Well, we've had a Fallout thread for a while now, so I think we're long overdue for an Elder Scrolls one as well. Same as the Fallout thread, here's a few questions to get the discussion underway. 1. When did you first get into the Elder Scrolls series? 2. Which has been your favorite game so far? 3. What are your thoughts on the other games in the series besides your favourite? 4. What would you like to see from a new Elder Scrolls game? 1. I'm a bit of a latecomer to the series, picking up a copy of Skyrim after seeing numerous positive reviews and watching my friend's cousin play it a little. Since then, I've gone and played both Oblivion and Morrowind. 2. Probably Skyrim, partly because it's what introduced me to the series. I'd never really lost myself in a fantasy world like that, especially with all the little things like being able to read books or pick flowers. The gameplay's also fairly well-refined looking back at it from the later titles, though I would have liked character classes and some of the old magic effects to have returned (I want levitation, dammit!). I'm also pretty satisfied with the DLCs; Dawnguard lets me get my Van Helsing on pretty well despite some parts overstaying its welcome, Hearthfire offers convenient housing that doubles as a money sink, and Dragonborn is something of a love letter to Morrowind. 3. Morrowind almost rivals Skyrim as my favourite. I do have gripes with the RNG-heavy combat, slow movement speed and at times unreliable quest journal, but the game makes up for it in other areas. The setting is the most interesting and unique of all the games thus far, the factions are much deeper and the plot a bit more interesting. I particularly enjoy the Imperial Cult questline, since it's got quite a lot of variety to what you're doing. And who can forget everyone's VERY special friend, Ahnassi? Plus, both Bloodmoon and Tribunal are fairly generous expansion packs. Oblivion's also pretty good, since I feel it occupies an interesting middle ground between the two games. The gameplay is a lot more approachable, but still features mechanics and spell effects that'd be lost in Skyrim. The faction questlines manage to set you up truly important to their survival much like Skyrim, albeit with much better pacing. It's really a shame that so much of the non-quest content is so samey and forgettable, namely the dungeons and oblivion gates. At least the DLCs are pretty good, horse armor aside. As for the earlier games, I have considered dipping my toes into Daggerfall, and do actually have a digital copy that came free with Morrowind on GOG. From what I've read, some parts of the game are pretty interesting, and I do have a soft spot for the graphics. But there are other parts that sound a bit annoying, namely the timed quests. I'll probably try it out when I'm on break from university. I've no real interest in Arena, though. I do have a GOG copy of that as well, but I'm in no hurry to try it. I might look into it if I can get my head around Daggerfall, though. 4. The Thalmor are set up as a major plot point for the series, and they're nowhere near defeated by the end of Skyrim. I'm guessing the next game will be following up on it, maybe showing the Empire regaining its strength in preparation for the next Great War. I'd personally love a game set in the jungles and deserts of Elsweyr, maybe focused on the Empire helping start a rebellion there against its Thalmor oppressors, but Hammerfell would also be a strong contender as well. Both would make for a nice change of scenery after Skyrim. I'm also curious to see if we end up with something similar to Fallout 4's settlement building mechanic, considering Hearthfire was something of a precursor. It'd be awesome building up villages free from the Dominion's control, or at least being able to make more customized housing. I'd also like to see the return of classes and some of the older magical effects.
Morrowind was the first elder scroll i played even thought it was before i had learn to read English but at least i understood most of what they where saying in English. i was mostly just messing around. my faborit thing to do was to mess with the long jump spell and try out diffent things with the falling guy easter egg. also i found out that you can actually save him but i don't remember how i did it. ah Good times... then i went over to oblivion when it came out. was making the most hideous abominations. found out the there was actually a secret quest for one of the shrines if your character was ugly enough aka you had take max on too many face options. The exact words between my brother and me, followed by a lot of laughing from both of us. 'must have been a horrible nightmare he had that he saw you in' also you could make your own class and call it what ever you wanted like Are you sure you want to be a Badass? Are you sure you want to be a smooth criminal? *makes the character looks like micheal jackson* (not me but i cracked up when i saw it) Are you sure you want to be a jedi? Are you sure you want to be a huge muscle manic? (the one i made with extra much in unarmed also a burnt potato face) ah Good times... And so to skyrim i went through the whole story mission almost without useing the shouts because i wanted to be a all melee axe orc. second play i tryed with the cannon trailer dovakin (default nord, only melee and bow, and only useing the armor in the trailer) and add a few mod to make it more realistic which was actually way more fun still all melee bow but this time i was actually useing the shouts because i had to, to be able to survive in combat, because i only used the dovakin set from trailer through out the whole game and only keep upgrading it through out the game. also i added the survival mod frost bite or something which is the best and most fun mod i have ever tryed out. ah Good times... Tryed the elder scroll online beta when it came out but i got furious when i found out that it was just another world of warcraft type of online game copy with barely any freedom. Seriously you couldn't pick up items on the ground or dive or steal etc etc and i hate the unnecessary over powered race spells 1.2.3.1.2.3 combo. takes away all the fun with the first person fighting. there was no physics engine and you couldn't steal or fight other players. etc etc Seriously if i wanted to play wow then i play wow. *DAMN IT ALL ONLINE GAME DEVS STOP TURNING EVERY FREAKING ONLINE GAMES IN TO A WONNA BE WOW GRIND FEST! OR FIRST PERSON ONLINE GAME INTO TF2/COUNTER STRIKE WITH THE DAMN LOOT BOXS! AND I MEAN EVERY SINGLE DAMN ONLINE GAME!!* Uuuurghhhh.. damn it....Disappointing times... sorry was just venting some steam out. Also its hard to decide which one that are my favorite. Also what i want to see well more freedom more Rpg elements and a better combat and magic system also the frost bite survival what ever it was called mod in use as a part of a vanilla elder scroll game.
Skyrim was a game that I had been meaning to play for a long time. I finally got around to playing it when I got it on the Switch. My hands were unbound by Ralof and I went crazy tapping away with my collection of Legend of Zelda Amiibo. With the Master Sword in hand I aimlessly traipsed through Skyrim doing nothing but heroic good deeds! I did things such as destroying the Dark Brotherhood, ignoring the Thieves Guild, or sparing Paarthurnax (he is the best dragon.) @General Nuclear That is absolutely hilarious.
So... hopefully I'm welcome if I've only played Skyrim? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to experience at least Oblivion, seeing how popular that seems to be, and hopefully Morrowind if only because the Dunmer are one of my two favourite races, but... yeah. Like Sparklink, I only got to play Skyrim when it was released on Switch, despite wanting to play it since close to release. Seeing as 4's the only one I think I can answer, I'd just like to see the canonical end to Skyrim's civil war. Even though more often than not, I back the Empire, if only because of the way Argonians and Dunmer- again, my two favourite races- are treated in Windhelm, I could honestly see the Stormcloaks winning. Truth be told, I forgotten most of my reasons for thinking so. I also just want to see the Thalmor get their comeuppance. No matter what sort of character I'm playing and what their allegiances are, any Thalmor I randomly encounter while wandering Skyrim are done for. @Sparklink: Have to admit, I could never destroy the Dark Brotherhood. My first profile was a stealthy Khajiit character, so I sided with them, obviously, and loved the quest chain and the characters involved in it so much that I'd feel horrible turning against them. Even though the vampire side of the Dawnguard DLC comes close (haven't played the Dawnguard side yet as any of my other characters), nothing will dethrone the Brotherhood for me. I don't think anyone likes killing Paarthurnax. I love him so much. Once I get to that point, I'm just ignoring the Blades completely, no matter what.
From what I have seen nobody has ever liked the idea of slaying Paarthurnax, they either say one of two things; 1. "I could never, ever, slay Paarthurnax." 2. "I slayed Paarthurnax and I felt immensely guilty." I dislike the way the Argonians and Dunmer are treated in Windhelm too; but the Thalmor seemed like a greater evil to me. Selfish kings like Ulfric will always happen, but chances to topple oppressive dictators like the Thalmor do not happen often. If you remember the quest where you sneak into the Thalmor Embassy you can find a note that says that they want the war civil to continue so that the people of Skyrim are too weak to fight back. They know that the Nords are likely strong enough to fight back, and they would rather Ulfric did not rise to power.
So perhaps it's best not to. I do understand that reasoning, yep. I'm just the sort of person who can find just one little thing to criticize about a side and never let go of it. I do agree, though, I'd love to see the Thalmor fall myself. Yep, I've seen that note myself, though I don't think I paid much attention to it- I was more focused on actually infiltrating the place and simply forgot to read it later. Really, though, ultimately, it really doesn't matter what side you choose, does it? In the end, I'd say it mostly comes down to personal preference. Sure, Jarls might change, and the story after Skyrim might take two different routes, but seeing as we haven't seen it yet, there isn't much of a change in outcome, whatever you decide, if I'm correct. Speaking of, I've never actually seen what happens after a Stormcloak victory, so I'm curious- do you know what Jarls replace the ones that backed the Imperials if you choose their side? I think I know that Vignar Gray-Mane replaces Balgruuf in Whiterun, but aside from that, I don't really know. I kind of want to go with Stormcloak in a future run, and what little I know of the change in Jarls does influence that a fair bit. Though if I may say, either way, while one of my reasons for backing the Imperials was 'I like Balgruuf and don't want him to go', I do love the Gray-Manes, so Vignar's certainly not the worst replacement.
1. When did you first get into the Elder Scrolls series? I started in Morrowind. I was staying at a friends house that had it on xbox. I played through the night and into the next day (I literally couldn't believe how addicted I was). I loved immersing myself in that world and experimenting with various potions/spellcrafting/enchantments. It was just an insanely free and open world, I remember creating a spell that I cast at Balmura that killed most of the town in a single shot. So many great memories. 2. Which has been your favorite game so far? Definitely Morrowind, but Skyrim is a close second. It brought back alot of the freedom and fun of Morrowind. 3. What are your thoughts on the other games in the series besides your favourite? Oblivion was okay, I honestly wasn't a huge fan. I missed so many features and weapons from Morrowind that it didn't feel great. As mentioned before, the dungeons and stuff felt really bleh. The main saving grace of Oblivion came from Shivering Isles, which ranks very high on my favorite dlc list. 4. What would you like to see from a new Elder Scrolls game? I'm pretty easy when it comes to new games. Bethesda has proven itself as capable of making almost anything into an interesting living/breathing world, so bring on the new games. I'm honestly really excited to see if they make a new IP soon. There have been rumors about a new game (possibly sci-fi inspired). I'd love to dive into a new universe they make. As far as seeing the canonical end to Skyrim, I'm not as interested in that. I never really cared about being the Neverine or the Hero of Kvatch or the Dragon Born. It was always more fun to make my own character.
I would definitely recommend Morrowind, and I'm sure you'll find it very rewarding lore- and story-wise. It is a bit of a pain to get into gameplay-wise, though. My advice would be to make sure your choice of race and class synergize very well, and consider making a custom class to best utilize your chosen race's strengths. The lack of fast travel will make teleportation spells a huge time-saver, so be sure to pick buy Mark, Recall, Divine Intervention and Almsivi Intervention. Might also be worth keeping UESP open in your web browser as well, since the quest instructions and directions can be unclear (or outright wrong) at times. In terms of Elder Scrolls 6, the big plot thread hanging over the series now is the Thalmor and the wider Aldmeri Dominion, what with another Great War practically inevitable. I personally believe we'll see a game set on the border between the Empire and the Dominion, and will focus on helping the Empire rebuild by gaining new allies. Hammerfell would make the most sense logically, but I think Elsweyr would be the more interesting setting-wise. In terms of Skyrim's civil war, I have to wonder if they'll go with it being something of a draw. The truce at High Hrothgar lay the foundations for a permanent agreement to make Skyrim an autonomous region allied to the Empire, allowing the Nords free worship of Talos while ensuring that the Empire isn't severely weakened by losing another province. Come to think of it, I've never finished the Dark Brotherhood storyline. Tried it once on an 'evil' character, but just couldn't keep going with it. Same with killing Paathurnax; one of my latest Skyrim characters is a Vigilant of Stendarr turned Dawnguard monster hunter, but she's already gone through the character growth that would mean she'd be willing to give Paartysnax the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks for the recommendation! It might be a while before I get to play it, as my PC's pretty awful for gaming and I have nothing else I can play it on, but if I ever get the chance, I'll be sure to do so. Or, at the very least, watch an LP of it or something. If I do, though, I have to ask- does each race have bonuses like they do in Skyrim? Playing a warrior-esque Argonian served me well thanks to Histskin, and if I could, it'd be great to do the same there. Yeah, from what I've heard, Elsweyr seems to have a lot of variety when it comes to geography. It'd be interesting to see there, I think, and an interesting counterpoint to Skyrim's coldness. I never actually got to the truce part, admittedly, as I'd already cleared the Civil War questline with the character I've gotten the furthest with. It's not for everyone, I expect. I suppose it lines up with most of my characters and what sort of personalities I give them, as they tend to have differing motivations. My first profile, a Khajiit, was meant to do absolutely everything, Yvizka the Argonian allied with it because she probably would have figured 'If it pays well, I'm willing to do it', and Lyo the Dunmer joined up first chance she got because, honestly, she's pretty much my 'evil' character (joined Thieves' Guild, Dark Brotherhood, allied with the vampires in the Dawnguard DLC). I've only created one character who probably, given her own choice, would probably destroy the Brotherhood. I love it, though, so I'll probably never even encounter Aventus as her. I love that nickname, though! I know a lot of people would feel guilty for killing Paarthurnax, but factoring character motivations into it makes things so much more interesting, doesn't it?
Bear in mind Morrowind came out in 2002, so you won't need a very beefy computer to run it. In terms of races, they work much like in Skyrim; they receive bonuses to different skills, and have additional passive and active abilities. Argonians, for instance, gain +15 to athletics (determining your ability to run and swim), as well as +5 to alchemy, illusion, medium armor, mysticism, spears and unarmored. They have a unique spell that lets them breathe underwater for 120 seconds with little magicka cost, a passive 75% resistance to disease and complete immunity to poison. They should make for a pretty good warrior, but I'd recommend making a custom class with medium armor and spears as major skills. Mysticism would be a good minor skill as it encompasses teleportation spells, and alchemy would be another good one to minor in as potions are very handy to use or sell. You'll be doing a lot of moving around on foot, so athletics is something you'll level up a lot. Same with acrobatics, so I'd recommend having both of those as at least minor skills. Alteration is a good one to pick as a major skill, since doing so gives you a water-walking spell from the start. Choosing restoration gives you a healing spell, and there are a lot of useful spells in the school besides (including curing diseases on other people, which is necessary in certain quests). It should make for a nice change, going from the snowy plains and temperate forests of Skyrim to the tropical jungles and scorching deserts of Elsweyr. And Elsweyr is a Thalmor puppet state, so there'd be a good opportunity for some covert shenanigans trying to start a revolution in favour of the Empire. I also tend to make a 'do everything' character at first, then specialize later. Aside from my monster hunter, I also made an Altmer mage fleeing Thalmor persecution. I've even taken to making custom classes in Oblivion and Morrowind based on my character's backstory. Recent Morrowind characters include a Dunmer nobleman exiled for having a forbidden romance with a slave, a wandering Redguard monster hunter who killed a vampire-infected noble's son, and an Argonian guerilla enslaved after her village killed one slaver raiding party too many.
Thanks! Truth be told, though, this computer I have can barely run anything now without slowing to a crawl, but if end up getting a new one, then perhaps I might consider it, thank you! Yeah, I think changing up my style might be good if I do end up playing it. Yvizka's kind of 'stand there, take hits with little consequence, and deal a lot of damage in return, maybe cast Stoneflesh or Dragon Aspect beforehand', but looking at it now, I think your suggestions might work out better in that. Really, I know I don't know that much about a lot of Tamriel, but from what I know, I can't really think of any place better than Elsweyr (always have to look at that to figure out how to spell that...). That's the way I was planning on doing it myself, but that character kind of became a huge mess, so I ended up making Yvizka that character. I quite like your stories for each of your characters, though! Mine are none particularly too complex. Yvizka's just a wandering loner who got on some peoples' bad sides, and decided to go to Skyrim to escape all that (but basically went from the frying pan into the fire), Lyo's backstory is basically non-existant (haven't thought of a good one), and my own Altmer, Solvitia, has a story surprisingly similar to yours- her parents were Thalmor, and tried to coerce her into becoming the same; however, having no respect for the group, she decided to flee during the night and travel Tamriel in the hopes of finding some place she could live freely. Her playstyle kind of reflects that- I didn't put an emphasis on completely magic with her like you'd expect with an Altmer, and while I do use Destruction/Shock, Restoration and I think Alteration while playing as her, I've also got her equipped for physical combat. I'm considering having her go with the Stormcloak route, but after two other characters that sided with Imperials, it feels strange to do so. Speaking of combat, what do you prefer when it comes to armour and weapons ? I'm personally a fan of heavy armour and dual wielding.
Yeah, you're going to want to consider something other than tanking, considering how much heavy armor weighs in Morrowind. You can always enchant it with constant-effect feather spell (reducing your encumbrance), but the way enchanting works in the game will mean you probably won't be able to do that until later in the game. Medium armor serves as a pretty good middle-ground between heavy and light armor, but there aren't as many full sets. I'd recommend getting the GOG.com version of the game, since that comes with the Adamantium Armor plugin, providing a pretty good full set. There's also the Helm of Torhan addon, which adds the most enchantable helmet in the game, which happens to be classified as medium armor. One of the best chestpieces is also medium armor, which you can eventually get by working with the Tribunal Temple. Yeah, my Altmer had gameplay affected by his past as well. I had him build a wizard's lair at Winstad Manor (complete with library and greenhouse), so he can study magic deep in the swamps of Hjaalmarch away from the prying eyes of the Thalmor. I did have him side with the Empire, though, since he believes they're the best bet for keeping the Dominion at bay. Traditionally, I've been quite a stealth archer, focusing on sneaking, archery and light armor. Lately, I've developed more of an interest in using ranged weapons as an opener, and then switching to sword-and-shield if the enemy survives and gets close enough to attack. And although I've enjoyed using heavy armor on my Dawnguard character, I think I'll mostly stick to light armor or, in the case of Morrowind, a mix of light and medium armor.
Honestly, I'd probably go with either medium or light because of the boost to acrobatics anyway, but thanks for confirming that heavy's not the best there. Thanks for the recommendations and everything! I can get that. I actually kind of think that myself, it's just that in Sol's case, it's more open defiance. From what I hear, being a stealth archer's pretty popular, isn't it? I've tried it a couple of times myself, but I tend to get rather hasty and end up making mistakes that puts me in a bad situation. If I may ask, would you say using a shield's worth it? I've been considering trying one again in a future run.
I'm happy to help. Morrowind is a rewarding game, but it's nowhere near as approachable as Skyrim or Oblivion. Once you get over the initial hurdle, the game opens up a lot. If you're going for an acrobat character, light armor is definitely the way to go. I have also been experimenting with going half-and-half, picking light armor as a major skill and medium armor as a minor, and then having a medium armor chest piece and helmet but light armor everywhere else. I suppose you could replace medium armor with heavy armor, though. There are some very, very good heavy armor pieces in the game. Stealth archers are a bit of a low risk, high reward build. Sneak attack criticals with a well-upgraded bow can kill a lot of targets before they even realize you're present. It's not boring, necessarily, but it's been refreshing trying new things aside from it. Blocking in Morrowind is different to Skyrim, in that it has a chance to happen automatically with a shield equipped. The higher your block skill, the higher the chance. Having a shield equipped also boosts defense, and opens up another possible enchantment. Overall, taking it as a minor skill isn't a bad idea, but I don't know if it's worth a major skill slot. If you're eyeing off spears, I don't know if you can use them at the same time as shields. Speaking of enchantments, I should probably warn you that they're very different that in Skyrim. Most enchantments in Morrowind are cast-when-used, which are basically spells that you activate manually. You can have a ring that deals damage against a target, or a helmet that provides some healing, or a shield that provides temporary light. Weapons can have the same thing, but can also have cast-on-strike enchantments, which apply automatically when the weapon hits a target (usually dealing damage or debuffs). As I mentioned before, constant-effect enchantments are very rare and very valuable. You can't even make them yourself without a grand soul of certain potency, so Azura's Star and a spell / enchantment (you can only enchant an item with spell effects you know) to summon a Golden Saint (who have sufficiently powerful souls) are a godsend. Not all items can support constant effects, as player-made enchantments have a certain 'cost' to them, and the maximum varies depending on item type and value. You can do a lot more with a glass chestpiece than a glass bracer, which itself would support more more than a chitin chestpiece. Jewelry has a particularly high capacity for enchantments, too. I keep a bunch of different rings and amulets handy with different effects. And the charge regenerates over time, too, so there's all the more reason to make use of them. My favourite I made recently is a cast-when-used amulet that provides a +15 boost to speed (increasing running speed) and +13 to strength (increasing jump height) for 45 seconds, which makes getting around a bit less time consuming. Probably something to consider yourself, if you're thinking about an acrobatic character.
I'm not unfamiliar with RPGs myself, but Morrowind doesn't seem like anything I'm really used to, so it is appreciated, thank you. I'll probably go for light, then, like you suggest. While I'm not too great at the stealth archer style, too, it doesn't seem like the worst idea to give it another chance, seeing as from what I've experienced with Skyrim, it's at least a way to damage from a distance without risking taking heavy damage in combat. I've always been drawn towards spears, so chances are, I'll give blocking a pass, then. That's great to know, thank you! While I haven't gotten too in-depth with enchanting in Skyrim, as I usually only get started on it once I've put at least some points into whatever I mostly focus on, I still feel like it'd throw me off if I'd gone in without warning. But yep, I'll consider that.
When I started playing Skyrim for the first time I realized that each character had their own unique strengths, simply because of the descriptions, but not much else. I went over each character and thought about it, but I simply could not decide. I chose the Argonian simply because lizards are my most favorite creatures. I liked to wear heavy armor and wield a sword and shield; when I was in trouble I would use the Histskin skill and cut down everything in my path as my health just kept going up. When I needed a little stealth and/or muscle I would transform into a Werewolf. No matter how powerful I became my beast form always seemed to be my greatest power. The running attack is extremely deadly, I have knocked out mammoths and various types of dragons in a single blow with that attack. I prefer the Werewolf howl of terror over the other two; at battle I may not have been able to win head on becomes easy when most of your foes are running away. I have one question if any one can answer it; I was in my beast form when I wandered into a den of Vampires. There was a Nightlord Vampire and about half a dozen mid level vampires. I howled at the group causing the mid-leveled vampires to start fleeing. I beat-up the Nightlord Vampire and finish him off with a special attack (the one where you press both the left and right attack button at the same time) My character picked up the Nightlord Vampire and violently threw him at one of the lesser vampires killing both of them. I have tossed enemies before but I have never actually managed to toss one enemy at another. I am not sure if there was some kind of glitch or if it is rare to have the opportunity to do an attack like that; but I have never preformed an attack like that again. I am certain that I saw the Nightlord Vampire flying at the lesser vampire, and I found the Nightlord Vampire piled on top of the lesser vampire.
I didn't realise that quickly myself, unfortunately. I ended up pretty much just doing anything in my first playthrough kind of doing whatever I felt like before deciding, 'Okay, not going well, let's create a new character with a more focused approach." I can agree myself- I've always had some fondness for reptiles, so while Khajiit were my first choice, Argonians were my second. Never thought Histskin would be so convenient myself, but it's saved me in a lot of situations. Yes, though, I love the werewolf transformation so much! It's surprisingly satisfying to rampage as a werewolf too, isn't it? I'll often use it to take out something I'm having trouble with, but even after that, I'll keep going and just wreck everything in my path. Howl of Terror, absolutely- I have considered using the others, but it's simply too helpful to use Terror, especially if you're in a more dangerous situation. Afraid I can't answer that myself, though I might try it out next time I play one of my werewolves. I wasn't even aware there was a way to trigger different attacks like that- I've managed the claw-swipe and biting finisher, but nothing else. I always just assumed it was random. So thanks for clearing that up for me. I have a question of my own, actually. With my own Argonian character, I've been considering making her into a werewolf. However, at the same time, I'm just beginning the Dawnguard quests. I'm assuming that you're fine to be a werewolf if you side with the Dawnguard, but just in case, could someone confirm that for me, please? I know the Vigilants of Stendarr have some dislike for werewolves, and while I know the Dawnguard is a different faction and more focused on vampires than anything else, the fact that the two groups are connected makes me a little uncertain if I'd be able to complete the Dawnguard quests if I became a werewolf first.