While it has given players something other than another Skyrim re-release, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has also reminded players of all the RPG elements that the older Scrolls games had before being streamlined as time went on. Although it doesn't have a remaster yet, Morrowind is in a similar boat. It is more complicated than Oblivion, which is more complex than Skyrim, with the latest Elder Scrolls game stripping itself of many of Oblivion's strangest mechanics. New Elder Scrolls games tend to take as much as they give, and this could be the case with ES6 in the future.

It is largely unknown what Bethesda's plans are with ES6, given that a location hasn't been confirmed yet. With the game's development having started years ago, it's safe to assume that Oblivion Remastered won't have too much bearing on Elder Scrolls 6, at least from a technical perspective. It's doubtful that ES6 will migrate to Unreal Engine 5 after Oblivion Remastered's success, although that doesn't mean Bethesda can't learn from the remaster at all. It has shown the studio that reverting some of its trends with the series might be best after the modern reception of Oblivion.

Elder Scrolls 6 Should Revert Magic To Oblivion's System

Skyrim's Magic System Can't Be Simplified More

Before playing Oblivion Remastered, many were confused as to why longer-term fans of the series had some problems with Skyrim's simple magic system, but after the remaster, it's obvious what was lost. Not only is Oblivion's magic system more complex, but with many more options for what can be altered, it just feels like mages are far more versatile than their Skyrim counterparts. This makes in-lore sense, since many of Skyrim's people are afraid of magic by the time of the game, despite having a rich history with the arcane arts.

Ancient Nords loved magic, with Jhunal, a god of the old Norse pantheon, being worshiped as the God of Runes and being a key part of their belief system.

Still, playing a Skyrim mage isn't as wacky as in Oblivion Remastered, especially with the spell crafting system. This allows players to make some truly bombastic creations by either spell chaining or spell stacking. These can quickly get out of hand, but trying to make the most ridiculous spells possible is half the fun, giving mages an option that isn't in Skyrim. This is something ES6 should really bring back to give the players as many options as possible in their journey across whatever country in Tamriel Bethesda choose to plop them in next, assuming it's in Tamriel.

Skyrim's answer to spell crafting is smithing, allowing players to combine it with alchemy and enchanting buffs to make some truly ridiculous weapons. A master smith and alchemist can make a fork the most terrifying weapon Skyrim has ever seen, and if this was combined with Oblivion Remastered spell crafting and overall magic system, it would allow players even more options when it comes to making ludicrous builds. It puts mages and smiths on a similar footing, making every kind of playstyle feel equally powerful without streamlining many RPG elements to make the game more accessible.

Streamlining Magic And RPG Elements Will Ruin ES6

Skyrim Is Already Too Streamlined

A part of what made Skyrim so successful is how accessible it was. Practically everyone who has played an RPG has played Skyrim, which made Bethesda go from a respected, award-winning studio to a name that everyone in gaming knew, but the gaming landscape is quite different today. Players aren't looking for as much accessibility in their RPGs anymore, and everyone knows Bethesda, so it isn't like it needs to appeal to everyone to get people interested in its games. Further streamlining will only ruin ES6's chances of living up to the hype.

It is rumored Hammerfell will be the home of The Elder Scrolls 6, making a return after part of it featured in Daggerfall.

Two of the best RPGs in recent memory, Baldur's Gate 3 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, are both complex titles for a specific audience, yet have such broad appeal since players can see the ion put into these projects. Elder Scrolls 6 needs this too to stand out, and bringing back more complex systems like Oblivion Remastered's spell crafting and maybe even Morrowind's sound damage type will help its chances. Oblivion Remastered has shown that players like these complex systems, and if paired with new mechanics like Skyrim's smithing, ES6 will give players more freedom than ever.

Although Bethesda shouldn't go as far as bringing back RNG with attacks hitting like Morrowind, the hybrid leveling system in Oblivion Remastered, taking what worked from both the original and Skyrim, also allowed for greater roleplaying, with many more skills affecting almost everything about a character. Of course, Skyrim's leveling system is iconic with its constellations and is far from inadequate, but streamlining and taking away from this further will only make ES6 a more dumbed-down product. Oblivion Remastered has shown that people don't want this and want Elder Scrolls to lean into its RPG elements more heavily again.

Bethesda Shouldn't Worry About Balancing Spells

Breaking The Game Can Be As Fun As Playing It Properly

A potential problem with reintroducing spell crafting is how broken it can be, but it isn't like Bethesda has shown it cares about its games being broken. It always gives players access to the console, and this is partly why Elder Scrolls games are so special. Being able to down skooma or make a spell that improves athletics and acrobatics to ludicrous degrees is hilarious fun, being able to scale buildings in a single leap or race across Cyrodil like The Flash. It isn't like Skyrim's mechanics aren't equally exploitable, although they aren't quite as funny.

Some of the most fun I have ever had in vanilla Skyrim was mastering alchemy and smithing to become the world's most deadly chef, creating a knife and fork that could slay Alduin, Harkon, and Miraak in seconds, all while wearing chef's attire that made me practically invincible by buffing my health to a mouth-watering degree. Breaking balance and knowing how to do it is just another reason why Elder Scrolls games are fun, and if ES6 adds both spell crafting and smithing, as well as having Oblivion's spell variety, the fun could be endless.

Ultimately, The Elder Scrolls 6 has the impossible task of trying to live up to over a decade of hype, and while The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion has brought the project time, it may have made Bethesda's job harder. By using Unreal Engine 5, it has given The Elder Scrolls some astounding graphics, and with the love the remaster has received, it has shown that people don't really want Bethesda to follow its streamlining trend with the series. It's going to be a big ask for Bethesda to live up to the hype, but making ES6 more RPG-heavy would be a step in the right direction.