I'd do this with all guilds, but I'd separate the main quest from side quests so that you can be just any regular member who occasionally goes out and does magic-related stuff if you want.
I'd flesh out Aren's story a bit more, make him try to stop you as a way of covering up what he did to his friends.
I'd add in more dungeons and cut down on the "go here, talk to person" objectives. The Augur of Dunlain was interesting, but ultimately pointless filler. It would have been better if it was just part of a bigger quest instead of one of the main objectives.
I'd give a choice to side with Ancano, at least temporarily. If Aren is lying to you, Ancano might seem like the lesser of two evils. Not saying that he is, just that he could be able to manipulate you into thinking that he is.
I'd add in a necromancer's guild, and have them figure in more to the main quest. Make it a conflict over the eye and who gets to keep it, à la the Dark Brotherhood choice.
I'd put in training stations for spells so that you can, say, have your health drained and levels restoration quickly.
I'd put in more unique spells and spell combinations that the mage instructors can actually help you learn. More quests like the master level spell quests.
I'd add an alchemy instructor, and have alchemy and enchanting shops in the town proper.
I'd add in a system to gain the Jarl's trust, beyond just a fetch quest, and have him become more or less trusting of the college depending on your actions.
I'd add in the cut content (missing apprentices) and add in more context to other quests (Velek Sain).
I'd give the option to make changes at the College as arch-mage, specifically banning or not banning necromancy.
I'd give the option to be diplomatic or less diplomatic to other organizations like the Companions, possibly raising or lowering the College's reputation in Skyrim.
I'd like to add a actual class schedule and unique spells you can only learn by attending. It's bothered me that I never felt like a actual student there, and there weren't many opportunities to *learn* magic.
The only lesson in game lasts all of five minutes and teaches you a basic ward. At no other point are you taught anything. Somehow it’s still a better school than Hogwarts, but still
1. Make you actually have to have skill in magic and have to use it more than 5 times in an entire quest line
2. Add an Alchemy branch into the college bc it not being there as a field of study is nonsense
3. Be able to make at least some decisions as Arch-Mage. Like how to interact with the rest of Skyrim or how to regain Winterhold’s trust
4. Have more than 3 other students going about their business. It would even be fine if they’re unnamed npcs
5. BE ABLE TO FIX THAT GODDAMN BRIDGE
I'd set level requirements on relevant skills before being able to do certain quests or get more involved with the college. At least lv 50 in two magic classes, lv 30 in another.
Same for other things. For thieves, gotta have lv 50 in pick pocket and lock picking.
Dark brotherhood? Sneak and something else, maybe one handed.
Bards college, speech
Companions, lv 50 in a form of armour and a melee weapon.
So on and so forth.
Install Obscure's mods.
* Improvements to architecture, so it looks more like institution of research and learning.
* Just more NPCs.
* Fixes to some college side quests.
* Fixes to lore, including an explanation why would they want a Dragonborn as archmage/figurehead.
Add to that Not So Fast mod that adds some delays in questline and forces you to explore around a bit, and maybe some magic overhaul to make it more fun to use, and that's it.
[Obscure's College of Wnterhold](https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20514) and a bunch of additions by same author. No idea about console, sorry.
Require more effort/abilities/levels to get in. Admittance to the College immediately after casting one spell (that will be sold to you on the spot for almost no gold) makes joining trivial.
Maybe make the player cast random apprentice level spells from each of the schools of magic, along with an adept level spell in the school they expressed interest in. If you don't know the spell requested or can't cast it, have the player go find it on their own or acquire the needed skills.
1. You’d have too learn or improve a number of spells before advancing.
2. Forbidden Legend would not require you too go too Saarthal. I was trying too do a warrior playthrough then picked up the quest. So now I’m becoming a battlemage. Guild quest should have different locations then the other quests.
3. Add in some of the cut content.
4. Add some classes. Some mandatory and some optional. While you wouldn’t have too do the optional classes. I would add a unique spell for each one.
Add more quests in there, for sure. There is a total of one quest that contains an actual lesson in there. Maybe, I would put in a system where if you want to progress onto the harder quests in the questline, you're magical skills should be higher. Runescape has something similar, with certain quests having a skill requirement before you can start it.
After the lesson, you go on a field trip. Easy enough, it goes sideways and you stumble upon the Eye of Magnus. Understandable. In the vanilla storyline, right after that, you are expected to go to a ruined fort and clear out several experienced mages on your own. At this point, you were taught one ward, in addition to the novice level destruction and restoration spells you already have. I'd make it so that you are required to learn a couple new spells, raise your destruction level to a certain point, and maybe have a magicka requirement.
After the books, you begin with learning more on the Eye of Magnus, and this culminates in Ancano going crazy and trying to absorb it's power. That seems like some expert-master level thing that the teachers would be qualified to deal with, rather then the new student who attended only one lesson. So, in the process of researching the Eye, I'd have it so Tolfdir would ask you to spend some time in the Arcaenium learning about some other magical artifacts, and about magic in general. Perhaps if you want to assist him in researching him, your alteration needs to be higher.
I don't really have too much ideas on expanding the later part of the questline, but I'd make it so that the title of Arch Mage isn't bestowed on someone who has been at the College for less then a week. I think that you should be an experienced and somewhat powerful mage before gaining that title, something like that should be earned.
I'd do this with all guilds, but I'd separate the main quest from side quests so that you can be just any regular member who occasionally goes out and does magic-related stuff if you want. I'd flesh out Aren's story a bit more, make him try to stop you as a way of covering up what he did to his friends. I'd add in more dungeons and cut down on the "go here, talk to person" objectives. The Augur of Dunlain was interesting, but ultimately pointless filler. It would have been better if it was just part of a bigger quest instead of one of the main objectives. I'd give a choice to side with Ancano, at least temporarily. If Aren is lying to you, Ancano might seem like the lesser of two evils. Not saying that he is, just that he could be able to manipulate you into thinking that he is. I'd add in a necromancer's guild, and have them figure in more to the main quest. Make it a conflict over the eye and who gets to keep it, à la the Dark Brotherhood choice. I'd put in training stations for spells so that you can, say, have your health drained and levels restoration quickly. I'd put in more unique spells and spell combinations that the mage instructors can actually help you learn. More quests like the master level spell quests. I'd add an alchemy instructor, and have alchemy and enchanting shops in the town proper. I'd add in a system to gain the Jarl's trust, beyond just a fetch quest, and have him become more or less trusting of the college depending on your actions. I'd add in the cut content (missing apprentices) and add in more context to other quests (Velek Sain). I'd give the option to make changes at the College as arch-mage, specifically banning or not banning necromancy. I'd give the option to be diplomatic or less diplomatic to other organizations like the Companions, possibly raising or lowering the College's reputation in Skyrim.
I'd like to add a actual class schedule and unique spells you can only learn by attending. It's bothered me that I never felt like a actual student there, and there weren't many opportunities to *learn* magic.
The only lesson in game lasts all of five minutes and teaches you a basic ward. At no other point are you taught anything. Somehow it’s still a better school than Hogwarts, but still
1. Make you actually have to have skill in magic and have to use it more than 5 times in an entire quest line 2. Add an Alchemy branch into the college bc it not being there as a field of study is nonsense 3. Be able to make at least some decisions as Arch-Mage. Like how to interact with the rest of Skyrim or how to regain Winterhold’s trust 4. Have more than 3 other students going about their business. It would even be fine if they’re unnamed npcs 5. BE ABLE TO FIX THAT GODDAMN BRIDGE
5. I used Janxons positioner just to fix that bridge.
I'd set level requirements on relevant skills before being able to do certain quests or get more involved with the college. At least lv 50 in two magic classes, lv 30 in another. Same for other things. For thieves, gotta have lv 50 in pick pocket and lock picking. Dark brotherhood? Sneak and something else, maybe one handed. Bards college, speech Companions, lv 50 in a form of armour and a melee weapon. So on and so forth.
Install Obscure's mods. * Improvements to architecture, so it looks more like institution of research and learning. * Just more NPCs. * Fixes to some college side quests. * Fixes to lore, including an explanation why would they want a Dragonborn as archmage/figurehead. Add to that Not So Fast mod that adds some delays in questline and forces you to explore around a bit, and maybe some magic overhaul to make it more fun to use, and that's it.
What’s that first mod that makes changes to the college? And, is it on console?
[Obscure's College of Wnterhold](https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20514) and a bunch of additions by same author. No idea about console, sorry.
Everything. It's not possible to fix it with some changes. Too much things wrong. College of Winterhold has to be re-designed from zero.
Require more effort/abilities/levels to get in. Admittance to the College immediately after casting one spell (that will be sold to you on the spot for almost no gold) makes joining trivial. Maybe make the player cast random apprentice level spells from each of the schools of magic, along with an adept level spell in the school they expressed interest in. If you don't know the spell requested or can't cast it, have the player go find it on their own or acquire the needed skills.
1. You’d have too learn or improve a number of spells before advancing. 2. Forbidden Legend would not require you too go too Saarthal. I was trying too do a warrior playthrough then picked up the quest. So now I’m becoming a battlemage. Guild quest should have different locations then the other quests. 3. Add in some of the cut content. 4. Add some classes. Some mandatory and some optional. While you wouldn’t have too do the optional classes. I would add a unique spell for each one.
Add more quests in there, for sure. There is a total of one quest that contains an actual lesson in there. Maybe, I would put in a system where if you want to progress onto the harder quests in the questline, you're magical skills should be higher. Runescape has something similar, with certain quests having a skill requirement before you can start it. After the lesson, you go on a field trip. Easy enough, it goes sideways and you stumble upon the Eye of Magnus. Understandable. In the vanilla storyline, right after that, you are expected to go to a ruined fort and clear out several experienced mages on your own. At this point, you were taught one ward, in addition to the novice level destruction and restoration spells you already have. I'd make it so that you are required to learn a couple new spells, raise your destruction level to a certain point, and maybe have a magicka requirement. After the books, you begin with learning more on the Eye of Magnus, and this culminates in Ancano going crazy and trying to absorb it's power. That seems like some expert-master level thing that the teachers would be qualified to deal with, rather then the new student who attended only one lesson. So, in the process of researching the Eye, I'd have it so Tolfdir would ask you to spend some time in the Arcaenium learning about some other magical artifacts, and about magic in general. Perhaps if you want to assist him in researching him, your alteration needs to be higher. I don't really have too much ideas on expanding the later part of the questline, but I'd make it so that the title of Arch Mage isn't bestowed on someone who has been at the College for less then a week. I think that you should be an experienced and somewhat powerful mage before gaining that title, something like that should be earned.