Morrowind is one of my favorites! Graphic Herbalism is nice, but the DB and Sosltheim fixes are the only necessary ones, atleast for OpenMW.
Have fun! You’ve probably already heard this if you’re aware of the bug fix mods, but if it seems like you’re missing every other attack, check your stamina and make sure you’re using a weapon you’re character has the skills in. A low stamina bar affects every skill check, and that iron dagger in the census office often trips people up if they try using it without taking short blade as a major skill, as an example.
I love Morrowind, but it doesn’t do the best job of walking you through how combat works unless you read the manual, so I thought I’d mention it just in case :).
I’m using a bound spear. I have skills in conjuration and spear. I still miss most attacks though. How am I supposed to have high stamina when I reach enemies if getting to enemies requires walking and thus expending stamina? Should I be taking a rest break every ten steps or guzzling potions?
I just got back from the first difficult Mages Guild duty. I had to recruit a new member and gather dues from some people who live in bumfuck volcanic nowhere. I now hate cliff racers with a passion. On the other hand, I’m level 5 and I’m starting to kill scribs in one hit. I also can’t believe I cleared that entire dwemer dungeon just to find the puzzle box right near the entrance. Plus side, now I’m loaded on dwemer coins. And playing a conjurer was definitely the right move when it came to those ghosts. I’d have been fucked if I were using mundane weapons.
One thing I’m disappointed by is that a minion-based build seems much less viable in Morrowind than Skyrim. Seems you can’t just go all in on conjuration in this one. One thing I like is spears! Spears are the best weapon!
Yeah, resting whenever the stamina bar hits half is generally what I do lol. The Mages Guild definitely throws you to the wolves with that quest, when I did it I failed the speech check and had to fight her.
I’ve never tried a conjuration build, but I definitely remember falling back on my dagger regularly when I played a Dunmer mage. The Mages Guild has an item chest with magika potions you can use freely.
You can also enchant a ring or amulet to conjure, so even if your magic/Intelligence is low you can consistently summon minions if you can afford the cost of the enchantment. A big difference from Skyrim is that enchanted items recharge automatically when you rest.
This makes a build where you carry around summoning rings/amulets to use before every fight not only possible, but incredibly strong from what I’ve heard.
If you talk to an Enchanter NPC, the option to enchant will be in the dialogue list like a shop owner or spell crafter. Since you’re in the Mages Guild, the easiest to reach would probably be Galbedir in the Balmora Mages Guild.
If you need more specific info the UESP wiki (https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page)
is a great source. Just be weary of spoilers. I personally use it to check racial attribute spreads whenever I start a new game.
No, but enchant skill in Morrowind is kinda weird so I honestly wouldn’t worry about leveling it for a first time playthrough. I never leveled it and was still able to enchant some exquisite pants with enough stamina restore to negate fatigue entirely, for example.
Thanks for all the advice, I want more, as I have a question Google wouldn’t help me with. I think my character would fit in great in House Telvanni, except for the slavery part. If I join Telvanni, can I climb the ranks and eventually abolish slavery?
Welcome! This is a pretty fun question, because it shows both the strengths and limitations of the game. On the one hand, there’s no full quest line to abolish slavery in Morrowind, although some slaves can be freed. There are some mods for adding quests, but I haven’t looked into them very deeply.
On the other, since no NPC is essential you can end slavery through brute force and kill every councilor that supports it, every slave trader, etc. Bloody, but still arguably in line with the “might makes right” philosophy of the Telvanni.
So while there’s no “official” way, the game leaves the door open to roleplaying if you’re playing a character who would take matters into their own hands.
If you kill an NPC needed for the main quest, the game will give you a “the thread of prophecy has been severed” message. It’s still possible to get the necessary equipment to fight the final boss of the main quest even if you kill, say, Caius, but I wouldn’t recommend killing any main quest NPCs until after it’s completed.
The built-in failsafes aren’t explained in-game, and are buggy. It’s more so just a cool last resort for repeat playthroughs where you play, say, a traditionalist who refuses to work with the Empire to solve the blight storm crisis.
It’s one of the coolest things about the game. Even though I’d never consider methodically killing everyone on the island, the knowledge that you can do it makes the decision not to much more impactful from a roleplaying perspective.
Many slaves have the “go free” dialogue option, which allows you to free them if you have the appropriate key from that area. Not all can be freed this way, there might be a mod for that but I’m not sure. Happy hunting!
Morrowind is one of my favorites! Graphic Herbalism is nice, but the DB and Sosltheim fixes are the only necessary ones, atleast for OpenMW.
Have fun! You’ve probably already heard this if you’re aware of the bug fix mods, but if it seems like you’re missing every other attack, check your stamina and make sure you’re using a weapon you’re character has the skills in. A low stamina bar affects every skill check, and that iron dagger in the census office often trips people up if they try using it without taking short blade as a major skill, as an example.
I love Morrowind, but it doesn’t do the best job of walking you through how combat works unless you read the manual, so I thought I’d mention it just in case :).
I’m using a bound spear. I have skills in conjuration and spear. I still miss most attacks though. How am I supposed to have high stamina when I reach enemies if getting to enemies requires walking and thus expending stamina? Should I be taking a rest break every ten steps or guzzling potions?
I just got back from the first difficult Mages Guild duty. I had to recruit a new member and gather dues from some people who live in bumfuck volcanic nowhere. I now hate cliff racers with a passion. On the other hand, I’m level 5 and I’m starting to kill scribs in one hit. I also can’t believe I cleared that entire dwemer dungeon just to find the puzzle box right near the entrance. Plus side, now I’m loaded on dwemer coins. And playing a conjurer was definitely the right move when it came to those ghosts. I’d have been fucked if I were using mundane weapons.
One thing I’m disappointed by is that a minion-based build seems much less viable in Morrowind than Skyrim. Seems you can’t just go all in on conjuration in this one. One thing I like is spears! Spears are the best weapon!
Yeah, resting whenever the stamina bar hits half is generally what I do lol. The Mages Guild definitely throws you to the wolves with that quest, when I did it I failed the speech check and had to fight her.
I’ve never tried a conjuration build, but I definitely remember falling back on my dagger regularly when I played a Dunmer mage. The Mages Guild has an item chest with magika potions you can use freely.
You can also enchant a ring or amulet to conjure, so even if your magic/Intelligence is low you can consistently summon minions if you can afford the cost of the enchantment. A big difference from Skyrim is that enchanted items recharge automatically when you rest.
This makes a build where you carry around summoning rings/amulets to use before every fight not only possible, but incredibly strong from what I’ve heard.
How do I enchant items?
If you talk to an Enchanter NPC, the option to enchant will be in the dialogue list like a shop owner or spell crafter. Since you’re in the Mages Guild, the easiest to reach would probably be Galbedir in the Balmora Mages Guild.
If you need more specific info the UESP wiki (https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page) is a great source. Just be weary of spoilers. I personally use it to check racial attribute spreads whenever I start a new game.
Thank you. Will using an NPC to enchant items increase my enchanting skill like in Skyrim?
No, but enchant skill in Morrowind is kinda weird so I honestly wouldn’t worry about leveling it for a first time playthrough. I never leveled it and was still able to enchant some exquisite pants with enough stamina restore to negate fatigue entirely, for example.
No way, I just read the wiki entry on enchanting. This shit OP, I’m definitely going to be using it.
Thanks for all the advice, I want more, as I have a question Google wouldn’t help me with. I think my character would fit in great in House Telvanni, except for the slavery part. If I join Telvanni, can I climb the ranks and eventually abolish slavery?
Welcome! This is a pretty fun question, because it shows both the strengths and limitations of the game. On the one hand, there’s no full quest line to abolish slavery in Morrowind, although some slaves can be freed. There are some mods for adding quests, but I haven’t looked into them very deeply.
On the other, since no NPC is essential you can end slavery through brute force and kill every councilor that supports it, every slave trader, etc. Bloody, but still arguably in line with the “might makes right” philosophy of the Telvanni.
So while there’s no “official” way, the game leaves the door open to roleplaying if you’re playing a character who would take matters into their own hands.
If you kill an NPC needed for the main quest, the game will give you a “the thread of prophecy has been severed” message. It’s still possible to get the necessary equipment to fight the final boss of the main quest even if you kill, say, Caius, but I wouldn’t recommend killing any main quest NPCs until after it’s completed.
The built-in failsafes aren’t explained in-game, and are buggy. It’s more so just a cool last resort for repeat playthroughs where you play, say, a traditionalist who refuses to work with the Empire to solve the blight storm crisis.
It’s one of the coolest things about the game. Even though I’d never consider methodically killing everyone on the island, the knowledge that you can do it makes the decision not to much more impactful from a roleplaying perspective.
By the Hist, thank you. But if I spoke to the slaves, they’d still call themselves slaves, right?
Many slaves have the “go free” dialogue option, which allows you to free them if you have the appropriate key from that area. Not all can be freed this way, there might be a mod for that but I’m not sure. Happy hunting!
Awesome. Time to prove that my abolitionist beliefs are superior because I have the best spells.