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This week’s Throwback Thursday features a title from one of the most recognizable RPG series in the history of gaming – The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition.

Elder Scrolls is the ultimate freeform adventure with epic tales of knights, thieves, dragons and magic. It is where enormous open worlds await and offer you a blank slate to make your own story. Morrowind is no exception and takes you on an epic adventure to explore a unique world full of strange and deadly creatures, different quests and stories where you make decisions that matter.



Let's hear from one of the GOG team members what are her's experiences with the game and why she loves The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

Recommended by Anna, Product Communication Manager at GOG

[i]Morrowind is a game that started my love for cRPGs. I discovered this game by chance as a kid - I was wondering what to play next (and I’ve just begun my lifelong adventure with PC gaming) and this game was added to my newly bought graphics card. I installed it and after the first minutes in Seyda Neen I knew that it was it - unique setting, weird monsters, and the freedom to just walk around Vvardenfell, visit different cities, read (a lot of) books, and do quests for different factions.

I go back to this game quite often (appreciating the music in the game even more) and go on an adventure with a newly created character. Morrowind is definitely a must play for everyone who loves cRPGs or looks for an unique open world setting and I hope that you will like it as much as I do. Just watch out for the cliff racers as they really want to follow you wherever you go ;) [/i]

Check out Piran Jade playing and streaming the game on GOG’s Twitch channel later today (Thursday, November 11th at 8 PM UTC).

The Throwback Thursday series is done in cooperation with The Video Games History Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating and teaching the history of video games. If you want to support them, we encourage you to check their donation page
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lupineshadow: In the same way that Daggerfall would have been better than Morrowind if not for the bugs and the limitations.
One thing to Bethesda's credit has been not-taking-down projects such as Daggerfall Unity and OpenMW. (Maybe I'm ignorant to the history if they have done that to any fan projects, but compared to more notorious companies they seem to have a lighter fist when it comes to takedowns.) As the company has moved on to other projects, the community is still doing wonderful things with these classic games. :-)
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BitMaster_1980: I have surprisingly good memories of Morrowind
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NuffCatnip: Cliff Racers will change your oppinion. :)
I modded mine to be peaceful, with a chance to snag a golden egg if you do decide to kill one...
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drm9009: One thing to Bethesda's credit has been not-taking-down projects such as Daggerfall Unity and OpenMW. (Maybe I'm ignorant to the history if they have done that to any fan projects, but compared to more notorious companies they seem to have a lighter fist when it comes to takedowns.) As the company has moved on to other projects, the community is still doing wonderful things with these classic games. :-)
Thanks for this, as I never knew this remake existed!
Post edited November 12, 2021 by TZODnmr2k5
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Loger13: So, Skyrim – Legendary Edition, when?
When Bethesda will realize, that paid mods are not profitable enough to bother with.
Yesterday we have witnessed theirs latest attempt at promoting theirs paid mods under disguise of a bundle called "Anniversary Edition".

So... maybe 2-3 more years?
Sure, Legendary Edition does not support paid mods store "Creation Club", but Bethesda might see LE as a danger to it's new business direction.
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TZODnmr2k5: I modded mine to be peaceful, with a chance to snag a golden egg if you do decide to kill one...
I have a different mindset regarding them.
I won't leave a single one of those creatures breathing, there will be no mercy. :P
Post edited November 12, 2021 by NuffCatnip
Cliff Racers are a mere inconvenience to seasoned adventurers capable with a bow.

Wish you guys could have seen my majestic character build, invisible, completely silent, strong as a hill giant, adorned in ancient relics.
Post edited November 12, 2021 by bad_fur_day1
My first copy of Morrowind came bundled with a video card I bought ~20 years ago. I've never heard of it, so I installed it to find out what it was. I still remember being in awe with the graphics, especially when the sun set in Seyda Neen and the starlit nightsky appeared. It was certainly one of them "WOW!" moments for me.

Also, TESIII was the last to feature a nice box; TESIV came in the generic DVD box but at least it had a nice manual, while TESV, well, don't get me started with this...

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idbeholdME: Dropped it after like 10 hours because I knew that with my style of play, I'd have to pour 200+ hours into a single playthrough.
~200 hours sounds quite normal for the TES series. :)

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idbeholdME: A bit too "sandboxy" and "openworldy" for me.
Otherworldy is a much better word. And yes, it certainly does have lots of sand in it too. :P
Post edited November 12, 2021 by Vythonaut
Coincidentally I just recently finished my first main quest playthrough of Morrowind. I played unmodded OpenMW. I have attempted a few times it before, but got sidetracked on other things and never finish it.
But I always loved it for the freedom it provides. And for the lore and art direction. Even though the interiors of Telvanni towers look pretty shit, I really like the idea and design overall, for example.
It is overall easily one of my favourite games, and has been ever since I first attempted it.

No subsequent TES game so far has come close to being a contestant. And I sadly doubt that one will in the future, since the target demographic of Bethesda has shifted, I think.
Ultima Online is probably the most serious contender for Morrowind, in my eyes. Though I don't like MMOs too much, so it isn't really the optimal alternative for me I think. And it lacks the creative lore and design of Morrowind or TES in general.
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TZODnmr2k5: I modded mine to be peaceful, with a chance to snag a golden egg if you do decide to kill one...
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NuffCatnip: I have a different mindset regarding them.
I won't leave a single one of those creatures breathing, there will be no mercy. :P
Then my mod will be perfect for you, as they won't attack unless you attack them first!
Wake Up. We're Here. Why are you shaking? Are you ok? Wake up. Stand up. There you go. You were dreaming. What's your name?
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BitMaster_1980: I have surprisingly good memories of Morrowind, considering I never really managed to get anywhere far in the game. Still, despite my lack of success, the music and the environment really stuck with me. And for perceived ages I had Morrowind wallpapers on the desktop.
Yes, the music in the game is great (the main theme from the game is actually one of the first songs I am trying to master on piano, although I won't become the next Chopin, that's for sure).

The environment is so weird, intriguing and diverse: Ashlands, villages like Hla Oad and all of that mixed with heavily inspired by typical medieval buildings like the ones found in Fort Pelagiad. For me, it's still one of the most original settings in the games I've ever seen and one of the reasons why I go back to this game.

Anna (the author of the Morrowind recommendation).
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bad_fur_day1: Cliff Racers are a mere inconvenience to seasoned adventurers capable with a bow.

Wish you guys could have seen my majestic character build, invisible, completely silent, strong as a hill giant, adorned in ancient relics.
Or, you can just gather a bunch of them together, then use area of effect spells to take them all down at once.

You could also use area of effect absorb spells to steal their stats. A small amount drained per cliff racer adds up. Absorbing health can be a nice efficient way to heal from them, or you could absorb speed and run away from them.
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victorchopin: hey Anna, nice article, thanks! ;)

let's say if you wanna dig morrowind in 2021... vanilla or modded? why? thanks again
Hi!

I usually use at least a couple of mods, focusing on the complex ones, so I don't need to manage a lot of smaller mods and worry about their compatibility with each other. The vanilla game is still great, although after seeing how mods can enhance the experience - I would recommend using at least 3-4 mods of your choosing :)

During my playthroughs I usually use those mods (not always at the same time): Morrowind Code Patch (patches a lot of bugs and minimizes the number of game crashes), Morrowind Scripts Extender (enables many mods to function) Morrowind Comes Alive (adds over 1,200 NPCs), Better Dialogue Font (a must-have, especially when you have a big screen and play on higher resolution), Real Signposts (replaces existing signposts textures to the ones with the real names of the locations) Morrowind Rebirth (a lot of new content within the main game), Morrowind Graphic Extender (graphical improvements) and Arukinns Better Books and Scrolls (books and scrolls get higher-resolutution textures).


I don't remember the name of the mod, but the last time I've played the game I've also had an UI improving mod (maybe it was Skyrim Ui overhaul?).

Tamriel Rebuilt, one of the biggest mods created (a lot of new, lore-friendly lands), is still on my list to play.


I think that the upcoming winter might be a good time for me to go back to the game, so if you have any interesting (lore-friendly) mods that you highly recommend - let me know :)

Anna (the author of the Morrowind recommendation)
The things that The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind does the best is that it has so many skills to level up for your Player Characters (PC's) that you create.

That you can create your very own personalized customizable spells with spell making and mods that let you create your own spells even let you go further. I made my own spell mod that lets me summon a Atronarch mainly Flame Atronarches or Frost Atronarches and summon a bound Daedric sword that did something like five hundred damage all while having a electric shock spell shoot out of that Daedric sword all at the same time.

Tell me again what RPG video game lets you create your own spell mods that you can mix and match like this and use them all at the same time?

I was really sad when Bethesda Game Studios removed spell making from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Oh and in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind you can have all of the Cliff Racers chase you or any other NPC's non stop forever.

Also you can make dead bodies of the NPC's to never disappear.

If you try making the dead bodies of the NPC's to never disappear in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to never disappear those video games can end up slowing down, freezing, and even crashing sometimes. OpenMW might soon change that though.

Oh and with the Construction set you can create infinitely huge land, every time I try it in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, when I go out of bounds of the map that they are set in in Cyrodil or Skyrim the map breaks apart and all you get is weird low blurry resolution textures that have so much clipping you can see under the map and if you try taking your Player Character (PC) there he will always fall under the map, and not even land generation utility tools help all that much with this no matter how much height map and all of that stuff you generate you will end up falling under the map at some point. In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind this never ever ever happens, not once did it ever happen to me.

So tell me what other video game that exists does letting Player Characters (PC's) create their own mix and match personalized customizable spells like this, land generation, etc?

Seriously does anybody know of any? Because I do not.
I wish we had the soundtrack, preferably in FLAC. Not sure why it's missing.

I had to youtube-dl it in dubious quality. I think Spotify might have it, but I'm a Tidal man, so that's unfortunate.
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rojimboo: I wish we had the soundtrack, preferably in FLAC. Not sure why it's missing.

I had to youtube-dl it in dubious quality. I think Spotify might have it, but I'm a Tidal man, so that's unfortunate.
But it's right there, in the Data folder. I even changed music by simply putting .mp3 files in corresponding folders (e.g. I changed the sound that is played on PC death to a quote from Disciples II: "It... cannot... be!").