The wait forThe Elder Scrolls 6is starting to feel interminable, but Bethesda Game Studios remains steadfast in its claims that theSkyrimsequel will indeed be released at some point. Such claims are fairly easy to believe in spite of the growing gap betweenThe Elder Scrolls 6and its predecessor, mainly due to the fact thatSkyrimis widely lauded as one of the best and most commercially successful games ever made.
But whatSkyrim’s success means forThe Elder Scrolls 6’s game design is a little more complicated. There are no doubt small sects of theElder Scrollsfanbase that would love nothing more than a graphically updatedSkyrimwith a few additional bells and whistles, but the general consensus among the broader gaming populace is thatTES 6could benefit from more significant and meaningful mechanical, as well as narrative, innovations. This advice might be especially poignant in the wake ofStarfield, which has received criticism for being too similar to Bethesda’s previous RPGs, not doing enough to evolve and experiment. Thus, whileThe Elder Scrolls 6may not need to reinvent the wheel, Bethesda would be wise to shake up its formula, and combat design is as good a place to start as any.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Could Benefit from the Addition of a Spear Weapon Type
The Core Problems of Elder Scrolls Combat
Even the staunchest fans of games likeSkyrimandOblivionwill admit that combatisn’t their strongest suit. Build-crafting and gear-grinding can be powerful gameplay incentives and gratifying processes in their own right, but when it comes to the actual hacking-and-slashing and spell-slinging, Bethesda’s RPGs leave a lot to be desired.
The relatively weakcombat design of previousElder Scrollsgamesis perhaps the leading reason why the archery archetype is so popular: it’s the best way to add depth and challenge to combat encounters.
When faced witha group of enemies inSkyrim, the factors that are most likely to lead to player success are gear strength and character level, not player skill. The process isn’t totally mindless, but the bulk of such encounters consist of spamming the attack button and mitigating damage taken until the enemy forces are conquered. Players can certainly choose to experiment with integrating magic, buffs, and unique weapon combinations, but this sort of approach is rarely, if ever, required. As such, leveraging higher-level strategies is far less rewarding, as combat isn’t designed for them.
A Spear Weapon Type Could Go a Long Way in The Elder Scrolls 6
It might seem highly specific, but the addition of a spear category, which is missing from previousElder Scrollsgames, could help to deepenTES 6’s combat sandbox. Recent releases likeAvowedhave proven how effective spearsand other stabbing implements can be in first-person, and there may be a fairly elegant reason as to why this is the case.
First-person combat is tough to get right: player-character animations are heavily restricted, as are movement and attack types, making mechanical staples like I-frame dodging and managing multiple enemies at once difficult to implement. But strategies like positioning and thoughtful use of resources like stamina can thereby be made all the more important.
This is why weapons like spears can be particularly fun to use in first-person games, as they reward spatial awareness and slow, methodical attacks more so than reaction time and combo mastery. Naturally, the addition of the spear archetype won’t be enough tobringThe Elder Scrolls 6’s combat up to snuff, but it represents the specialized design philosophy that Bethesda ought to embrace if it wants the game to be a generational leap from its predecessor.
