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The best way to enjoy Morrowind for the first time

S

sld

Member
Hey GAF. So, I played Oblivion when it was new (didn't care much for it then) and Skyrim too (loved it!) and now I'm thinking about trying out Morrowind for the first time.

Is there anything I should know before starting? Would you recommend reading up on character classes and such beforehand or should I just go in 100% blind? I usually spend a lot of time with RPGs and I don't want to play for hours before discovering I made a huge mistake. And this seems like a pretty unforgiving game.

Also, is the graphic overhaul mod true to the game's original vision or should I just play it with vanilla graphics?
 
Soodanim

Soodanim

Member
I've been thinking about this for the last couple of days too. I've played Skyrim for more than 600 hours, but Oblivion hasn't managed to hold my attention yet so I'm thinking of dropping it and going to Morrowind but I'm not sure how best to approach it. I had a quick look and saw a lot of visual overhaul guides, but I'm not sure if I should just stop at "essential" stuff like resolution/frame rate type fixes for the first go through.
 
Infinite_Daremo

Infinite_Daremo

Member
Graphics overhaul is a necessity.

Don’t put acrobatics or athletics as a major skill.
Keep a tab open of the entire map, in the good old days you had a physical map. It made exploring fun, you may not like it.
Keep backup saves regularly.
Don’t use spears, the game lacks a lot of spear variety.
 
G

GrinningColossus

Member
The only mods you should even consider for the first time 'round are bug fixes. Unofficial Morrowind Patch and the like. Even graphical changes that only improve draw distance or add shaders are absolutely unnecessary for how the gameplay is designed. You don't have to finish the game without them, but since the question is only about the first time experience, that's a solid start.
 
E

Erevador

Member
I find a lot of the graphics mods make things look garish and oversharp and painful to look at. And the long draw distance can rob the game of its mystery and make the landmass feel much smaller. I recommend starting out with just bugfixes and replacing the ugly NPC bodies and faces. Back in the day I used the mods Better Bodies and Better Heads, which replace the stock heads and bodies with much more impressive models that nonetheless perfectly conformed to the original art style.
 
ajim

ajim

Member
It would be a tough game to go back to I imagine if you never experienced it as it were.

It's still my favorite elder scrolls game and I think a lot of magic has been lost from elder scrolls since then.

Id almost say try the game as it were, or get a graphics overhaul update. There's also mods to change the attack animation to reflect oblivion and skyrim as it's completely different to them. I remember the first time playing it and thinking 'Wtf can't I even hit a mud crab?' lol
 
S

snail_maze

Member
Morrowind is great, even today. When I reinstalled I used this as a help:
https://youtu.be/FVvSiiEbtuQ
You dont have to listen to eveythi he says once you get the picture of what a mod does, but its good. Also read the youtube comments since they are actually helpful
 
Shadoron

Shadoron

Member
I'm in the same boat as OP. And while I'm by no means a graphics snob, it's usually pretty hard to go back and enjoy older games in a series out of order. Unless you played them at release. Aside from the Unofficial Patch Mod, can anyone recommend like 3 to 5 mods to help modernize Morrowind? Not looking for an uber list, just a couple that will make some of the unique locales in MW really pop when I finally get to experience them for the first time.
 
Meted

Meted

Member
Infinite_Daremo said:
Graphics overhaul is a necessity.

Don’t put acrobatics or athletics as a major skill.
Keep a tab open of the entire map, in the good old days you had a physical map. It made exploring fun, you may not like it.
Keep backup saves regularly.
Don’t use spears, the game lacks a lot of spear variety.
Click to expand...

Don't know why you said not to pick those skills, I would say they are great picks as you will always be using them but they take a long time to level, only thing you might want to look up is race or star sign before you start, some star signs are especially good/bad to pick. Don't go around killing people, if you get a fine over 5k I think you can't pay the fine and guards attack you in sight ruining your game
 
M

Magitex

Member
Meted said:
Don't know why you said not to pick those skills, I would say they are great picks as you will always be using them but they take a long time to level, only thing you might want to look up is race or star sign before you start, some star signs are especially good/bad to pick. Don't go around killing people, if you get a fine over 5k I think you can't pay the fine and guards attack you in sight ruining your game
Click to expand...
IIRC choosing these skills mean a lot of artificial level-ups and consequently a much harder game.
 
Meted

Meted

Member
Magitex said:
IIRC choosing these skills mean a lot of artificial level-ups and consequently a much harder game.
Click to expand...

I thought that was mainly an issue with oblivion, morrowind had a lot less levelled characters, but i guess if you just wanted to train athletics and acrobatics that would solve the issue
 
Infinite_Daremo

Infinite_Daremo

Member
Meted said:
Don't know why you said not to pick those skills, I would say they are great picks as you will always be using them but they take a long time to level, only thing you might want to look up is race or star sign before you start, some star signs are especially good/bad to pick. Don't go around killing people, if you get a fine over 5k I think you can't pay the fine and guards attack you in sight ruining your game
Click to expand...

They run the risk of over levelling you and since world spawns are dictated by level it’s possible to run into a daedra and have terrible combat stats in comparison to your athletics skill which ramped up far too quickly.
 
M

Magitex

Member
I think you'll find the game is as enjoyable as ever; however, even back in the day of its release it was very hard to get into. You'll basically go from being a really sluggish wet sock everyone cracks jokes at, to bending the multiverse over your knee. Getting started is really rough and the game can seem terribly unfun, first couple of hours you'll probably wonder why you bothered, but I can safely say it is still the best Elderscrolls to date, if you can get over that initial hump.

I always roll with the steed because the starting movement speed is nasty (I recommend working on athletics and your speed attribute ASAP if it bothers you), but don't take anyones advice regarding a certain pair of speed boots in order to negate it - it's a pretty good way to ruin the game balance in a very short order.

Edit: and it might be best to not start with tribunal installed (or get the mod that reduces attacks until you are a reasonable level)
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Game looks like complete ass and that's often a problem for some individuals.

Install a modification for the visuals and be prepared for some funky combat at the beginning.
 
Bustanen

Bustanen

Member
Tried playing Morrowind after Oblivion came out and it looked horrible. Go with mods or just play Oblivion if you haven't yet, it's much better than Skyrim.
 
G

GLAMr

Member
Install Morrowind. Add some graphics/bug fix mods. Enjoy.

Don't choose Acrobatics/Athletics as primary skills (it screws up your leveling), but still pimp these skills out. Once you max them, you can jump onto buildings and run along the rooftops in towns. It's amazing. It also has a way better story than Skyrim or Oblivion (I liked Skyrim).

You basically become the Dark Elf Jesus.

You n'wah!
 
N

Nategc20

Banned
At this point wait for the BC Morrowind announcement for the Xbox1x. I'm sure MS/Bethesda is shaping that game up to hit 30fps with all that ram and guts in the box. Seriously.
 
F

Freddo

Member
I would recommend try playing the game with few mods at start, maybe some bug fixes mod and some graphical head mod and leave it at that. The limited draw distance, as mentioned above, makes the island of Vvardenfell feel a lot larger and actually enhance the first time gameplay IMO.

For a head mod I recommend Gary Noonan's Heads Pack simply because Gary Noonan worked on Morrowind and been at Bethesda for the past 20 years.

Also, be aware at start that your character stats really suck. Your walking/running speed is SLOW and you will MISS your enemies a lot. So you need to be patient.

Nategc20 said:
At this point wait for the BC Morrowind announcement for the Xbox1x. I'm sure MS/Bethesda is shaping that game up to hit 30fps with all that ram and guts in the box. Seriously.
Click to expand...
I think that's a poor suggestion. The Xbox version is inferior in so many ways. No mods, worse framerate, longer loading times, much lower items per cell limit (so you're more likely to see the Overflow Loot Bag on the Xbox), less content (Raven Rock in the Bloodmoon expansion is smaller on the Xbox due RAM restrictions, for example).
 
stn

stn

Member
-If you don't mind old graphics, don't use overhaul mods
-Prepare for hard and janky combat in the beginning
-Level your character how you want, but be consistent
-Join all the Guilds immediately
-DON'T USE GUIDES!

Part of the thrill of Morrowind is that its so expansive and easy to get lost in. Using a guide would be doing a disservice. With that said, the beginning can definitely be slow. I loved it though, I remember having to be creative to survive the early levels (i.e. stealing, running away, constantly looking for safe space, etc...).

Its my favorite game ever. Enjoy.
 
P

PantsuJo

Member
stn said:
-If you don't mind old graphics, don't use overhaul mods
-Prepare for hard and janky combat in the beginning
-Level your character how you want, but be consistent
-Join all the Guilds immediately
-DON'T USE GUIDES!

Part of the thrill of Morrowind is that its so expansive and easy to get lost in. Using a guide would be doing a disservice. With that said, the beginning can definitely be slow. I loved it though, I remember having to be creative to survive the early levels (i.e. stealing, running away, constantly looking for safe space, etc...).

Its my favorite game ever. Enjoy.
Click to expand...
That's so true.

First time I played Morrowind was unforgettable for me: I was lost in its giant world, something never seen in a game before this, for me.

Stunning. I'd pay double the full price to have a remaster just like Skyrim had recently.
 
dsier

dsier

Member
To be completely honest, Morrowind might be one of those games that are really hard to get into nowadays. I was a kid when I first played it years ago, so I had very fond memories of the game and I decided to give it a try some time ago. I didn’t really enjoy my time with it, although I still believe there is a lot of enjoyment to be had with morrowind, you just have to put in the effort and really try to immerse yourself in the game.
 
1

120v

Member
whenever i feel the itch i just play it vanilla. it's like playing a PS2 game in hi def, and YMMV on how "bearable" that might be but for me that's fine. i actually think it aged better than vanilla Oblivion in overall presentation and how it utilized graphical features per its limitations.
 
Teuoxton

Teuoxton

Member
Be patient, ignore spears, soak in the lore. If you like magic then Enchanting is a good skill.

I played my first time blind and without a map. I even limited my use of silt striders to places I'd already walked to, though I don't really recommend that.

Interesting tidbit: If you've been to
Soul Cairn
in Skyrim you might recognize your fellow captive on the starting ship! :D
 
R

Renekton

Member
For some reason, the Overhaul mod changes the mood of the game.

The original was this muddy foggy alien place, while the overhaul makes it more colorful and clear.
 
Alebrije

Alebrije

Member
If you are not focus on graphics try vanilla although could look dated. Explore do not use guides, it could be frustrating to know how to de next or solve so thing but that's how the game was designed.
 
rmatheso

rmatheso

Member
BigDug13 said:
Why would that be better than the PC version?
Click to expand...

Don't know if it's "better", but it will be 1080p, better framerate and native controller support. Depends on how you want to play it.

Oblivion is already BC, so Morrowind is only a matter of time.

*Edit* I was referring to the Xbox ONE BC release.
 
Trogdor1123

Trogdor1123

Gold Member
I have Morrow wind on steam but can never get it to mod. It never changes regardless of what I do. Anyone know of a complete step by step guide for noobs like me?
 
S

Sotha_Sil

Member
Don't read a damn thing. Part of the game's charm is the 5 minute tutorial that tells you pretty much nothing and gives you a lead to follow. Then it's all you.

Only thing I'd say is get some athletics or speed in the beginning. Waste of a skill, but it's a QOL thing. Run speed is horribly slow at low levels (though your speed it does increase a lot once level up).
 
RavageX

RavageX

Member
This makes me wanna buy the game. I first played it on the OG xbox. Oblivion and skyrim definitely lost something this game had.
 
Alexander DeLarge

Alexander DeLarge

Member
GOG release + OpenMW (open source reimplementation of Gamebryo, it’s basically finished and required for huge mods) + Skyrim Home of the Nords + Province Cyrodiil + Tamriel Rebuilt

There aren’t any good overhaul mods yet since a lot of this stuff is hardcoded. The openmw team will be working on dehardcoding things later but eventually someone out there will turn it into Skyrim/mount and blade/dark messiah of might and magic.

MGXE is not lore friendly and I wouldn’t recommend it at all.
 
D

draetenth

Member
TBH, just bufixes and maybe something to remove the Cliffracers (they are so god damn annoying and almost turned me off the first time). It was annoying how weak they were, but would still swarm you. It made the game very tedious for me to always have to fight them...
 
BouncyFrag

BouncyFrag

Member
Take the time to figure out the various transportation systems. MW not having fast travel was the biggest hurdle for me to enjoy the game and once I figured out how to get about, I found it enhanced the experience and dat emmmurzion.

Thinking back, I never figured out how to use those red portals you could find in strongholds.

Be sure to save more than usual during escort quests as the NPCs are slow as fuck and are terribad at path finding.
 
Infinite_Daremo

Infinite_Daremo

Member
Futaleufu said:
The game doesnt have fast travel, acrobatics and athletics are good for your mental health.
Click to expand...

Why walk when you can ride?

Mark & Recall available in Balmora Temple
Silt Striders
Mages Guild Teleport
Boats

Sure you can’t fast travel to a quest but it kinda defeats the point of exploring.
 
S

sld

Member
Thanks everyone, some great advice in here!

I watched some footage of the cliff racers and now I can't decide if I should mod them out or leave them in for the "true" MW experience. Perhaps going a bit crazy might be part of the journey, I don't know.

I'll definitely play the pc version anyway. I just can't play these kinds of games with a pad. It feels weird.

Kent said:
Unpatched launch version, going in blind. It's the way it's meant to be played.
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah. I'll dig up some ancient computer and game on a shitty 14" screen for that authentic 00's feel. :)
 
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