The Elder Scrolls 6 may be a long way away, but fans are already talking about what they want to see in the upcoming title – custom classes being one of them. A staple from Daggerfall all the way to Oblivion, the class system offered a set of standard options but also allowed players to customize their own class. They could then choose their favored skills, attributes, and even think of their own class name. It was a fun and creative way to go about customization and specialization.
Still, The Elder Scrolls franchise has undergone a lot of change since its very first installment, with Skyrim being vastly different from earlier releases. It was the first title to do away with the extensive class system, instead allowing players to level up whatever skills they wanted. However, there’s a case to be made about reintegrating custom classes in The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Class System of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
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In the beginning of Oblivion, players can customize their class right before they leave the sewers to explore the world. They could opt for any of the standard class offerings, such as Archer, Knight, or Mage. But they can also opt to create their own class. This involves choosing among the following characteristics:
One Specialization from these three:
- Combat
- Magic
- Stealth
Two favored Attributes from these eight:
- Strength
- Intelligence
- Willpower
- Agility
- Speed
- Endurance
- Personality
- Luck
And, lastly, seven major Skills from a list of 21:
- Acrobatics
- Alchemy
- Alteration
- Armorer
- Athletics
- Blade
- Block
- Blunt
- Conjuration
- Destruction
- Hand to Hand
- Heavy Armor
- Illusion
- Light Armor
- Marksman
- Mercantile
- Mysticism
- Restoration
- Security
- Sneak
- Speechcraft
Every choice affects the player’s proficiencies and playstyle because the chosen Skills are automatically boosted by as many as 25 points. That’s enough to make a character an apprentice at a particular Skill, granting a unique bonus. For example, an Apprentice Marksman no longer drains their Stamina when drawing and aiming their bow.
Additionally, Oblivion’s leveling system distributes experience point gain based on a character’s chosen Specialization and Skills. Most notably, leveling up minor Skills does not contribute to the player’s rate of leveling up. This means that a player must focus on improving only their major Skills if they wish to level up quickly. This was another mechanic that was removed in Skyrim.
Bringing Custom Classes Back to The Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls 6 should bring back the class system, and especially the option to create a custom class. However, it should come with a couple of tweaks. Players enjoyed Skyrim for the freedom it granted its players. So, reintegrating Oblivion’s old class system might clash with that set standard of unrestricted character building.
For instance, instead of reinstating the mechanic that allows only major Skills to progress a character’s level, The Elder Scrolls 6 could change it to be less drastic. Instead of barring all level progression, perhaps improving minor Skills could provide fewer experience points compared to major Skills. Implementing this change would be doing away with one of the more limiting aspects of Oblivion’s class system.
Additionally, The Elder Scrolls 6 could integrate a skill tree system alongside classes to allow for more customization. To add more variety (and replayability), skill trees for a character’s major Skills could even offer more perks – ones that otherwise wouldn’t be available for minor Skills. This rewards the player for sticking to their chosen Skills.
Still, some players dislike being locked behind a specific class, so one solution to this would be to implement some way to change one’s major Skills in-game. This not only provides more player freedom. It could also provide a great avenue to elaborate on the lore. For instance, if a magic-focused character wanted to shift to a more sneak-based approach, they could travel to the Thieves Guild or a similar faction in The Elder Scrolls 6’s Hammerfell and complete a quest to change their major Skills.
Overall, bringing back custom classes to The Elder Scrolls 6 would be a good idea – if it’s done right. It promotes roleplaying without hampering player freedom, and could even lead to some interesting lore-friendly quests.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.