It’s been over a decade sinceThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimshook the very foundations of the RPG genre, and the tremors of Bethesda’s trailblazer are still impactful in the industry. An oft-mentioned point is the unparalleled replayability ofSkyrim, with players still finding new entertaining features in the massive expanse that makes up thelands of Tamriel, thanks in no small part to the modding community’s efforts.Skyrimcan boast of an embarrassment of riches in its items department, with the Creation Club consistently adding streams of content to an already-packed game. However, Bethesda can’t import every item intoThe Elder Scrolls 6from its highly successful predecessor, and the developer should consider foregoing extraneous tools like the Flawed Varla Stone.
Skyrimboasted a large variety of items for players to utilize during its gameplay, but official development features are rarely enough for gamers, andSkyrim’s Creation Clubin its Anniversary Edition was a testament to the fan base’s modding talent. Several fan-favorite items inSkyrimoriginate from the Creation Club, offering multiple functionalities to players in the title’s playthroughs. The abundance of creativity is appreciated, but as in all things, too much indulgence can be a bad thing. With the combination of official content and mods from community creators,Skyrimran into a small redundancy problem, having multiple overlapping layers of loot.
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Bethesda Needs to Find a Solution to its Flawed Varla Stones Problem
Soul Gems are an essential commodity inThe Elder Scrolls 5, and Flawed Varla Stones are a means of trapping souls in the game’s Anniversary Edition, acquired using the Rare Curios content in the Creation Club. Working in tandem with theSoul Trap spell, players fill Soul Gems with the souls of slain enemies to enchant weapons and armor. There are six types of souls inSkyrim’s gameplay, and Flawed Varla Stones can hold the first three ranked in terms of power - Petty, Lesser, and Common. Flawed Varla Stones are preferred to Common Soul Gems for their reusability.
InSkyrim’s early days, stockpiling Common Soul Gems to store fallen foes' souls was a relatable experience for many players, as the item would break after a single use. This method was inefficient, as precious inventory slots had to be dedicated to the soul gems so that gamers wouldn’t miss out on quality enchantments. The advent ofFlawed Varla Stonesin the Creation Club changed the laborious dynamic by allowing players continually recharge them with souls. Previously, only Azura’s Star and the Black Star were reusable, and the quest to obtain Azura’s Star was remarkably difficult, making Flawed Varla Stones a helpful utility in the early stages ofSkyrim.
However, with players expecting groundbreaking upgrades forThe Elder Scrolls 6, the Creation Club darling could prove an extraneous addition to the title. While Flawed Varla Stones can only hold up to common souls, Azura’s Star can house every type of soul inSkyrimexcept Black Souls, which can only be held by the Black Star. The functionality overlap of Flawed Varla Stones and Azura’s Star is obvious, and RPGs should ideally have minimal loot layers.Skyrimsimply has too many items that perform essentially the same task, especially considering the default Common Soul Gems.
While the shared functionality between the soul gems makes sense as a stagger mechanism, the extra loot layer Flawed Varla Stones add to the title could be done away with forThe Elder Scrolls 6. To fix Skyrim’s redundancy issue, Bethesda could incorporate the reusability mechanic inCommon Soul Gemsthat made the Flawed Varla Stones a necessity in the first place. The overlap between Common Soul Gems, Flawed Varla Stones, and Azura’s Star is hard to overlook, and while having an array of items for players to choose from is always a top priority,The Elder Scrolls 6should have significantly different functions for its tools.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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