One of the best things about a TES game is that you have a great range of role playing styles. This is do to a large degree of freedom in customizing your character to the specifications that your role playing idea would need. Whenever a role playing game has content removed, any role playing style that was dependent on that content is removed as well. For instance, if all light armor was removed from the a TES game, it would be harder to role play a ranger or a rogue. This is because those styles of role playing are partially dependent on that particular feature of the game. If you loved role playing a lightly armored type of character, this removal of a feature would lessen your enjoyment of the game because you could no longer create the characters that you wanted to.

People like me who love role playing wizards have had the ability to customize their wizards to their specifications severely limited. This is because a large number of character builds were dependent on a mechanic that has been removed from Skyrim. That mechanic is spell creation. Because it is an 100% optional feature (and thus has no impact on others), there is no legitimate argument to be made for its removal. Therefore, I would hope Bethesda understands this and reintroduces a spell creation system in future DLC or TES games.

At this point, after seeing the magic in Skyrim, I would gladly pay for a spellmaking dlc.
To put the magic back into TES.

Why it wasn't included in the first place is beyond me.

You have my vote.

Fairly certain it was removed due to the larger variety of spell general mechanics offered in Skyrim.

In Morrowind/Oblivion you'd either have on touch, target or self, either AoE or non and then just the raw numbers.

Immediately from the start you're introduced to a new type of mechanic in Skyrim (flamethrowers) and you can find more along the way (Blizzard having it's slow moving blast and then there's runes and wards.) The general ways in which spells behave when you cast them may seem simple at first, but when you're trying to create a flamethrower frenzy or rune healing spell, or a ward flame spell that damages people you're near, it might get a bit convoluted and was removed for probably just that reason.

I do see it being re-introduced by the modding community if you play on a PC however.

Yeah, no excuse for its removal. Berth ruined magic. Effectively taking the magic out of magic.

Pay?? Are you serious? I would love to have my spellmaking altar back yes but after all the problems with the game they should make DLC free imho.

I'm honestly surprised they left spellmaking out of the game.

I never got into using magic at all in Oblivion until the last few months before Skyrim when I finished up the MQ, Mages Guild, etc. for the first time.. and yeah.. what the hell?

I'm also "eh" with how you can only apply certain enchantments to certain items.. and the fact that there is no Carry Weight/Feather spell. Though I think having Feather spells/enchantments can be kind of.. I donno.. 'game breaking' as some people say maybe? But really, "abusing" a carry weight spell and enchantments on armor wouldn't be much different than how you can craft a ton of iron daggers and level up Smithing ridiculously easily - so why'd they make that possible, but not an 'abusable' feather spell?

meh, I don't care. love the game regardless.

Skyrims magic system is highly improved over previous games, and I think it was the right move. Spellcrafting is not needed with the variety they've given in Skyrim.

Sincerely,
An avid magic user in previous TES games.

...There is no variety. We lost way, way more than we gained. Fact.

"No variety".
Gross exaggeration does not make your (false) point more valid. Fact.

Variety of magic in Skyrim? I have played over 300 hours.... and have found no variety in magic. Love the game, but there is no doubt in my mind that magic was nothing more than an afterthought in Skyrim.

There is about 20 spells max if you don't include what "color" you want your spell effects and each spells associated "upgraded" versrions.

Spellcrafting was always an advanced and rather oddball feature of tes games. I never really used it, but I would have voted for inclusion of some more spells in general rather than Spellcrafting. Although a lightning blizzard of fury might be cool.

Know more about the ES and counting. Stevie Wonder could see there is less in Skyrim than in previous games. Fact.

I guess your minority opinion is what matters to Bethesda, right? Because the majority of reviews have praised the magic system.

More is not always better. Taking away garbage and refining what's important is the best way. Fact.

There is no variety in the current magic system, the fact is we are limited more so now than ever in an Elder Scrolls game with the current magic system. It is a fact we cannot create our spell casters to be as we want them. It is also a fact that we have lost several useful spell types in Skyrim.

I doubt you ever even played another ES beside Skyrim. You sound like a newb. Magic svcks in Skyrim. Thank god for mods, that will fix and finish what Beth started.

dbl post for some reason. They really screwed up these forums.

They will probably have it in the next game.

I can see the point made about spell creation, but in a game where you can conjure up ghostly swords, emit flames frost or electricity from your fingertips, heal yourself through a spell, raise the recently dead, etc....it is patently obvious that there is variety in the magic system. You may not like the selection and it could be better. But to say there is "no variety" is an overstatement made to emphasis a point, and that's all it is. I went shopping for Xmas tonight. There was "nothing on the shelves". Well, of course there wasn't literally nothing on the shelves; I just didn't want to buy any of what was left.

Similarly, you guys are saying there is "no variety", when there in fact is a variety, and (hopefully) you are fully aware of that. You're just not satisfied with it and that's fine; but please don't ask me to agree that "no variety" exists

If spell power levelled up with the player then there would be much less of a reason for spell making. But at level 50, a fireball does the same damage as it did when you first got it.

I don't see why you couldn't up the damage on a spell making desk. It doesn't need to be a complex mechanism where you are making complex new spells. Being able to make more powerful flame-thrower and fireballs for example would improve the game immeasurably for me. The basics for this are already in the game in the enchanting desks.

Edit: There, fixed it. Way to have the editor use one kind of code for editing and the boards use another one Bethesda.

Well, there is a lot of variety in some ways (like how to use spells), but we did lose the ability to use it to it's full potential. Here's just a few things that could do if they integrated spellmaking with just the new features (Won't include redundant "Upgrade Spells"):

• Useful Rune possibilities - Soul Trap, Fear/Fury/Calm/Rally, Mass Paralyze, Banish/Expel Daedra, Circle of Protection
  
• Useful Target Spells - Oakflesh, any other beneficial spells that aren't available to cast on allies (Not including ones that require channeling like Wards)
  
• Useful Channel Spells (Like Flames) - Wards or any other beneficial spells that can currently only be channeled on the player. Also, Chain Lightning

And things that we could do with old features back:

• Touch - Any of the spells besides runes, channel spells, or things like Guardian Circle
  
• Open Lock - So mages don't have to level a skill they don't need
  
• Burden - Was always useful as a cheap paralysis spell, could be again if it's tweaked for balance
  
• Feather - Need I explain? Although it can be exploited by making a 1 second Feather spell then fast travelling. Easy Fix: Don't allow Fast travel if you are over your natural carry limit and using a potion or a spell.
  
• Increase Acrobatics - Seeing how we don't have Acrobatics, why not just a "Boost Jump Height" Spell that boosts jump height and reduces fall damage?
  
• Fortify Speed - Once again, no Speed attribute any more. But an "Increase Run Speed" Spell would be a nice addition.
  
• Reflect Spell/Damage - Even capped at 20% this would be a useful spell.
  
• Silence - So you don't run into 80 magic using pricks all using Flames on you (Awesome Rune spell)
  
• Water Walking - Because why not? Giving an ally the ability to walk on water would be very useful if fighting enemies on the other side of water. No more running around trying to find a way across.

I don't think reviews can do justice to the lack of spell creation. We don't even need spell creation yet, we really need in 6 months from now. When you want replayability.

That was where spell creating was really cool (to me) becasue I could taylor different characters in that many more ways.

Skyrims magic honestly makes me want to cry - its a sad pale reminder of things lost.

I suspect most reviewers are enamored with the dual-casting and flashy new effects, hell I love the sight and sound of burning things in skyrim, but I think at the 200hour mark being able to craft my own spell woul dhave been worth more than the 'streamlined' magic system we now have.

Fat chance, if Beth can profit they will never release Free DLC.


no there is no Variety in Skyrims Magic, just spells with combined effects frostrom previous installments


Frost spells? its just frost damage with drain stamina

Lighting? shock with drain magicka

+ perks that try to make them look flashy, (seriously a perk to disintegrate people? an entire perk point that adds nothing but a flashy effect?)

I'll take spell making thank you.

I need it now. As is, magic gets old and repeated after 2-3 magic based builds. And that's with limitation. Spell creation offered almost limitless potential and possibilities. Bring back the effect and spell creation from previous titles. Then magic will be perfect IMO. Right now magic is a shell of its former self, and comes off as a tacked on gimmick almost. They look "purdy", but that's about it. Not to mention, I thought Morrowind effects were {"purdy" and all of the effect aesthetics showed up when creating spells in Morrowind.