Magic is great, but i think the casting animations could use some work. Don't get me wrong, they are way better then morrowind or oblivions but they are just plain Jain. They need some pizaz. you know like, cloaks flapping, maybe some dust being blown? you know what i mean?

and while in the subject of magic, can i ask why we can't make a staff like in Oblivion? just wondering, it was a great feature, being inducted into the college then getting your own staff... then again that's a bit cliche am i right?

while i'm on that, wouldn't it be awesome if when you had a staff equipied but not ready to fight, it would be a walking stick! or is that just to much?

thoughts?

Eh, animations schmanimations.

There's already too much invested in animations, I think. I'll trade cool animations for a better gameplay mechanic any day of the week. It's why Morrowind can still blow me away 10 years later. Or the first Thief games.

Agree about staffs, though... it's really a shame we can't make our own

I agree on the staff creation. It's ridiculous that we can't make our own staves, or even make our own spells. As for the "walking stick" bit, I'm not interested in being a cliche old feeble wizard.

However, Staves should be shown on our backs at least, not just taken out of our pockets.

The staff on your back makes no sense at all. You don't have to be an old feeble wizard to use a staff as a walking stick, that's what it is. I don't see Shaolin monk's strapping 6 foot bo staves to their back, no they hold it and use it as a walking stick. Rift got this right, when you hold a staff in right it is upright in your hand and when you run it is still in your hand except you are holding it parallel to the ground, none of this magically disappear staff or slinging it on your back, that's just lazy animation.

So you want to be having a staff in your hand even when you put your weapon away? I understand how it could look/seem nicer, but the point of taking weapons out and putting weapons away is to free your hands. It would feel kind of weird to me to press my sheathe button only to still have a staff in my hand. I also feel the animation for using it as a walking stick would still look ridiculous/awkward due to the way most terrain in this game is. Besides, this isn't Rift.

I think that the College of Winterhold don't have 'social norms' like the Mage's Guild did. It's less restrictive than the Mages Guild - allowing Necromancy, no ranking aside from the Arch-Mage, Master-Wizard and scholars, etc.. This would be why they don't require you to make a staff.

But about animations ... I have no problems with them. I'm very satisfied. The master-level destruction spell animations look pretty cool.

What about the 2 handed spell casting?

Id like staves that DON'T vanish when you sheath.
We need a sheo - walking stick style... Sigh

Animations? Nah, I have no problems with the animations. I just hope they include more spells in coming DLC. Something that is sorely lacking in the magic department is quantity, especially when it comes to summons.