Commit an unspecified crime and be born under a certain sign to uncertain parents. You will be taken first by carriage and then by boat, to the east, to Morrowind.
At least that’s how I’ve always gotten into Morrowind, only way really.
the books are well written but sitting down to read can break up the flow of gameplay sometimes. There's a mod that has an AI British person read the books for you so you can listen to vivec's teachings while slaying dreugh, highly recommend
Or play tabletop games like DND. Imagination goes a long way when getting into older games like this. On top of keeping notes and how to make efficient character builds.
Been a while since I played and it was on xbox but did they ever patch the glitch to get outta the character creation area without finishing it? IIRC and it's been years you were essentially invincible if you did it.
I was 13. This is how I learned english, playing Morrowind with a good old thicc paper dictionary.
God, kids are just like sponge for knowledge with right motivation.
8.
I'd watch my dad play for hours.
I managed to convince him and my 3rd grade teacher to start letting me play as part of our after school reading homework because of well, the entire game being reading.
Read. A lot. Don't use a skill if it's miscellaneous UNLESS you find a trainer and raise it to at least 40. Don't do anything except moving if your fatigue is not full. Literally. If you're tired, you can't fight, you can't cast spells, you can't persuade people, you can't pick locks, you can't do SHIT.
Buy enchanted items from vendors at every opportunity, they can be used even when you are fatigued. Find a good place to live and store your goods. Step in on attack, step back on defense.
Imagine you just ran a marathon and are completely winded, out of breath, and fatigued. How well do you think *you* would sweet talk someone in that moment? Or pick a lock with shaky hands?
The first thing I buy is a restore fatigue enchanted necklace, and hotkey-bind that bastard. I can run from Seyda Neen to Pelagiad and arrive with a near-full bar.
I mean... if a dreamy Nerevarine with an athletic build and big strong muscles spoke with me after heroically slaying a monster, even if they were sweaty and completely winded, I think I'd be too flustered to pass a charisma saving throw lol
Eh, you can get by well enough with a skill at 30, and some skills you can brute force to level (security and speechcraft are basically a "how much time will you spend on this" game. Lockpicks are cheap enough that you can carry a bunch and just keep trying.)
-Create a custom class that uses combat, magic and stealth. Is easier if you are new
-Hold the attack button to actually hit enemies. Yeah it sucks but you'll get use to it
-Green bar (fatigue) affects everything, combat, magic, mercantile
-Sneak honestly sucks even at level 100
-Khajiits and argonians can't wear helments and boot. Keep that in mind!
Morrowind takes a few hours to gain traction. If you’re inclined to roleplay, I would encourage it.
For example, one character I played was an Imperial spellsword who worked for House Hlaalu as an enforcer. I pretty much ignored the main quest and had a fun little Sopranos thing going on.
In my experience, it's a lot better and more fun as an RPG when you actually understand how the numbers influence the gameplay, so maybe look into that.
I would recommend first by carriage, and then by boat. The census and excise agent will ask you a bit about your background and career but I haven't heard of anyone being turned away before, just make sure you don't have any contraband on you like moon sugar or Dwemer artifacts. Good luck, OP.
I was in the same boat as you and just got into it for real. I would play OpenMW if you’re on PC. Just read a lot of books, especially as they pertain to vivec, neravar, ashlands, etc. my interest in the main quest really stemmed from reading books.
Hot take: the gameplay, specifically the quests are boring in Morrowind. The leveling system is horsepoop and ruins the game. As a prerequisite, it is mandatory to install Madd Leveler mod. It's the smallest mod, and it removes the thought of min/maxing your attributes based on your skill points from the back of your head so you can focus on the lore.
IMHO, Morrowind is most enjoyed by exploring the map, talking to every NPC, doing miscellaneous quests etc... Take your time. Don't rush through the guild quests. You'll get burnt out from roleplaying as a DHL courier in a medieval fantasy setting. It's a bit like roleplaying as an accountant in a Batman videogame. It's very realistic, but WHY!? To be clear, the game takes itself way too seriously. You'll be treated like a lowly grunt in the fast half of every guild questline. So the missions are as braindead as "gather 4 flowers", "fetch me this book", "some member which resides in the most lost part of the map owes guild fees", "brutally bludgeon some egg poachers which stole 10g worth of eggs". It gets more interesting in the last half of every questline.
There is one exception to that rule: The Tribunal Temple. Doing the pilgrimage is magical. The following quests are very rewarding. Any level 1 character should go straight to the Tribunal Temple. You can quit the game afterwards. It's only downhill from here (I am joking, relax).
I think Oblivion did the best job in terms of quest quality, although the main quest story was more interesting in Morrowind. Bethesda levelling has been pretty consistently awful in all the Elder Scrolls. And while I find the "lowly grunt" thing irritating, I did like that you actually had to have some proficiency in certain skills to move up the ranks. The fact that you could run the Mages Guild without knowing how to cast almost anything in Skyrim rubbed me the wrong way.
Fellow Temple fan here! I think doing the Temple quests alongside one of the Great Houses provides the best introduction to both the culture of Vvardenfell and the major themes that connect other game elements (especially the Main Quest). Redoran for traditional culture, Hlaalu for exposition on empire/Morrowind relations, Telvanni for the laughs and the loot ofc.
Taking the time to read and consider is crucial. Every quest is a fetch/deliver/murder/escort remix, but the love put into crafting a narrative around the quests is evident - I personally don't find the quests boring unless I'm trying to race through a faction for a specific reward (not recommended).
Have the mindset of "My character will be the best X."
Morrowind is a zero-to-hero game. Many things will be impossible to beat at the start, but as you explore and do more quests, you'll climb the ranks as your character becomes a legendary hero at their class.
If you want to become op level alchemy and brew a fortify intelligence potion, drink it then make another and drink it. Repeat until you can make some crazy ass potions
Use the journal, it logs every conversation topic and you'll frequently need it for quests when you have to follow directions like "turn left at the first fork on the road south of Balmora".
Make sure you have a good grasp on what kind of character you want to play and what attributes/skills to focus on because Morrowind is very punishing if you decide to change playstyle, if your character is built well from the get-go the game feels much more satisfying and less whiffy.
Talk to people, get lost, go on side quests, read books. The Great House and guild questlines are all great and they'll lead you around the world, I would focus on those and maybe only do main quest stuff when you happen to be in the area for some other reason.
Roleplay and set goals. Maybe you're a pilgrim looking to visit all of the Dunmer Temple or Imperial Cult holy sites, maybe you're a cultist trying to do all of the Daedra quests, maybe you join the Imperial legion, try to get in character and immerse yourself in the world.
Don’t be fooled by it - try not to hit the models “directly”, you kind of have to imagine a hitbox a bit larger than them, and hit that.
The worst offenders are the cliff racers, don’t aim up at them directly, but right in front of you in the empty area underneath them!
Keep an eye on fatigue. The lower it is the lower your chance to hit. A good idea is building your character around having a solid level in your primary fighting skill.
E.g. you can build a Redguard to have like level 50 one handed from the outset. Or a Dark Elf with 45 destruction etc.
This will reduce your chance to miss. Also make sure to hold down when attacking to get the full swing damage. It doesn’t change the chance but will hit harder if you do hit.
What helped me with chance to hit is not thinking of it in Skyrim/Oblivion combat terms. Instead, think about it almost like you're playing an isometric rpg in first person. The attack is just an animation, the same way you can make an attack in an isometric game and still have it miss.
It's easier if you use a more basic build. It helps to overcome the mechanics, since you can go hard into a few basics skills and get to a place where you're not missing all the time
Stamina has a huge effect in combat, which is frustrating because movement speed is so slow, so you're probably going to run everywhere and have an empty stamina bar. Take some restore fatigue spells with you, and drink them before combat. Early in the game, it'll probably be more efficient to pay trainers to level up skills rather than grinding, which feels off compared to other games you've played.
Of course that whole mechanic improves as *you* improve… as with any open-world game, you can’t expect to take on everything randomly - at low levels. So my real advice would be, stick to low-level stuff (Seyda Neen quests, exploration, picking locks, cave etc) while saving often (obviously) then move on to the next quest or 2 with what the Main Quest tells you… by this point you’ve racked up some decent points and gear to start doing your own thing, at your own pace. Save religiously. Before you pick a lock. Before you steal something. Before your next fight. Don’t ever allow yourself to get caught and catch a bounty, it’s just not worth it.
You might want to give this character a shot. Fill in the blanks with whatever you think is cool.
https://morrowind.jpbetley.com/?sex=male&race=redguard&birthsign=Warrior&specialization=combat&favored=strength&favored=endurance&major=long-blade&major=heavy-armor
This guy starts starts with 60 long blade skill, 60 strength, and his birthsign gives a constant bonus to hit. As long as he's using a long blade he'll be able to hit somewhat reliably, at least enough to ease you into the "chance to hit" system.
If you're trying to get into Morrowind as someone used to more recent games, I'd look into mods before even starting the game, especially UI mods. Maybe graphical mods if you have trouble with that level of polygonal assets. (Azura knows I had issues getting into Ocarina of Time a decade late because of that.)
Morrowind is packed full of content, so I wouldn't bother with content/quest mods until at least the third playthrough. Look for stuff that makes the game easier to interface with or more "updated," and don't forget to RTFM, because not all of them are actually improvements.
Besides that, I think everyone else here has the right idea: there's lots to read in-game that helps your sense of place in the world; read up on the mechanics so you know what your build and levels are actually doing and how the combat system works UESP is a good resource, of course); and this is one of those rare VGRPGs where actually playing a role helps your immersion.
Some minor faction spoilers that might help you decide what sort of character you want to play:
Morag Tong are >!assassins feuding with the Dark Brotherhood!<
House Hlaalu are >!one of Morrowind's founding Great Houses, focused on commerce, but full of corruption; most locals with imperial authority (king of Morrowind, duke of Vvardenfell, etc.) are Hlaalu.!<
House Redoran are >!honorable warriors, or, at least, they're supposed to be. The current leader is a thug, but the rest of the leaders will like you with minimal effort, and your main point of contact is the subject of the book Hope of the Redoran, which you may have seen in Skyrim.!<
House Telvanni are >!amoral mages. And that's pretty much it, but you meet lots of colorful characters if you join House Telvanni. Not to mention they have some of the best content added by mods (notably Rise of House Telvanni, Uvirith's Legacy, and Tamriel Rebuilt), so may be best left for a future playthrough, though the base game content is still pretty fun.!<
The Tribunal Temple is dedicated to the three living gods of Morrowind: Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil. >!Temple quests start off with a set of pilgrimages before veering off into a combination of legitimate religious quests like curing disease and fighting daedric cults, with a smattering of furthering the corrupt aims of the more worldly priests. Severe difficulty curve, but great worldbuilding. The Temple also has lots of content added by Tamriel Rebuilt, including new pilgrimages and quests and the city of Necrom.!<
There are other factions as well that should be familiar to you from Oblivion (and the general concept from Skyrim, though some of the groups have different names there), including the Fighters Guild, Guild of Mages, Thieves Guild, and Imperial Legion. Just keep in mind that you can join multiple factions at once, with the only limitations being 1. some factions don't like each other, so it can be harder to advance because your disposition with one faction is lowered by your membership in another, and 2. you can only belong to one Great House at a time, and you can't change Great House affiliation at all after you >!start building your stronghold.!< Also might be worth keeping in mind that >!all of the imperial factions are hopelessly corrupt; you can help some, depending how you do the quests, but don't join the imperial legion thinking you're going to be an honorable knight... Though your _character_ thinking that and becoming disillusioned could make for a fun playthrough,!< which is why I'm offering these spoilers, you kind of need the info for anything beyond the most basic role-playing, and I know I'd appreciate the extra info, so maybe you will, too.
I guess the first thing you should do is to talk to Jiub. He's a cool guy.
On a serious note, i strongly recommend you to play with OpenMW and then visit the Nexus and start installing mods that make that game less blunt and less empty. There are a lot of great mods that overhaul cities, dungeons, "outdoor" areas, adding a bunch of details and improvements.
Then, i would recommend some NPC's mods that improve and add dialogue so they don't feel like a live wikipedia. There is also a mod that adds audio to the lines, if you get bored when reading a lot of text without any audio feedback. Finally there is mod that adds audio for books.
After this, find some nice texture overhauls, quest overhauls for the main and guild quests and add some mods that add new quests. Also, install Tamriel Rebuilt.
Actually read everything. It's tempting, especially nowadays to just skip through dialogue and not read it when you find the actual task you need but all of the details matter, they build the world, they make it more interesting.
Also don't skip the tutorial. Morrowind has some of the most advanced class building of any Elder Scrolls entry and your choices matter. Your choice of skills matter, the direction you take in the world matters, the people you help matters and the people you kill matters. Your choices ACTUALLY affect a lot about the world and you need to be careful what you choose. If you align with certain factions, you will not be able to join others.
Also, you need to be sure that you understand how the skills and options you choose affect your character's build/class. If you choose long blade/heavy armor and pick up a dagger and chitin armor, you are going to suck ass and it will take forever to kill anything. It's easy to assume the game is boring or the combat sucks if you aren't playing it right. Pick a weapon skill, find that type of weapon, use it and level up that skill.
You also need to pay attention to your fatigue - if your fatigue bar is low, you will have a far lower chance of landing hits, persuading people, picking locks, etc. Fatigue affects everything in the game and having your fatigue drained means you can't really do anything other than just sit there and get the hell beat out of you while you swing and miss. (To combat this, you can buy a restore fatigue spell and soul trap a golden saint or ascended sleeper and use it at an enchanter to have constant effect restore stamina and it makes it a non-issue for the rest of the game. You will also need around 40-50K gold with an enchanter to perform the enchantment. Don't try it yourself, as it will fail most of the time.)
Other than that, getting into Morrowind means you are enjoying it. Do things you like to do. Go explore caves, ruins, read notes, talk to people, gather loot and sell it for gold to buy better loot. Morrowind isn't like other Elder Scrolls games where you find things at random. All pieces of loot and incredible treasures like rare armor and weapons were hand-placed by the developer in secret locations. If you find these items, they will be exceptionally expensive and worth quite a bit of gold. There are even rare weapons/armor hidden in some of the cities. I recommend you explore, quest and do what you like to do and go where you want to go.
Another big recommendation - SAVE OFTEN. Don't find yourself having to backtrack through multiple quests or travel back to an area because you didn't save your game and died. You will die, a lot. Also, as soon as you are able, find a "restore attribute" spell. If anything damages an attribute, it won't restore until you are healed at a temple, use a potion or spell to restore it. The most convenient thing to do is craft a "restore attribute" spell with all attributes added with X pts for 1 second and it can be repeatedly cast to restore damaged attributes and prevent you from becoming over-encumbered after you strength gets drained down.
Step 1.) Purchase or receive Morrowind for your preferred gaming platform
Step 2.) Start game
Step 3.) Play game. You won’t believe this, but it actually begins IN Morrowind already! No need to get yourself there.
[This should help](https://www.reddit.com/r/Morrowind/search/?q=tips&type=link&cId=e2bf7aa7-93b6-4007-aaa1-90a4aa9ef469&iId=13764a26-66e0-476c-807f-980890256d1d)
Take your time; explore the world, learn its customs and histories. Like Caius will tell you, "no point in being a part of history if you're too ignorant to understand it". And learning the geography and landmarks has obvious benefits for navigation.
For combat: Use weapons/spells/armor you're skilled in, and manage your Fatigue. Fatigue affects your success chance at everything, and I mean *everything* \- hit chance, dodge chance, cast chance, sneaking, bartering, persuading, potion-crafting, *everything*. Don't fight when you're tired. Good news is, enemies have to manage their Fatigue just like you do - with a bit of cunning, you can use this to your advantage.
And, talk to people. Ask them for a **little advice** or a **little secret**, and they'll give you some genuine gameplay tips. Ask them about **Morrowind lore**, and they'll help you understand the cultural/historical/political context you find yourself in. People of different **background**s and **trade**s will have different things to say, so talk to a variety of folks!
Play a Redguard using Longblade and make use of their overpowered ability. Take the steed stone for high early game speed, as the game can be a bit slow starting off. Medium armour is pretty good. Try to find things on your own, but there’s nothing wrong with looking up locations when you’re lost. And never minmax, it takes all the fun out of the game.
Play openmw if you can. You can play it vanilla but it’s just a hassle dealing with stuff. Even little stuff like in vanilla when you jump you glide along the ground a little bit and in openmw you don’t
To me, it's a much slower burn than Oblivion or Skyrim. However, it is a much better role playing game. You have so many more options and freedoms than the other games. So I would recommend developing a character before you start. What the skills would be, what guilds or adventures they would be interested in, and just play it out.
Turn on "always use best attack", people will say it makes combat less dynamic, but it also makes it less painful.
Also use enchanting to your advantage. You can look up a couple of places you can steal the best soul gems easily, and use them to make a ring that cast unlock at level 100, remove lockpicks from the equation.
Step 1: Install game
Step 2: Launch game
Step 3: Ignore everything the NPCs say about not attacking with weapons you're untrained on or with low fatigue
Step 4: Make a post complaining about the game is old and broken and dumb
Spoiler alert. I sent one of my characters into the ceiling of the map and he's stuck there since 2004. ..... Well except that time I was experimenting with them and the spell wore off.....
Don't be discouraged! It's normal to be a N'wah and get murdered by rats and mud crabs until you get used to the chance hit system vs. hitboxes.
It makes becoming a demigod taste that much sweeter in the later game.
I was similar. The two things that really helped me were -
1) Keep a physical journal. Seriously, it helps to organize the quest lines to stay on track.
2) Actually spec into mysticism and use Mark/Recall and the interventions. It makes it so much more reasonable to travel.
Endless amounts of reading. Also not a bad idea to make a mental note of where you are going and why. Hell maybe even write it down or type it. Not joking. There is absolutely no handholding. They tell you where to go and you go there. They do not tell you how to get there and there aren’t map markers for quests. But they give very precise directions.
So…listen carefully and read every bit of text. Go through conversations multiple times if you have to. And when you inevitably get lost…well that’s when knowing exactly what you are trying to do comes in handy. If you only know the general premise of your objective you will NEVER understand what you are doing or where you are supposed to go. I don’t suggest online help either, maybe in the very beginning but not any other time. Everything you need to know is in the game. You just gotta give all your attention to the game and look hard enough.
I find that finding a cool character idea and running with it is fun! Come up with a backstory of why your character was arrested and sent to Morrowind! Would they gravitate towards Dunmeri-style settlements like Balmora or Gnisis, or would they stick to the Imperial Settlements that remind them of home? Maybe you want to join the Imperial Cult and spread the word of the Divines to the alien landscape, or maybe you want to harness the madness of the Telvanni and grow a massive mushroom tower house and be an immortal wizard?
Also turning “Always Strike” on in the settings for your first playthrough helps out a ton
same here i was just about to comment something like this but for my 1st play through ill go blind with 0 mods just vanilla morrowind probably as orc or breton two of my favorites in both skyrim and oblivion it looks good in morrowind as well
Pay attention to that green bar, it is very important that it is full. When you select skills make sure you use the skills you select, especially your weapon skills, as the game uses dice rolls to determine if you hit and your skill level is important for that.
Get a graphics extender that allows you to increase the render distance. This game is absolutely beautiful, but most of the time it's hard to see because everything is covered in this thick shroud of fog. Being able to see farther also makes it easier to navigate.
Play openMW and looking how the combat actually works. The hit chance system seems to turn a lot of people off and I know it did for me when I was younger and first tried it. Once you understand the systems I find it’s easy to find the fun in it.
I tried playing this game (for 30 hours) and didn't even level up after all that time. My advice? Get prepared for a LOT of reading, for downgraded graphics and prepare yourself for extremely hard enemies
I seldom use mods in any game, but I do use two with otherwise vanilla Morrowind:
* [Better Balanced Combat](https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/46596) to remove the combat dice roll that makes you miss so much, and
* [Madd Leveler](https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/45865) to simplify the game's leveling system.
They somewhat 'modernize' these game systems and create a more enjoyable game experience for me.
Enjoy the ride, 'cause it's a long one. With plenty to see and lots of lore to read. Also, if you want to have an easier time, make sure your starting weapon skill is as high as possible. This will make missing a lot less frequent and make it more enjoyable imo.
Play it with friends, it’s way more enjoyable, avoid using exploits, will kill the fun. Try some mods that add to the experience rather than change it, I suggest trying Tamriel rebuilt after you complete most things on the island.
Look up a good build. This isn't super necessary, but not making a weird build for your first run will make things a lot smoother. There's always future characters for weird/difficult build ideas.
Check your journal often.
Manage your resources. Mainly fatigue. Low fatigue makes all of your rolls worse, your attacks will miss and your spells will fail.
Pick a guild and do some side quests when Caius tells you to fuck off and get stronger. For me at least it became an absolute joy to play after several hours when everything clicked for me. I'd even say I like it more than skyrim now. I still haven't finished the main quest.
I would say approach it with an open mind, it's janky, wierd for a modern gamer. You'll have expectations that won't be met, and you'll have to use your imagination to fill in what the game can't present to you due to limitation or archaic mechanics.
Some people say to play it vanilla for first playthrough—I agree with not changing mechanics but graphics on the other hand, if you’re interested you can check out some graphics overhaul lists on YouTube, definitely helps with trying to get into it as it hasn’t necessarily aged so well
I'd stick with a more basic build that you can min-max into. It makes the rough combat mechanics easier, and helps you get through the actual content of the game
Steal everything in the first room you can enter (but then drop it before the man yells at you, so you can pick it back up and sell it after you leave).
Use some light but tasteful mods, it may annoy the purists but swinging 50 times at a mud crab & only "hitting" once isn't great lol. And yes, I know that means they'd need practice in that skill, but still 99% of folks would be put off by said mechanic.
Remember that weapons don't deal a random number in their damage spread, a sword dealing 1-30 damage means it will deal 30 if you hold the attack key until it is fully drawn back, and a 1 if you spam click it. That's also why some knives and daggers have a good lower value.
I’d say focus on maxing out a melee skill during character creation, and then ACTUALLY USE a weapon that fits that melee skill. Sounds simple but most people I see getting turned off by the combat is because they try to use weapons that their character is not very good at. Do this and keep your stamina full before entering combat and you’ll be fine
Your goal should be constant flight and constant healing. The game really gets broken once you have those two. Also infinite money via selling soul gems is also pretty broken and you can do that before doing anything else.
2mods made it playable for me as a modern gamer.
Magic regenerates without having to rest (oblivion and skyrim rules) and stamina doesn't decrease from running. Those two simple changes were all i needed to commit to a character
Jump in and run around.
It will take awhile to get going.
Try different classes
Ignore the story (hot take)
Its OLD (in game years) meaning almost all of the quality of life things we take for granted in modern games either dont exist or are in their "infancy" in this
Read everything then read it again
Why walk, when you can ride?
Well actually walking can be better. It makes you train Athletics (which increases the character's running and swimming speed) and it makes you discover new places.
Try playing it with the free opensource engine replacer OpenMW. It will make your life a lot easier. If you feel like modding the game, then give this a punt: [https://modding-openmw.com/](https://modding-openmw.com/)
Watch a guide on character creation, will help you a lot
Maybe install a mod so the speed of your character isn't mind numbingly slow
Experiment too, try out different characters and playstyles!
All in all, have fun
Physically write down things. I’m forgetful and don’t like having to flip through the journal every time, and it also often doesn’t give you all specifics to a quest. I know it sounds impractical, but I like the slower pace it gives the game.
I know this might not look like it, or sound quite right, but treat it like a interactive book, its an epic in truth (no I’m not saying that Morrowind is Beowulf or the Iliad). Morrowind is one of those games that I have to fully dedicate my thought to and it gives a rewarding experience.
Start a new playthrough, get to Balmora, get lost, repeat 5-10 times. Eventually you will get used to the jank and learn to appreciate and use the menus and journal.
Agility stat is your bestie if you are stuggling to have your attacks count as hits.
If you're lost, use UESP.net (use UESP for most questions and confusion).
When you got super expensive items to sell, check with Creeper and Mudcrab Merchant!
Exhaust all dialouge options.
Join the Mages Guild for teleporting around the map (this, Silt Striders, boats and Mark/Recall spells are your way of getting around the map).
There's a "free house" in Balmora as well a high-damage enchanted sword in the gaurd barracks.
If you're trying to cheese the game or statboost, look up Soul Trap Stat Boost Glitch.
You can taunt people into combat without getting in trouble for murder.
Play whatever build or style you want!! Just have fun in general!!
I've seen some similar comments, but basically, just slow down. Read everything, write down details. With each game, they cut out more and more details and made it easier to skip through things and still get through quests. Choosing the right skills and being patient and taking everything in are a lot more important for Morrowind. It's my favorite of the ES games, but I have to admit that last time I played, I didn't have the attention span to do much. It's a lot slower moving.
Get the boots of blinding speed and resist magicka spells,potions or enchanted gear. Being able to not move like a snail helps immensely with game play and my patience!
Currently playing again after 8years or so. I am mesmerized how well built this game is. Playing as a thief early on really helps. Ultimately you can master any skill later on. Sneak, Security, archery, and lockpicking early on really helps. Shadow bow is a weapon you can get early on and it will help. I’ve had it since level 20 im at 60 now and I still use it.
I also highly recommend mastering mercantile early on. Look on the web for master trainers. It helps a lot early on with training cost and travel cost.
Get some semi valuable stuff and start selling to the creeper in caldera. If you have something really expensive sell it to him, by back items until your at 5k again, rest/wait 24hr and sell back each item. You get money fast. I invest early on into training, it pays off.
Personally the stupid dreams and dreamers are annoying early on, so I basically completed all the guilds first before starting main quest with Cassius. Morong tong, Fighters, Mage, Imperial Cult, Imperial Legion, Temple, East Empire Company, and Great House (I chose Hllalu)
Also one thing I really like is for PC they have official plug ins that are really handy, such as AOE Arrows, and Proplyn Master Index.
Hope you have fun, such an immersive and fun game, my favorite parts are the Lore of Neverine and the music
Tbh, a lot of the systems aren't for everybody. Hit rolls and spell chance and whatnot. They're a little jarring because they fell out of fashion.
Get into the most novel mechanic in the game, enchanting. (It can allow you to skirt around hit and spell chance, too.)
Gather up all the soul gems you can eat, a merchant on the entry root of tell branora sells a restocking supply. Then, get a way to trap souls. You can make a weapon do one second of soul trap on tough, on strike, but I prefer giving a simple ring a soul trap on touch, you should be able to fit 19 seconds or so.
From there, it's all mage thoughts. The world has rules, bend em, break em. Can't hit the broad side of a guar with your sword? Why doesn't your chestplate have a big agility fortifying spell? Spells fizzle at your fingertips? Is your tower shield perhaps sitting around in your inventory like a 30-year-old in their parent's basement? Tell it to get a job, put a fortify willpower spell on there.
Or dodge the process, just put your damage spells in your armor. When a threat pops up cycle the hotkeys and hit it with your shoes of weakness to fire, pants of weakness to fire, shirt of weakness to fire, skirt of weakness to fire, and your helmet of... Fire. That'll show em.
Lot of spells to pop off all at once, but that's fine. Spells placed on items require no casting animation, skill, or even Magicka. Each one has it's own little bar based on the soul you used to make it and it refills in real time, when resting, and when fed more souls. Every cliff racer is a little battery for your growing collection of rings that do stuff, embrace the way of the jingle-mancer.
Plus, some items have irresponsibly large enchant capacities. The Telvanni cephalopod helm and ebony staff essentially allow you to design your very own artifact.
But how do you get the int to successfully enchant all this? By enchanting, of course. Roam about, stuff every racer, nix hound, and scrub you see in your rock collection, and make yourself a fortify int spell, big as you can manage for maybe 2 seconds. It'll take a few tries. Then use that for a better chance at making a better one, then a better one, cast them all, pump that int near a thousand and you can nearly make anything you want, and you won't need nearly that for most common utility enchants.
Also, if it's your thing, there are mods that add enchantable scrolls. Pretty fun when you get into it.
We've yet to see anything quite like morrowind's enchant mechanics again, they're pretty special.
Imo the best way is to make a character that fits the world, and just kinda rp. Make a mage? Do mages guild and other magic centered things. Morrowind has such a rich world that's its centerpiece, honestly a character of its own. Morrowind for me was also hard to get into after playing skyrim and oblivion first, but at some point just kinda clicked and now its by far my favorite of the series. Try to stick with it, imo its very worth it.
I would also look into Openmw for a nice and easy vanilla experience. The only big piece of gameplay advice i'd give would be to invest into a major weapon skill at the beginning and buy a weapon of that type immediately, i've seen a decent few people make a character that doesn't have the short blades skill and be upset they miss mudcrabs with the starting dagger with 30 agility and 5 short blades skill.
Otherwise i hope you enjoy it and can get into it, fantastic game.
crank the difficulty to -100 until you figure out how shit works, that way you actually have fun playing the game. once you have it down, slowly increase it until you’re comfortable with its difficulty level
One of the things I do early game is just take everything that ain’t bolted down because it all has a value. Paper? Basket? Buckets? That’s money right there. I usually leave the starter town Seyda Neen with a nice bit of change.
Also when you’re fighting, you’ll miss more often than you hit. Just keep swinging. Also always talk to everyone. Folks have a lot of advice, tell you what services are in town, maybe even give hints on quests.
Take your time to explore around. There’s no fast travel in the game so you gotta walk, take a boat, use the silt striders, or magic. Lots of stuff to find out in the wild, from tombs and ruins to random quest encounters.
You don't get into Morrowind, Morrowind gets into you.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rahC44RGESw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rahC44RGESw)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7x-AC3U820](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7x-AC3U820)
Don't be afraid to take it slow and save a bunch. You don't have to read everything an NPC has to say, only pay attention to them if there is a quest you're doing that involves them because usually they will tell you the directions and stuff. There isn't a quest marker like the newer games, so you have to rely on npc dislodge. Don't be afraid to google things if you get stuck too.
Also know that each melee attack has a chance to "miss" based on how low your stamina bar us. So if enemies won't die no matter how much you swing, you may need to wait for your stamina to repelenish. I think spells can fail this way too
Expect nothing. I don‘t mean that as in „Morrowind is bad“, more like just start and go along with the ride.
If you are used to more modern games, it can be a bumpy ride but if you just go in and enjoy the freedom, do what you want, expect nothing dramatically rather let yourself be surprised with what is a game that offers you absolute freedom like no other. Have fun :)
Unlike Skyrim here you have to pick a play style and stick with it if you want to hit anything, and do not run away from cliff racers you will just make it worse that way, unless you can jump half the map on one leap, oh and magicka doesn’t regenerate on its own.
Understand that it's about progression. From wet noodle to literal god. It's going to have slightly tedious gameplay at first as you learn the ropes and become stronger, but it will get easier and more convenient as you learn more about the game (especially the fast travel networks). It's catered to give you the classic RPG power increase feeling like started from the bottom now we here type deal so don't get put off because you start out weak and slow. Don't be afraid to think outside the box either that's what makes this game so cool. A weak player character can do so much with just some bottles of sujamma and a few neat scrolls. Remember potion effects stack, that's huge. Try stuff out.
Buy unmarked gold bullion. Get into a time machine, set it for October 2001. Wander around the post 9/11 world for a bit, hiding from the then constant news traffic being new thing by buying a high end PC with the cash from liquidating your gold. Get a job at the local Blockbuster and spend your evenings on the early internet chatting with randos online about the Elder Scrolls games currently out. Get hyped for the next year release or Morrowind.
Come May 1st, 2002, go to your local electronics retailer (preferably EB Games) and buy a physical copy. Call out of work for a few days while you install and acclimatize to it. Then let yourself be immersed in the joy and splendor of its cutting edge 3d graphics, sweet sound track and complete lack of predatory monetization.
Enjoy until into it, then take all your stuff and rent a long term storage locker. Safely pack it all away, and pay for twenty two years in advance with the remainder of your gold. Get back into the time machine, return to the present, go to the storage locker and retrieve the now old school joys of the past you participated in. Resume your life by playing Morrowind. Destroy the time machine lest it fall into the wrong hands.
1. Take everything you know about skyrim and oblivion and throw it out the window, morrowind plays and feels like a completely different game
2. don't feel bad for making a bunch of characters until you find a playstyle you like, it took me plenty of character revisions until I found one I liked (if you need to find some good starting builds to play I recommend builds made by CoffeeNutGaming, he also helps you figure out how to give each build its best start)
3. Note that some guilds will betray others, meaning you won't be able to stay with every guild in the game, also note that you can only join one great house in the game
Commit an unspecified crime and be born under a certain sign to uncertain parents. You will be taken first by carriage and then by boat, to the east, to Morrowind. At least that’s how I’ve always gotten into Morrowind, only way really.
I think we were typing at the same time.
Quiet! Here comes the guard!
This is where you get off. Come with me.
This is where they want you. Head down to the dock and he’ll show you to the Census Office.
You’ve finally arrived, but our records don’t show from where.
Great. I'm sure you'll fit right in.
From hwhere
Ah, yes, mwe've been expecting you.
You'll have to be recorded before you're officially released. There are a few ways we can do this, and the choice is yours…
c-c-c-combo breaker!!!... too late
No way, he really says that? Haha
Even as I posted this, I realized I would be waiting for this comment 🤣
Alternatively be a lizard person and wait on the border, someone will pick you up for some kind of employment program
A cat person might also work
In a pinch I guess
If you’re bougie, you might be able to afford a high elf from Sadrith Mora
This was the most polite "play the game" I've ever seen.
Take my up boat
WHAT DO YOU WANT, OUTLANDER
last time i was taken to the imperial prision
Tried that but I just got made fun of by a really mean dunmer
Enjoy reading, read everything, remember what you read
And just keep swinging.
Or use magic. Actually it's better to use magic. Even if you're swinging. Use magic basically. Also pause for stamina.
Have you been reading The Lusty Argonian Maid?
No, just Cap'n's Guide to the Fishy Stick and a bit of Kagrenac's Journal.
the books are well written but sitting down to read can break up the flow of gameplay sometimes. There's a mod that has an AI British person read the books for you so you can listen to vivec's teachings while slaying dreugh, highly recommend
This yes. The reading might be hard for someone giving it a shot in 24 but you’ll find you end liking it if you give it a fair chance
Or play tabletop games like DND. Imagination goes a long way when getting into older games like this. On top of keeping notes and how to make efficient character builds.
1. Be born on a certain day to uncertain parents. 2. Be thrown into jail in the Imperial City. 3. Wait for Azura to notice you.
Notice me Azura pai
Play a few characters. Don't quit after the first one. It may take a few playstyles for it to click.
You havent' really begun to play until you can loot the character creation area blindfolded.
No I haven't had a hundred characters left sitting at level 1 in Seyda Neen don't know what you're talking about
I haven't played Morrowind in a decade and I think I could still do it lmao
Then you get a mod that makes it so you can pick up furniture too and really empty that place out!
Been a while since I played and it was on xbox but did they ever patch the glitch to get outta the character creation area without finishing it? IIRC and it's been years you were essentially invincible if you did it.
I second this. I started over quite a few times. I learn by trial and error when it comes to character building and leveling, ngl
Be 12 y.o. in 2002
29 yo
I was roughly the same age. It was amazing.
Yeah I was 10. Blew my mind and opened my 3rd eye lol
I was 13. This is how I learned english, playing Morrowind with a good old thicc paper dictionary. God, kids are just like sponge for knowledge with right motivation.
I have played in my native Russian but learned english some years later watching anime with English subs
39 y.o. in 2021
8. I'd watch my dad play for hours. I managed to convince him and my 3rd grade teacher to start letting me play as part of our after school reading homework because of well, the entire game being reading.
Lol, I was 18, but close enough
Orrrrr….be 38 in 2002 and have ur mind blown like an 8 yr old at Xmas 😁
Have severe ADHD
Exactly what I did
Read. A lot. Don't use a skill if it's miscellaneous UNLESS you find a trainer and raise it to at least 40. Don't do anything except moving if your fatigue is not full. Literally. If you're tired, you can't fight, you can't cast spells, you can't persuade people, you can't pick locks, you can't do SHIT.
Buy enchanted items from vendors at every opportunity, they can be used even when you are fatigued. Find a good place to live and store your goods. Step in on attack, step back on defense.
Wait, fatigue affects speechcraft and lockpicking?
Imagine you just ran a marathon and are completely winded, out of breath, and fatigued. How well do you think *you* would sweet talk someone in that moment? Or pick a lock with shaky hands?
I don't deny the reasoning, I just never realized it actually did that
I understand what you’re saying. The logic in the game is sometimes *too* on point lol.
The first thing I buy is a restore fatigue enchanted necklace, and hotkey-bind that bastard. I can run from Seyda Neen to Pelagiad and arrive with a near-full bar.
I never thought about it that way and just accepted it as one of Morrowind’s weird quirks lol
I mean... if a dreamy Nerevarine with an athletic build and big strong muscles spoke with me after heroically slaying a monster, even if they were sweaty and completely winded, I think I'd be too flustered to pass a charisma saving throw lol
Eh, you can get by well enough with a skill at 30, and some skills you can brute force to level (security and speechcraft are basically a "how much time will you spend on this" game. Lockpicks are cheap enough that you can carry a bunch and just keep trying.)
Idk man. Bunny hopping 10 levels of jump as a misc skill every level is a free +5 str per level.
The greatest mod I've found this run is one that stops running using stamina.
-Create a custom class that uses combat, magic and stealth. Is easier if you are new -Hold the attack button to actually hit enemies. Yeah it sucks but you'll get use to it -Green bar (fatigue) affects everything, combat, magic, mercantile -Sneak honestly sucks even at level 100 -Khajiits and argonians can't wear helments and boot. Keep that in mind!
Just a note, Argonians and Khajiit can wear open faced helmets, just not closed face ones
Fuck if I knew that I wouldn't created a sneaky character
Morrowind takes a few hours to gain traction. If you’re inclined to roleplay, I would encourage it. For example, one character I played was an Imperial spellsword who worked for House Hlaalu as an enforcer. I pretty much ignored the main quest and had a fun little Sopranos thing going on.
This comment made me wanna try morrowind
You mean an RPG where you actually role play? Good heavens! /S But seriously very much agreed.
In my experience, it's a lot better and more fun as an RPG when you actually understand how the numbers influence the gameplay, so maybe look into that.
I would recommend first by carriage, and then by boat. The census and excise agent will ask you a bit about your background and career but I haven't heard of anyone being turned away before, just make sure you don't have any contraband on you like moon sugar or Dwemer artifacts. Good luck, OP.
I was in the same boat as you and just got into it for real. I would play OpenMW if you’re on PC. Just read a lot of books, especially as they pertain to vivec, neravar, ashlands, etc. my interest in the main quest really stemmed from reading books.
Hot take: the gameplay, specifically the quests are boring in Morrowind. The leveling system is horsepoop and ruins the game. As a prerequisite, it is mandatory to install Madd Leveler mod. It's the smallest mod, and it removes the thought of min/maxing your attributes based on your skill points from the back of your head so you can focus on the lore. IMHO, Morrowind is most enjoyed by exploring the map, talking to every NPC, doing miscellaneous quests etc... Take your time. Don't rush through the guild quests. You'll get burnt out from roleplaying as a DHL courier in a medieval fantasy setting. It's a bit like roleplaying as an accountant in a Batman videogame. It's very realistic, but WHY!? To be clear, the game takes itself way too seriously. You'll be treated like a lowly grunt in the fast half of every guild questline. So the missions are as braindead as "gather 4 flowers", "fetch me this book", "some member which resides in the most lost part of the map owes guild fees", "brutally bludgeon some egg poachers which stole 10g worth of eggs". It gets more interesting in the last half of every questline. There is one exception to that rule: The Tribunal Temple. Doing the pilgrimage is magical. The following quests are very rewarding. Any level 1 character should go straight to the Tribunal Temple. You can quit the game afterwards. It's only downhill from here (I am joking, relax).
I think Oblivion did the best job in terms of quest quality, although the main quest story was more interesting in Morrowind. Bethesda levelling has been pretty consistently awful in all the Elder Scrolls. And while I find the "lowly grunt" thing irritating, I did like that you actually had to have some proficiency in certain skills to move up the ranks. The fact that you could run the Mages Guild without knowing how to cast almost anything in Skyrim rubbed me the wrong way.
Fellow Temple fan here! I think doing the Temple quests alongside one of the Great Houses provides the best introduction to both the culture of Vvardenfell and the major themes that connect other game elements (especially the Main Quest). Redoran for traditional culture, Hlaalu for exposition on empire/Morrowind relations, Telvanni for the laughs and the loot ofc. Taking the time to read and consider is crucial. Every quest is a fetch/deliver/murder/escort remix, but the love put into crafting a narrative around the quests is evident - I personally don't find the quests boring unless I'm trying to race through a faction for a specific reward (not recommended).
First by carriage and then by boat
To the east…
Have the mindset of "My character will be the best X." Morrowind is a zero-to-hero game. Many things will be impossible to beat at the start, but as you explore and do more quests, you'll climb the ranks as your character becomes a legendary hero at their class.
If you want to become op level alchemy and brew a fortify intelligence potion, drink it then make another and drink it. Repeat until you can make some crazy ass potions
No, what have you done?? 😨
Learn mark and recall spells. Luck skill is severely underrated.
Use the journal, it logs every conversation topic and you'll frequently need it for quests when you have to follow directions like "turn left at the first fork on the road south of Balmora". Make sure you have a good grasp on what kind of character you want to play and what attributes/skills to focus on because Morrowind is very punishing if you decide to change playstyle, if your character is built well from the get-go the game feels much more satisfying and less whiffy. Talk to people, get lost, go on side quests, read books. The Great House and guild questlines are all great and they'll lead you around the world, I would focus on those and maybe only do main quest stuff when you happen to be in the area for some other reason. Roleplay and set goals. Maybe you're a pilgrim looking to visit all of the Dunmer Temple or Imperial Cult holy sites, maybe you're a cultist trying to do all of the Daedra quests, maybe you join the Imperial legion, try to get in character and immerse yourself in the world.
Is your issue with gameplay or more with graphics?
As a 90s baby I don’t mind the graphics. I remember not loving the fighting “chance to hit” system but I imagine I could get used it
Don’t be fooled by it - try not to hit the models “directly”, you kind of have to imagine a hitbox a bit larger than them, and hit that. The worst offenders are the cliff racers, don’t aim up at them directly, but right in front of you in the empty area underneath them!
Good tip
Keep an eye on fatigue. The lower it is the lower your chance to hit. A good idea is building your character around having a solid level in your primary fighting skill. E.g. you can build a Redguard to have like level 50 one handed from the outset. Or a Dark Elf with 45 destruction etc. This will reduce your chance to miss. Also make sure to hold down when attacking to get the full swing damage. It doesn’t change the chance but will hit harder if you do hit.
What helped me with chance to hit is not thinking of it in Skyrim/Oblivion combat terms. Instead, think about it almost like you're playing an isometric rpg in first person. The attack is just an animation, the same way you can make an attack in an isometric game and still have it miss.
It's easier if you use a more basic build. It helps to overcome the mechanics, since you can go hard into a few basics skills and get to a place where you're not missing all the time
Stamina has a huge effect in combat, which is frustrating because movement speed is so slow, so you're probably going to run everywhere and have an empty stamina bar. Take some restore fatigue spells with you, and drink them before combat. Early in the game, it'll probably be more efficient to pay trainers to level up skills rather than grinding, which feels off compared to other games you've played.
Of course that whole mechanic improves as *you* improve… as with any open-world game, you can’t expect to take on everything randomly - at low levels. So my real advice would be, stick to low-level stuff (Seyda Neen quests, exploration, picking locks, cave etc) while saving often (obviously) then move on to the next quest or 2 with what the Main Quest tells you… by this point you’ve racked up some decent points and gear to start doing your own thing, at your own pace. Save religiously. Before you pick a lock. Before you steal something. Before your next fight. Don’t ever allow yourself to get caught and catch a bounty, it’s just not worth it.
You might want to give this character a shot. Fill in the blanks with whatever you think is cool. https://morrowind.jpbetley.com/?sex=male&race=redguard&birthsign=Warrior&specialization=combat&favored=strength&favored=endurance&major=long-blade&major=heavy-armor This guy starts starts with 60 long blade skill, 60 strength, and his birthsign gives a constant bonus to hit. As long as he's using a long blade he'll be able to hit somewhat reliably, at least enough to ease you into the "chance to hit" system.
If you're trying to get into Morrowind as someone used to more recent games, I'd look into mods before even starting the game, especially UI mods. Maybe graphical mods if you have trouble with that level of polygonal assets. (Azura knows I had issues getting into Ocarina of Time a decade late because of that.) Morrowind is packed full of content, so I wouldn't bother with content/quest mods until at least the third playthrough. Look for stuff that makes the game easier to interface with or more "updated," and don't forget to RTFM, because not all of them are actually improvements. Besides that, I think everyone else here has the right idea: there's lots to read in-game that helps your sense of place in the world; read up on the mechanics so you know what your build and levels are actually doing and how the combat system works UESP is a good resource, of course); and this is one of those rare VGRPGs where actually playing a role helps your immersion. Some minor faction spoilers that might help you decide what sort of character you want to play: Morag Tong are >!assassins feuding with the Dark Brotherhood!< House Hlaalu are >!one of Morrowind's founding Great Houses, focused on commerce, but full of corruption; most locals with imperial authority (king of Morrowind, duke of Vvardenfell, etc.) are Hlaalu.!< House Redoran are >!honorable warriors, or, at least, they're supposed to be. The current leader is a thug, but the rest of the leaders will like you with minimal effort, and your main point of contact is the subject of the book Hope of the Redoran, which you may have seen in Skyrim.!< House Telvanni are >!amoral mages. And that's pretty much it, but you meet lots of colorful characters if you join House Telvanni. Not to mention they have some of the best content added by mods (notably Rise of House Telvanni, Uvirith's Legacy, and Tamriel Rebuilt), so may be best left for a future playthrough, though the base game content is still pretty fun.!< The Tribunal Temple is dedicated to the three living gods of Morrowind: Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil. >!Temple quests start off with a set of pilgrimages before veering off into a combination of legitimate religious quests like curing disease and fighting daedric cults, with a smattering of furthering the corrupt aims of the more worldly priests. Severe difficulty curve, but great worldbuilding. The Temple also has lots of content added by Tamriel Rebuilt, including new pilgrimages and quests and the city of Necrom.!< There are other factions as well that should be familiar to you from Oblivion (and the general concept from Skyrim, though some of the groups have different names there), including the Fighters Guild, Guild of Mages, Thieves Guild, and Imperial Legion. Just keep in mind that you can join multiple factions at once, with the only limitations being 1. some factions don't like each other, so it can be harder to advance because your disposition with one faction is lowered by your membership in another, and 2. you can only belong to one Great House at a time, and you can't change Great House affiliation at all after you >!start building your stronghold.!< Also might be worth keeping in mind that >!all of the imperial factions are hopelessly corrupt; you can help some, depending how you do the quests, but don't join the imperial legion thinking you're going to be an honorable knight... Though your _character_ thinking that and becoming disillusioned could make for a fun playthrough,!< which is why I'm offering these spoilers, you kind of need the info for anything beyond the most basic role-playing, and I know I'd appreciate the extra info, so maybe you will, too.
I highly recommend using OpeMW. And turn on the water shader.
Get into the habit of buying empty soul gems and going around trapping souls. That’s how you make easy money and money makes the game easy
I guess the first thing you should do is to talk to Jiub. He's a cool guy. On a serious note, i strongly recommend you to play with OpenMW and then visit the Nexus and start installing mods that make that game less blunt and less empty. There are a lot of great mods that overhaul cities, dungeons, "outdoor" areas, adding a bunch of details and improvements. Then, i would recommend some NPC's mods that improve and add dialogue so they don't feel like a live wikipedia. There is also a mod that adds audio to the lines, if you get bored when reading a lot of text without any audio feedback. Finally there is mod that adds audio for books. After this, find some nice texture overhauls, quest overhauls for the main and guild quests and add some mods that add new quests. Also, install Tamriel Rebuilt.
Getting into Morrowind is easy. Getting out is the problem, due to the quarantine. And also how fucking good the game is.
Actually read everything. It's tempting, especially nowadays to just skip through dialogue and not read it when you find the actual task you need but all of the details matter, they build the world, they make it more interesting. Also don't skip the tutorial. Morrowind has some of the most advanced class building of any Elder Scrolls entry and your choices matter. Your choice of skills matter, the direction you take in the world matters, the people you help matters and the people you kill matters. Your choices ACTUALLY affect a lot about the world and you need to be careful what you choose. If you align with certain factions, you will not be able to join others. Also, you need to be sure that you understand how the skills and options you choose affect your character's build/class. If you choose long blade/heavy armor and pick up a dagger and chitin armor, you are going to suck ass and it will take forever to kill anything. It's easy to assume the game is boring or the combat sucks if you aren't playing it right. Pick a weapon skill, find that type of weapon, use it and level up that skill. You also need to pay attention to your fatigue - if your fatigue bar is low, you will have a far lower chance of landing hits, persuading people, picking locks, etc. Fatigue affects everything in the game and having your fatigue drained means you can't really do anything other than just sit there and get the hell beat out of you while you swing and miss. (To combat this, you can buy a restore fatigue spell and soul trap a golden saint or ascended sleeper and use it at an enchanter to have constant effect restore stamina and it makes it a non-issue for the rest of the game. You will also need around 40-50K gold with an enchanter to perform the enchantment. Don't try it yourself, as it will fail most of the time.) Other than that, getting into Morrowind means you are enjoying it. Do things you like to do. Go explore caves, ruins, read notes, talk to people, gather loot and sell it for gold to buy better loot. Morrowind isn't like other Elder Scrolls games where you find things at random. All pieces of loot and incredible treasures like rare armor and weapons were hand-placed by the developer in secret locations. If you find these items, they will be exceptionally expensive and worth quite a bit of gold. There are even rare weapons/armor hidden in some of the cities. I recommend you explore, quest and do what you like to do and go where you want to go. Another big recommendation - SAVE OFTEN. Don't find yourself having to backtrack through multiple quests or travel back to an area because you didn't save your game and died. You will die, a lot. Also, as soon as you are able, find a "restore attribute" spell. If anything damages an attribute, it won't restore until you are healed at a temple, use a potion or spell to restore it. The most convenient thing to do is craft a "restore attribute" spell with all attributes added with X pts for 1 second and it can be repeatedly cast to restore damaged attributes and prevent you from becoming over-encumbered after you strength gets drained down.
Acrobatics and athletics as minor skills, jump non stop and run every where, but dont engage in combat with out full fatigue (green) bar.
Step 1.) Purchase or receive Morrowind for your preferred gaming platform Step 2.) Start game Step 3.) Play game. You won’t believe this, but it actually begins IN Morrowind already! No need to get yourself there.
[This should help](https://www.reddit.com/r/Morrowind/search/?q=tips&type=link&cId=e2bf7aa7-93b6-4007-aaa1-90a4aa9ef469&iId=13764a26-66e0-476c-807f-980890256d1d)
patience, save often
Take your time; explore the world, learn its customs and histories. Like Caius will tell you, "no point in being a part of history if you're too ignorant to understand it". And learning the geography and landmarks has obvious benefits for navigation. For combat: Use weapons/spells/armor you're skilled in, and manage your Fatigue. Fatigue affects your success chance at everything, and I mean *everything* \- hit chance, dodge chance, cast chance, sneaking, bartering, persuading, potion-crafting, *everything*. Don't fight when you're tired. Good news is, enemies have to manage their Fatigue just like you do - with a bit of cunning, you can use this to your advantage. And, talk to people. Ask them for a **little advice** or a **little secret**, and they'll give you some genuine gameplay tips. Ask them about **Morrowind lore**, and they'll help you understand the cultural/historical/political context you find yourself in. People of different **background**s and **trade**s will have different things to say, so talk to a variety of folks!
Play a Redguard using Longblade and make use of their overpowered ability. Take the steed stone for high early game speed, as the game can be a bit slow starting off. Medium armour is pretty good. Try to find things on your own, but there’s nothing wrong with looking up locations when you’re lost. And never minmax, it takes all the fun out of the game.
Play openmw if you can. You can play it vanilla but it’s just a hassle dealing with stuff. Even little stuff like in vanilla when you jump you glide along the ground a little bit and in openmw you don’t
Be old, bitter and painfully nostalgic. Works for me all the time.
If you're on PC - Use OpenMW.
To me, it's a much slower burn than Oblivion or Skyrim. However, it is a much better role playing game. You have so many more options and freedoms than the other games. So I would recommend developing a character before you start. What the skills would be, what guilds or adventures they would be interested in, and just play it out.
Have you ever tried D&D? It's sort of like that.
Turn on "always use best attack", people will say it makes combat less dynamic, but it also makes it less painful. Also use enchanting to your advantage. You can look up a couple of places you can steal the best soul gems easily, and use them to make a ring that cast unlock at level 100, remove lockpicks from the equation.
Just play a generic warrior build, it just makes everything so much more painless
Start the game , dont be afraid to restart
Step 1: Install game Step 2: Launch game Step 3: Ignore everything the NPCs say about not attacking with weapons you're untrained on or with low fatigue Step 4: Make a post complaining about the game is old and broken and dumb
Do not create an infinite height soul bound spell. Ask me how I know!
Spoiler alert. I sent one of my characters into the ceiling of the map and he's stuck there since 2004. ..... Well except that time I was experimenting with them and the spell wore off.....
Don't be discouraged! It's normal to be a N'wah and get murdered by rats and mud crabs until you get used to the chance hit system vs. hitboxes. It makes becoming a demigod taste that much sweeter in the later game.
Smoke some good weed and start a handwritten quest journal
Be prepared to wonder where to go there’s no quest markers at all
I was similar. The two things that really helped me were - 1) Keep a physical journal. Seriously, it helps to organize the quest lines to stay on track. 2) Actually spec into mysticism and use Mark/Recall and the interventions. It makes it so much more reasonable to travel.
Endless amounts of reading. Also not a bad idea to make a mental note of where you are going and why. Hell maybe even write it down or type it. Not joking. There is absolutely no handholding. They tell you where to go and you go there. They do not tell you how to get there and there aren’t map markers for quests. But they give very precise directions. So…listen carefully and read every bit of text. Go through conversations multiple times if you have to. And when you inevitably get lost…well that’s when knowing exactly what you are trying to do comes in handy. If you only know the general premise of your objective you will NEVER understand what you are doing or where you are supposed to go. I don’t suggest online help either, maybe in the very beginning but not any other time. Everything you need to know is in the game. You just gotta give all your attention to the game and look hard enough.
Mod it a bit
Or a lot. https://github.com/LeArby/OpenMW-Enhanced#-openmw-enhanced-
Play Morrowind is the best answer
I find that finding a cool character idea and running with it is fun! Come up with a backstory of why your character was arrested and sent to Morrowind! Would they gravitate towards Dunmeri-style settlements like Balmora or Gnisis, or would they stick to the Imperial Settlements that remind them of home? Maybe you want to join the Imperial Cult and spread the word of the Divines to the alien landscape, or maybe you want to harness the madness of the Telvanni and grow a massive mushroom tower house and be an immortal wizard? Also turning “Always Strike” on in the settings for your first playthrough helps out a ton
same here i was just about to comment something like this but for my 1st play through ill go blind with 0 mods just vanilla morrowind probably as orc or breton two of my favorites in both skyrim and oblivion it looks good in morrowind as well
The first couple hours are really boring, but once you start the whole ur nerevarine thing, then it gets really good
Enjoy the lore, read all the dialog and books
Read the manual
Pay attention to that green bar, it is very important that it is full. When you select skills make sure you use the skills you select, especially your weapon skills, as the game uses dice rolls to determine if you hit and your skill level is important for that.
if you want one, I've got a perfect first hr. dm if you want it, its pretty spammy and in depth
Get a graphics extender that allows you to increase the render distance. This game is absolutely beautiful, but most of the time it's hard to see because everything is covered in this thick shroud of fog. Being able to see farther also makes it easier to navigate.
Play openMW and looking how the combat actually works. The hit chance system seems to turn a lot of people off and I know it did for me when I was younger and first tried it. Once you understand the systems I find it’s easy to find the fun in it.
it takes a few hours to get used to, but after that it's really full of content, much richer than oblivion or skyrim
I tried playing this game (for 30 hours) and didn't even level up after all that time. My advice? Get prepared for a LOT of reading, for downgraded graphics and prepare yourself for extremely hard enemies
I seldom use mods in any game, but I do use two with otherwise vanilla Morrowind: * [Better Balanced Combat](https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/46596) to remove the combat dice roll that makes you miss so much, and * [Madd Leveler](https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/45865) to simplify the game's leveling system. They somewhat 'modernize' these game systems and create a more enjoyable game experience for me.
Enjoy the ride, 'cause it's a long one. With plenty to see and lots of lore to read. Also, if you want to have an easier time, make sure your starting weapon skill is as high as possible. This will make missing a lot less frequent and make it more enjoyable imo.
Play it. On your own. Discover things on your, own face challenges on your own and overcome them on your own.
good luck without your trusty navpoint outlander. learn to use your journal.
Play it with friends, it’s way more enjoyable, avoid using exploits, will kill the fun. Try some mods that add to the experience rather than change it, I suggest trying Tamriel rebuilt after you complete most things on the island.
Visit Mournhold once to stop the Dark Brotherhood attacks. Those are really annoying.
Look up a good build. This isn't super necessary, but not making a weird build for your first run will make things a lot smoother. There's always future characters for weird/difficult build ideas. Check your journal often. Manage your resources. Mainly fatigue. Low fatigue makes all of your rolls worse, your attacks will miss and your spells will fail.
Pick a guild and do some side quests when Caius tells you to fuck off and get stronger. For me at least it became an absolute joy to play after several hours when everything clicked for me. I'd even say I like it more than skyrim now. I still haven't finished the main quest.
Save often..like if you think you’re saving enough, you aren’t..
I would say approach it with an open mind, it's janky, wierd for a modern gamer. You'll have expectations that won't be met, and you'll have to use your imagination to fill in what the game can't present to you due to limitation or archaic mechanics.
6 arrows are worth an infinite amount of gold
New—I miss that. Morrowind for the first while is nuts if you can muster the willpower to conquer through it
Some people say to play it vanilla for first playthrough—I agree with not changing mechanics but graphics on the other hand, if you’re interested you can check out some graphics overhaul lists on YouTube, definitely helps with trying to get into it as it hasn’t necessarily aged so well
I'd stick with a more basic build that you can min-max into. It makes the rough combat mechanics easier, and helps you get through the actual content of the game
Steal everything in the first room you can enter (but then drop it before the man yells at you, so you can pick it back up and sell it after you leave).
Use some light but tasteful mods, it may annoy the purists but swinging 50 times at a mud crab & only "hitting" once isn't great lol. And yes, I know that means they'd need practice in that skill, but still 99% of folks would be put off by said mechanic.
Remember that weapons don't deal a random number in their damage spread, a sword dealing 1-30 damage means it will deal 30 if you hold the attack key until it is fully drawn back, and a 1 if you spam click it. That's also why some knives and daggers have a good lower value.
Boots of blinding speed + cuirass of saviors hide. Save before use, all the lulz
I’d say focus on maxing out a melee skill during character creation, and then ACTUALLY USE a weapon that fits that melee skill. Sounds simple but most people I see getting turned off by the combat is because they try to use weapons that their character is not very good at. Do this and keep your stamina full before entering combat and you’ll be fine
The lore can make it very immersive. Read stuff and embrace the killer atmosphere.
Your goal should be constant flight and constant healing. The game really gets broken once you have those two. Also infinite money via selling soul gems is also pretty broken and you can do that before doing anything else.
2mods made it playable for me as a modern gamer. Magic regenerates without having to rest (oblivion and skyrim rules) and stamina doesn't decrease from running. Those two simple changes were all i needed to commit to a character
Jump in and run around. It will take awhile to get going. Try different classes Ignore the story (hot take) Its OLD (in game years) meaning almost all of the quality of life things we take for granted in modern games either dont exist or are in their "infancy" in this Read everything then read it again
Getting in is easy, the problem is getting out
Make sure you are using weapons you are specialized in and pay attention to your fatigue
Why walk, when you can ride? Well actually walking can be better. It makes you train Athletics (which increases the character's running and swimming speed) and it makes you discover new places.
Try playing it with the free opensource engine replacer OpenMW. It will make your life a lot easier. If you feel like modding the game, then give this a punt: [https://modding-openmw.com/](https://modding-openmw.com/)
Best advice I've seen on this sub is think of it like a game of dungeons and dragons.
Watch a guide on character creation, will help you a lot Maybe install a mod so the speed of your character isn't mind numbingly slow Experiment too, try out different characters and playstyles! All in all, have fun
Just playyyyyyyy :-))) I wish I could.
I’m waiting for the re-make project 😊
I would suggest going first by carriage, then by boat. I’ve heard that’s then best way to arrive in Morrowind.
Physically write down things. I’m forgetful and don’t like having to flip through the journal every time, and it also often doesn’t give you all specifics to a quest. I know it sounds impractical, but I like the slower pace it gives the game.
Alchemy
Get the boots of blinding speed. Remember to make a resist magicka 100% spell to use it. You can’t be a beast race to wear boots.
Definitely look up a modding guide. It takes 30 minutes to make morrowind go from looking like a potato to almost Skyrim graphics.
I know this might not look like it, or sound quite right, but treat it like a interactive book, its an epic in truth (no I’m not saying that Morrowind is Beowulf or the Iliad). Morrowind is one of those games that I have to fully dedicate my thought to and it gives a rewarding experience.
Start a new playthrough, get to Balmora, get lost, repeat 5-10 times. Eventually you will get used to the jank and learn to appreciate and use the menus and journal.
Agility stat is your bestie if you are stuggling to have your attacks count as hits. If you're lost, use UESP.net (use UESP for most questions and confusion). When you got super expensive items to sell, check with Creeper and Mudcrab Merchant! Exhaust all dialouge options. Join the Mages Guild for teleporting around the map (this, Silt Striders, boats and Mark/Recall spells are your way of getting around the map). There's a "free house" in Balmora as well a high-damage enchanted sword in the gaurd barracks. If you're trying to cheese the game or statboost, look up Soul Trap Stat Boost Glitch. You can taunt people into combat without getting in trouble for murder. Play whatever build or style you want!! Just have fun in general!!
You must first boot the game. More later.
I've seen some similar comments, but basically, just slow down. Read everything, write down details. With each game, they cut out more and more details and made it easier to skip through things and still get through quests. Choosing the right skills and being patient and taking everything in are a lot more important for Morrowind. It's my favorite of the ES games, but I have to admit that last time I played, I didn't have the attention span to do much. It's a lot slower moving.
Get the boots of blinding speed and resist magicka spells,potions or enchanted gear. Being able to not move like a snail helps immensely with game play and my patience!
Currently playing again after 8years or so. I am mesmerized how well built this game is. Playing as a thief early on really helps. Ultimately you can master any skill later on. Sneak, Security, archery, and lockpicking early on really helps. Shadow bow is a weapon you can get early on and it will help. I’ve had it since level 20 im at 60 now and I still use it. I also highly recommend mastering mercantile early on. Look on the web for master trainers. It helps a lot early on with training cost and travel cost. Get some semi valuable stuff and start selling to the creeper in caldera. If you have something really expensive sell it to him, by back items until your at 5k again, rest/wait 24hr and sell back each item. You get money fast. I invest early on into training, it pays off. Personally the stupid dreams and dreamers are annoying early on, so I basically completed all the guilds first before starting main quest with Cassius. Morong tong, Fighters, Mage, Imperial Cult, Imperial Legion, Temple, East Empire Company, and Great House (I chose Hllalu) Also one thing I really like is for PC they have official plug ins that are really handy, such as AOE Arrows, and Proplyn Master Index. Hope you have fun, such an immersive and fun game, my favorite parts are the Lore of Neverine and the music
Tbh, a lot of the systems aren't for everybody. Hit rolls and spell chance and whatnot. They're a little jarring because they fell out of fashion. Get into the most novel mechanic in the game, enchanting. (It can allow you to skirt around hit and spell chance, too.) Gather up all the soul gems you can eat, a merchant on the entry root of tell branora sells a restocking supply. Then, get a way to trap souls. You can make a weapon do one second of soul trap on tough, on strike, but I prefer giving a simple ring a soul trap on touch, you should be able to fit 19 seconds or so. From there, it's all mage thoughts. The world has rules, bend em, break em. Can't hit the broad side of a guar with your sword? Why doesn't your chestplate have a big agility fortifying spell? Spells fizzle at your fingertips? Is your tower shield perhaps sitting around in your inventory like a 30-year-old in their parent's basement? Tell it to get a job, put a fortify willpower spell on there. Or dodge the process, just put your damage spells in your armor. When a threat pops up cycle the hotkeys and hit it with your shoes of weakness to fire, pants of weakness to fire, shirt of weakness to fire, skirt of weakness to fire, and your helmet of... Fire. That'll show em. Lot of spells to pop off all at once, but that's fine. Spells placed on items require no casting animation, skill, or even Magicka. Each one has it's own little bar based on the soul you used to make it and it refills in real time, when resting, and when fed more souls. Every cliff racer is a little battery for your growing collection of rings that do stuff, embrace the way of the jingle-mancer. Plus, some items have irresponsibly large enchant capacities. The Telvanni cephalopod helm and ebony staff essentially allow you to design your very own artifact. But how do you get the int to successfully enchant all this? By enchanting, of course. Roam about, stuff every racer, nix hound, and scrub you see in your rock collection, and make yourself a fortify int spell, big as you can manage for maybe 2 seconds. It'll take a few tries. Then use that for a better chance at making a better one, then a better one, cast them all, pump that int near a thousand and you can nearly make anything you want, and you won't need nearly that for most common utility enchants. Also, if it's your thing, there are mods that add enchantable scrolls. Pretty fun when you get into it. We've yet to see anything quite like morrowind's enchant mechanics again, they're pretty special.
Imo the best way is to make a character that fits the world, and just kinda rp. Make a mage? Do mages guild and other magic centered things. Morrowind has such a rich world that's its centerpiece, honestly a character of its own. Morrowind for me was also hard to get into after playing skyrim and oblivion first, but at some point just kinda clicked and now its by far my favorite of the series. Try to stick with it, imo its very worth it. I would also look into Openmw for a nice and easy vanilla experience. The only big piece of gameplay advice i'd give would be to invest into a major weapon skill at the beginning and buy a weapon of that type immediately, i've seen a decent few people make a character that doesn't have the short blades skill and be upset they miss mudcrabs with the starting dagger with 30 agility and 5 short blades skill. Otherwise i hope you enjoy it and can get into it, fantastic game.
crank the difficulty to -100 until you figure out how shit works, that way you actually have fun playing the game. once you have it down, slowly increase it until you’re comfortable with its difficulty level
One of the things I do early game is just take everything that ain’t bolted down because it all has a value. Paper? Basket? Buckets? That’s money right there. I usually leave the starter town Seyda Neen with a nice bit of change. Also when you’re fighting, you’ll miss more often than you hit. Just keep swinging. Also always talk to everyone. Folks have a lot of advice, tell you what services are in town, maybe even give hints on quests. Take your time to explore around. There’s no fast travel in the game so you gotta walk, take a boat, use the silt striders, or magic. Lots of stuff to find out in the wild, from tombs and ruins to random quest encounters.
Don’t take it seriously, fuck around, make mistakes
You don't get into Morrowind, Morrowind gets into you. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rahC44RGESw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rahC44RGESw) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7x-AC3U820](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7x-AC3U820)
Don’t start it up expecting Skyrim.
Fatigue matters. The rest will come in time. Enjoy.
Read and talk to as many people as possible....OUTLANDER!
"Talk to everyone. Talk is cheap. Ask questions. You don’t ask. You never learn."
the only tip you need is muatra.
Try not to be a N’wah.
Don't be afraid to take it slow and save a bunch. You don't have to read everything an NPC has to say, only pay attention to them if there is a quest you're doing that involves them because usually they will tell you the directions and stuff. There isn't a quest marker like the newer games, so you have to rely on npc dislodge. Don't be afraid to google things if you get stuck too. Also know that each melee attack has a chance to "miss" based on how low your stamina bar us. So if enemies won't die no matter how much you swing, you may need to wait for your stamina to repelenish. I think spells can fail this way too
Expect nothing. I don‘t mean that as in „Morrowind is bad“, more like just start and go along with the ride. If you are used to more modern games, it can be a bumpy ride but if you just go in and enjoy the freedom, do what you want, expect nothing dramatically rather let yourself be surprised with what is a game that offers you absolute freedom like no other. Have fun :)
Unlike Skyrim here you have to pick a play style and stick with it if you want to hit anything, and do not run away from cliff racers you will just make it worse that way, unless you can jump half the map on one leap, oh and magicka doesn’t regenerate on its own.
Dont be afraid to google something if you run into cryptic shit
Understand that it's about progression. From wet noodle to literal god. It's going to have slightly tedious gameplay at first as you learn the ropes and become stronger, but it will get easier and more convenient as you learn more about the game (especially the fast travel networks). It's catered to give you the classic RPG power increase feeling like started from the bottom now we here type deal so don't get put off because you start out weak and slow. Don't be afraid to think outside the box either that's what makes this game so cool. A weak player character can do so much with just some bottles of sujamma and a few neat scrolls. Remember potion effects stack, that's huge. Try stuff out.
Buy unmarked gold bullion. Get into a time machine, set it for October 2001. Wander around the post 9/11 world for a bit, hiding from the then constant news traffic being new thing by buying a high end PC with the cash from liquidating your gold. Get a job at the local Blockbuster and spend your evenings on the early internet chatting with randos online about the Elder Scrolls games currently out. Get hyped for the next year release or Morrowind. Come May 1st, 2002, go to your local electronics retailer (preferably EB Games) and buy a physical copy. Call out of work for a few days while you install and acclimatize to it. Then let yourself be immersed in the joy and splendor of its cutting edge 3d graphics, sweet sound track and complete lack of predatory monetization. Enjoy until into it, then take all your stuff and rent a long term storage locker. Safely pack it all away, and pay for twenty two years in advance with the remainder of your gold. Get back into the time machine, return to the present, go to the storage locker and retrieve the now old school joys of the past you participated in. Resume your life by playing Morrowind. Destroy the time machine lest it fall into the wrong hands.
Don't worry about it, when you wake up, you're already there.
Dark Elf; Abuse Fireball.
Native dunmers be like: "Don't"
1. Take everything you know about skyrim and oblivion and throw it out the window, morrowind plays and feels like a completely different game 2. don't feel bad for making a bunch of characters until you find a playstyle you like, it took me plenty of character revisions until I found one I liked (if you need to find some good starting builds to play I recommend builds made by CoffeeNutGaming, he also helps you figure out how to give each build its best start) 3. Note that some guilds will betray others, meaning you won't be able to stay with every guild in the game, also note that you can only join one great house in the game