The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind may show its age with dated mechanics and static NPCs, but it undeniably remains one of the greatest games of all time. Its captivating story and meticulous world-building create a cohesive and immersive experience that stands the test of time. While some modern standards may deem certain aspects lacking, the game's overall impact as an all-time classic cannot be denied. Morrowind's enduring legacy is a testament to its enduring charm and role in shaping the RPG genre.

Wow this was something.

I really wasn't expecting much when going into this game but man it really threw me for a loop. There is so much here that I wouldn't know where to begin. There is so much to love about this game.

I never understood those people who were hardcore morrowind fans, but I understand them now. It really is one of the best RPG's ever made and its bethesda's magnum opus. Hands down.

I'm too stupid for this game. I really like what I was able to get through, though. The navigation especially, with no waypoints and just directions was really awesome.

Unfortunately, I can't stand the combat. Essentially, if your skill isn't high enough, you won't hit enemies, which makes sense, but the only way to improve skills is to train with experts, and that's far too expensive, and the only quests that I found I could get money for involved killing people, which was impossible to do with my skill (which was 35, by the way. It was my highest starting skill.)

It's very advanced, and great for a true role-playing experience, but I couldn't enjoy it, hence why I say I'm too stupid for the game, and probably won't be going back to it. Bethesda should really look into adding options for the Morrowind style of exploration, because that part is really awesome. I know they won't, because it's Bethesda, but they should.

I have a long history with this game. I first played the Game of the Year edition on Xbox, probably close to 20 years ago. At that point I was too young to really understand the game and how it worked, but I was endlessly fascinated by the alien world of Morrowind and it had a lasting impact on my imagination. I knew I would want to return to the game at some point and see more of what it had to offer.

I finally did this in 2015, in my first year of grad school. I have fond memories of ordering Chinese food and sitting at my desk in my mostly undecorated on-campus apartment, completing quests for the Mage’s Guild, exploring swamps and ruins and tombs, and searching for any clues of why the dwarves seemed to have vanished from the world. I got pretty deep into the game then, but between grad school and beginning my first serious relationship my priorities shifted and I had the leave the island of Vvardenfell behind again. But recently I picked the game back up and decided I would do my best to get through the main storyline.

My absolute favorite part of this game is how much care and detail went into creating such a unique, believable world. Vvardenfell is full of strange wildlife, countless political and religious factions, and plenty of mystery. It’s a largely hostile and unforgiving setting, but as you talk to characters and learn more about the society and culture of Morrowind, it starts to make sense how people live there. I loved learning about the history and relationships between the great houses, the more traditional/nomadic Ashlander tribes, and external forces like the empire or the various deities influencing the game’s events. One thing I always appreciated about this game (and Skyrim after it) is that they take place in colonized imperial provinces, and they examine what that means and the different ways people react to being ruled by a foreign power. For some reason I’ve always really enjoyed these themes in fantasy and science fiction stories.

Actually playing the game is not always a pleasant experience, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad or that it aged poorly. In a weird way I think the complexity and opacity of the gameplay systems complements/benefits from from the mysterious tone of the game. It definitely adds to the feeling of being lost and helpless, particularly in the earlier parts of the game. (As a side note, these are always my favorite parts of Bethesda games; when you’re lost and overwhelmed and underpowered and there’s nothing you can do but explore and find ways to survive. Especially in combat, these games tend to lose their balance and some of their charm as you get more powerful, in my opinion.) Combat doesn’t feel intuitive and your normal movement speed is excruciatingly slow, which leads a lot of players to abuse a certain magic item that makes you move a lot faster. You can also use spells and potions to help with travel - by the end of the game I was leaping and levitating around the map and running on water to explore smaller islands.

I enjoyed the story of the main quest once things picked up a little, although the pacing was weird toward the end. There’s a long, drawn out series of quests and then you’re rushed straight into the climax. I’ve read that a lot was cut from the finale, and it’s pretty clear that’s true, which is a shame because the stuff they hinted at would have been very cool (it seemed like they wanted the final area to be similar to Hyrule Castle in Breath of the Wild). Still, I liked the game a lot and it feels great to have finished it! I haven’t checked out the expansions yet, and I’m not sure how deep I’ll go with those, but we’ll see.

Ohhhhh Morrowind. This game took me soooo long to get into, I tried over and over again but could never do it. With most games if they didnt stick I wouldnt care if I gave it up, but this is elder scrolls, I couldnt miss one of the core games. So after some dedication, some pushing through the early game, it finally clicked.

This Game is nothing short of amazing. First off the story, oh man I loved it so much, the more serious tones and takes on racism, slavery, religion. Its so interesting because no other elder scrolls game goes this far with it. and I love it, it makes the world feel real. And dont get me started on Tribunal, I loved that expansion so much. Bloodmoon was cool too but not as good imo.

Second, the gameplay, Wow. People were not kidding when they said you can basically become a god in this game. Being able to run around at lightning speed, fly anywhere you want, Jump halfway across the map without dying, one shotting dagoth Ur like hes nothing. It feels good.

Obviously the game isnt perfect, its got a lot of bugs, I had to use console commands more than my fair share of times. Some quests are incompletable if you mess something up by not reading well enough, even main story quests. Which should not be the case imo. Also when you do hit full on god mode, the game starts to get a bit boring funny enough, because nothing is really a challenge anymore nor is anything much of an upgrade for you.

But overall, 5/5 game no doubt. Sadly I just cant put it above Skyrim or Oblivion though, those games are still my favorite ES games.

The first time I played Morrowind was in 2018. I had finished Skyrim for the second time at that point and Oblivion once. I was a massive fan of the series and naturally wanted to move on to Morrowind. I hated it, I played for maybe an hour or so before just giving up. Everything about the game was clunky and unnerving. I felt claustrophobic trying to make my way to balmora without realising that I could take the silt strider but I also felt bare and weird, the same feeling you could get when going out of bounds in a game I just felt out of place. It was my first venture into a truly old and aged game such as this. about a year or so later just before the summer of 2019 I decided to try it again. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and really tried my best to just enjoy it and let it run its course. I got a few quality of life mods and watched the same beginner tips videos I always watch before stumbling into an RPG game and started. Of coure you saw the 5 stars that I'm giving it and can guess that I fell in love with this game. I remember the beginning of summer after finishing my first year in a new school around new people in a new house, waking up home alone with the bright sun pouring through my lazily draped curtains while I connected my phone to a bluetooth speaker and loaded up my save on Morrowind. Everything about the songs I would listen to and the quests I completed during that time which in retrospect was probably only over the course of a few weeks was pure magic. the summer of 2019 would go on to be a time that changed my life forever both for the good and very very bad. I got sucked in to a very bad online community and was starting to question my gender and was overall going through the teenage mental health struggle. I think the reason that short time of when I first properly played the game is so special in my head is because looking back it was the calm before the storm. It was me, an innocent care free young teenager playing her new favourite video game and talking to herself while wandering around the island of vvardenfell as if she were really there. Since that first playthrough I have had 2 other big playthroughs and have about 400 hours accumulated. I only play the game once every year and a half or so and I am due a replay soon enough. Those other 2 playthroughs also hold special places in my heart but I just wanted to talk about the first because it is the one that I believe captures the essence of Morrowind best. I was a young teenager who was suddenly cast into the deep end of life and I feel like Morrowind kind of does that to you aswell but in a more positive light. If you ignore the negative emotions surrounding all of that questioning and confusion growing up it is a journey that keeps you on your feet and never stops to amaze you. Everytime I play morrowind that sense of remarkable intrugue never leaves its side and I don't think it ever will.