From Morrowind to Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls games have defined the fantasy genre for a long time in the gaming industry, but they are definitely not the end-all be-all when it comes to magic systems. In fact, there are a lot of fantasy RPGs that do it better than Bethesda when it comes to the arcane.
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Most fans agree that Morrowind had the best magic system in The Elder Scrolls franchise, as it featured in-depth spell crafting and spell creation to allow players the freedom to live out the mage fantasy. Oblivion reduced the complexity a bit, and Skyrim dumbed it down even more by removing custom spells entirely. Even at its height, however, Morrowind was not at the apex of its category. There are qutie a few games that can give it a run for its money when it comes to magic.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Magic That Turns The Battlefield Into A Weapon
Unlike The Elder Scrolls, where each spell exists in a vacuum, magic in Divinity: Original Sin 2 is highly interactive. Casting a Fireball on an oily surface, for example, causes it to catch on fire, making all enemies caught within its range take damage over time. Using an Ice elemental spell on water causes the water to freeze, turning the ground into hazardous terrain that enemies (and allies) can slip on if they have to walk on top of it.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of spell interactions that can take place in Divinity: Original Sin 2, and the entire game is built around them. Best of all, these spell interactions are not exclusive to the player; enemies can use them as well. In higher difficulty settings like Tactician, every battle turns into a game of wits, with both parties attempting to use their spells smartly to turn the terrain into their ally. Whoever outwits the other is the one who comes out ahead.
Magicka 2
The Ultimate “What Happens If I Do This?” Magic System
The magic system in Magicka 2 is all about permutations. Players are given access to eight elements: Water, Life, Shield, Cold, Lightning, Arcane, Earth, and Fire, and are given the ability to combine these elements any which way they like, with each spell combination resulting in different effects. From arcane beams to magma blasts to ice tornadoes, everything is available to the magician who knows the right order to combine these elements.
Where The Elder Scrolls games typically only have a few dozen spells and special powers players can access, Magicka 2 has thousands of possible spell combinations, each with a unique effect, making it virtually impossible for any one person to memorize all of them. For those interested in a game that lets players create their own spells, there are few magic systems better than what Magicka 2 has to offer.
Tyranny
A Deep Yet Elegant Take On Custom Spell Design
Tyranny gives players access to a free-form spell crafting system that allows them to create virtually any spell their mind can conjure up, resulting in an extremely customizable spell creation system that feels like it can be personalized as much as one wants. By the end of a playthrough, players can create some truly world-ending spells using this system, making it highly rewarding to invest in this system by leveling up Lore.
Spell crafting in Tyranny relies on sigils and accents. A core sigil describes the basic effect of a spell, an expression sigil dictates how that spell will be targeted, and the accent adds on additional effects to increase the effectiveness of that spell in various ways. Players can mix and match core sigils, expression sigils, and accents as long as they have enough investment in the Lore stat to bear the cost. It is a fun, customizable magic system that remains easy to understand even at higher levels.
Fictorum
A Roguelike Where Magic Bends to Your Whim
Fictorum is an indie action roguelike RPG with destructible environments and a dynamic spell shaping system that allows players to customize the effects of their mage’s spells at a moment’s notice. In Fictorum, players are given access to a large number of spells of various elements, like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Frost Nova, and others. When casting, these spells can be combined with runes that change the nature of the spell’s effect instantly.
For example, the Fireball spell creates a flaming orb of destruction that explodes in a medium AoE. When combined with the Multi-shot rune, however, this spell turns into three orbs of flame instead. Three runes can be applied to a single spell at one time. So, if players combine a Multi-shot, High Explosive, and High Velocity rune to their Fireball, that spell will split into three, travel a huge distance, and explode in a massive AoE on impact. The same can be done with every other spell in the game as well.
Arx Fatalis
Draw Runes to Cast Spells
Released in 2002, Arx Fatalis is a first-person fantasy RPG by Arkane Studios that shows its age. The graphics are dated, the controls are clunky, and the combat has none of the QoL that modern gamers are used to. All that said, Arx Fatalis has perhaps one of the best magic systems in all of gaming, which makes the game worth trying despite all of its other faults.
There are over 50 spells in Arx Fatalis, and each one is represented by a rune shape. Instead of pressing a single button, the only way players can cast magic is by drawing out the runes corresponding to the desired spell in mid-air using a mouse. If they succeed, the spell will be cast, but if they fail, nothing will happen. Arx Fatalis does an excellent job of making players feel like they’re roleplaying a mage who needs memorization and actual effort to use magic. It is an interactive yet incredibly rewarding magic system that does not hold the player’s hand at any point, forcing them to get used to drawing rune shapes in battles without messing up.
Outward
For Players Who Want Magic To Feel Earned
Outward is an indie open-world action adventure fantasy RPG similar in style to The Elder Scrolls games. Unlike the TES franchise, however, magic in Outward is anything but simple and straightforward. Spells are powerful, but casting them correctly and with purpose requires preparation and planning. Multiple, separate magic systems exist at the same time in this game, and it is up to the player which one they want to specialize in.
Ritual magic requires the aid of sigils (support spells) or magic-enhancing materials to show their full effectiveness. Rune magic is a Magicka-esque magic system where combining two runes of different types achieves different effects. Hex magic does not do any direct damage itself, but applies debuffs and curses on opponents to make them weaker. Boon magic offers self-targeted buffs to add magical effects to weapons and armor. Chakrams are special magic weapons that require a certain amount of mana to be used.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Tabletop Complexity Brought To Video Games
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a critically acclaimed CRPG by Owlcat Games that uses the Pathfinder 1st edition ruleset (tabletop) as a basis for its magic system. This system shares a lot of similarities with Dungeons and Dragons and games like Baldur’s Gate 3. For those unfamiliar with these types of CRPGs, players can choose a class for their character, and if it is a mage class like the Sorcerer or Wizard, it will grant access to spells as the character levels up. Spells are separated by levels, with higher-level spells being more powerful.
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What separates Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous from other games of this type is the sheer amount of depth and complexity Owlcat Games has managed to squeeze into it. On top of the regular spellbook most spellcasting classes have access to, there are bloodline spells for Sorcerers, domain spells for Druids and Clerics, mystery powers and curses for Oracles, spirits for Shamans, and patron spells for Witches. And this doesn’t even take into account the Mythic spells granted by Mythic paths. Pathfinder WotR’s magic system stands out due to sheer scale, which outshines most of what The Elder Scrolls franchise has to offer.
Dragon Age: Origins
A Combat System Built On Magical Synergy
Magic in Dragon Age: Origins is split into four schools: Arcane, Primal, Creation, and Spirit. Arcane magic is available to all mages and contains spells like Arcane Bolt and Fade Shield. Primal spells are split into four elemental paths (fire, stone, ice, storms), each offering a different brand of devastation. Creation spells are healing aids, allowing characters to help allies recover health or buff them with various positive effects. Spirit spells give mages access to anti-magic spells, necromancy, and telekinesis.
On top of these spells and the various schools of magic players can spec into, Dragon Age: Origins also has a mechanic called spell combinations. Spell combos are essentially special magical effects that can only occur when two or more spells of a specific type are cast in the same location, one after the other. For example, casting a fire spell on top of a Grease spell will create the Grease Fire, which deals damage over time to anyone caught within the flames. The interactivity added by spell combos creates an additional layer of complexity and depth to DAO’s magic system, and is one of the reasons the game has stood the test of time.
Mages of Mystralia
A Grid-Based System With Limitless Creativity
Mages of Mystralia is a top-down action RPG where players take on the role of a brand new mage just starting on her journey into magic. Spell crafting is at the core of Mages of Mystralia’s gameplay loop and what defines the game as a whole. The way it works is deceptively simple, but incredibly complex once it really gets going. As a basic concept, Zia, the protagonist, has access to four basic spell foci: Immedi, which can create short-range, melee spells; Actus, which can create mines and projectiles; Creo, which can create tangible objects into the real world; and Ego, which can create self-casting spells.
All four focus spells can be combined with runes and augments. Runes drastically change the nature of a Focus spell, turning a simple orb of fire into a fireball or an explosive mine, for instance. Augments can further customize these newly created spells by introducing new behavioral changes to them. What’s crazy about this magic system is that it is all handled via a grid system where players manually place runes and augments, and where these modifiers are placed matters just as much as what is being modified, resulting in a nearly infinite number of permutations to spells that can be created. Despite all of this, all spells follow a strict logic that dictates what the spell effect will be, turning a seemingly simple concept into a complex magic system no Elder Scrolls game can match up to.
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