Fallout 4: 10 Core Lessons It Must Learn From Skyrim

10. Let Characters Progress Naturally

A bit of a no-brainer to begin with, but in the years that have elapsed since Fallout 3 (and even since Fallout: New Vegas) there have been several notable innovations in the way RPGs allow their players to level their characters up. Few have been more successful than that of Bethesda's own Skyrim, and so it is essential that this is carried over to Fallout 4. Back in Fallout 3, players levelled their characters up by assigning points to various skills in a way that mirrored an RPG style that had been in place for years. The only majorly successful part of Fallout 3's character progression was in the perks system that actually influenced Skyrim's level-up system. So now it is naturally time for that favour to be repaid in kind. In Skyrim's levelling system, players are less tasked with making rash decisions about what they want their characters to excel at and are given the freedom to build their character around their own playstyle. Allowing the standard RPG skills to grow and evolve as players use them makes for a truly active progression experience. The addition of perks to this system then offers bonuses in the way of additional strengths and abilities. To give players the chance to craft natural and adaptable characters with which to navigate the game, Fallout 4 needs a levelling system like Skyrim's.