Despite the fact thatThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindisclosing in on its 20th anniversary, it still has a dedicated fanbase thanks to its continued support of third-party mods and rich narrative with detailed lore. While fans are waiting for more news ofThe Elder Scrolls 6,some will inevitably be drawn towardsThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind,especially if they’ve never played it before.
Though its graphics are dated and many of its mechanics have aged poorly through the years,The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindcan still offer a fun experience if players understand what they are getting into. While it can be a intimidating for fans ofThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimto adjust to, its free-form style of gameplay allows for endless possibilities.
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Morrowind: Less Skyrim, More Dungeons & Dragons
Forplayers who originally got intoThe Elder Scrollsseries withSkyrim,the first thing they’ll notice is how differentMorrowindfeels and plays. For example, the combat inMorrowindis heavily inspired byDungeons & Dragonswhere players must roll a dice to see if a weapon skill hits or misses. Although this mechanic by itself isn’t a deal breaker, the scaling is skewed poorly and beginner players can easily get frustrated while missing a majority of their attacks. As a result, players need to dedicate more time exploring the world around them and grinding their skills until they become consistently reliable.
Another frustrating mechanic is the lack of quest pointers and general direction for new players. Getting lost inMorrowindis common because the only information players have about quests are usually from NPCs using landmarks as a guide. Moreover, the movement speed can be sluggish especially when compared toSkyrimand this can easily turn off many players.There’s a learning curve toMorrowindthat requires a lot of experimentation, and new players will likely have to spend time adjusting to its dated mechanics. Thankfully, many of these issues can be mitigated or overcome through the use of mods which is whyMorrowindis best played on PC in 2021.
The Freeform Experience in Morrowind
Although the old-school mechanics can be intimidating, it also enablesMorrowindto shine with its open-ended design.Morrowindplaces almost no restrictions on the player at any stage of the game, allowing them to explore the world without following the main quest at all. The strongest aspect ofMorrowindis its storytelling and worldbuilding, which players slowly uncover as they stumble through the world. WhereasSkyrim’sRadiant Quests often suffered from ending up as fetch quests,Morrowind’svariety and freedomallow players to complete their tasks in whatever manner they see fit.
The modding community behindMorrowindremains activeto this day as they continually improve mechanics and fix bugs to make it easier for newcomers to enjoy. Overwhelming mechanics such as the dice rolling or grinding can be modded out, while other mods offer the addition of new monsters, NPCs, cities, equipment, and more. Much like the design philosophy behindMorrowind,the third-party mods gives players the freedom to create the experience they are looking for.
There are also some remaster projects from fan communities in the works such asSkywind,a recreation ofMorrowindinSkyrim’sengine that players can look forward toif they findMorrowindtoo outdated. Ultimately,Morrowindis still a fantastic game in 2021 as long as players understand that it’s a completely different experience from otherElder Scrollsgames, and are willing to be patient with its retrospective faults.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindis available now on PC and on Xbox consoles via backward compatibility.
