From Magicka 2 to Tyranny, here are a few games that have a better grasp on the arcane than any game in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
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.
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
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 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
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.
