I have been replaying Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim the last few days and reflecting on its impact on the RPG genre and gaming in general. In the years since Skyrim released we have gotten a lot of open-world games that have continued to push the boundaries set by previous generations: Witcher III, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey to name a few. This got me speculating on what features Bethesda may add, modify, or take away from previous iterations of the Elder Scrolls.
So...what features do you want (or not want) to see in the next Elder Scrolls game, and why?
Here's the short list of my top 5 features:
5. Athletics added back as a skill -- implemented similarly to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where nearly every surface is climbable 4. Mini-games or in-game interactive experiences like Gwent, Archery competitions, horse racing, etc. 3. More in-depth character customization that affects each play-through (giving more incentive to replay the game) 2. An impressive magic system that requires more than simple spell tomes 1. Stealth that isn't ridiculously broken and meme-worthy
I remember one of my first full system overhauls was SkyRe. I remember that one of the features that I really liked was how it unlocked the skill cap and allowed you to play the game by doing exactly what you wanted to do, instead of dabbling in any kind of peripheral nonsense that made no sense for your character, just in order to keep on leveling.
I especially disliked spamming magic spells, just so as to level magic schools that I would never bother with, since it was the only way to progress once you capped your skills of choice.
Most wanted: that they finally get rid of the ridiculous pause the game to consume all the potions you want and totally re-outfit yourself with any weapons and armor... that's Cheese with a capital C.
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“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Mods, without Mods Skyrim would have been a nothing game, something i am sure Bethesda are more than aware of, which is why they are likely to increase the monetisation via mods in TES VI, one of the reasons i have stayed with the previous version of Skyrim even though the 'remastered' version was given away for free, is because of the Mods, frankly i do not trust Bethesda not to make a mess of things, of which FO76 is just the most recent and damning example.
My most desired feature is for Bethesda to stop trying to do core tech themselves and outsource that component of game development to more competent hands.
Perhaps as far as a ES specific feature, spell crafting would certainly be nice to have again.
A return to a more involved stat/progression system would be nice too.
Comments
I especially disliked spamming magic spells, just so as to level magic schools that I would never bother with, since it was the only way to progress once you capped your skills of choice.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Perhaps as far as a ES specific feature, spell crafting would certainly be nice to have again.
A return to a more involved stat/progression system would be nice too.