How The Elder Scrolls 6 Can Benefit From ESO's Class Design

The Elder Scrolls Online introduced a robust and flexible class system that departed from the open-ended but somewhat amorphous skill progression of Skyrim. The predefined classes such as Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, and Templar, and their unique skill lines, each helped create distinct playstyles while allowing for customization through weapon skills, guild perks, and crafting. TES6 could borrow heavily from this structured yet flexible approach and it would help the game deliver a more immersive role-playing experience.

By integrating hybrid archetypes, dynamic progression, and role-specific mechanics in class design principles, The Elder Scrolls 6 could evolve the Elder Scrolls formula without losing its core identity. The inclusion of lore-driven abilities, class-specific quests, and adaptable systems would not only enhance gameplay itself but will also have players coming back for more.

Daedra roars with mountains and towers in the background in The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Be More Like TESO Than Skyrim In One Big Way

The Elder Scrolls 6 should evolve with inspiration from TESO’s richer lore and immersive world, instead of its previous installment in this way.

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By Fatemah Athar

How ESO’s Class Design Can Be Implemented in Elder Scrolls 6

One of ESO's greatest strengths is its emphasis on hybrid builds that enable players to mix and match class abilities with weapon and armor skills. TES6 could adopt this by integrating skill lines that complement multiple playstyles. For instance, a Battle Mage archetype could combine destructive spells with heavy armor and a Shadow Archer archetype could mix stealth abilities with ranged attacks, much like ESO’s Nightblade with a bow.

There’s also ESO's progression system that evolves with player choice, where unlocking new abilities in a skill tree also unlocks morphs or upgrades. So a Dragonknight-like class could start with generic flame-based abilities but evolve into distinct paths — perhaps one that specializes in tanking or a Pyromancer, focusing on high-damage spells.

ESO’s Skill Lines Tie Into the World Itself

The Psijic Order granting time-manipulation abilities or Vampire and Werewolf lines offering supernatural powers is a good example of this. TES6 could also introduce classes that deeply tingle with the lore. This could be as simple as introducing some mechanical minions and traps through ancient ruins or spells that give a bow to dark allegiance.

Bethesda Could Enhance Role-playing Through ESO-Inspired Systems in TES6

TES6 could also pull from ESO's concept of active and passive abilities to make combat more engaging. Summoning shields, area-of-effect damage, or healing spells, for instance, could require strategic timing, similar to ESO's resource-based combat. On the passive ability end, there could be increased damage from sneak attacks or health regeneration under another condition. Similarly, group synergy and solo viability could come into play — a healer-type class could have self-healing when playing solo but offer party buffs in group settings.

However, all this wouldn’t be without its challenges, especially since ESO's class design is innovative and TES6 must adapt it to fit the single-player RPG experience. The Elder Scrolls 6 has to be really careful with balancing complexity as well because its online counterpart thrives on MMO mechanics. Therefore, all of this must be done while preserving the hallmark freedom of Elder Scrolls games.

Dynamic Ability Scaling and Specialization in TES6

A key innovation TES6 could adopt from ESO is dynamic ability scaling, where skills adjust based on a player’s gear, stats, or play style. Here are two examples of this:

A fireball spell could deal higher damage when wielded by a mage with high Magicka, but a warrior could modify it to cause area stuns instead, aligning it with their tank role.
Specialization trees within classes could allow The Elder Scrolls 6 players to morph their abilities over time. For example, a rogue-like character might initially gain a generic stealth bonus but later branch into assassin-style one-hit kills or scout-like utility skills like laying traps.

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