User blog comment:Draevan13/The streamlining of the Elder Scrolls series, and some Skyrim flaws./@comment-1600847-20121114004733/@comment-3492791-20121114022435

A lot of the recomendation quests for the mage's guild required you to learn a few specific spells, and you had to be able to sneak if you wanted to do the theives guild quuests without killing anyone. The College of winterhold however, i'll give you.

The only spells required for that entire questline are a ward spell, flames, and frostbite (and you already had flames). You can take your way out of the bridge challenge, or better yet just fuck it and say, "Bitch, i'm dragonborn".

The questline is basically;


 * Impress some bridge lady.


 * Wait for a scripted cutscene to remind you this is a school and not the mages guild.


 * Go check out a cave.


 * Clear a dungeon, kill a boss.
 * Go back and tell the principal you found a shiny ball.
 * Take to the book orc.
 * Clear a dungeon, kill a boss...or don't if you pass the skill check.
 * Go back and return the overdue books.
 * Cutscene to further the plot.
 * Clear a very small dungeon, no boss.
 * Talk to magic light.
 * Talk to Principal.
 * Talk to vice-principal.
 * Clear a dungeon, solve a "puzzle".
 * Go back.
 * Clear town of magical reskinned ice wraiths (which resist magic)
 * Watch cutscene to further plot.
 * Clear dungeon, kill boss.
 * Kill a much easier second "boss".
 * Go back.
 * Kill end boss.
 * Arch-mage.

Almost no need to know magic is involved as near the entire questline is, "go here, kill everything there, bring something back. We don't care how you do it."