The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Review

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was undoubtedly the greatest RPG of its time. Released in 2002 for Windows and Xbox, Morrowind is a 3D open-world RPG with countless hours of content, set in Tamriel’s most diverse continent, Vvardenfell.

Many Elder Scrolls fans regard it as the finest title in the series. However, 17 years after its debut, it’s unfortunately outclassed by just about everything else.

Combat

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Morrowind’s combat system is very poorly designed. Those that have played newer Elder Scrolls games are likely familiar with what to expect. Both Oblivion and Skyrim feature action-heavy, now standard first-person melee combat. You left-click a lot, occasionally heal, and things will eventually die. Not overly engaging but certainly functional.

This is not the system Morrowind implements. Instead, combat is purely based on RNG calculation using various stats from your skills and weapons. Think about how Dungeon and Dragons dice rolls determine every action. This means that if you have a low level in a specific combat skill, you just won’t hit your target. In fact, you won’t hit anything. Of course, going away and training skills will technically make this more tolerable.

Progression

Progression in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is not fast. Since leveling through combat is out of the question, as you aren’t going to hit anything, you need to use Trainers instead. These NPCs will train up your skills for a price. The cost per level to train skills is impacted by how high your next level is, your personality level, and your disposition.

The beginning of the game is a colossal grind fest in order to make combat segments playable. You need to train combat skills to actually hit things. That requires money, though. To keep prices down, you should be training support skills, too. This process is monotonous and slow.

Trying to play without doing all this first is even worse. You just won’t be able to do anything without hitting several progression walls. In most games, you begin as a capable but underpowered individual and eventually become powerful. In Morrowind, you are an inept individual who might eventually become competent. That’s not a fun concept to roleplay.