u/black-knights-tango

Without overhauling the entire combat system, there are some smaller changes that I think would improve fighting in the game:

• Better difficulty scaling. In Skyrim, the higher the difficulty, the more health an enemy has (and the more damage they do). I'm fine with enemies doing more damage at higher levels, but turning them all into tanks makes many fights tedious rather than fun. Instead, tying the difficulty level to enemy AI/aggression makes more sense. On Novice, enemies will be more reluctant to fight you, will falter more easily, and won't use any special tactics. On Master or Legendary, they'll fight aggressively, drink potions when needed, run away when low on health, and be smarter about which spells/weapons to use.
• Better hit feedback. When your sword strikes an enemy in Skyrim, there's a bit of blood, and enemies may falter, but that's about it. If you're new to the game (or to gaming in general), you may have trouble knowing if your hits connect. This can be remedied with clearer graphics - perhaps through contact point highlights or a very brief "glow" of an enemy - or through more realistic responsiveness (e.g., more/clearer falters, more gore indicators).
• Parries. This is where Skyrim can take a cue from Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. There doesn't need to be an extremely advanced or in-depth parry system, but a simple ability to parry enemy blows and falter enemies as a result makes combat more engaging and fun. I find myself using shields/blocks more in general when parries are also available.
• More bows like Zephyr. Much of the game's archery is optimized for stealth builds (though the combat archer build is still viable), but where Zephyr shines is in its fast draw speed. Including more combat archer bows (and perks) would add a new layer to fighting.
• Better movement. I'm not asking for Soulslike movement - in fact, I'd oppose it - but the addition of a simple dash would be nice, as would perks that improve overall mobility within fights.
• Stronger (and more interesting) Destruction spells. Destruction does become a viable form of magic over time, but it takes a lot of investment into its perk tree, and should be supplemented with enchanted armor and Fortify Destruction potions. There also isn't much variety within the school of magic as there is within, say, Conjuration. Pretty much every Destruction spell is a projectile or (in the case of Shock spells) hitscan attack. I'd like to see some energy waves, faltering/stun moves, and distance explosions and immolations.
• Stronger (and more interesting) staffs. Same as above. Points to the Dragonborn DLC for adding staff enchantments, but I still don't find much use for staffs due to their single-spell restrictions. I'd like to see some staffs that allow you to cast any spell you know, but with enhancements/bonuses.
• Better ward spells. I don't know about you, but I find the wards in Skyrim disappointing. You need to cast them continuously, they aren't particularly strong, and they don't guard you entirely. They're also easily outdone by the Spellbreaker shield. Improvement of wards would encourage players - particularly mages and battlemages - to enter combat head-on.
• A return to Oblivion-style casting. While I overall prefer Skyrim to Oblivion (don't @ me), Oblivion does one thing much better, and that's spellcasting. You can equip a two-handed weapon and still cast a spell, while in Skyrim a spell occupies a hand slot. Why not take Oblivion's system even further and allow two spells to be equipped in each hand in addition to weapons? (PC players could maybe hold down the "C" key to toggle to spells, and release to return to weapons.) That would make staffs even more interesting.

These are just some ideas I had to improve the combat system without rewriting it entirely. I understand that TES isn't primarily focused on combat, and many players are already satisfied with the status quo. That's alright - I don't hate Skyrim's combat, but I would prefer some enhancements here and there for a more satisfying and balanced experience. What are your thoughts? What small changes, if any, would you want to see implemented in TES6?

(Note: This post was written without using any AI - I just like using dashes and parentheses.)