The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 📽 Through the Lens

Okok, ya'll knew this was coming sooner or later. 😁

Talk about granddaddies, this here the modern open-world RPG Darth Vader. (shiiiiieeee). You talk about a generational game and this here it. Through and through one of the most important RPGs ever released. Now I know this was a loaded statement, and there are other, older, more deserving RPGs to hold said title. But this is my article fool! 😂

You guys know I smoke that Oblivion kush, but I understand full well that it wouldn't exist without the groundwork that Morrowind covered. 💯 And that's a whole lotta ground.

Therefore, strap on your fantasy nerd helmets and fetch your D20s. In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be taking a gander at the game that put Elder Scrolls on the mother-bleepin' map. Bethesda's shot in the dark from 2003: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Roll it! 📽

Like I stated, I'm an Oblivion bunny through and through. And therefore think its the best out of the modern Elder Scroll trilogy. Some people prefer Morrowind, others Skyrim, it mostly depends on the year you were born. 😄 But at this point I've played them all, and while I still prefer Oblivion (I'm not some heathen), I can see the merits in each game. 👏👏

As always I recommend listening to the soundtracks as a companion to the article.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xULTMMgwLuo

This Up Top is shorter since it only serves to ground you in my level of experience. I own these games, both figuratively and literally. So you can trust me that as an Elder Scroll expert I'll do right by it. Or at least try to. 😅

But enough talk!

Time to talk❗️

So, look, I'm not dumb (most of the time). I know there are older games that deserve this distinction more. When it relates to the modern-RPG landscape tho? Or even more so, Elder Scrolls? Ye. Morrowind fits the build to a T. // I have no idea why that's a phrase or why it exists but we're moving onnnn

Morrowind is the template for the most successful RPG franchise to date.

It's trying super hard to be as modern as it could for the time of its release. But it has its feet firmly in the Oldschool RPG game design mud. 👣

https://s1.gaming-cdn.com/images/products/852/screenshot/the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-goty-goty-edition-pc-gioco-steam-wallpaper-4.jpg?v=1647343393

I gotta admit, playing this a decade and a half after its release was rough. I remember it took me some time to readjust my plush, modern-gaming-habit brain, back to 2003. But I did it (eventually 😅) and as a lover of all things RPG, I have to say the story telling in this one was 👌.

This was the first of Tom Howard's trilogy, and while Tom has become a meme at this point, the man definitely knew what he wanted. And pushed the tech at the time to ludicrous proportions (would that he did that with his newer games 🤣). So as I said, the game is firmly in-between two eras of gaming. Which is fascinating to me.

Thuslyyy, we have to take a closer look at these similarities and differences. What remained, and what was the bedrock for what would eventually be Oblivion, Skyrim, ESO. Let's seeee.

That's the biggest thing right? It needs to feel like Elder Scrolls, and this game's presentation is what mapped out the series' presentation for decades to come. 💪

First and foremost is the music: with our man Jeremy Soule at the healm. The man's sound has become synonymous with the Elder Scrolls. And while the Oblivion soundtrack is IMO the best out of his work (objective fact there not taste-related at all), the Morrowind soundtrack is where the first notes were sung. 🎼 And the main theme has remained consistant ever since.

Apart from the signature sound is the signature look. 👀 The first-person-view is a staple of the Elder Scrolls single-player games. And while it has been present since the inception of the series, Morrowind is where it takes center stage. (sort of, this is kind of a stretch, but eh 😅)

Lastly, it's the world, and all that goes with it:

a sandbox for you to explore | compelling factions | a sense of place in the world | freedom to do whatever

These are the hallmarks of any Elder Scrolls game. 💯 // a pleathra of bugs not included

Does Morrowind have the best story out of any Elder Scrolls game? 🤷‍♀ (very possibly yes). Does Morrowind have the most story out of any Elder Scrolls game? 😌 (that's a yes, yes it does).

This is due to the fact that most dialogues in the game are long, sprawling wiki-like, checklist-like... things. Because there's no voice acting in the game the writers went HAM 🐷. So if you so choose, you can revisit just about any convo you've had with an NPC, because chances are the same generic dialogue has been used for someone else.

"Combat in Morrowind sucks." _{Most people.}

We can all admit (if were sane) that combat in Morrowind (and any Elder Scrolls game for that matter) sucks. Specifically in Morrowind, it is one of the last carryovers from the bygone age of... dare I say it... dice... rolling. 😱

So when you swing your sword, you don't actually swing your sword. 🤣 Kinda, but not really. You actually throw dice! And if your roll lands and coincides with all the stats and enemy buffs/debuffs whatever, you may hit your opponent. 😨 // shocking I know.

Lastly, and I've convinced myself over the years that this is actually a good thing: Morrowind has no fast travel. 💪

Now, when I was a pleb (or, less of a pleb I should say) I thought the 'no fast-travel' purists were absolutely mad. Bonkers, eh? But, over the years I have seen the light. ✨

That light being the environments and NPCs you discover along the way. The familiarity with the land that you gain over countless hours of wasted time trying to find the entrance to the fu#$ing cave. 😡

It truly does make you apart of the world in ways fast-travel ju8st... takes away. I don't think NO FAST TRAVEL EVER is the way to go. But Skyrim had a good idea of integrating its fast-travel with the horse carriage. I def feel like the Oblivion model of fast travel was the worst in the trilogy. And I am a strong and intelligent man for admitting so.

I wanna give the side-quests in this game one last 👋👌mwa chef's kiss excellence. They are, by far, the best side content the Elder Scrolls have gotten **(final bosses not withstanding 😅).

For one thing there are requirements to joining each faction. For another, each one's quests are RELATED TO THE FACTION. Sorry for yelling but no other TES game has understood that this is important. 😡 The quest rewards you get are related to the faction, and, AND, the quests link with the main story in really cool ways.

If these don't seem like big points to you, then you haven't played other Elder Scrolls game. And I pitty you. I recommend you start with Oblivion. 😁

There isn't a gamer worth his salt that hasn't heard of Morrowind. And if there is, they've probably heard of Elder Scrolls. And if they haven't, they've definitely heard of Skyrim. 😁

Suffice to say that the modern RPG would not be the same without Morrowind.

And in all honesty. I hope TES6 takes its ques from here. Not the Witcher, not Skyrim, not Dragon Age. Here. Where it belongs. Back to its roots as it were.

If not, it is still a bedrock pillar for RPGs to come. 😌

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

This one was real fun to write. I love RPGs, and Morrowind def feels like some grandpa past his prime (but can still crush your palm if you let him ). 😁

It's still an old game, and it shows - not for everyone. But if you can look past that, you'll be rewarded with one of the best RPG experiences available on the market today. I bet it's better than Starfield. 😅

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Have a great one folks! 🙌

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