Todd Howard explained that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim removed pre-selected classes to prevent players from choosing the wrong direction without understanding the progression system, only to have to restart after several hours of play. Instead, the game allows frequently used abilities to grow naturally, which in turn affects the character's level.
This explanation comes from Howard's interview with Official PlayStation Magazine in spring 2011. Bethesda discovered during The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that after players created their character and obtained preset abilities, they still had to choose a class and major skills. If players were not familiar with the menus beforehand, their actual development path might not align with their later choices.
Howard stated that some players realized they had "made the wrong choice" only after about three hours of gameplay, leading them to start over. The development team wanted to avoid putting players in this situation repeatedly. Therefore, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim allows players to experiment freely first, without requiring them to declare which skills are most important upfront. Howard described this leveling experience at the time as "more elegant."
This adjustment, combined with the expanded dynamic quest system, enhanced the sense of freedom in the open world. Although RPGs have since seen significant changes in quest depth and specialized builds, discussions around the progression systems for future titles in the series remain speculative, with no new official design information released.