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[TheSHEEEP]

It's great....but I can't imagine somebody playing it for the first time now not being completely put off by the combat, especially if they're used to more modern versions of the series.

Depends on what they are expecting, really.
If you don't tell them that this is actually an RPG with RPG combat, they might be put off, indeed - as that kind of combat hasn't been used a lot in first person games recently - at least not AAA ones.

But if you make it clear that it is not action combat (you are your character, and you are the one swinging the sword, and thus it always hits if you are close enough) but actual RPG combat (you are not your character, you merely give the command to attack, if it succeeds or not depends on the character stats and underlying system)... then it will be fine.
At least it will tell people straight away if the combat is for them or not.
RPG combat is just very different from action combat, both have their fans. This has nothing to do with modern or not. Elder Scrolls didn't "evolve" their combat as they went along - they just completely switched the combat system from RPG to action.

I always liked combat in Morrowind a lot more than combat in any subsequent Elder Scrolls - because I prefer RPGs over action games.

It's an actual RPG, not an action RPG. People play it after playing Oblivion and expect their sword to hit an enemy every time.

Exactly this.

The only thing anyone should do to experience Morrowind first time is to install a mod that fixes the laughably slow walking speed early on.

 

[Kamina]

Its an ancient game that looks very very dated, and plays accordingly.
It requires heavy modding to be visually acceptable.
It is a classic and still worth it though.

Or you wait for Skywind

 

[Emedan]

It's a great game with the best world building in any RPG. I'd say its only detriment is the slow moving speed initially - not hitting targets is only an issue like the first few levels. If you're not too inpatient it's one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

 

[Humdinger]

I tried replaying the X1X version of Morrowind a few years back, but I couldn't do it. Even though it was my favorite RPG experience ever, I think a lot of that experience was rooted to the time in my life that I played it, and the fact that it was the first RPG I ever played. Revisiting it again now, 20 years later, after all the RPGs I've consumed, just didn't appeal to me, apart from a vague sense of nostalgia. Also, I can't get myself to play through Bethesda games a second time. They're just too damn long.

And as others have mentioned, a lot of the systems are cumbersome (e.g., the quest journal, the lack of direction). I remember at the time, I needed a quest guide to help me through some of the quests. I've been spoiled by modern gaming, I suppose. I'm not willing to go back to that sort of experience again; it feels like too much trouble.

 

[JCK75]

I feel like there are a lot of things in Morrowind and Oblivion that are better than Skyrim.. like SOOOO much better than Skyrim that I understand people thinking they are superior games.. but at the end of the day actually playing the game has a lot of sway on how enjoyable a game is rather the deeper story/mechanics and Morrowind is just Janky AF as is Oblivion though less so.. Skyrim dumbs down too much but at the same time makes a much more enjoyable game to play IMO.

 

[Ikutachi]

Sounds like a game I'd try. I don't game on PC where it's recommended unfortunately.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

I'm not willing to go back to that sort of experience again; it feels like too much trouble.

I think a lot of it depends on what you play for.

I generally play to be challenged and to improve my skills - a game that just takes my hand along every step may either put me to sleep or just offends me by being so easy that I feel treated like a child.
Now moreso than when I was a teen, even - back then I'd play pretty much anything but as I grew older, my standards really went through the roof when it comes to how I want games to challenge me.

Which is probably why I did not enjoy the vast majority of AAA games I tried the last 10 years or so - and every jRPG that I attempted I just stopped playing because they are all so absurdly easy (couldn't even finish Like A Dragon despite really liking the story and characters).
Of course, sometimes you just want to relax and there are games for that, too - and that's perfectly fine, not all games must be challenging.

Meanwhile, my GF generally prefers easier experiences and only sometimes actively looks to be challenged.
It is a mystery to me how she can sit through dozens of hours of playing an Assassins Creed to completion while just breezing through it without batting an eye.
Games that we can both play together are pretty rare as a result of that - despite both of us being gamers. Thankfully some do hit the sweet spot for both (like Morrowind).

 

[NorthernSword]

If they gave it combat like Skyrim rather than the invisible dice roll system it would be easily my favourite in the series. On PC you can at least jack the resolution and play and infinity fps so it looks super clean despite being incredibly dated. I would still play it myself and enjoy it for sure.

 

[Humdinger]

I think a lot of it depends on what you play for.

I generally play to be challenged and to improve my skills [...]

Yeah, that's true. I know some people do enjoy being challenged and developing better skills, but I'm not really that way. I play mostly for the escape, the fun, the immersion in another world, maybe to enjoy the setting, the combat, or the story -- for the entertainment, basically, not to improve my skills or seek challenge.

It's not that I'm mentally lazy; it's just that I seek challenge and skill development elsewhere, in areas that matter to me. I just use videogames for entertainment; they aren't an area where I care about overcoming challenges and developing my skills. I use them more for relaxation, fun, and "escape."

That's not to say I want everything handed to me on a silver platter. I enjoyed some of the challenges in Morrowind, and I was disappointed in how dumbed down Oblivion felt by comparison -- how it pointed your nose exactly to where you were supposed to go, rather than giving you hints.

I enjoy gradually increasing challenge throughout the game, as a part of what the positive psychologists would call a "flow" experience, where the challenge matches your skills. I just don't care to develop my skills all that much, so the level of challenge that feels optimal stays rather modest (e.g., I'll almost always play games at their default difficulty, and I'll turn it down to easy if a particular boss fight is more aggravating than fun). I still get a kick out of getting better at things (e.g., combat), but it's just not a primary motivator.

 

[Shumafuk]

Because it has soul... Not only Jeremy.



Hah, I made this video 7 years ago.

 

[Agent_Nobody]

Weird seeing the praise for Oblivion in this thread, I recall people shitting on that game non-stop (‘fast travel is for casuals’, ‘OMG no spears’, ‘they got rid of the best spells’ etc.).

 

[Sp3eD]

I’ve tried to get into this game so many times. The cliff racers, movement speed, and invisible dice roll combat in an FPS viewpoint always pushed me away. I’m going to try this one more time on my S. So far I’m hopelessly lost in the sewers of vivec. Might start it over and go north to balmora plus use the map posted earlier in this thread.

 

[Agent_Nobody]

Morrowind is best played with this mod right here:



It reminds you of what Morrowind is really about...

 

[LordCBH]

It’s a really really good game. But it doesn’t hold your hand at all. It expects you to read the quest logs and the journals and the dialogue and figure out where to go from there. If you’re ok with that, you’re going into a really good game.

 

[Phase]

I really hope that project "Skywind" will release one day.

 

[Sevenfold]

I haven't been playing video games much at all lately due to getting into magic the gathering recently, but just decided to boot up my XSX and noticed they added a ton of Betheseda titles to gamepass.

I played Morrowind briefly back maybe 15 or so years ago but didn't get far. Was thinking of jumping back in but I'm not sure how well it aged.

Basically I'm torn between playing the below games rn:

Fallout 4 - put a few hours into it but my PC at the time was way too weak for me to enjoy the experience so I dropped it
Oblivion - beat it once when it first came out but hardly remember it. I put in close to 300 hours in Skyrim so I'm sure replaying Oblivion would be enjoyable.
Dishonored - never played it

or Morrowind

I don't have tons of free time so I'm really only looking to start one game. any feedback is appreciated.

I'm sure I'm lttp in shouting the word Dishonored at you...

More Arkane magic.

Assuming you haven't played the sequel either?

 

[Andodalf]

Morrowind is best played with this mod right here:



It reminds you of what Morrowind is really about...

Looks like a mod to reduce the number of cliff racers. I remember there being way more

 

[TheContact]

i love the 3:07 WR too

 

[The Pleasure]

Daggerfall was the height of Bethesda. After that, it was all downhill from there. Just like Rare. I do not know what Rare is, but it sounds disappointing.

 

[anthraticus]

Weird seeing the praise for Oblivion in this thread, I recall people shitting on that game non-stop (‘fast travel is for casuals’, ‘OMG no spears’, ‘they got rid of the best spells’ etc.).

A lot of console gamers never played an open world RPG like Oblivion before, only playing JRPGs prior, so the novelty was certainly very strong here.

Meanwhile for long time cRPG fans it was one of the biggest disappointments ever in gaming, especially with all the hype they built up prior to the release. It's the game that's often looked at as being the symbol of the decline of RPGs, leading to the more dumbed down hand hold-y type experiences that we know all too well from modern AAA gaming.

 

[anthraticus]

And yes, Daggerfall was superior to Morrowind in many ways...outside the unique alien world & lore.

 

[HE1NZ]

I tried playing it 5 years ago or so. It didn't age well even back then and I play old games all the time.

My main issue was when journal started to bug and I had no idea which quests I've done. It was enough for me to drop the game because it was already pretty bland. Very dead looking world, clumsy combat. There are mods that allow you to remove Silent Hill style fog and open up the view. It looks really good, but introduces more bugs.

I'd suggest skip old janky TES titles and start with Oblivion.

 

[Sygma]

Its the only good TES game.

hard disagree, Daggerfall is still an amazing achievement

Morrowind is the last great WRPG in first person, yo ucant go wrong with it

 

[Manwithoutfear]

all 3 are on gamepass for pc or console. i recently installed Morrowind as i loved it on the original xbox. honestly, yeah it's aged a bit but i still am enjoying it. so unless you're someone who just has to complete a game you start, then just check it out.

 

[Deanington]

Weird seeing the praise for Oblivion in this thread, I recall people shitting on that game non-stop (‘fast travel is for casuals’, ‘OMG no spears’, ‘they got rid of the best spells’ etc.).

I remember on the old ES forums the Daggerfall fans shitting on Morrowind. I bet they love it now, lol.

 

[AutumnLeaves]

One of the best RPGs. The atmosphere is amazing.

 

[Craig of War]

 

[gow3isben]

Not that well at all

Music still amazing

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[amigastar]

Fully voiced Morrowind incoming, lol.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Tried it, put around 15 or so hours but sadly it wasn't for me. I think Oblivion is more fun to play even if it's a bit shallower, and that Gothic is the better RPG.

 

[amigastar]

Tried it, put around 15 or so hours but sadly it wasn't for me. I think Oblivion is more fun to play even if it's a bit shallower, and that Gothic is the better RPG.

Gothic is a classic, nothing beats it back in the days.

 

[Wherewithal Not Found]

I can play it on an Android phone including mods. It's great.

 

[Piggoro]

My biggest dream would be to get a full RTX remaster of Morrowind like that.

 

[Kaachan]

Depends on the player. Morrowind is very much old-school which doesn't suit everyone, especially not the casual player. It's much more of a challange with its consequences and reputation system. Combat is a bit awkward and there isn't much depth to your character but I do think the main quest holds up much better than Oblivion and Skyrim for instance in terms of length and how enthralling it is

The world isn't as generic as any other fantasy setting you'd typically find in similar games, it feels much more alien-like and unique which gives the player this sense of wonder that makes you wanna explore the world

For those who can overlook its graphics (which I personally love) and traditional mechanics it's undoubtedly an amazing RPG game :3

 

[ChoosableOne]

I want to play it someday but combat always puts me off:

This map of all the various fast travel types/locations really helped me finally get into the game after several give up playthroughs.

The soundtrack is wonderful.

Then I saw this and completly removed it from my backlog(until Skywind).

 

[Celcius]

I hope this game gets the RTX remix treatment because I recently got it for free on GoG and have never played it.

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I actually recently replayed Oblivion (finishing Shivering Isles), and started replaying Morrowind again. I was going to play Morrowind on my laptop, but apparently updating to Windows 11 messed up my install/mods and I didn’t feel like redoing it, so I said fuck it and started up the Xbox version on Series X.

Despite not having widescreen it looks fine updated to around 4K and it’s obviously smooth 60fps, and playing the Vanilla experience isn’t bad. Anyone having issues with the combat need to realize you have to use the weapon type you plan to specialize in. If you want to use Long Blades you should set it as a Major Skill at the beginning and also consider which Races start with Bonuses in it. Mid to late game Race bonuses don’t matter so much, but taking these things into consideration will make you miss much less in the beginning.

To make it easier on myself early on I picked Spear Skill for my Argonian character since they start with a bonus to Spears, and decided to make a stealthy character using Spears and Bows/Crossbows. Playing the thieves guild also got me several rings that give Chameleon/invisibility to help with the play style too. If you play the game to your play style, it facilitates it pretty well.

I’m honestly enjoying it significantly more than my Oblivion Playthrough. I had to force myself to finish it by the time I got to Shivering Isles because the combat is so monotonous. Because of Oblivion’s terrible enemy level scaling you either have to power level (which I did, since I hadn’t before), or turn the difficulty slider down if you don’t want enemies to be damage sponges. It’s just tedious and the game really has to make up for it with the good faction quests and glitchy charm.

I think overall I like Morrowind and Skyrim much more than Oblivion. Skyrim Vanilla is like a better version of Oblivion gameplay-wise, and Skyrim with mods can be whatever you want. Usually I play it with combat mods and mods that make the rpg elements more significant.

Also here’s my swag Argonian bro after completing the thieves guild

 

[Captain Toad]

It holds up about as well as the original Resident Evil 1's voice acting.

 

[fart town usa]

On XBOX, not well at all. Can't speak for PC though.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

I mean the story and meta are the best in the series, but the gameplay and visuals are complete trash in 2021.

There are certain games that get remastered that do not truly need it, and then games like this which deserve so much to get a rich update but never will.

THIS ^

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

No, it wasn't and it also featured amazing water effects at the time.

On original Xbox I remember it looking kinda rough when it came out

 

[Tams]

The combat is janky and simple. It looks very dated and ugly - all mods that make this somewhat better, also end up emphasising how dated and ugly it is.

I love Morrowind. It was incredible for its time. But short of a complete remaster, I wouldn't go back and play it.

 

[The_hunter]

I like Morrowind so much, the sense of adventure, discovery and deep rpg mechanics. The variety of builds and amazing guild questlines.

Having to navigate the world with only text telling you where to go is something else.

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

Play Dishonored

 

[niilokin]

The game world is amazing, great lore and quests, and it feels like it has proper "depth" to it... oblivion and skyrim while great games lacked alot of that. The combat is tough at the beginning but it's going pay off .

 

[Starbuck2907]

Morrowind is fantastic to this day. It’s unforgiving by todays standards. Think of it as the Dark Souls of the Elder Scrolls series. It has a very, very limited fast travel system, but it does have one. The lack of a traditional fast travel system is what makes it great. It forces you to explore the landscape and find all kinds of stuff. It does NOT have the horrible level scaling found in Oblivion and Skyrim. It is very, very easy to explore too far and find yourself completely outmatched with no fast travel potion available.

It is a GOAT, but it’s not for wimps. Best player in PC with graphics update mods. There is even a mod that lets you install Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim at once and play through them all as one game. Edit: the mod is still under construction.

It also feels much weirder and alien than the newer games. It has some really weird stuff in it, whereas the newer Elder Scrolls games have veered more into having more traditional fantasy elements.

 

[Kamina]

I am currently in the process of replaing it with openMW only lightly modded.
Game is amazing as ever.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I am currently in the process of replaing it with openMW only lightly modded.
Game is amazing as ever.

Agreed, having it on SteamDeck with openWM easily installed through Luxtorpeda (or Oblivion with the NorthernUI mod) and nice gamepad support… mmmmh… so good .

 

[Panajev2001a]

There is even a mod that lets you install Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim at once and play through them all as one game.

What? Really?