I really, really want to enjoy Morrowind :( Tips?

[Launcelot111]

Install the Tamriel Rebuilt and Morrowind Overhaul mods (only if you have a decent computer for the second). The first adds a bunch of fanmade extra stuff which pretty much doubles the size of the map and has some very cool cities. The second adds all sorts of graphics and quality of life upgrades. There are some combat overhaul mods, but I haven't used them, so I can't vouch for any.

For in-game things, I always go with light armor as a major skill and get a full set of chitin armor from the shop in Seyda Neen. It's decent armor and should last you until you find glass armor if you want to stick with light armor. Also, if you're going the magic route, at least take one weapon skill just as a backup, because magic is uneven in execution and not great until you have good enough skills to cast some OP spells from spellmaking.

There's a woman named Pemenie who is west (I think?) of Caldera (I also think? maybe you should wiki this) who wants you to escort her somewhere. You can do that or you can kill her, but the end result is that you get the Boots of Blinding Speed, which make you super fast. Make a dispel 100% on self for one second spell (it's pretty cheap and easy to cast), use it, and put the boots on during that one second to get rid of the boots' unfortunate side effects.

The journal has a "show current quests" section which is the best way to actually use the thing.

 

[Fappy]

Join Hlaalu for a few easy quests and levels. If you stumble into a cave and get owned by high levels creatures, suck it up. If you go somewhere for a quest and get owned, don't dispair - theres probably some potion or exploit that can help you out. You'll just have to find it. Use the Silt Striders and Boats instead of walking everywhere. Try to learn your way around Vivecs cantons so it doesn't confuse the fuck out of you by the 10th time you visit the city. And use tgm to get past annoying Cliff Racers.

Hlaalu can also net you three pieces of glass armor relatively early on if you complete the option requirements for the Balmora quest-giver. But then... if you know what you're doing you can get a full set of glass armor at level 1. Robbing Ghostgate FTW!

I tried and failed to net my level 8 char those 3 pieces of glass armor. (Minor spoilers) The guy you need to kill to get them just one hit me every time.

First time I did it on a low level character I stood up on the wall and exploited his pathing XD

 

[Signa]

A few more tips to remember:

1) You are never lost, just side-tracked. If you really are lost, keep a scroll or spell of intervention around. Almsivi takes you to Tribunal temples, divine takes you to Imperial Cult chapels. All the main cities have both in a general area near by.

2) Talk to everyone you can, and ask them about topics that are blue in their dialogue. Many NPCs have options common to everyone, but once you know what those are, you can start to pick out the ones that actually mean something to you. Just don't be afraid to read.

3) Again, because it's bears repeating; watch your fatigue!!! It affects everything you do, even your chance at spell casting and successfully bribing or bartering with someone.

4) Learn what each skill does and how much you think you will use it. Do not be afraid to make multiple characters if you think you could have done better. Just know what to expect from each build and play to those strengths. I was quite successful making a brawling monk once.

5) Learn the leveling system. It's confusing at first because not many RPGs use anything similar, but once you understand it, it's really intuitive and it will build your character's strengths based on how you play. If you don't like what you've leveled, you usually can change your mind later with no long-lasting repercussions. The only thing you have to worry about is Endurance stats, because that you can't take back or make up for later.

6) Learn the enchanting system. Even if you don't abuse it with self-created enchantments, a warrior who collects enhanced rings will have a far better time than one that goes pure melee and eschews all magic.

7) Do not underestimate Alchemy. It's hard NOT to become OP if you quaff a few homemade potions of healing at the same time, let alone other buffs.

8) If the game is not for you, it's not for you, but there's a reason so many people are still gushing about it over a decade later. It rewards you for your efforts far more than most games do these days. Once you get past that first hurdle or two, the most troubling thing you will have with the game is getting enough sleep for work or school.

 

[Doom972]

First of all, get the Tribunal expansion pack if you can't stand the journal. I managed to play through the game with the vanilla version's journal - I just completed minor quests a short time after getting them and memorized the major ones.

The first place you want to go to is Balmora. You can get there on foot or by Silt Strider (which is one of the game's fast-travel services). In Balmora you'll be able to get the main quest started and join guilds.

The hardest part is picking/creating a class. You'll have to try and see which skills appeal to you the best and base your decision on that. The first few character levels will be tough no matter what you picked, but it'll get easier as you'll go up in levels.

 

[LetalisK]

snip

Here's a few things I did to make it through the game.

First, have http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page on a tab while playing the game. A lot of the quests are just poorly written and hard to figure out where to go. This will help.

Travelling: First, do the Boots of Blinding Speed glitch. You run much faster, but not fast enough to miss stuff. If you're worried about moving too fast in combat, just hit the Walk toggle button. It puts you at a more realistic speed for combat. Second, use this mod: http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=mods.detail&id=1397. Allows you to Mark more than one place at a time for your Recall spell. You may want to pick up a Tireless Running mod, too. I always felt the fatigue mechanic was unnecessarily punitive and tedious, so doing tweaks to it like that might make it more interesting.

Combat: Can't really help you here, since even though the combat is incredibly bad, I never modded it as I'm not much of a stickler for combat. However, understand that the power curve is completely out of whack. You will spend your first several levels being outclassed by enemies and it'll be very painful. Then you'll have a few levels of parity followed quickly by completely dominating everything with little effort on your part.

Or don't be a masochist like myself and go play a game where you don't have to drastically change and/or exploit its game mechanics in order to begin to enjoy it. Your choice.

 

[uncanny474]

WHY DO I WALK SO SLOW IN MORROWIND?

Four words. Boots of Blinding Speed. (assuming you don't want to cheat)

http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowindemenie_and_the_Boots_of_Blinding_Speed

 

[Kotaro]

Everyone's already said basically all the tips I could give, so...
But yeah, I love Morrowind. It was an incredible game... for its time. It's aged really, really poorly (not quite as badly as Final Fantasy VII, but still really badly), and if you never played it when it was new, you'll probably have a hard time enjoying it now.

 

[Rufio's Ghost]

Hey, I just beat Morrowind for the first time a few months ago- so don't fear, your not the only one.

Advice:
-I would focus on one quest line at a time, that should help you keep your journal organized.
-If you need to sell stuff, find Creeper- he buys things at full price and always has 5,000 gold. Lives in Caldera
-Use Training to meta-game the shit out of your stats early on (especially endurance, never accept less than +5 to endurance)
-And if you need help traveling find scrolls of Almsivi Intervention, Divine Intervention, get Mark, and Recall. Use these scrolls/spells in conjunction with Silt Striders, Boats, and the Mages guild Teleporters. Makes traveling crazy easy and crazy fun. Oh yeah, and if a fight is too tough you can always teleport away.
-Get something that will allow you to levitate (either a spell or item), if you can levitate you can get anywhere.
-Make a charm 1-100 spell for one second.
-And meet Crassius Curio. If he doesn't make you love the game, Dumpling... I don't know what will.

 

[Gottesstrafe]

Journal: You need either the Tribunal or Bloodmoon expansion. Probably Tribunal. One of them adds an option to the Journal that keeps an index of all of your active quests and can directly point you to the pages you need with the click of a mouse.

Direction: Read everything. Read every textbox and every note in your inventory. Then read your journal. Then read a map of Morrowind itself. Read gamefaqs if you must. If you're going to play this game then you're going to have to accept that you must read everything. In fact, read everything out loud.

Combat: Most people who cite Morrowind's combat as bad are usually missing most of their attacks because their skill is not high enough to have any successful hits. This is normal at low levels. You will miss attacks due to skill failure often. You just need to find something simple to bash until you can get that skill up. OR, if you are resourceful, you can pay for better fighting abilities. Or you can find spells and enchantments to improve your abilities.

Best advice I can give: Besides reading everything, which I cannot stress enough, you need to cheat the system to win. Not cheat like triggering god mode. You need to abuse the hell out of the skill system and the magical systems. A few good enchantments can turn you from a chump to a champ in a split second. Magical stat-boosting items are abundant in Morrowind to the point where they are almost vendor trash. Many of them have frail, temporary enchantments. However, when you are level 1 and can't hit the broad side of a mudcrab with a longsword that 20 second boost to Agility (The stat that heavily influences your chance-to-hit) will be a practical godsend.

A BIG FAT TIP: Here's something fun I found a few years ago. Pick your favorite melee weapon type. Now go buy a relatively cheap and light version of that weapon. I usually choose a Chitin weapon for this. Now, save up about 1000-2000 gold. Find a filled Soul gem, any soul will do. Go to an Enchanter.

Enchant your crappy weapon with a Bound-Weapon spell of a similar kind (Ex. Chitin Spear = Bound Spear). Set this enchantment to trigger On Strike and give it a 20-second duration. Now, every time you hit someone with that enchanted weapon, it will magically "change" into its daedric equivalent with a 10 point skill boost. 20 seconds of power and skill will take you far.

Solid advice that covers most of what I was going to say. Out of curiosity, does the overhaul mod also include the unofficial morrowind patch? Haven't played the game in years, so I'm not up to date with the mods.

I'd also like to add that unlike in its more modern sequels, the fatigue bar is really damn important. Watch it and keep it high in order to succeed at life. Also, skill trainers are especially more valuable and worth your while since spells and combat actions have a chance to fail or miss, so use them to bolster your skills (especially block if you ever want to get use out of your shield). If you're really hit up for a weapon that can deal damage, visit the Underworks (sewers) of the Redoran Canton in Vivec for a Daedric Dagger. Highest grade of unenchanted weapon type, light to carry, easy to use, and can also hurt ghosts.

For fast traveling, I recommend learning Mark and Recall as soon as possible, as well as picking up some Divine Intervention and Almsivi Intervention scrolls for fast traveling between the various temples. Guild Guides provide an exceptionally useful service for transport between major cities, as well as a good reason to consider joining the Mages Guild for a nice discount. Keep in mind though: Factions are an integral part to the game and should not be joined lightly. They are numerous and often times conflicting, and can make your entrance into other factions more difficult/impossible and come with huge reputation bonuses/penalties. They also require skill checkpoints in order to advance, don't expect to be able to become Arch-Mage with your dumb-as-a-brick Nord Barbarian who can barely cast a spell, let alone spell it.

This has already been mentioned several times, but I'm going to reiterate it because it's that important: Read everything, and Talk to everyone. There are no glowing arrows or trails to point to you where to go, you have to be able to navigate by descriptions, landmarks, roads, and signposts. Buy or steal maps of cities you are new to, and ask for directions at every opportunity. This game is built around exploration and finding tips out on your own, so they give you plenty of opportunities and details to do so.

WHY DO I WALK SO SLOW IN MORROWIND?

Four words. Boots of Blinding Speed. (assuming you don't want to cheat)

http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowindemenie_and_the_Boots_of_Blinding_Speed

Two words: Jump Everywhere.

Addendum: Scroll of Icarian Flight.

 

[uncanny474]

WHY DO I WALK SO SLOW IN MORROWIND?

Four words. Boots of Blinding Speed. (assuming you don't want to cheat)

http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowindemenie_and_the_Boots_of_Blinding_Speed

Two words: Jump Everywhere.

Addendum: Scroll of Icarian Flight.

That will just crater you.

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

WHY DO I WALK SO SLOW IN MORROWIND?

Four words. Boots of Blinding Speed. (assuming you don't want to cheat)

http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowindemenie_and_the_Boots_of_Blinding_Speed

Two words: Jump Everywhere.

Addendum: Scroll of Icarian Flight.

That will just crater you.

Only if you aren't careful. Slowfall spells and levitation are your friends.

 

[uncanny474]

WHY DO I WALK SO SLOW IN MORROWIND?

Four words. Boots of Blinding Speed. (assuming you don't want to cheat)

http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowindemenie_and_the_Boots_of_Blinding_Speed

Two words: Jump Everywhere.

Addendum: Scroll of Icarian Flight.

That will just crater you.

Only if you aren't careful. Slowfall spells and levitation are your friends.

If you're playing Morrowind as anything other than an Orc Fighter with 200 pounds of booze in your backpack, I feel sorry for you.

Speaking of which, booze is the best way to get through any fight. Most of the boozes stack with each other, so you can get like 30 or 40 extra strength, which is usually enough to hit and kill whoever you need. Usually.

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

WHY DO I WALK SO SLOW IN MORROWIND?

Four words. Boots of Blinding Speed. (assuming you don't want to cheat)

http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowindemenie_and_the_Boots_of_Blinding_Speed

Two words: Jump Everywhere.

Addendum: Scroll of Icarian Flight.

That will just crater you.

Only if you aren't careful. Slowfall spells and levitation are your friends.

If you're playing Morrowind as anything other than an Orc Fighter with 200 pounds of booze in your backpack, I feel sorry for you.

Speaking of which, booze is the best way to get through any fight. Most of the boozes stack with each other, so you can get like 30 or 40 extra strength, which is usually enough to hit and kill whoever you need. Usually.

I generally roll with a Redguard majoring in Alchemy, Athletics, Marksman, Alteration and Light Armour. I run around with 200 pounds of Fortify Intelligence and Strength potions and as many silver throwing stars as I can conveniently carry. Potion powered human gauss cannon ftw!

 

[Vkmies]

Before I say anything, Morrowind is my favourite game of all time. Ever. That game changed me. So I might be biased, even though I am trying my best to not be.

Anyway. It might just not be your kind of a thing. You might not enjoy the stuff I do or be able to overlook the problems I can. I like the journal alright, and I love that there is no fast travel. I think it's amazing. But it's fair to disagree, and you might just disagree, making the game a hot pile of shit for you.

As for tips? Just give it time. Time time time. Start over a few times, learn what the skills do and how they work, learn the little quirks of the game. That game requires constant attention and time. Try to immerse yourself. Playing it in the "I am playing a video game"-sense will ruin a lot of the fun and really make the problems very obvious. If you can, get into the world, into the characters. Read dialog out loud, have a IRL notebook to scribble maps and notes on, roleplay. Morrowind might be the best game for that.