The magic system ofThe Elder Scrollsuniverse is one of the more intriguing systems found in gaming as a whole. The many schools of magic allow players to experiment with a wide variety of spell combinations to create their own unique mage.The Elder Scrolls 6could further expand on that idea.
Along with hand-casted spells, players have been able to use staves to cast magic. However, they are often less effective and therefore less utilized than hand-casted spells.The Elder Scrolls 6could revamp staves to help them become more vital to the magic-casting experience.
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How Staves Could Revitalize The Elder Scrolls’ Magic
Mages have been a popular archetype throughout various installments of the franchise, especially inThe Elder Scrolls 3: MorrowindandThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, whenthe power and potential ofThe Elder Scrolls' spellcraftingmechanics were at there highest. But even in those games, staves saw very little use due to the fact they ultimately became obsolete at a certain point. Players would initially use them to supplement their low magicka pools and regeneration rates, but once they got over that hurdle, staves became significantly less useful. But surprisingly enough, there is an unlikelyThe Elder Scrollsgame that managed to do staves justice:The Elder Scrolls Online.
The MMORPG took the idea of making staves an important aspect of magical combat and ran with it. InThe Elder Scrolls Online, almost every magicka-userfinds themselves wielding a stave purely because of how important it is to the overall mage experience. Not only do they come with their own unique skills to supplement the class skills player get, but they also come with perks that support magicka users. However, though they are not lacking in utility for mage builds, they do lack in variety, with there only being fire, ice, lightning, and healing variants. Still, this provides a solid enough template forThe Elder Scrolls 6to work with.
The Elder Scrolls 6should adopt the idea that staves can act as conduits for casting various magical spells, rather than only the spell they are enchanted with. Staves could provide a different experience as opposed to hand-casted spells. For example, staves could make it so that it is cheaper to cast spells, but they may be less effective as a result. This would fit right in with builds that aim to be a bit more frugal with their magicka pools. It would also allow for a bit of variety when it comes to casting some ofThe Elder Scrollsstrongest spells. But most of all, it would grant a level of customizability to the player that they never had before.
InThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, players can essentially craft their own staves through staff enchanter tables. Thisfeature could be brought back forThe Elder Scrolls 6but with more depth. For example, rather than simply applying an enchantment to a staff, perhaps it could come with unique benefit, like a player that specializes in ice magic choosing to create a staff that is more cost-efficient or does more damage with ice spells. Though these are just statistical changes, they would go a long way in emphasizing a character’s identity. This level of customizability would allow for a more unique experience, making staves into more memorable weapons overall.
Considering how popular mages are inThe Elder Scrollsgames' lore and gameplay, hopefully Bethesda Softworks goes a long way in fleshing out that experience forThe Elder Scrolls 6. Making staves more useful would be the first step in helping to create some ofTamriel’s strongest mage characters.
The Elder Scrolls 6is currently in development.
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