While The Elder Scrolls 6 has a lot to live up to following the astronomical success of Skyrim, omitting certain features will not take away from the classic Elder Scrolls formula, and would also give the developers a chance to put in a more refined substitute for these features. Most of Skyrim’s success comes from the simplicity and freedom that players are given, so as Bethesda decides what features they drop, they need to ensure that the players continue to play with this simplicity and freedom.
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Fast Travel
The Elder Scrolls games have always had robust open worlds filled with events and side quests that the players can enjoy. In Skyrim, outside survival mode, fast travel is an option that any player can use to get to a place they have already visited before. However, The Elder Scrolls 6 should ax this and force players to only use predetermined fast travel areas to quickly move from place to place. This would give the game a greater sense of immersion, as players would be able to familiarize themselves with the map and the world
To counter the loss of the fast travel mechanic, however, a lot of different content should be introduced into the game to make it easier to navigate the world outside the map. Signposts, for example, feature heavily in many Skyrim mods, and should make their way to the upcoming game as well. Another example is being able to hire guides from certain locations could also help the player get to a new location, while also giving the player a temporary follower. Including more settlements with carriages that players could use for fast travel could still appear, without removing players from the immersive world of the upcoming game.
Experience System
Players in Skyrim have many options when it comes to leveling up their characters. Experience is gained for each individual skill the more it is used. To level up one-handed, for instance, players will need to use one-handed weapons more. While this works well in Skyrim and ensures that players will only level up the skills they need, it limits the number of skill points that can be assigned to certain skills that are not used as much through playing the game without grinding, like Smithing or Alchemy.
The Elder Scrolls 6 could omit this system and utilize a simpler system, such as the one seen in games like the Horizon Franchise or Marvel’s Spider-Man. By offering players skill points that can be spent on different traits within the trees to improve a particular skill, the game becomes easier for players who are creating a versatile character, or for players that decide to change the character’s class later in a playthrough.
Tiered Trainers
One of the other ways that players can level up skills in Skyrim is by paying trainers to further the progress in any one skill. These trainers are tiered according to the maximum level they can train a particular skill up to, with the highest tiered trainers able to level a skill up to level 80. While it is a great way for players to quickly adopt a new play style, the tiered trainers are not always easily locatable without research outside the game. This makes them not an accessible form of leveling up in the early stages of the game, where they are most effective.
Instead of having more trainers that could level up skills, The Elder Scrolls 6 should feature some new ways for players to gain quick level-ups in exchange for money. There could be more side quests that are directly related to gaining skill points or more skill books throughout the game, even a library that will sell individual skill books. The trainers are just not as effective for players who want to level up skills quickly without having to grind since they are often spread out throughout the map and are not easily located, apart from the early game trainers.
Overall, The Elder Scrolls 6 has a monumental task ahead as it tries to give players the same level of excitement they had when they first played through Skyrim. It is a game that every RPG fan around the world is eagerly awaiting and that has all the potential to once again, redefine the genre. While it may seem simple enough to take all the features that made Skyrim and add to them, omitting some of these features could let Bethesda release a more rounded game with meaningful content and tons of exploration and fun.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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