Best RPGs Where You Level Up Spells And Attacks

Summary

• RPGs often feature player progression through leveling up skills and abilities, promoting strategic thinking in gameplay.
• Some RPGs offer extensive customization options for skills and abilities, allowing players to specialize their characters.
• Modern RPGs like Metaphor: ReFantazio use archetype-based skill systems to evolve player abilities as they level up.

Role-playing games are one of the most popular game genres, spawning a whole myriad of subgenres because of this popularity. From action RPGs to turn-based games, all RPGs tend to share specific features. Most notably, some form of player progression, such as gaining experience points and leveling up.

A number of RPGs take the idea of progression even further, and allow the player to actually level up their skills, abilities and spells as they go. Generally resulting in them being more powerful, or providing more utility. Often, this is done by simply allowing the player to spend points to make a skill better, leveling the skill up. Others rely on the player using their abilities to get better at them as a form of skill progression.

8

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Skill Point-Driven Progression

Taking the bottom spot on this list is Dragon Age: Inquisition. It doesn’t offer as many level-up customizations for skills and abilities as the other games on this list. But don’t let that put you off playing it, as it is a great game, with an exceptional combat system that promotes strategic thinking.

The player can choose from a wide range of different classes and ability specializations when they start the game. As they level up, the player can spend skill points to improve existing skills and abilities, or unlock new ones.

7

Pillars Of Eternity

Modern Isometric RPG

Pillars Of Eternity is a game that aims to bring back the feel of old-school isometric RPGs. This is something it accomplishes very well. Taking on the role of a Watcher, the player is able to see past lives, and also interact with the souls of the deceased.

The game makes this list because of the deep, class-based progression system. Each class has a range of skills and spells that can be improved as a player levels up. This means that the player has scope to build their character the way they want, specializing in abilities that suit their playing style.

6

Dragon Age: Origins

Dark Fantasy RPG

As dark fantasy games go, Dragon Age: Origins is a seminal work. The player is free to choose from a number of races and subsequent classes. Each of these has its own well-defined lore and backstory. With its companion system and great combat system, the game is a lot of fun.

However, the reason it made this list is that as the player levels up, they unlock new abilities, spells, and skills. These skills can be customized, so that the player can focus more on skills that they find to be the most useful, or to offer the most utility.

5

Tyranny

Custom Spellcrafting System

Tyranny is an RPG that takes player action and agency seriously. With its branching, narrative-driven storyline, player choices have a permanent impact on a playthrough. Playing as a Fatebender, the player becomes an agent for the evil overlord.

It is the deep spellcrafting system that gets the title a place on this list. Players can create custom spells, by setting parameters such as the element used to cast it, the target, and the effect that the spell will have. Players can experiment, build new spells, and discover new ways to use their powers.

4

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Skill Book-Based Spell Abilities

With gameplay based in an interactive world, as well as a great tactical combat system, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is often considered to be one of the best role-playing games ever made. Based on the origin story, the player chooses, the story and narrative are changed to fit.

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, skills and abilities are linked to skill books. These skill books can be mixed and combined to create new skills, or hybrids of the original skills. Additionally, players can begin to specialize in particular schools of skills, to further customize their character.

3

Path of Exile

Online Action RPG

Path of Exile is set in the foreboding fantasy world of Wraeclast. The game has a very complex and highly customizable system for skills. Based on the class the player chooses when they begin the game, different passive abilities can be unlocked as the player levels up.

But it is the gem system that is the main reason that Path of Exile has been included in this list. Some abilities are linked to specific gems. These gems can then be fitted to certain types of equipment. As these gems are used, they can increase in level, becoming more powerful.

One Of The Most Popular RPGs Of All Time

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim needs little introduction, it has featured in many lists, for a wide range of reasons. This open-world game was released over a decade ago, but is still widely popular today. Not least of which are the sheer volume of mods that can entirely change gameplay in some way.

In The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the more a player uses a skill or ability, including spells, the more they will level up. For example, every time the player casts a spell from a specific school, they will become better at using abilities that are in the pool.

Archetype-Based Skill System

Representing the modern evolution of role-playing games, Metaphor: ReFantazio, its excellent combat system, which manages to mix real-time action with turn-based game control. The game also features a social simulation, with the relationships the players build with NPCs an important aspect.

However, the game takes top place on this list for the Archetype system of skill progression. Each character can begin to manifest different classes, and each one has unique abilities. As the player levels up in Metaphor: ReFantazio, their manifested skills and abilities can evolve in different ways.