Across theFalloutandElder Scrollsfranchises, Bethesda has always employed two different leveling systems. Despite both series working somewhat similarly in terms of being open-world RPGs,the ways in which their protagonists get more powerful are very different. These differences encourage players to see their characters in different ways and focus on different styles of gameplay.
WithFallout 5presumably somewhere on the horizon, the developers will have to contend once more with the challenge of finding a satisfying approach to level progression. It might make sense to follow inFallout 4’s footsteps, buttaking inspiration fromSkyrim’s style of letting players get stronger could also pay off.Both approaches have pros and cons, and the nextFalloutgame might need to aim somewhere between the extremes.
How Skyrim’s Leveling System Works
Encouraging Players To Specialize In Certain Skills
Skyrimemploys a skill-based leveling system, whereexperience is gained for a specific skill when players use it.Attacking with fire bolts grants experience in the destruction skill, while blocking with a shield can grant block experience, and so on. Each skill starts with a score somewhere around 15-20 and can get up to 100 throughout the game. Every time players reach a certain milestone with a skill’s XP progression, they gainexperience towards leveling up, eventually getting more health and a perk point.
The 10 Hardest Skills To Level Up In Skyrim, According To Reddit
Grinding the skills needed to succeed in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may not be fun, but it’s the only way to increase the Dragonborn’s abilities.
These points can be used in the individual skill trees to gain specific buffs and abilities pertaining to that skill. Notably, many of these perks can’t be chosen until players have a certain score in that skill, meaning players need to continuously use the skills they want to improve in order to be able to do so. It’sa style of leveling that encourages players to specialize in certain weapons and actionsand makes experimenting a little less rewarding.
The amount of experience needed to level up increases as the player reaches higher levels, as does the amount they need to use a skill to get to a higher score.
It’s also a very inward-focused system. The game does not give experience just for killing a bad guy or completing a quest, but only for the specific way in which players do so.Leveling up is all about the player’s internal improvementsrather than their effect on the world around them, and some players like how this makes the player character’s journey feel more personal.
How Fallout 4’s Leveling System Works
Experience As A Reward For Progress
Fallout 4in particular works very differently. Instead of being tied to any specific action or skill,Fallout 4grants experience for accomplishing certain things.Completing quests, beating enemies, crafting, and even discovering new placesall grant bits of experience. The experience is all lumped together until it reaches a certain point and the player levels up, and then it resets with a higher goal to reach.
In bothFallout 4andSkyrim, there is no cap on the maximum level players can achieve. This tends to result in players getting extremely overpowered by the end of their time playing.
This style of level progression doesn’t take into account how a player gets things done as long as they do get them done. The approach enables players to win fights with environmental hazards or lure enemies into one another, and it generallylets them be a lot more experimental with how they play. It also eases up on the restrictions around getting certain perks, which aredependent on one’s SPECIAL attributesinstead of skill progression.
Fallout 4: 10 Best Side Quests For XP (& Gear)
To gain XP and gear in Fallout 4, complete side quests, picked up by joining the Minutemen and Brotherhood of Steel, and helping NPCs around the map.
However, this approach has the downside of reducing the RPG elements of theFalloutfranchise. Most previous games had skills, like barter and science, and this approach does away with those entirely. More freedom in terms of how the player can act at all times also means thatthe player character’s identity feels less established.
Fallout 5 Should Use A Combination Of The Two
Trying Something New While Staying True To The Franchise
There is no doubt thatFallout’slevel progression system is simpler and more intuitive for new players.Fallout 5will likely try to emulate that, butit would also benefit from taking some pages out ofSkyrim’s book. Bringing backFallout’s skills, having experience applied to each skill individually, or doing something similar with the SPECIAL system are all approaches that could be worthwhile.
Overall, progression in games like these should be something that happens both internally and externally. Players should feel like their characters are truly their ownwhile also being connected to the world around them, andexperimenting with the level systemis a great way to accomplish that and make futureFalloutgames better.
