Bethesda’s next Elder Scrolls game will nix classes, revamp leveling, and allow players to wield anything they want in each hand.
Gameplay details on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have leaked out of an upcoming Game Informer feature. The fifth Elder Scrolls RPG will be changing and upgrading many of the aspects last seen in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Gone is the maligned level scaling system from Oblivion, which caused enemies to level along with the player. Replacing it is one that the Skyrim senior community manager says is more “like Fallout 3.” Fallout 3‘s system only boosts the levels of enemies in critical areas when players first enter, and keeps them that way for the rest of the game.
Leveling itself works in a similar manner to Oblivion, but Bethesda has nixed classes in favor of a system that is more open to allow for either specialization or a broad use of everything. There are 18 total skills, down from 21 in Oblivion. Using any skill levels both it and the player at the same rate. However, the higher in rank a skill is when it gains a level, the more quickly it will level the player. Gaining a level also gives a perk, in another apparent nod to Fallout.
The big news about Skyrim‘s combat comes from the addition of a new duel-wielding system. Any weapon or spell can now be assigned to each hand. Want a shield in your left and a sword in your right? Go ahead. How about a dagger in your right and a fireball in your left? How about a shield in your right and a heal spell in your left, to bore enemies to death? Apparently, anything is possible.
Skyrim is indeed set 200 years after Oblivion and players evidently do play as the Dragonborn mentioned in the game’s first trailer. The player’s goal is to stop Alduin, the dragon god “world eater” mentioned in the recently translated Elder Scrolls V poem.
Along the way, Skyrim will throw a more dynamic quest system at players, with some quests only given to those with a certain level of skill in specific areas like magic or thievery. In addition, the player’s decisions will affect the quests they can receive, with the family member of someone you killed possibly not wanting to give you a quest they otherwise would.
Skyrim will also feature a weapon creation system, an NPC dueling system, improved graphics, better character creation options, finishing moves, the ability to sprint, and more. In other words, probably just what Oblivion fans were looking for. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be released on November 11, 2011.
Sources: Bethesda Forums, NeoGAF
