The magic of The Elder Scrolls series has changed from game to game, and many fans believe that the third installment, Morrowind, has the best spell system, and one that's better than Skyrim's. Magic in The Elder Scrolls is an important part of the series, in terms of gameplay and lore, and some feel that it has been oversimplified in more recent titles. For an almost 20-year-old game, Morrowind's magic was (and still is) very impressive, and it's sadly something that newer games have failed to pick up on.
Magic in Morrowind works differently than in other Elder Scrolls games like Oblivion, Skyrim, and Elder Scrolls Online. Although there are pre-made spells available in the world for players to learn, like in other titles, players could also create their own spells with the help of NPCs called Spellmakers. By selecting spell effects, a range, and other factors, players can make a spell that's fully unique, and they could even give them custom names. Magic in Skyrim - destruction, restoration, or otherwise - lacks the strategic thinking Morrowind's kind of customization fostered. Although there are some restrictions, since there are only so many different spell effects, it still allows for much greater customization and immersion than newer games have.
Although magic in games like Skyrim and Oblivion is still fun, the fact is that being able to create spells from scratch would make it even more so, which is why Morrowind still has the best spell system. Doing so allows players to customize the way they choose to play, which adds to the game's immersion. It also adds a level of complexity to the magic system that some newer games have lacked. They've tended to over-simplify magic, and that's left it feeling dull. Using the same spells over and over again wears out the gameplay, breaks immersion, and makes magic-heavy builds feel stale. Newer Elder Scrolls games haven't explored any new magic in a while, and it shows.
Morrowind's Spell System Allows For Greater Customization
Character customization has been a specialty of Bethesda games for a long time, and The Elder Scrolls is no different. Players have delighted in creating characters that look just how they want them to, and giving them talents and skills that let them play as they want. However, magic in the more recent games has had precious little customization. Although there are different schools to choose from, players have been shoehorned into using the same spells for the same purposes. There's only so much that can be done with the Fireball spell, after all, and it has left mage builds feeling a bit stale.
Morrowind's magic system gave magically-inclined fans a level of customization that the newer games haven't been able to match. The Elder Scrolls magic seen in Skyrim is lackluster by comparison. Being able to create custom spells with effects that are entirely up to the player is something that can make even the most basic character build feel truly magical. As Tolfdir says when players join Skyrim's College of Winterhold, no two mages use magic quite the same way, and that statement is much truer in Morrowind. Being able to give spells custom names makes it even better, and making spells with ridiculous or epic names is half the fun.
With a greater level of customization also comes a greater level of immersion. Making players feel like they truly are the protagonist is something that's hard to pull off, but it helps if more options are given. Making spells that reflect a character's personality or backstory are a great asset to both customization and immersion, especially so, when given names that reference moments in their lives. Elder Scrolls' updated mechanics took that away and left magic-using characters without their own personal "flavor" of magic. Crafting a character, bringing them to life in the game, making decisions that they would make, and fighting how they would fight are all things that are the best part of a role-playing game for many fans, and Morrowind's magic greatly aided that.
Morrowind's Spell System Added Complexity To The Game
In a big role-playing game like the ones in the Elder Scrolls series, complexity is important. Three-dimensional characters, complicated issues, and engaging stories are all things that are a big plus for a game. Complexity in gameplay is something that can either add to or take away from the experience, but it's still good to have some level of it, especially when dealing with magic. Skyrim and other Elder Scrolls titles' magic have been lacking in terms of complexity when compared to Morrowind, in part due to the limited options. Enchanting can improve gear in Elder Scrolls games, but it doesn't do much good for mage builds. The ability to mix and match different spell effects forced magic-using players to think about which ones would work best, and come up with combinations that they might not expect.
By giving players the ability to create their own spells, Morrowind adds a level of complexity to magic that's been dearly missed in newer titles. The way that the series has limited the various schools from Oblivion onward and narrowed many spells' scope has left its magic feeling flat and simple. Mage character builds become repetitive as a result, and wear out quickly. The ability to create custom spells meant that every character felt unique and mage builds felt fresh throughout the whole game. Creating better versions with more or different effects as the story went on also made players truly feel like they were learning magic. Both of Morrowind's Elder Scrolls sequels, Oblivion and Skyrim, were oversimplified, and lacked its engaging complexity.
A lack of complexity in a game can also lead to it feeling too easy, something that many fans quickly grow tired of. Simply reading a book and using the spell that it teaches on low-level enemies until the player has upgraded it to the point of being overpowered just doesn't provide the same level of satisfaction as crafting a custom one. Morrowind's magic system meant that players were challenged to develop newer and better spells as the game progressed, a challenge that many took great pleasure in. And when a spell did become overpowered, it was well-earned. Spells seen in more recent The Elder Scrolls games are almost spoon-fed to the player, so they don't give that same level of satisfaction.