Many people ask themselves the same questions:
"What made Morrowind such a magical game?"
"Why is Morrowind better than Skyrim and/or Oblivion?" (to avoid flaming, let's just say that's my opinion)
Well, guys, the answer is actually very simple!

About 50% (for me, atleast) of what made the experience of Morrowind better was the armor.
No, not how the armor looks, or even the stats. It's bigger than that.
It's how you obtained the armor.

Bethesda took the wrong turn when they started developing Oblivion, they made armor level based.

Example #1 - you hacked and mauled your way to level 20 and finally found that nice little Daedric Dagger, congrats!

Example #2 - at level 4, you decide to loot an insane dungeon, so for the next hour you smash and break bones only to find that puny little steel dagger and a few arrows. ):

Example #3 - Found a nice weapon in a chest in your previous playthrough that you want? Too bad! Here's a carrot and some cabbages instead.

Example #4 - "I'm pathetic with this new Daedric weapon, because everyone is the same level as me now." Level 20 NPC = more health. Which means your new Daedric weapon is the new steel. Sorry to say, but your new weapon is basically a cosmetic.

The same examples apply to Skyrim.

Now, in Morrowind the armor was hidden, I don't think there were even 2 sets of Daedric in the game (multiple helmets made it a ton better, Face of God, etc.). Which made it very fun and got you in an adventurous treasure hunter mood. You would have to go to Ghost Gate and murder everybody there if you dared to try for that nice set of Glass armor.

Example #1 - You want that Daedric Face of God helmet regardless of your level? Sure, gulp that levitation potion and take out that lockpick to those 90 doors, and then pummel your way through an army of skeletons!

Example #2 - Want full Daedric armor? Well, you gotta find the pieces individually in dungeons scattered across Morrowind.. unless, you wanna "doom yourself" and ruin the main quest, then yeah, you can kill that guy standing in front of the giant crystal.

Example #3 - Only level 4, but have an insane desire for all that glass armor in Ghost Gate? Well, you better find some arrows.

Example #4 - Found that fabled Daedric weapon you've been looking for in your previous playthrough? Wanna see your new guy holding it? Sure! It's right where it was last time.

Example #5 - You felt more accomplished when you obtained that Ebony sword. You would go "FINALLY after searching for days, I have my hands wrapped around this legendary sword I've heard so much about."

Example #6 - "I AM UNSTOPPABLE WITH THIS NEW DAEDRIC WARHAMMER! FEEL MY WRATH IMPERIAL GUARDS!" the level 3 (deceased) shouted at an Imperial Fort.


So there you have it, I'm sure most would agree that this is a big contributing factor to what made Morrowind such a great game compared to other TES.


Seeing the addition of Mounted Combat, that makes this a new possibility, if you all agree that this was the magic to Morrowind, that is.
Also, think of it, wasn't it fun getting all those tiki faces in Skyrim and placing them on the busts?

So which do you think is better?
Treasure Hunter and Adventurer?
Or just Adventurer?):

I agree that MW was the better game, but how or when you obtained the armor had little to do with it.

I believe it encouraged more exploration by giving you directions instead of the magic compass. More quests, more factions, strange and exotic locales, integrated fast travel to major cities. More dialogue, more skills, more weapons, more armor, and on and on. Not saying the armor scaling isn't part of it, but 50%? No.

It's just a matter of personal preference when it comes to how much it contributed to your experience. I should have been more clear on that. Edited.

I agree that what you stated definitely added to Morrowind's feel, but it wasn't the major thing that made it so much better. There were so many little things that added to Morrowind that Skyrim and Oblivion simply didn't have. The faction depth, for one, as well as the Great Houses increased replayability value and just how much fun the factions are in the first place.

I'm just an adventurer. I explore for pleasure not for loot, but I certainly enjoyed the discovery of rare and unique items in Morrowind. Level scaling in Oblivion did ruin my pleasure.

I think I could simplify your point further by saying Morrowind forced you to strategize to achieve your objective (whether it was armor or not), and sometimes you were out classed by the content and needed a long term strategy of leaving until you were more powerful. It was blissfully satisfying to come back after you had made yourself stronger and defeat an enemy who you had to previously run from.

When something is difficult you will also be more likely to remember it. So an item that was found at the end of a difficult encounter becomes more of a treasure. You remember how you got it, and it represents something valuable for what it cost in effort and thought to survive to discover it. Because things were difficult to get they had a history or a story. I had sentimental attachment to my items from Morrowind, and I continue to name weapons and armor after those items.

This is one thing but there is so much more that makes Morrowind a superior game.
Lots of interacting factions for one. What you did and who you favoured actually meant something to the world.
You had to figure things out for yourself. Listen to people, read skill books, follow up on clues.
That amazing moment when you went 'I can do that?! Awesome!'.
There were a lot more skills, which made the handling of attributes a lot better than Oblivion with its three per attribute.
Spellmaking and the freedom to enchant what spell you want on what apparel you want it.
Lots and lots and lots more spell effects too.
Want a sword that summons a flame atronach when you hit an enemy or a ring that makes you invisible when you wear it? Go ahead.
Levitation was a tool that opened up the third dimension. Lots of lovely items can hidden in a truly 3d dungeon.

Last but not least, the writing has not been paralelled since.
There is a reason about 75% of the books you find in Skyrim are from Morrowind.

There were plenty of little things I agree, throwing knives, etc.
But if you think about it, the way the armor was already there gave NPC's more personality, which in turn contributed to more of the games feel.
I mean, that Orc walking around with glass armor in Suran would be just another guy if he was wearing iron. He wouldn't stand out, and you wouldn't remember him. I don't know about you, but I can hardly picture anybody from Oblivion because they always looked the same.
But in Morrowind, I can remember characters, because they had their own taste to their style.

They should re release morrowind onto console. A real one. I know I would buy it.

I like morrowind over the rest of the games, but it wasn't really the armor that did it for me. It was the skills. In skyrim, they removed acrobatics/athletics, I missed bunnyhopping from building to building

Damn good post.

There is a reason why, when in EB recently, I inquired about the price of an original Xbox...goty MW.

Nothing to do with armor for the OPs sake. The 'rest' of the story...

I actually just started playing MW today, so a lot of this is new to me.
It's the combat that annoys me, so far. I'm getting killed my everything. Everything. Even Mudcrabs.
I think its down to the "roll of the dice" rule, where as in IV and V, every swing is a hit.
I can definatley see why people love the game though. It has a certain flair that Oblivion doesnt have (i cant say the same for Skyrim. It definatley has flair).
I still dont know how to even start any quests however.. I guess you just keep on wandering?
Also, why does it take days to walk 5 feet?
Also, so far, compared to Skyrim and even Oblivion, it feels very... rigid.

I do not miss the cliff racers.

To refer back to a former post of mine:

Top tip. Follow up your instructions you were given at the customs house. Your contact will have all the information you need about Vvardenfell including how to get work/quests and details on all of the factions. Assuming you go there while you are still low level, he will guide you on your next actions which will NOT trigger the main quest.

I find people often get blown away by the options in Morrowind compared to other games (including other TES games - Not Daggerfall ), so having a knowledgeable friend that can guide you when you are stuck makes a huge difference.

If Morrowind's combat wasn't garbage I might have had the love you all do. I'm not a fan of flashy combat but going swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, and then hit is absurd. The problem with the loot placement was that on consecutive playthroughs you all ready know where everything was. This kills exploration just as much as leveled loot.

You might find this helpful.
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=6781

I love Morrowind, but I see each TES game as its own game. Each is good in its own way. I actually hate how Morrowind did the whole travel thing. All the walking would have been fine with they made the default walking and running speeds a tad less... *puts up flame shield and puts in COD mention blocking earplugs* slow. I find it just cheats you into thinking the game is big when it really isn't that huge. Yes, the walking was fun and all, but even with the speed attribute at 100, you are slow as a walking fridge. I am all for exploring when the walking and running speed isn't too slow.

The game does everything else good. *still keeps huddling under shield*

I went swimming out to some islands south of Vivec. I almost turned around when it seemed that they were merely scenery. Then I noticed a what looked like an underwater cave... low and behold it was a sunken Dwemer ruin. In the very end lay one of the artifacts, the Dragonbone Cuirass.

I could have made 99 more characters and never found the armor. There was no quest for it, no references, no markers. But I happened to go exploring on a whim and was rewarded with a unique armor. That's why Morrowind takes Oblivion and Skyrim to the woodshed for me.

The speed was so slow I had to pump everything into speed right away, thus gimping me in other stats. I just couldn't stand walking through mud.

I had to get an overly fast mod just to fix the speed issue. I hate the mod's speed boost because I could easily find myself running through walls, too. I might have to make a speed booster of my own...

All your problems are due to low skills, they really matter in that game
Youll need a level of at least 40 for the weapon type youre using to combat with it effectively.
Dont do anything with a low stamina bar, not even speechcraft/ barter.
Youll also notice your speed increase once you get a better speed/ athletics level.
Its a lot more immersive in that you wont get 'quest started', 'quest completed' messages. Talk to the locals, see if they have any topics that are coloured blue instead of yellow. Join a guild or two.
If you have any Morrowind questions, feel free to pm me, its a great game