Fantasy RPGs With Magic Systems Better Than The Elder Scrolls

The Elder Scrolls series, from games like Morrowind and Skyrim, has been hugely influential in the fantasy gaming world. However, when it comes to how magic works in these games, many other fantasy RPGs actually offer more interesting or well-developed systems than Bethesda’s.

Many fans consider Morrowind to have the strongest magic system in The Elder Scrolls series, thanks to its detailed spell creation tools that let players truly feel like powerful mages. Later games, like Oblivion and Skyrim, simplified this system, with Skyrim ultimately removing the ability to create custom spells. However, even Morrowind isn’t necessarily the best magic system ever – several other games offer comparable or even more impressive magical experiences.

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Magic That Turns The Battlefield Into A Weapon

Divinity: Original Sin 2 features a much more dynamic magic system than games like The Elder Scrolls. Instead of spells simply doing a set amount of damage, they interact with the environment. For example, casting a Fireball on oil will ignite it, creating a lasting area of burning damage. Similarly, using an ice spell on water will freeze it, making the ground slippery and dangerous for anyone who walks across it.

That’s only a small example of what’s possible. Divinity: Original Sin 2 features a huge number of ways spells can interact with each other, and that’s central to how the game works. What’s really great is that enemies can use these interactions too. On harder difficulties, like Tactician mode, every fight becomes a strategic puzzle where both sides try to cleverly combine spells and use the environment to their advantage. The player who thinks the smartest will win.

Magicka 2

The Ultimate “What Happens If I Do This?” Magic System

Magicka 2’s spell system is based on mixing and matching. Players can combine eight different elements – Water, Life, Shield, Cold, Lightning, Arcane, Earth, and Fire – in any order. Each unique combination creates a different spell, ranging from simple beams to powerful blasts and even ice tornadoes. Mastering the right element order is key to becoming a skilled magician.

Unlike most Elder Scrolls games which limit players to a handful of spells, Magicka 2 lets you combine elements to create thousands of unique magical effects. It’s impossible to learn them all! If you enjoy a game where you can experiment and build your own spells, Magicka 2 has one of the best magic systems available.

Tyranny

A Deep Yet Elegant Take On Custom Spell Design

Tyranny lets players design almost any spell imaginable with its flexible spell crafting system, offering a high degree of customization. As you progress and increase your Lore skill, you can eventually create incredibly powerful, even world-altering, spells, making it a very rewarding system to master.

In Tyranny, magic is created by combining sigils and accents. The core sigil determines what a spell does, the expression sigil controls who or what it affects, and accents add extra power or effects. Players can freely combine these elements, as long as their Lore skill is high enough to handle the magical strain. This system is enjoyable and allows for a lot of customization, while still being relatively simple to grasp, even when using complex combinations.

Fictorum

A Roguelike Where Magic Bends to Your Whim

Fictorum is an independently developed action RPG where you explore randomly generated worlds and battle enemies. It features environments you can destroy and a unique magic system. Players can cast a wide range of spells – like fireballs and lightning bolts – and instantly change how those spells work using runes, letting you customize your attacks on the fly.

The Fireball spell normally creates a single, exploding ball of fire that affects an area around it. But, by using runes, you can change how it works. For instance, the Multi-shot rune makes Fireball create three flaming orbs instead of one. You can apply up to three runes to any spell. Combining Multi-shot with other runes like High Explosive and High Velocity can make the Fireball split into three, fly much farther, and create a much larger explosion. This rune system works with all spells in the game, letting you customize their effects.

Arx Fatalis

Draw Runes to Cast Spells

Arx Fatalis, a first-person fantasy RPG from Arkane Studios released in 2002, definitely shows its age. The graphics and controls feel outdated, and the combat isn’t as smooth or user-friendly as what players expect today. However, the game boasts an incredibly deep and rewarding magic system, making it worth experiencing despite its flaws.

Arx Fatalis features over 50 spells, each linked to a unique rune. Instead of simply pressing a button to cast magic, players must actually draw the correct rune in the air with their mouse. Successful drawings cast the spell, but mistakes result in nothing happening. This system brilliantly immerses players in the role of a mage, requiring memorization and precise execution. It’s a challenging yet satisfying magic system that doesn’t offer any shortcuts, demanding players master rune drawing even during intense battles.

Outward

For Players Who Want Magic To Feel Earned

Outward is an open-world fantasy RPG, similar to games like The Elder Scrolls, that focuses on action and adventure. However, while magic is a key part of the game, it’s much more complex than in those other titles. Casting spells effectively requires careful preparation and strategy. The game features several different magic systems, and players can choose which one to master.

Ritual magic works best when combined with sigils – spells that provide extra support – or materials that boost its power. Rune magic is similar to a system where combining different runes creates unique effects. Hex magic doesn’t directly harm enemies, but instead weakens them with curses and negative effects. Boon magic focuses on self-improvement, adding magical properties to weapons and armor. Finally, chakrams are unique magical weapons that consume mana when used.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Tabletop Complexity Brought To Video Games

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a highly praised computer role-playing game (CRPG) developed by Owlcat Games. It’s built on the rules of the Pathfinder tabletop game, and its magic system is similar to those found in games like Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur’s Gate 3. In these types of games, you create a character and choose a class. If you pick a magic-using class, like a Sorcerer or Wizard, your character learns new spells as they gain experience. Spells become more powerful as you progress to higher levels.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous truly sets itself apart with its incredibly deep and complex magic system. Beyond the standard spells available to most classes, each spellcaster gets unique options – Sorcerers have bloodline spells, Druids and Clerics get domain spells, Oracles have mysteries and curses, Shamans command spirits, and Witches draw power from their patrons. And that’s before you even consider the powerful Mythic spells gained through your chosen Mythic Path. Simply put, the sheer variety and scale of magic in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous surpasses even what’s found in the Elder Scrolls games.

Dragon Age: Origins

A Combat System Built On Magical Synergy

In Dragon Age: Origins, magic is divided into four distinct schools: Arcane, Primal, Creation, and Spirit. Arcane magic is the base for all mages, offering spells like Arcane Bolt and Fade Shield. Primal magic focuses on the elements – fire, stone, ice, and storms – each providing unique destructive power. Creation magic is all about healing and support, letting you restore allies’ health or enhance their abilities. Finally, Spirit magic gives mages access to spells that counter magic, raise the dead, and move objects with their minds.

Beyond the different spells and magical specializations in Dragon Age: Origins, the game features spell combinations. These are unique effects triggered by quickly casting certain spells one after another in the same area. A classic example is combining a fire spell with a Grease spell to create a lingering, damaging fire. These interactive spell combinations add a lot of depth and strategy to the game’s magic system, and contribute to why it remains popular today.

Mages of Mystralia

A Grid-Based System With Limitless Creativity

Okay, so I’ve been playing Mages of Mystralia, and it’s a really cool action RPG where you play as a new mage learning the ropes. The biggest thing about this game is how you build spells – it’s seriously the heart of everything. At first, it seems simple, but it gets surprisingly deep fast. You start with four basic magical ‘foci’ – think of them as building blocks. There’s Immedi for close-range attacks, Actus for things like mines and projectiles, Creo lets you actually create objects in the game world, and Ego is all about spells that cast on you. Combining these is where the fun really begins!

The four basic focus spells are highly customizable using runes and augments. Runes fundamentally alter a spell’s effect – a simple fire orb could become a fireball or even a landmine, for example. Augments then add further tweaks to how these modified spells behave. What makes this magic system unique is its grid-based design. Players manually place runes and augments, and where they place them is just as important as what they’re modifying. This creates a huge number of possible spell combinations. Despite its complexity, the system operates with clear rules, making it a more intricate magic system than anything seen in previous Elder Scrolls games.

2025-12-25 11:36