Summary
Even thoughOblivion Remasteredis as close as a 1:1 version of the original as it gets, with just a few changes here and there, it very much keeps the magic alive for both OGOblivionfans and newcomers who have only played more recent titles likeSkyrimandESO.Skyrimhas been in fans' digital and physical libraries for almost 14 years now, and while it is very innovative for the series and paves the way for a lot of interesting features inThe Elder Scrolls 6, its predecessor shouldn’t be ignored, especially now thatOblivion Remasteredhas enjoyed a smashing success. In fact,TES 6can’t do without one magic-related feature, but it shouldn’t be likeOblivion Remastered’s.
BecauseThe Elder Scrollsseries is founded on classic RPG concepts, including the trifecta of warrior, mage, and rogue, the use of magic and spells is key.The Elder Scrolls 6is basically guaranteed to follow these same principles, with the series even making up its own version of mana as Magicka, and it needs to make sure it doesn’t leaveOblivionandOblivion Remastered’s best magical featurebehind, likeSkyrimdid. At the same time, it shouldn’t have a version of it that is identical to the fourth installment of the series.
Oblivion Remastered’s Crafted Spells Are a Double-Edged Sword
Oblivion Remastered’s spellcraftingis nearly identical to that of the original game, and it’s once again a fantastic way to create desire for and simultaneously fulfill a specific power fantasy niche. Players can do virtually anything with spellcrafting inOblivion Remastered, to the point that it can arguably trivialize the whole game with how powerful crafted spells can be. One can hypothetically create a spell that provides Fortify Attribute for Speed, restores health over time, and applies invisibility for a duration, which essentially makes dying almost impossible.
If one also plays aBreton with The Lord Birthsign inOblivion Remastered, this kind of crafted spell simply can’t get the player killed in any scenario, unless one purposefully remains in harm’s way. Likewise, one could craft a spell that uses the Drain Skill effect for Strength and Endurance as well as the Absorb Health effect to one-shot most enemies in the game with a high-enough magnitude. Other wild creations are available, such as summoning an elemental Atronach while also applying Weakness to Magic on nearby enemies and paralyzing them, making it so the creature can easily kill everyone.
Why The Elder Scrolls 6’s Spellcrafting Can’t Exactly Be Oblivion’s Spellcrafting
Spellcrafting can be extremely fun, and it should return, especially seeing how its absence was felt inSkyrim. However, ifThe Elder Scrolls 6adds spellcrafting, it should do so with two specific conditions in mind:
For example,The Elder Scrolls 6could have a system in place that prevents spells from more than two different schools from being mixed, or it could have a sort of tiered system for spell effects, meaning that only one effect from the highest tier can be used whencrafting spells inOblivion Remastered. These are just examples, but they would make spellcrafting more balanced.
Likewise, avoiding a way to gain access to spellcrafting very early on is crucial.The Elder Scrolls 6’s rumored settingcould also give Bethesda the perfect excuse to make spellcrafting a rare occurrence, considering that many Redguards and citizens from Hammerfell look upon magic with distrust. This could mean that players may acquire the ability to use spellcrafting at the end of the Mages Guild questline, like inOblivion Remastered, or maybe through some other endgame means. It remains to be seen if spellcrafting will return, in the first place, but if it does, it should tread carefully.
