Now im sure im gonna get a few flames for this but after finding (nearly) all the info out there i have to say im actually looking foward to the new system.
I hated for instance in morrowwind or oblivion where if i leveled my character to say...15 and majored or minored in say...blunt weapons but found them a little lacking in the fun or variety department (looking at you Oblivion) that i had two options....just say screw it and go ahead with a new skill, be it armor magic or combat and suffer from not actually leveling up with that used skill....or scrap my character and start a new one....only to perhaps find im not satisfied with this one as well perhaps.

I feel it adds a degree of (gasp) accessibility to the game.....for the new fans yes but also for some of us old timers as well who felt the last system was a bit.....dull. Hopefully this new way is implemented well but i like the idea of saying....ya know what im not really into using daggers anymore i think i would like to use a long sword....and still level up with WHAT YOU DO...which has been a principal of TES system since the start.

It goes like this....im a carpenter by trade IRL but if i wanted to become an electrician and become a good one....all i have to do is start.....and yes i will get better at it....just because i started out using a hammer at work doesn't mean i wont become a better electrician if i started slinging wires.

Its all about freedom and i think they hit it right with this one......so far.

I like it too. Its different, I s'pose. Sure, it might annoy a few people who enjoy gimping their characters, but I don't think it'll be the end of the world for them. I also think it'll give a huge sense of replayability.

I have to learn more about this system before I can decide if it's a good idea. I like the theory of the system but I don't think there was anything wrong with having Major and Minor skills.

Suits me. I never cared for the idea of 'major/minor' or 'tagged' skills that much.

I think it's nice to be able to set the start-level of some skills higher, giving your character a bit of background (what he / she had practiced before getting thrown into prison), but after that I prefer the oppurtunity to train whatever you want.

There should be mechanisms in place to make you choose skills to focus on, but I'd prefer incentives (high-level skills unleash all kinds of awesomeness, so training everything equally leaves you at a disadvantage throughout most of the game) instead of a rigid system such as major/minor skills.

I dont think this is what bothers/worries people about the leveling system.

I think people are more worried about the fact there is now only 18 skills. And that you have perks like in fallout.
Now 18 skills and perks is fine, as long as its done properly. Personally I'm worried because Radiant AI seemed great... only we all know how that turned out.

I actually had my doubts about the new leveling system, but your post has a point and now come to think of it it does sound a bit better.

i also am excited for the new leveling. it toke the parts of the fallout leveling i liked but didnt add the parts i didnt, like the level cap.

I liked the leveling of old and the class system....all I think needed fixing was the level scaling. In oblivion, if you didn't increase your combat skills you'd be very underpowered against some enemies that scaled to your level. Being that that problem will hopefully be fixed, I don't feel a need to change rest of leveling system. Its starting to remind me of fable: becoming a jack of all trades due to usefullness of doing so. Want to become a assassin? Just start increasing stealth skills. In the end, you'll be a mix of everything.

How do you know if you like it when you haven't tried it yet?

I like the idea of it better......did that clarify for ya?

Im not too worried with the 18 skills now as much as i was when i first heard about it.....if certain schools are going to be fused than thats fine...i dont really need a climbing skill or a banking skill....although i still do lament not having polearms and im pretty sure that we arent going to get them back....as for not having a set class system....i know i cant speak for all players i can only speak for myself and i have never played just a warrior or a mage...i always mixed and matched....and we WILL have penalties for being a jack of all trades if you focus on say two combat skills you may master them....if you try say 9 different skills you will be handicapped.......apparently.

I an very glad they did away with focus skills, this is far more intesting and real. I am however very worried about the low number of skills. I was hoping for more than Oblivion, since I'd like to see more weapon skills return, but it seems like even more will be taken out, which I fear will be some thing like sneak/security merging which I would hate

I just wish we could have this system with, say, the number of skills we had in Daggerfall.

Well the Radiant AI fiasco was a hardware issue, Perks have been used before (not in ES but it still can relate somewhat) successfully. 18 skills and the confirmation of Enchanting as a skill makes you wonder what was shifted around. But most likely it will be things like Athletics and Acrobatics or Mercantile and Speechcraft being merged. But as you said we can only wait and see.

I just want a system where the characters skill matters not you the Godhead so to speak.

And I'm really really really sad that they removed my favourite magic school, and also removed several other skills.
Gief Daggerfall system!

I gotta say that I love that they got rid of the major and minor skills, I have no idea what I will like in the game, so I dont want to define my character early on

yea at first i thought i would hate it just hearing about it, but when i read about it, it grew on me and i can say feel like i will really like this system for the reason in the OP and a few others, thanks beth. :celebration:

Yeah, i'm not to thrilled by the way it sounds but I will just have to wait and see if it works out or not.

I dont get why ppl are freakin about the new lvling system. its not much different than the old system, with the exception of more perks (since there was perks in oblivion).

1) In oblivion u chose a 'class' which was jus a name since u didnt hav to follow tht certain class (which in some cases ppl made classes with skills they never use), so the only difference there is u dont hav a 'class' (name).

2) perks were in oblivion (u kno those abilities when u got to appr/jorneyman/master), so now instead of jus gettin them automatically u now choose which ones u want.

3) 21 skills were in oblivion, 18 are in skyrim (which is not a bad thing). more skills is always nice, but theres a point when there is too many and some become redundant. skills lik; athletics, acrobatics, merchantile, speechcraft, heavy armor, light armor, and lock picking were all skills u picked to either 'roleplay' or to fill in spots for lvling control, other than those uses theyre not that helpful.

The new system is jus simply cleaning up the old systems flaws and trying to spice it up with the perks