential of a game immensely, as if forces an emotional link to the events in the game (however tenuous).
Players of Oblivion were given the ability to romance some of the NPCs via the modding community, but it was not present in the “vanilla” version. An expanded romance system in The Elder Scrolls VI would be appreciated – complete with more complex methods of courting besides picking the right answers during dialogue.
3 Don’t Want: The Spellcasting System In Skyrim
Bethesda got spellcrafting just about right in Oblivion, but then (for some reason) omitted this spellcrafting system when making Skyrim. In Oblivion, players could make their own spells. The Altar of Spellmaking allowed players to combine spell effects, determine the range (self, touch, or ranged) of their spell, and the power level of the spell’s effects.
The closest to this Skyrim got was allowing casting with both hands (dual-casting) for increased effect. Dual-casting can return for The Elder Scrolls VI, but many more fans of the series would rather see a return of the spellcrafting system in Oblivion.
2 Want: Gladiator Arenas
The Gladiator Arena is yet another great feature that was lost between Oblivion and Skyrim. At the Arena players could participate in fights for prizes, or bet on the fights. With modern multiplay capabilities, the Arena would become a game unto itself.
Along with an arena, Bethesda should include the ability for players to form gladiator clans. Fights could be arranged by the players, or players could simply have the game select an opponent at random – with the approximate level of experience as the player’s character. Fights could also be for prestige; which could translate into discounts at shops in town.
1 Don’t Want: The Imbalance Of Play-Styles In Skyrim
There are probably thousands of characters in Skyrim that began as spellcasters or front-line fighters, but somewhere along the way they forsook their scrolls and blades and became a stealth archer. Sadly, as the stealth archer play-style was being boosted in Skyrim, the spellcasting play-style was being nerfed.
Spellcasting seemed under-powered unless a player learned one of the few exploits made available by how the game was coded – like the ability to enchant four items with -25% to magika cost when casting. Hopefully, when making The Elders Scrolls VI, Bethesda finds a way to balance the play-styles and make them all equally appealing.
NEXT: 5 Things World Of Warcraft Classic Does Better Than The Elder Scrolls Online (& 5 It Doesn’t)
