Summary
In theElder Scrollsseries, magic is one of the core mechanisms of gameplay and isdeeply rooted in the lore. It is said that magic originates from Aetherius, the Immortal Plane, and passes through the sun and stars to reach the world. Magic affinity and potency vary depending on the star sign that the caster was born under.
Magic, or the Arcane Arts, is the ability to alter the world through Magicka. One of the main uses of magic inThe Elder Scrollsis to cast spells, along with magical crafting, like enchanting weapons or making potions through alchemy. Access to magic and its gameplay mechanics change with each installation ofThe Elder Scrolls. Here’s how magic works in eachElder Scrollsgame, fromArenatoSkyrim, ranked by how good each system is.
InThe Elder Scrolls: Arena, the Mage and Bard classes can cast spells, and anyone with a magically-imbued item or potion can use magic. About 50 spells exist, with up to 32 more combinations available with the Spellmaker. Players can only cast spells known in their spellbook, and they can only cast them if they have the requisite spell points. The mechanics of figuring out how much a spell costs to cast is mathematical; if Toxic Cloud costs 700 gold to buy, casting it will cost 700 divided by 2, divided by character level.
InArena, spells and magical items are either bought from the Mages Guild or found out during adventures. There exist 4 different types of casting magic, offensive spells, healing and attribute enhancement spells, protective spells, and environmental alteration spells. By default, spells are cast with the C key, recast with Shift-C, and aimed spells clicked with the cursor. Gamers will find the magic inArenato be incredibly powerful and game-changing once they understand the basics of casting.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimsimplified magic in major ways that greatly benefit the game as well as dampen it a little. Spellcasting only requires knowing the spell, having enough Magicka to do so, and being the right skill level. As one of the primary skill groups alongside Combat and Stealth, Magic comes in five major flavors: Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, and Restoration, with Enchanting returning as the crafting skill for magic. Soul Gems first made an appearance inDaggerfalland have remained since, with severalspells inSkyrim’s Conjuration skill booksand skill tree giving players the ability to trap souls for enchanting.
Custom spells are done away for good inSkyrim, but Powers still exist, and Dragon Shouts are introduced, both of which do not cost Magicka to use and have cooldowns. Like all ofSkyrim’s predecessors,the Daedric influence is still alive,mostly emerging here as artifacts scattered across the land or in the form of bound weapons summoned through Conjuration.
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfallallows anyone with the right amount of spell points to cast magic. Spell points depend on the amount of Intelligence attribute points a character has, and the cost of spellcasting largely depends on whether the chosen school of magic is selected as one ofthe minor, major, or primary skills in character creation. The schools of magic introduced inDaggerfallare Alteration, Destruction, Illusion, Mysticism, Restoration, and Thaumaturgy.
Daggerfall’s magic is similar to Arena’s in terms of casting costs and extremely potent when skill points are allocated well. Once players join the Mages Guild, they gain access to a more in-depth version of the Spell Maker. The Spell Maker lets players create custom spells with up to three effects, such as achieving a ghostly form with Invisibility, Levitate, and Silence.Daggerfallalso introduces enchanting to players who ascend the ranks of the Mages Guild, along with new items called Soul Gems, which trap the souls of enemies in order to power magical items.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindremoved the Spell Maker and specified Magicka as the name for the spell point energy resource mentioned in the previous games.Morrowindalso changed how magic is cast, with Intelligence determining a character’s Magicka pool, and Willpower affecting the ability to successfully cast spells (Fatigue and Luck also determine the hit chance of spells). Players can use single-use scrolls to cast spells for free.
Morrowindre-establishes similar schools of magic seen inDaggerfall, with Illusion, Conjuration, Alteration, Destruction, Mysticism, and Restoration. Enchanting and Alchemy are also introduced as skills in this installment. A new arrival of magic is Powers, which are similar to spells and used in the same manner. Powers are acquired upon character creation through choice of race, birth sign, and from finishing certain quests — they never fail and cost no Magicka to use, but they can only be used once every 24 hours of game time.
InThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, anyone can cast magic as long as the skill level requirement is met for the spell and consumes Magicka to use. The six schools of magic show up again here, as well as Spell Making at altars for those in the Mages Guild found in the Arcane University in the Imperial City or at Frostcrag Spire. Customizing spells inOblivionrequires knowing spells andallows players to manipulate parameterslike range, area of effect, magnitude, and duration.
Powers and scrolls make another appearance, functioning the same asMorrowind. One of the most notable changes in magic fromMorrowindtoOblivionisthe removal of significant spellslike Levitate, Jump, and Blind, but spellmaking powerful combinations makes up for it. The enchant skill was also removed, but replaced with Altars of Enchantments and Sigil Stones. Magicka inOblivionalso regenerates much faster, and spells can never fail, unlikeMorrowind’s classic RPG mechanics.
