Is Morrowind worth playing for the first time 20 years later?
Obviously, it depends on who you are as a player. I'm a huge Elder Scrolls (TES) nerd, and my entry point for the series was Oblivion, and I figured it was about time I try the 3rd game, Morrowind.
My overall impressions of (a moderately modded) Morrowind? Eh, it was pretty fun, but I wouldn't replay it again necessarily. I know lots of people absolutely love it and it's their favorite TES game, but that may be a little bit of nostalgia talking (I have a theory that your first TES game is your favorite TES game), since the game has some real flaws, given its age and despite that. The main quest has some weird jumps in pacing and the whole main plot seems rather fuzzy and confusing while you're completing the first zillion fetch quests. And there's a lot of fetch and other trivial quests in this game overall. I also did not enjoy how there's essentially no overarching plot (really) for most of the factions or guilds, as there is in later TES games. I completed the Fighter's, Mage's, Imperial Cult, and House Hlaalu factions, and they're mostly just a big ole bunch of fetch quests that aren't really tightly connected. I also got really tired of the "wikipedia links" that compose dialog in this game: you end up just bouncing around all the links and conversations become very confusing and disjointed. My biggest beef, however, was the dang map. It's not great, and since there's no quest markers, you can end up wandering around forever trying to find something for a fetch quest. The wiki has a fantastic map, and I couldn't have completed this game without alt-tabbing to view it, but a good map is absolutely essential for an open-world game, in my opinion: it's better for playability and accessibility. The journal is also a disaster in that it's purely chronological. This is typical of games of its era (looking at you, original Baldur's Gate), but it's really frustrating to deal with.
Those gripes out of the way, there's a lot I did enjoy about Morrowind:
1. The vibes are fantastic. It feels like an alien world. Bethesda did a great job designing a fantasy setting that is just ~weird~ and immersive
2. There's multiple paths to completing some guild quests and the main quest, which I appreciated
3. Characters really reacted to you based on faction, stage of the main quest you're in, etc.
4. Exploration is super fun. The best part of this game, I feel, is just wandering around - without somewhere to be! If you're trying to find somewhere in particular it is frustrating as hell - enjoying the vibes and going spelunking in random dungeons
5. The dungeons are fun! they're short and have interesting loot and baddies to fight
Overall, I enjoyed my time in Morrowind, but for me personally, I don't have much interest in trying out other character builds or factions beyond what I already have. I think it's worth trying if: 1) you're a TES nerd, or 2) you're an old-school RPG fan or someone who has the patience to enjoy old-school approaches to journals, stats, combat, etc. If you're someone who wants or needs a more modern RPG experience, then I think you can pass on this (or watch a Let's Play on Youtube).
If you're interested in knowing which mods I used and recommend for my playthrough as a first-timer, I'll be sharing those soon in another post, so stay tuned!
