The Top Seven Things I'd Like To See Hit Skyrim

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With the first screenshot of Skyrim, the newest installment of the Elder Scrolls series from Bethesda, emerging, it’s time to start thinking seriously about this game. For crying out loud, it’ll be on shelves in another ten and a half months! I loved Morrowind, and even Oblivion was some pretty good stuff, so I’ve seen a lot of things come and go. That being said, as is normally the case on Fridays, I’ve got a list, and thus, the top seven things I’d like to see in Skyrim.

7. Massive quantities of loot

One thing I loved about Morrowind that didn’t make it to Oblivion was the abundance of locations that contained hefty piles of loot, like the vaults of the Great Houses in Vivec. Rummaging through the epic piles of gems and weapons and armor and coins in Great House Hlaalu’s vault was a surprising thrill, one I sorely missed in Oblivion. Hopefully Skyrim can bring that feeling back by giving me some big pots of treasure to empty…after some worthwhile battles, of course.

6. Ships as level settings.

Many have said that the Nords of Skyrim were the metaphorical equivalent of our Vikings, and looking at these huge blond behemoths it’s easy to understand why. So with that being the case, I’d like to see some levels in here that are set in ships. Some huge, multi-decked ships, preferably loaded with treasure and the remnants of the crew. Possibly zombified. But I’d be okay with taking out Niflheim the Yellow’s band of roving Nord thugs and walking away with the wealth of a city or two.

5. More random locations.

One of the great things about Morrowind that again didn’t translate over into Oblivion very well was the abundance of random locations. Sure, Oblivion had some nice forts and such, but it wasn’t like Morrowind, packed to the gills with thieves’ caves and Dwemer ruins and tombs. And I’d like to see Skyrim incorporate a little more of that old-style random location fun. It helps stretch out a game experience, I think, to be able to have lots of little places to go poking around in while you’re working a quest, or you’re between quests, or you just need to level up. And though Oblivion had these, there was neither the number or variety I was hoping for.

4. More weapon variety.

We all like swords and axes, but variety is the spice of life, and that’s exactly what I’d like to see Skyrim bring in.  How about a hook and line? Maybe get spears back in? Throwing knives? Crossbows? There are lots and lots of wonderful medieval options, and if we get the concepts of “steampunk” involved suddenly the roof gets torn off and we enter a whole new world of possibilities. Maybe we could go to full-on black powder this time around. Maybe, maybe not, whatever. I just know I’d like to see a little more variety get in on my choice of stabbin’ gear.

3. Flight capability.

One of the great things about Morrowind was being able to, at will, fly around. You could fly from town to town, soar over obstacles in your way, or just zip across the landscape. And I’d love to see that breathless, timeless joy of flight return to the Elder Scrolls series for Skyrim. And considering how many mountains are probably up there in Nord country, well, having a flight pack in your back pocket would probably be pretty helpful in the end.

2. Item enchantment.

Call me a sucker for the retro, but the most fun I had in Morrowind was building equipment with enchantments. And sure, I could do that in Oblivion too, not quite so much as I could in Morrowind, granted, but it was available. The most fun I had with any Elder Scrolls series game is tricking out my hardware to get it to the point where I was utterly invisible, and then using it to perform Predator-style kills on as many luckless characters as got in my way. Whether by spear, by spur, or by shoulder-mounted plasma cannon (which I had to replicate by way of juiced-up fireball spell), I could be the invisible scourge of the area. And I hope to get that kind of hapless citizen-blasting fun in Skyrim.

1. Real estate purchases.

Sure, it’s a small thing, but one real joy of Morrowind–and to a lesser extent, Fallout 3–was being able to buy myself a house with my epic piles of loot. It was an added note of satisfaction to be able to “retire” from the adventuring life, surrounded by masses of treasures, with named items in their own room, like a trophy hall proclaiming my brilliance as an adventurer, or at least my willingness to crack heads and take stuff. Being able to buy a manor in Skyrim would be a welcome capping off to my adventuring in the frozen north.

And that’s a rundown of the things I’d like to see show up in Skyrim. Just how many of them actually make it in the final product, well, that’s anybody’s guess–at least until November. But I’ve been fond of Bethesda work since Morrowind, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this emerge.

Skyrim is set to emerge in November.

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