The Official TES VI Wishlist thread

[Dark Spark]

Enchantment in the field may be attempted as a spellcasting animation. A master enchanter can try casting the spell, the menu pops up. You make your selectins and when done your character finishes the casting. Big blast of light, and you have an enchanted item.

This balances portability with the realism that you really wouldn't be doing this in the middle of a fight: time moves forward during the selection process and you're vulnerable to attack.

[FrozenWolf150]

Enchantment in the field may be attempted as a spellcasting animation. A master enchanter can try casting the spell, the menu pops up. You make your selectins and when done your character finishes the casting. Big blast of light, and you have an enchanted item.

This balances portability with the realism that you really wouldn't be doing this in the middle of a fight: time moves forward during the selection process and you're vulnerable to attack.

Well yeah, Skyrim doesn't allow you to use alchemy labs, arcane enchanters, or smithing forges in the middle of combat either. I'm talking about when you're out traveling and are setting up camp for the night.


On a different subject, I was wondering. What should replace the dragon shouts for TES VI? Shouts are such an integral part of gameplay in Skyrim that I can't imagine the next game wouldn't have something equivalent, like innate magical powers with a wide variety of effects you typically can't get other ways. However, I wouldn't want them to reuse the Shout system either.

[Dark Spark]

From my perspective, Shouts were soul-powered enchantments twisted into spell form, the soul powering the effect having the grace of still being alive. It's not that unique a thing in the grand scheme.

[SeventhWarlock]

- Let ES IV take place in the Summerset Isles, featuring the Psijic Order, the Maomer, elven supremacists and the gods. Make something original out of it, inspired by Morrowind rather than the others.
- Give us several possible endings, and the option of being generally a badass not just when doing the DB quests. Consider introducing an alignment system of some sort.
- One of not too many things were inspiration should be taken from ESO is its class system, let us have it back but make it highly customizable.
- More random events occurring frequently. Every new game should give a different experience.
- Your choice of race should really affect the interactions in the game.
- More opportunities for leading armies (a bit like the Skyrim civil war) owning houses/institutions and running businesses. Possibly the opportunity to hold a fief or even becoming king in the late game.
- New races, preferably Maomer and Reachmen.

[Vilhelm Valhalla]

[Deleted]

[Bauglir100]

Anyone played "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor"? I think they ought to bring in the grappling/climbing/stealth system from that game into the next TES title, to make your character's movements less stiff.

And bring back the ability to use weapons in the water. Seriously, what was Bethesda thinking leaving it out of Skyrim?

[Leckan]

From my perspective, Shouts were soul-powered enchantments twisted into spell form, the soul powering the effect having the grace of still being alive. It's not that unique a thing in the grand scheme.

Honestly, from my perspective magicka is one's spiritual energy. That's why soul gems let you use magic, it's using someone else's spiritual energy instead of your own.

In that vein, I see soul gems as a horrible fate (especially after seeing the soul cairn) that is perhaps not necessary. One could use their own spiritual energy to recharge weapons and enchant items, although I suppose more powerful enchantments may require more magicka than the user has to spare so using ALL of someone's spiritual energy may be required.

No clue on how shouts work.

[Mattbott]

Shouts are powered by dragon souls?

I want the climbing of Assassins Creed (or something involving rope, handholds and vertical ascent ie not jumping up and down)
the nemesis mechanic from Shadow of Mordor
Pirates
Flight
Option for a first person view when I am a werewolf
Three dimensional, hard to explore, Morrowind like dungeons.

Spoiler:

They dont all have to be 3d labyrinths but I'd like some in there along with the linear set-piece style places of Skyrim and the ruined building style from Oblivion. Climbing, swimming, flying, and slowfalling should all be part of the dungeoneer's repetiore.

Summerset Isle, Blackmarsh or Elswheyr as locations

[Dark Spark]

From my perspective, Shouts were soul-powered enchantments twisted into spell form, the soul powering the effect having the grace of still being alive. It's not that unique a thing in the grand scheme.

Honestly, from my perspective magicka is one's spiritual energy. That's why soul gems let you use magic, it's using someone else's spiritual energy instead of your own.

In that vein, I see soul gems as a horrible fate (especially after seeing the soul cairn) that is perhaps not necessary. One could use their own spiritual energy to recharge weapons and enchant items, although I suppose more powerful enchantments may require more magicka than the user has to spare so using ALL of someone's spiritual energy may be required.

No clue on how shouts work.

It is established that magicka is not spiritual energy from within: it's the energy of Aetherius slowly leaking through the broken veil of Oblivion and coming down to Mundus. Mortals perceive this as starlight, one reason the constellations are so important to Nirn. It's another reason why Doomstones and Heavenstones only work at night.

[Leckan]

From my perspective, Shouts were soul-powered enchantments twisted into spell form, the soul powering the effect having the grace of still being alive. It's not that unique a thing in the grand scheme.

Honestly, from my perspective magicka is one's spiritual energy. That's why soul gems let you use magic, it's using someone else's spiritual energy instead of your own.

In that vein, I see soul gems as a horrible fate (especially after seeing the soul cairn) that is perhaps not necessary. One could use their own spiritual energy to recharge weapons and enchant items, although I suppose more powerful enchantments may require more magicka than the user has to spare so using ALL of someone's spiritual energy may be required.

No clue on how shouts work.

It is established that magicka is not spiritual energy from within: it's the energy of Aetherius slowly leaking through the broken veil of Oblivion and coming down to Mundus. Mortals perceive this as starlight, one reason the constellations are so important to Nirn. It's another reason why Doomstones and Heavenstones only work at night.

Indeed, but don't those punctures just make magic possible? Is this aetherium energy the source of magicka? If they are, then why are souls substitutes for aetherium energy? Why do people have limited pools of magicka if aetherium energy is constantly flowing into mundus?

[Dark Spark]

A mage's skill allows them to utilize the magicka coming from Aetherius: their knowledge of different spells allows them to transform it into different effects, their willpower and mental fortitude allows them to channel larger amounts without frying their brains or bodies.

The energy is always there: skill in magic allows one to use more and more of it effectively and in more ways than one.

It's like a power outlet in a hotel lobby: the energy is there for you to use. How you use it depends on what you have (a laptop, a smartphone, or a mobile phone) and what you know (logging onto business site for your employer, or Youtube for funny cat videos).

[Leckan]

A mage's skill allows them to utilize the magicka coming from Aetherius: their knowledge of different spells allows them to transform it into different effects, their willpower and mental fortitude allows them to channel larger amounts without frying their brains or bodies.

The energy is always there: skill in magic allows one to use more and more of it effectively and in more ways than one.

It's like a power outlet in a hotel lobby: the energy is there for you to use. How you use it depends on what you have (a laptop, a smartphone, or a mobile phone) and what you know (logging onto business site for your employer, or Youtube for funny cat videos).

I understand what you're trying to say, but the use of soul gems throws a wrench into things.

[Dark Spark]

Like Blood Magic in Dragon Age or the Dark Side of The Force, soul gems tap into an easier, more accessible form of magic whose true cost comes by other means.

Between the two forms, I'd say soul magic was the first form. After all, creation of Mundus came from death and transformation of divine spirit. Going further on that idea, I think the reason magicka came later was because the divines created it as an alternative to stealing energy from a living being.

Dragons, older than Mundus, don't use nor understand magicka. Soul energy is the only means, the only way to exert power. Perhaps that explains their temperment: they can't think outside the equation of Power=Taking Life. Living soul energy is trapped potential: killing and devouring releases that energy so it can fulfill its destined purpose.

Soul energy and Aetherian magicka are two different sources of power, but it is the knowledge and skill of the magic user that defines how such energy is utilized.

[Bauglir100]

I would also like to see larger cities that's streets are crowded with maybe nameless characters like nord, orc etc. I think this would make the cities feel more like cities if you had just some random npc's walking the streets making it feel more crowded more like a city.

Better yet: Generic NPCs that actually have names that are randomly generated from a list of first AND last names, instead of just calling them "Nord citizen" or "Town guard" or whatever. That's what Arena and Daggerfall did. Even modern games like Call of Duty and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor do that.

[FrozenWolf150]

Like Blood Magic in Dragon Age or the Dark Side of The Force, soul gems tap into an easier, more accessible form of magic whose true cost comes by other means.

Between the two forms, I'd say soul magic was the first form. After all, creation of Mundus came from death and transformation of divine spirit. Going further on that idea, I think the reason magicka came later was because the divines created it as an alternative to stealing energy from a living being.

Dragons, older than Mundus, don't use nor understand magicka. Soul energy is the only means, the only way to exert power. Perhaps that explains their temperment: they can't think outside the equation of Power=Taking Life. Living soul energy is trapped potential: killing and devouring releases that energy so it can fulfill its destined purpose.

Soul energy and Aetherian magicka are two different sources of power, but it is the knowledge and skill of the magic user that defines how such energy is utilized.

Good points all around, though I was talking more about what kind of secondary magical power system could replace Dragon Shouts in TES VI from a gameplay perspective. I tried to think of equivalents from Morrowind or Oblivion, but there weren't really any special magic systems that stood out. Unless you count the flying spells in Morrowind, as those were absolutely necessary to beat the game.

The thing is, as anyone who is familiar with magical fantasy settings would know, the concept of "words of power" is seen almost everywhere. In other fiction, spells run directly on incantations, chants, and songs. In some works, magic users are able to directly control or kill someone by knowing their "true name," as an example of just how powerful words can be. In fact, I'm surprised the concept of words of power did not appear in TES until Skyrim. Spells like Silence existed in previous games, implying that mages do need to speak in order to cast spells, but there have never been any audible incantations.

Therefore, I was thinking. What if special chants and songs were to replace Dragon Shouts? This would be similar to how the bard classes in AD&D can sing in battle to buff allies or debuff enemies. Since simple incantations or phrases are for basic spells, you would need to learn more complex verses for more powerful earth-shattering effects that could not be obtained any other way. These would be more like rituals that take time and concentration to cast, and would fail if you're interrupted or injured, but if you manage to pull one off you'd absolutely dominate your opponents. This would give you more incentive to put up shields and buffs, use disabling effects, summon atronachs to hold enemies at bay, and order your followers to run interference. Skyrim sort of had this strategy with the two-handed master level spells, but the only unique thing about them was that you were forced to stand still while your character waved their hands around.

[BetaB17]

On the topic of replacing Shouts, I guess it depends on setting and less so for plot. If the game took place in Hammerfell there is tge special power of 'Sword-Singing' if I recall. In many ways it could allow a multitude of buffs for weapons n character or a weapon of pure destruction. There is obviously alot of potential so long as it keeps to a central theme

Likewise we have Shadow magic, tho obviously more so for story elements than gameplay machanics. Aside from specific tasks, you could use it to 'blink' or teleport a short distance much like a similar Shout had. However it can help expand on fast travel, acting as a explanation, or even allow for checkpoints for reasonably expanded dungeons or ruins. Which honestly could help bridge the use of 'Shadow realms' as actual dungeons. You could also drain an enemies lifeforce but that isnt something new or fancy

Lastly we have the use of actual Soul magic, tho vastly more expanded n unique than what we saw in ESO. In many was, it could be the baseline to most magics, the common origin, much like DS was mentioning. Imagine a power that would 'shatter' your own soul or a weaker foe's, causing a massive AoE attack. We also have the option for the PC to harness tons of Aetheric energy, but ultimately it would function no different. Unlike others, this type would clearly not be dependent on location in the least, and can even be altered to fit other culture's 'equivalents', and may indeed bring new lore about Magnus too

Really, aside from obvious game breaking powers like CHIM, there arent many known powers to replace the Thu'um, and I for one dont want to see it become a permanent addition. Again, depending on where they take us we could see new powers, from some exotic power from the Hist or lost knowledge of the Aldmer, the hardest bit is to find something universally helpful n desirable to all class types :/

[The SheoDovah]

Shouts should never return in a TES game due to the nature of them and with Paarthanaux either dead or leading the rest of the dovahs and trying to teach them to ignore their instincts to not destroy or dominant everything in sight, the Greybeards may not even be a thing as their purpose could be over. The Dovahkiin didn't need decades of training. Other nords do and it would contradict lore to allow non-Dovahkiin characters to have that power.

I can see them adding the Thu'um to a few and hopefully, unique nord characters that only use one or two word shouts.


The Hist, well, the Hist is just that, the Hist and who knows what it can do. I think Bethesda may have reached a godzilla threshold power and they will annoy a fair amount of fans whatever they do due to how well recieved the shouts were and the replacement is going to be hard. I would like to see hundreds,if not, a thousand spells to choose from and with different animations instead of a select few. Oh and the ability to combine it with unarmed. E.g. Destruction magic, you have fists of fire.

[BetaB17]

Actually, given how creative the devs have been with lore, this option to add a new power or expand on an existing one is great. TES isnt like most other fantasy games/worlds. There is no much untapped potential, to the extent of making us long for more. They can tease the Dwarves, Lorkhan, n many of the innate mysteries, many of which are better kept in the dark despite public interest. Why should they cave in now to that pressure? Plus.. Skyrim sure as hell isnt the best model to strive for(it was lazy in plots n some mechanics honestly), they should strive to do better, much like ESO has.

Some fans are calling for 'more dragons, I wanna ride dragons' n obviously more shouts, even for ESO.. which frankly.. ruins alot of the lore( & in the words of one of XBL friends "But it would be cool so it's okay" which sums that issue up) n may even stagnant the mechanic as a whole. Hence to why moving on to something new is for the best.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

ESO introduces new lore and challenges us to think about existing lore in new ways, which is quite frankly what every game since Daggerfall has done, so I think the assertion that it "ruins lore", while oft-harped in this community, is for the most part insubstantial. I have in my possession two beautiful hardcover titles from Titan Books called Tales of Tamriel volumes 1 and 2 (1 being "The Land" and 2 being "The Lore"), both of which contain stories which wouldn't have been out of place on a bookshelf in Morrowind, Oblivion or Skyrim. That's just my 2 cents on that subject. And yes, I realize the three Alliances (well, two of them. Dominion is solid) seem a bit illogical and ill-fated, but the game actually treats them as such, with a lot of NPCs openly doubting they have staying power. As we know, that's the case, as history barely remembers them.

As far as Shout-like abilities being reused in subsequent games, I think it's likely Bethesda will keep the "powers button" thing, but change how it's integrated. Your example of Sword Singing is one of several regional variations of similar powers they could seamlessly integrate into an upgraded engine. I really doubt the Dragon Shout thing will return, because it's frankly not appropriate for stories that aren't Skyrim, but similar effects could easily be justified in various other in-universe ways.

[FrozenWolf150]

Elemental spell effects should affect the environment in realistic ways. This occurred to me before, and I've seen it work well in the Fire and Ice Overhaul.

Fire spells should set flammable things on fire for a time, and fire should spread. Things like wood houses and dry vegetation should catch fire more readily than stone structures, for instance. You should be able to cause additional damage to enemies by setting your surroundings on fire. The aforementioned mod does things like this, but I have a few additional ideas. Aquatic enemies or enemies that are wet would be resistant to being set on fire (but more vulnerable to frost) whereas enemies that are completely dry or covered in flammable substances would burn more readily. You should have the option of throwing oil flasks, perhaps made of dwarven oil, at enemies to set them up for this.

Frost spells should freeze bodies of water, as well as standing water containers like buckets, troughs, and beverage items. Powerful frost spells should be capable of stopping rivers from flowing, as well as condensing ice from the air to form barriers. The slowing and paralyzing effects of frost on enemies should be determined by the strength and area effect of the spell, not some arbitrary perks or powers. Freezing the ground should make the ground slippery and cause enemies to fall over if they try to charge at you.

Shock spells should follow the rules of conductivity. Enemies wearing all metal armor should be more vulnerable to shock. Shock should also have its own paralytic effect against living targets if the spell is strong enough. You could make enemies more susceptible to shock by shooting them with metal bolt ammunition, or arrows made of metal. Dwarven automatons should be more vulnerable to shock than they were before. If enemies are standing in salt water or on metal flooring, and you're not, firing a shock spell at the ground under them should electrocute them.

[The SheoDovah]

The main issue with having that, Frozen, is that many people would complain about mages being "overpowered" just because the PC can get the same effects on them as the enemies. It would be nice to have that but i doubt Bethesda are that much inclinced to do so just for magic. Enchanted Arrows and Bolts, yes.

I would love to see the ability to change our hair/beards and tattoos at our houses instead of having to look for one person. Maybe, an option to have facial hair grow as the months go by as well.

[Dark Spark]

Do not include subtle changes to our character's appearances that are beyond our control. I don't want to have to change a character's playstyle just because of a gimmick that makes my character conform to someone else's idea of how they should look. If I want a lithe and svelte assassin, I shouldn't worry about how pumping points into strength or melee combat skills will cause my character to bulk up like Conan.

[BetaB17]

Im fine age taking effect.. like facial hair, body fat/loss, stress lines, n unkempt hair if left uncared for <_< bit obviously maintenance should be easy to do n hardly drastic. Then again, such a sysyem may be too much

Preferably, Id rather have appearance changes caused bu diseases.. I want ppl to look ill n sick when in actually thry are >_> as any disease progresses n gets worse till at threshold, their appearance should reflect their status

[Vilhelm Valhalla]

[Deleted]

[Mattbott]

the ability to lose a limb (and therefore regenerate it with healing school magic) would be nice.. low level heal spells and potions might not get rid of scars from a large wound. If you wanted a character with scars you'd spam cure minor wounds at yourself, if you wanted perfect skin you could use a remove scar spell or cure major wounds level magic on yourself. Your scars could influence how people see you as well (for example a scar from a wound which did 90 points of damage to you might give you a +9% kudos rating with npcs who were affected by such things)