The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition

About The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is an open-world RPG from Bethesda Game Studios, released in 2003 for PC and Xbox. Set in the fictional province of Morrowind, it lets you build any character you want and choose how to shape the story. The base game follows a Daedric Prince’s plot to destroy the land, while expansions like Tribunal and Bloodmoon add new zones, creatures, and branching quests. With no hand-holding, you can tackle the main quest, join factions, or just wander the sun-scorched deserts and forests. It’s a large adventure with 300+ hours of playtime for completists, celebrated for its freedom and dense lore.

Gameplay

Morrowind’s gameplay revolves around exploration, skill-based progression, and nonlinear quests. You’ll navigate the map on foot or by teleporting, fighting enemies with spells, blades, or traps. Combat is real-time but lets you pause for spells. The Tribunal expansion tasks you with navigating Mournhold’s politics and battling giant clockwork golems. Bloodmoon throws you into blizzard-covered Solstheim, where you can side with werewolves or hunt them. Each decision impacts the world: steal too much and guards target you, align with factions to unlock perks. Quests range from collecting rare herbs to assassinations. The game’s systems, like alchemy, blacksmithing, and a reputation-based dialogue tree, require experimentation. Expect to level 100+ skills, but the AI can be buggy, and NPCs might behave oddly.

What Players Think

Morrowind holds a 78/100 IGDB score from 43 critics, with 68% of players completing it. The average session is 106 hours, and 42% of users rate it 5 stars. Community moods cite “engaging” (23%), “addictive” (19%), and “nostalgic” (15%). One 2021 review says, “Morrowind’s world feels alive in a way few games do, it’s just as dense with secrets now as it was 20 years ago.” Critics praise the world design but note clunky controls by modern standards. The 2023 Steam review says, “Graphics are outdated, but the depth makes it timeless.” Modders keep it fresh with fixes and content. Some players find the writing slow, while others call it a masterpiece of player agency.

PlayPile's Take

Morrowind is a must-play for fans of open-ended RPGs who enjoy grinding stats and uncovering lore. At its peak price of $19.99, it’s a steal, though modern gamers may need to adjust to its dated UI. With 300+ achievements, it rewards obsessive playstyles. The expansions are crucial for completeness, adding 60+ hours. If you’ve outgrown linear quests and crave a world that reacts to your actions, Morrowind delivers. But its technical quirks and grind-heavy progression may frustrate casual players. It’s a classic, not a modern hit, but classics endure for a reason.

Storyline

In Tribunal, you journey to the capital city of Morrowind, called Mournhold, to meet the other two god-kings of Morrowind, Almalexia and Sotha Sil. Your journey will lead you to the Clockwork City of Sotha Sil and massive, epic-sized dungeons, where strange and deadly creatures await you, including goblins, lich lords, and the mysterious Fabricants. Bloodmoon takes you to the frozen Island of Solstheim where you'll experience snow, blizzards, and new creatures, including frost trolls, ice minions, and wolves... just to name a few. You'll have a choice of stories to follow and have the opportunity to defend the colony, take control over how the colony is built up, and eliminate the werewolves. Or, you can decide to join the werewolves and become one of them, opening up a whole new style of gameplay.