I consider myself a really big RPG fan, and probably around 80% of my Xbox and Xbox 360 game library is comprised of RPGs. I've had Morrowind since I first got my 360, but I never really got into the game, and I recently decided to go back and try it, since I've been craving something new. Now, I loved Oblivion, I loved Fallout 3, and I generally just love RPGs in general, anything from turn-based to real-time, 3rd person to 1st person, tactical to hack'n'slash, but there's just something about Morrowind that drives me away from it.

I started out the game, picked the class and everything, and started on my journey. I picked a Khajiit class with alot of rogue/stealth-based skills and such. I had loved being a stealthy character in Oblivion and Fallout 3, it made sense that I'd probably love it here. That's until I figured out that everything is completely and totally skill-reliant. I can't pick any locks, I can't sneak to save my life, and my character can barely survive a fight with a single bandit before I'm nearly dead. I went to the cave near the Silt Strider that everyone in town kept talking about and wiped out all the bandits (having to heal after every battle), and freed the slaves in there.

After this, I decide it's time to leave that silly village, and so I head off down the road. At Pelagiad, I hear good things about Vivec city, so I decide to turn around and head there (admiring the weird flying things with tentacles, those are actually pretty cool). I reach Vivec, look around for a while, and realize that there's nothing really to do here. I hear the names of a couple abolitionists, but when I go to the book-seller they mentioned, he says nothing of it, and I can't find the other. So I finally leave and take a Silt Strider to Balmora, where the game is actually giving me any hints as to where to go.

Deciding to forgo this package I'm delivering, I meet up with Sugar-Lips and join the Thieves Guild, only to discover uninspired, boring theft quests. So after doing the first one stealing diamonds from a girl's house (where the only person who could've discovered me was the guard downstairs, not even caring about me going upstairs), and then getting that key for the one guy's house, I decided to save and quit for the time being.

I want to get into this game, I really do, but the (in my opinion) poor combat and stealth mechanics are rather ruining this for me, and I want some exciting quests already, not the boring fetch quests that I have so far. Maybe I need to find the Morag Tong if I want some excitement.

Give it a little more time, It's probably my favorite game of all time. I would also suggest you play Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion, if you cant get into ES III. There are tons of things to do in Oblivion. With ESIII and IV, ive seriously logged about 2000 hours, thats no joke.

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Great Job!

Yeah, Rabid, I've already played Oblivion and Fallout 3, I said that. I've logged hundreds of hours of my life into both of those (and still planning on logging alot more).

Oh oops, I guess by time I finished reading I forgot lol sorry

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Great Job!

As usual, if you didn't play Morrowind when it first came out you simply can't appreciate it for what it is. Oblivion has nice graphics and a good combat system, but Morrowind has so much more to offer. You just have to dig deeper.

I'm looking forward to the next Elder Scrolls game because I think Bethesda will try hard to incorporate the best parts of Morrowind and Oblivion together. Fallout 3 has given me some faith that they might actually be able to pull it off.

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Dear MS; Please make Midtown Madness 3 backwards compatible!

The quests will get better, but you need to work your way there.

You will find this is true for lots of aspects in Morrowind, there is no instant gratification BS in Morrowind. You have to work for your rewards. It's not like Oblivion, where after 2 hours of gameplay you can become the leader of the Dark Brotherhood or the Champion of Cyrodiil.

I like that the game places focus on Character skill rather than Player skill, does it make any sense that someone who just got off the newbie boat would be a master swordsman or thief? No it doesn't. It also helps you actually care about how you develop your character.

Long story short, maybe Morrowind isn't for you. It's possible your just one of the people who was spoon fed too much by Oblivion, and because of that you won't be able to enjoy Morrowind.

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 OldPepsiMan wrote:

the whole secret is more Pepsi and less booze.

First of all, get it on the PC! Any computer can run it now days.

With the PC version you can get some much need mods, such as Better bodies, better heads, and texture packs. Also the xbox version is slow! 3 minutes on xbox to load a save, 10-15 seconds on a decent pc. Also you can enter most buildings without the load bar actually popping up.

They aren't needed to enjoy morrowind, but they help for people who can't get over the ugly graphics by today's standards.

You can find it in most game shops... Or, maybe, just maybe there is a way to get it for free... I wonder...

 ARCTIC WIZARD wrote:

... That's until I figured out that everything is completely and totally skill-reliant. I can't pick any locks, I can't sneak to save my life, and my character can barely survive a fight with a single bandit before I'm nearly dead.
...I want to get into this game, I really do, but the (in my opinion) poor combat and stealth mechanics are rather ruining this for me, and I want some exciting quests already, not the boring fetch quests that I have so far.

You have the beginner's blues -- your character's skill levels are too low for effective combat or stealth.  You also can't move very quickly, you can't barter very effectively, you can't use magic spells very effectively, etc.  GOOD NEWS!! This is only a temporary condition in Morrowind.  It's the way the game is designed.  You must slowly (and carefully) grope your way around the world acquiring wealth and experience.  You will gain experience exploring and fighting, and any wealth you acquire can be used to buy additional training.  Things will get better and better as you go.  But, sorry, in Morrowind, you HAVE to begin as the inept, 90 lb weakling.

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If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research.

Just do the thieves quest, and just like stick with it. Eventually you'll find yourself enjoying it. And once you feel like taking a break from the thieve's quest, go on a epic adventure or join a house or something. There's more to do than just a damn thieves quest, :).

 OldPepsiMan wrote:

 ARCTIC WIZARD wrote:

... That's until I figured out that everything is completely and totally skill-reliant. I can't pick any locks, I can't sneak to save my life, and my character can barely survive a fight with a single bandit before I'm nearly dead.
...I want to get into this game, I really do, but the (in my opinion) poor combat and stealth mechanics are rather ruining this for me, and I want some exciting quests already, not the boring fetch quests that I have so far.

You have the beginner's blues -- your character's skill levels are too low for effective combat or stealth.  You also can't move very quickly, you can't barter very effectively, you can't use magic spells very effectively, etc.  GOOD NEWS!! This is only a temporary condition in Morrowind.  It's the way the game is designed.  You must slowly (and carefully) grope your way around the world acquiring wealth and experience.  You will gain experience exploring and fighting, and any wealth you acquire can be used to buy additional training.  Things will get better and better as you go.  But, sorry, in Morrowind, you HAVE to begin as the inept, 90 lb weakling.

And this is why I love OldPepsiMan!

Wait... this game had quests?


(I kid I kid!)  But seriously... the only quests I ever did were the Tribunal and Bloodmoon main quests...  The rest of the time I ran around being a treasure hunter ^_^

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Light up the fire
Right on the power
Weapon... I have it all.

I have always loved Morrowind and was dissapointed with Oblivion mostly because of the differences in the look of the NPCs and the differences in the quality of the story. I consider The Lord of the Rings boring compared to Morrowind and Oblivion's story is more like a medieval times children's story.

Here is what I've found with most of my friends who have played Morrowind. They are incapable of following the main quest, or one questline at all. They make it to Caius Cosades in Balmora , then they realize all the possibilities of the game as they talk to different NPCs and take on a bunch of quests from different questlines. They may even just wander the wilderness trying to fight everything they see, then they eventually get bored/frustrated and never play again.

Stay disciplined and follow one questline at a time. I recommend new players do the main quest first and pick one other faction to work on if you get stuck on the main quest and need to level up. This has already been said but Morrowind takes a lot of time before your character can actually do the most basic things well. Much longer than Oblivion. You must grind it out in the beginning and level up but once you do the controls will start to feel like they are intended to. They feel awkward and clunky at first because your new character IS awkward and clunky. Good luck.

One final thought, to me you can't form an opinion about this game until after you have at least completed the main quest so I always ask someone who doesn't like it or is trashing on it if they have done this. They always say no. I've never met someone (real life or on the internet) who has completed the main quest and doesn't like the game.

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"The Truth"

That's a good point, Pierce.  Most of us Morrowind fans praise the non-linear, open-ended, "infinite possibilities in a huge world" aspects of the game. Thus, I never really thought much about how it could also be a fatal weakness for some newcomers, especially those more accustomed to simple, linear game play.  But you're right. In my first games, I had no clue what to do. I wandered around collecting mushrooms, flowers and pearls, while being attacked and killed all the time. It did seem pointless.

So, I bought the guide book just to see what I was supposed to be doing, and to see how big this Morrowind world actually is.  That's when I discovered "OH, there ARE quests."  Over time, I have tried all of them in different sequences.  My recommendations for newcomers are to make initial contact with Caius, and start Mages Guild and Thieves Guild -- they both have some easy assignments. Locate Creeper in Caldera to sell things to, and use the money to buy combat training ( I like longsword).  Around level 5, start Fighters Guild. After about level 10, just do things in any sequence you prefer.  I usually save completing the main quest for last, but dabble in it all game long.  Morrowind -- still the greatest game of them all!

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If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research.