If this has been answered already I apologize. But I don't see any way how less skills can possibly be good!

It was a mistake to reduce it to 21 from morrowind, why oh why reduce it more? I must be missing something...

acrobatics & athletics is basically the same thing
sneak & security are probably also together (like in Fallout)
and mysticism is gone

we don't know the exact skills, so no one could really answer this question

Actually axes are probably 1 handed.

Unless they are 2 handed axes then they are probably 2 handed.

The current consensus amongst forum-users (or some of us, anyway) is that axes will be two skills. One if you're handling a one-handed axe (The "one-handed" skill), and another if your axe requires a second hand (The "two-handed" skill). We think that axes, maces, and blades will be handled by the same skill.

However, we really don't know how it's going to actually play out.

Blade and blunt was fine by me :\

perhaps also:
blunt and blade => one-handed and two handed weapons
illusion & alteration => combined into one (was there even alteration in oblivion? I'm not really a magic user)

In terms of the skills tho I hope they expand them to include more variety. so 2-handed would cover claymores, double handed axes, spears and staves and marksman would cover bows and thrown items

Hey, also, was it me, or did blunt weapons svck in Oblivion?

Yes I could see them setting the combat skills as 1handed, 2handed, dual wield, and block; while that would be better than axes being blunt, I would certainly prefer just having more skills. Cutting skills kills immersion, imo.

...Coming from a console player, btw

Yes there was

Don't really see how it could "kill immersion", it's purely gameplay... I mean in your day to day life do you pull up a list of things you know how to do and then look at where they stand on a scale of 1-100 in terms of mastery?

Alteration and illusion are both still separate. There is a menu screen in the article and you can see alteration, illusion, destruction, among others.

Yes. My "Replying" skill just increased to 56.

There's a screenshot of the skill menu whic shows Alchemy, Illusion, Conjuration, Destruction, Restoration, Alteration, and Enchanting. There is also a skill whose name isn't fully visible but it starts with "Smi" so it might be Smithing. The article supposedly also mentions that if you use one-handed weapons you will get better at that skill. So those 7 magic skills and One-handed Weapons are the confirmed skills, which leaves us 10 more t be guessed.

There will be 3 skills less than in Oblivion and that there's one skill that wasn't there in Oblivion (Enchanting) so they must have cut 4 skills and reworked some others.

If they have One-handed wepaons they must also have Two-handed weapons and Armorer has probably been reworked into Smithing (which is great). Myscticism seems to be gone (possibly merged with Alteration as both of these skills were fairly lackluster in Oblivion). They'll probably merge Acrobatics with Athletics. And I'm really hoping they got rid of Light and Heavy Armor, the game will be actually better off without them. That leaves us with a single skill left to be cut and my guess is that it might be Mercantile.

If my guy uses a knife (short blade) for almost his entire career, then decides to pick up a long sword (long blade) and is equally as good with it; that doesn't make sense to me and I'm no longer immersed in the game. I don't think using an axe in combat would be the same as using a club, do you?

Was it a mistake to reduce it to 27 in morrowind compared to daggerfalls 35?

I see you've chosen the "Snarky" perk. I chose "Lurker", but I'm not adhering completely. Time for a re-roll.

I liked Blade and Blunt just fine. Although I always thought that Axes should have been bladed. Spears should come back. They're great in Two Worlds II, so I don't see any reason why they should leave them out of Skyrim.

I would prefer axe to be axe

Or they will combine Mercantile with speech craft

Not even SEEMS to be gone, it is confirmed to be gone. Also, we do not have any idea how many skills were cut or reworked, we just know it's at least 4, and one of them is definitely Mysticism.

I hope you're right, and agree that armor skills can go. Mercantile being joined to speechcraft seems likely.

To be honest, all of the magic skills could go and just become one skill and augmented the same way however armor would be (through perks, I'd assume). Like, you would have one magic skill. Each spell would still have a school associated with it, but all would have the same skill associated with it. Perks could boost your abilities in those schools.

Also I liked how the other games were split into combat, magic, and stealth evenly. With seven magic skills confirmed, at least one style is getting the shaft...

Its probably just down to the practicality of managing too many skills afterall if you were to split it down further in reality wielding a katana is far different from wielding a european broadsword or roman gladius.

i guess the developers saw that axes and clubs were in general bludgeoning weapons and blades were slicers, dicers and stabbers.

IMHO i think they're gonna do away with blunt and blade all together and go with 1handed and 2handed.

I really hope they figure something out. I really want a reason to play a stealth character. There was no reason to in Oblivion, stealth characters were easily the weakest.