Fantasy RPG with a better magic system than Elder Scrolls

From Morrowind to Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls games have long defined the fantasy genre in the gaming industry, but they're certainly not the definitive game when it comes to magic systems. In fact, there are plenty of fantasy RPGs that do better than Bethesda when it comes to vision.

Most fans agree that Morrowind has the best magic system in The Elder Scrolls franchise. This is because it offers in-depth spellcrafting and spell creation features that allow players the freedom to live out their wizard fantasies. Oblivion reduced the complexity slightly, and Skyrim simplified it further by completely eliminating custom spells. But Morrowind wasn't at the pinnacle of its category, even at its best. There are several games that allow you to make money related 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. For example, casting a fireball on an oily surface will ignite it and cause all enemies within range to take damage over time. Casting an ice elemental spell on water will cause the water to freeze, turning the ground into hazardous terrain that can cause enemies (and allies) to slip if they have to walk on it.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of different spell interactions that can occur in Divinity: Original Sin 2, and the entire game is built around them. Best of all, these spell interactions aren't limited to just the player. Enemies can use it too. Higher difficulty settings, such as Tactician, turn every battle into a game of wits, with both parties attempting to use their spells wisely to turn the terrain into their allies. A person who surpasses others is a person who gets ahead.

Magicka 2

The ultimate “What if I do this?” magic system

Magicka 2's magic system is all about permutations. Players have access to eight elements – Water, Life, Shield, Frost, Lightning, Arcane, Earth, and Fire – and can combine these elements in any way they wish, with each spell combination resulting in a different effect. From mystical rays to magma explosions and ice tornadoes, everything is available to a magician who knows the right order to combine these elements.

While The Elder Scrolls games typically only have a few dozen spells and special abilities accessible to players, Magicka 2 has thousands of spell combinations, each with their own unique effects, making it virtually impossible for one person to remember them all. For those interested in games that allow players to create their own spells, there are few better magic systems than what Magicka 2 offers.

tyranny

Deep yet elegant custom custom design

Tyranny offers an extremely customizable spell creation system that feels like it can be as personalized as you want, giving players access to a free-form spellcrafting system that allows them to create just about any spell their mind can conjure up. By the end of play, players will be able to use this system to create truly world-ending spells, making investing in this system greatly rewarding by leveling up their knowledge.

Tyranny's customization relies on seals and accents. Core symbols describe the basic effect of a spell, expression symbols indicate how that spell targets, and accents add additional effects that increase the effectiveness of that spell in various ways. Players can mix and match Core Seals, Expression Seals, and Accents if they have invested enough in their Knowledge stat to cover the cost. A fun and customizable magic system that's easy to understand even at higher levels.

pictorum

A roguelike game where magic unfolds depending on your mood.

Fictorum is an indie action roguelike RPG with destructible environments and a dynamic spell formation system that allows players to customize the effects of their wizard's spells on the fly. In Fictorum, players have access to numerous spells from different elements such as Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Frost Nova, and more. When cast, these spells can be combined with runes that instantly change the nature of the spell's effect.

For example, the Fireball spell creates a fiery orb of destruction that explodes at mid-range AoE. However, when combined with the Multishot rune, this spell instead turns into three spheres of fire. You can apply three runes to a spell at a time. So, if a player combines Multishot, High Burst, and High Speed ​​runes into a fireball, the spell will split into three, travel a great distance, and explode with a massive AoE on impact. You can do the same for any other spell in the game.

Arx Fatalis

Drawing runes to cast spells

Released in 2002, Arx Fatalis is a period first-person fantasy RPG from Arkane Studios. The graphics are outdated, the controls are clunky, and the combat has none of the QoL that modern gamers are used to. That said, Arx Fatalis probably has one of the best magic systems in all of gaming, making the game worth a try despite all its other flaws.

There are over 50 spells in Arx Fatalis, each represented by a rune. The only way for players to cast spells instead of pressing a single button is to use the mouse to draw a rune corresponding to the desired spell in the air. A success will cause the spell to be cast; a failure will cause nothing to happen. Arx Fatalis does a great job of making the player feel like they're roleplaying a wizard whose magic requires memorization and actual effort to use. It's an interactive yet incredibly rewarding magic system that doesn't hold the player's hand at any point and gets them used to drawing rune shapes without confusion in combat.

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For players who want to feel like they have achieved magic.

Outward is an indie open-world action-adventure fantasy RPG, similar in style to The Elder Scrolls games. But unlike the TES franchise, Outward's magic is anything but simple and straightforward. Spells are powerful, but they require preparation and planning to cast correctly and with purpose. The game features several separate magic systems simultaneously, and it is up to the player to decide which magic system they want to specialize in.

Ritual magic requires the assistance of sigils (support spells) or magical enhancement materials to be fully effective. Rune magic is a Magicka-like magic system where combining two runes of different types can achieve different effects. Hex magic does not cause direct damage in itself, but weakens the opponent by inflicting debuffs and curses. Boon Magic provides self-targeted buffs that add magical effects to weapons and armor. Chakram is a special magical weapon that requires a certain amount of mana to use.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Tabletop complexity brought to video games

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a critically acclaimed CRPG from Owlcat Games that uses the Pathfinder 1st Edition ruleset (tabletop) as the basis for its magic system. The system shares many similarities with games like Dungeons and Dragons and Baldur's Gate 3. For those unfamiliar with this type of CRPG, players can choose a class for their character, which, if it's a wizard class like Sorcerer or Wizard, grants them access to spells as their character levels up. Spells are classified by level; the higher the level, the more powerful they are.

What sets Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous apart from other types of games is the amount of depth and complexity that Owlcat Games has put into it. In addition to the regular spellbooks accessible to most spellcasting classes, there are bloodline spells for sorcerers, domain spells for druids and clerics, arcane powers and curses for oracles, spirits for shamans, and ward spells for witches. And this doesn't even take into account the Mythic spells granted by the Mythic Path. Pathfinder WotR's magic system stands out for its sheer scale, surpassing 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 divided into four schools: Arcane, Primal, Creation, and Spirit. Arcane magic is available to all wizards and includes spells such as Arcane Bolt and Fade Shield. Primal spells are divided into four elemental paths (Fire, Stone, Ice, and Storm), each offering a different type of destructive power. Conjure spells are healing aids, allowing characters to help allies restore health or buff them with a variety of positive effects. Soul spells give the wizard access to anti-magic spells, necromancy, and telekinesis.

In addition to these spells and the different schools of magic players have, Dragon Age: Origins also has a mechanic called spell combination. Spell combos are essentially special magical effects that can only occur when two or more spells of a certain type are cast at the same location one after the other. For example, casting a fire spell on top of a Greek spell creates Greek Fire that deals damage over time to anyone within the flames. The added interactivity with spell combos adds complexity and depth to DAO's magic system and is one of the reasons the game has stood the test of time.

Wizards of Mystralia

Grid-based system for infinite creativity

Mages of Mystralia is a top-down action RPG where players take on the role of a new wizard just beginning his journey into magic. Spellcrafting is the core of the Mages of Mystralia gameplay loop and the defining element of the game as a whole. It's deceptively simple in how it works, but incredibly complex in practice. As a basic concept, Zia, the protagonist, has access to four basic spell focuses. Immedi, which can create short-ranged melee spells; Actus, which can create mines and projectiles; Creo, which can create tangible objects in the real world; and a self that can create self-cast spells.

All four focus spells can be combined with runes and augmentations. The rune drastically changes the nature of the focus spell, turning a simple fireball into a fireball or explosive mine. Augments can introduce new behavioral changes to further customize newly created spells. What's amazing about this magic system is that everything is handled through a grid system where players manually place runes and enhancements. Where these modifiers are placed is as important as what they modify, so the number of permutations for the spell that can be created is nearly infinite. Despite all this, all spells follow a strict logic that determines what the spell effect is, turning seemingly simple concepts into a complex magic system that no Elder Scrolls game can match.