Arcania: Gothic 4 Preview
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This combat system seemed to work nicely and adding a bit of action to the deeply satisfying mechanics of an RPG is always good fun. The spells that the hero actually learns come in three different varieties: fire, frost, and lightning. Although it might seem like this is a limited selection, the magic of Arcania evolves as you apply skill points to it (these skill points are earned when the hero gains levels). So the basic fire spell is different than a fully powered fire spell, as it deals more damage, acquires corrosive effects and can even hit multiple enemies in a large area.
I'm a huge fan of magic in RPGs, so I was originally disappointed to hear that there were only three main schools of magic to train in. But I was relieved to hear that there are scrolls and runes the hero can use that also cast spells -- just in different ways. For example, there's a special running rune which can be used to boost the hero's speed.
