Massive Elder Scrolls Chart Shows the Evolution of Skills Over the Years

An Elder Scrolls fan has created a large chart that shows how skills have evolved from one game to a different. Multiple Elder Scrolls titles have been released through the years, and this image highlights one key difference between each of them.

The Elder Scrolls series began in 1994, and since then there have been 4 mainline titles and plenty of spin-offs. The primary games were added to as well, with expansions released for Oblivion, Morrowind, and Skyrim. Because the series has evolved through the years, some things have modified to simplify the experience. The open worlds and characters have turn into more graphically impressive, but some players have expressed displeasure at elements of the franchise changing, just like the classes and character constructing. This Elder Scrolls fan has compiled all of the ways in which skills have been adjusted from Daggerfall to Skyrim.

Reddit user Stained_Class recently shared a chart showing the evolution of Elder Scrolls skills in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. The image shows that Daggerfall had combat skills like Critical Strike, Running, and Swimming. Critical Strike skill fell by the wayside through the years, while Running and Swimming got grouped up into the Acrobatics skill in Oblivion, and were passed by Skyrim. The Daggerfall Stealth category shows that Pickpocketing was grouped into Sneak, however it returned in Skyrim. The magic portion of the chart has 16 spells which can be shrunk all the way down to 9 in Morrowind, 7 in Oblivion, and only 6 in Skyrim.

While many elements of The Elder Scrolls have been simplified over the installments, this chart highlights the specifics regarding skills. Other skills which can be mentioned which have disappeared include Mercantile, Etiquette, Security, Hand-to-Hand, and Dodging. Usually, these skills were grouped to be a part of a broader category, but others were seemingly erased all together. The chart specifies that Thaumaturgy was partly absorbed by Conjuration, while the remainder of it joined Alteration, which still exists in Skyrim. Out of the three skill categories, magic was probably the most impacted one, which suggests that Daggerfall is an important title for Mage-build players.

Though some players could also be surprised to see Skyrim with fewer skills than the opposite games, it offers some inside their categories. The chart shows that hand-to-hand combat has also disappeared by the discharge of the newest mainline game, but some players still use a Skyrim unarmed construct. Mages in the sooner games are also in a position to Spellcraft, which expands the potential of the magic category beyond what’s labeled within the image.