Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

by Bethesda

Product Features

• You can choose to be a mighty hero and go on a great quest, or become a thief and use the scum of the city to gain power for yourself
• Explore incredibly huge game maps with over 30 unique cities & villages, plus unique areas like the inside of a volcano
• Use the terrain editor to adjust the land types to suit your gaming needs
• All the aspects of great gameplay with incredible graphics!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005RD71
• Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: May 1, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (284 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,080 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #76 in Video Games > PC Games > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC

Amazon.com Product Description

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is an epic, open-ended single-player game where you create and play any kind of character you can imagine. Be the hero embarking on an epic quest or a thief rising to leadership of his guild. Be a sorcerer developing the ultimate spell of destruction or a healer searching for the cure to a plague. Your actions define your character, and your gameplay changes and evolves in response to your actions. Confront the assassins' guild, and they take out a contract on you; impress them, and they try to recruit you instead. No two sagas are the same in the world of Morrowind.

Players can choose to follow the intriguing main story line or set off to explore the province of Morrowind and the many interesting people and exotic locations it contains. Vast cities and remote villages dot the landscape, each with its own unique look and feel. Hundreds of quests and adventures await as you interact with characters and learn more. Regardless of whether you play a murdering assassin or a noble knight, the game holds endless possibilities and allows you to revisit the main story line at any time.

With Morrowind, the Elder Scrolls character system is coupled with an increase in the world's richness of detail. Utilizing advanced 3-D technology, Morrowind features hyperrealistic textures and polygon counts, real-time shadows, vast landscapes, skeletal-based animation, and a complete weather system. Gameplay is further extended with the inclusion of The Elder Scrolls Construction Set, which allows players to modify and add to Morrowind in any way they see fit. Change character or creature attributes and skills, introduce new weapons or dungeons into the game, or create entire new worlds to explore.

Product Description

The Sequel to Arena and Daggerfall - 1994 and 1996RPGs of the Year!Product InformationFulfill Your Destiny!Snatched from prison by the Emperor's decree you arrive at the port of SeydaNeen in the waning years of the Third Era with nothing but the name of a contactin Balmora...completely ignorant of the Prophecies of the Incarnate yourmission and the role you are to play in Morrowind's history.Morrowind is an epic open-ended single-player game where you create and play any kind of character you can imagine. Be the noble hero embarking on an epic quest or an insidious thief rising to leadership of his guild. Be a malevolent sorcerer developing the ultimate spell of destruction or a reverent healer searching for the cure to a plague.  Your actions define your character and your gameplay changes and evolves in response to your actions. Confront the assassins' guild and they take out a contract on you. Impress them and they try to recruit you instead. No two sagas are the same in the world ofMorrowind.Players can choose to follow the intriguing main storyline or set off toexplore the huge province of Morrowind and the many interesting people andexotic locations it contains. Vast cities and remote villages dot the landscapeeach with its own unique look and feel. Hundreds of quests and adventures awaitas you interact with characters and learn more. Regardless of whether you play a murdering assassin or a noble knight the gameholds endless possibilities and allows you to revisit the main storyline at anytime. With Morrowind the unparalleled Elder Scrolls character system is coupled with an exponential increase in the world's richness of detail and level of visual splendor. Utilizing the latest in 3D technology Morrowind will feature hyper-realistic textures and polygon counts continuous levels of polygon detail real-time shadows vast landscapes skeletal based animation and the most complete weather system ever seen in a computer game.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overwhelming, in both pleasant and unpleasant ways, November 3, 2002

By 

Erin K. Darling "naive cynic" (olympia, wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (CD-ROM)

I've got waaayy too much to say about this game, and not enough space; hence, I'll just do bullet points. But overall - WOW.

* Character creation was an enjoyable game unto itself. With many races, classes, and abilities to choose from, this portion of the game can take hours, if you so desire.

* Load times are obscene! The program itself takes minutes on my AMDAthlon w/256MB of RAM. Individual game loads take about a full minute to 1.5 minutes. Each time you opens a door, yet another load time for the next environment. This is very much a game of hurry-up-and-wait.

* The soundtrack is nice, and includes music, animal sounds, and ambient environmental cues.

* The scenery is lovely and detailed. The colors are pleasant, subdued shades and are easy on the eyes. The sky is *stunning*, especially at night. There are good weather effects, including great thunderstorms.

* The land of Vvardenfell is INSANELY huge - I cannot fully express its hugeness. The overwhelming size of the land is a mixed blessing; it's frustrating to run back and forth over long distances repeatedly, and it can take 15-20 minutes to reach a destination. But the size also allows the game its diversity and complexity. There are so many unmapped, hidden areas that exploring kept my interest for many hours in the first weeks.

* Battling Fatigue will be a thorn in every player's side; they could have done much better here.

* The Journal is very disorganized. There is no "quests-at-a-glance," section, nor are completed quests crossed out. Further, not all important information is logged there.

* Most of the monsters were creatively-wrought, and had great ambient behaviors if watched. This holds true for the humanoid characters as well; scratching, mumbling, eating, and assorted other behaviors add depth to everything.

* When speaking to an NPC, you have to click *on the letters* in textboxes - if you click in the space between two letters, or even in the hole in the middle of an "O," nothing registers.

* A big plus is being able to save at any time during the game, even during combat.

* Merchants in the game have very little money to trade for goods, which makes finding valuable items nearly worthless. It's sometimes possible to work some creative trading, but by and large, the merchants should have about five times more cash.

* Attributes and skills increase as they are used, which is perfect; jumping a lot increases your athletics skills, and so forth. There is also training available, for a price.

* One nice touch is that after some inactivity, the game will automatically zoom out from the character, and slowly rotate around it. The character engages in many of the same ambient behaviors I mentioned previously. There is also a third-person view; you can freely rotate all around the character, zooming in and out, to see how your character looks. It's difficult to fight in this view, however.

* Combat is pretty straight-forward, and doesn't involve a lot of creativity. Hack and slash is easiest, as spells are often hard to cast during battle. However, it's easy to hit the wrong target inadvertently during battles, which can sometimes kill off a person following you, an innocent stander-by, or even a person crucial to the completion of the game. Highly vexing.

* Occassionally, it is possible to ruin your chances of completing a quest (or of obtaining advancement through a given quest) by stumbling onto an area or an item too soon in the game, and then selling it or otherwise losing it. This is highly frustrating.

* There are a whoooole bunch of quests to be had, and it's very easy to lose track of the main quest early on. In fact, I got so side-tracked by the various guild quests that I completely forgot there even *was* a main quest for months. Honestly.

* Spells and magic are a huge part of Vvardenfell, and the number of potential spells to learn is staggering.

* There are some "nuisance animals" in the game. One species in particular, the Cliff Racer, can be expected to swoop down on the character at intervals of 15-45 seconds in most regions of the land. Fighting them is tedious, time-consuming, and reeeeally irritating after about the first hour, but they never go away.

* Nearly every single object in the land can be picked up/taken, including many books (some for increases in skills.) If you pick up someone else's property, though, you will be attacked and possibly killed.

* Occasionally, the game crashes for no reason. Sometimes, it knows exactly why it's crashing, and tells you: "[Something] happened. Sorry about that. The system will now crash. Have a nice day!" ARRRRGH!

* The main quest seems more like a sidebar to the rest of the game. The repetitive aspects of some of the main quest's trials are tiresome, although one can actually complete them in short order with the right strategies. It's great that one can keep playing when it's complete, too.

Despite its numerous flaws, this is an amazing game. My final impression is one of basic satisfaction. The most impressive features of Morrowind are its depth and complexity; there is very little a character cannot do here, and more than 100 hours of gameplay in which to do them. Bethesda Softworks has created something quite extraordinary with this game, and I applaud them for their efforts.

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes frustrating, but still remarkable, May 12, 2002

By 

Jeffrey R. Tilley Jr. "goatman_1" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (CD-ROM)

Before writing a review for a game, I usually either finish it (for the good ones) or deem it unplayable (for the bad ones). These people who write reviews before ever having played the game sort of boggle my mind a little.

Anyway, I was all set to buy this game for my Xbox as I knew it was going to be a resource hog, one that my aging PC was unlikely unable to push. To make a long story short, I ended up getting the PC version for three reasons; 1. It came out weeks before the Xbox version (weeks mean years for those of the short attention span), 2. it has a massive campaign editor and construction set, 3. because of 2., there are going to be lots of official and unofficial add-ons and plug ins, one of which I've already downloaded.

Always give bad news first: This game is the resource hog I feared it would be. If your running anything less than the best, prepared to either upgrade or lag. My PC has a 1 ghz processor, 512 megs of RAM, Soundblaster Live Platium, and an old 32 meg Geforce2. I was able to play the game reasonably well at 1024 x 768, but it was nothing to write home about. The performance was poor at best, especially in the out of doors. The graphics look pretty lame at this "low" resolution and those sophisticated textures look like poo-poo at anything less than 1600 x 1200. Fortunately, I found a 64 meg Radeon 7500 video card a couple of days ago REALLY cheap, and decided to go with it. This has helped immensely. I can now go as high as my monitor will allow (1600 x 1200) and the graphics look much better. I still experience some lag outside, but the performance is MUCH better. If you don't have a beast, can't afford to upgrade and own an XBOX, I advise you to get the Xbox version and save yourself a lot of headaches.

More complaints: Morrowind has some very irritating little glitches that cause you to get stuck behind stuff, on the sides of hills, between objects, etc. The movement is pretty clunky to begin with, which is further hindered by your characters attributes. There have been several instances where I've had to revert to a previous save because of this whihc can be absolutely maddening. Save often and be prepared for this one, it's one of my biggest complaints.

Ok, a few more random complaints and then I'll get to the good stuff. The interface as a whole will take some getting used too. I still don't like the inventory menu with the teeny tiny little items that you couldn't possibly tell apart if not for the pop-up windows. Also, be prepared to do a lot of wandering around aimlessly to find certain buildings and items. When a NPC sends you on a quest, he updates your journal with text based instructions (if you think to ask for them) and doesn't update your map for you. The map is so huge, that it can take awhile to get where you're going. Also, I tried walking from one city to another with my first character: big mistake. It took forever and I never did get there. The scale on the game is huge, this is a good thing and a bad thing. Get attacked, start running for your life, and the next thing you know you're lost. There are signs posted here and there, but somtimes you can get way off track before you find a new one. Also, no multiplayer, 'nuff said there.

Ok, now for the good stuff: this game boasts what may be the largest, most detailed simulated world ever created. Just wandering around gives you a sense of awe an immensity unlike any game I've ever played before, including Everquest. The rich textures, huge mountains and detailed terrain must be experienced in the finest detail possible, or quite frankly, you aren't getting your money's worth. While games like Baldur's Gate rely on strong story to create a compelling world worth returning too, Morrowind doesn't really have too. From the moment you step off the boat, you're there. Fortunately, Morrowind's beautiful world is supported by a strong story. Like any RPG worth its salt there are hundreds possibly thousands of quests, mini-quests and hidden details that make the most mundane walk through the swamps worth your while. The style and look of the game is just breathtaking, and honestly like nothing I've ever seen before. It is equal parts weird and amazing. Bottom line: it's an incredible world worth exploring which will be directly affected by your actions (unlike those Everqust type games).

One of the things I liked immediately is the character creation process, which you can do one of several ways. First, you pick a race, some of which are fantasy staples, like elves and orcs, but also includes a race of cat people and lizard men that look really cool. Once you've chosen your race, you can choose class by either answering a few simple questions that will determine your class by gaging your (or your characters) personality and preferences; you can choose a class from the list (there are lots of classes); or you can create your own custom class. These options really provide a lot of diversity. I test drove a couple of characters from various methods before settling on the one I use now.

It takes a while for the game to get going, but once you build up some momentum, it is incredibly fun. Save often in the beginning as even the peons will be taking you out, or so it will seem. Finding a character that fits your playing style is almost as fun and challenging as the game itself. There is so much variety between races and characters it is unbelievable. I'm so glad I bought the new video card and didn't give up on this game after the first couple of days. If you've got a system that exceeds the recommended requirements and are patient, you will be rewarded. With all its flaws (hopefully a patch will remedy most of them) this game is worth your while. It is a true achievement.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The mother of all role-playing games!, May 24, 2002

By 

Jack (PC Gaming Limbo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (CD-ROM)

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (MW) is without a doubt one of the most ambitious role-playing games to date. MW begins with your character arriving as a prisoner on a strange new island. As the opening sequence progresses, your character is slowly asked questions that determine his or her attributes, skills and appearance. The local captain gives you amnesty in return for a favor and the game begins.

The entire island is yours to explore: cities, dungeons, mountains, isles or any people that exist on this island known as Vvardenfell. With the exception of online games that require monthly fees such as Everquest and Ultima Online, no PC game has a larger world to explore.

The game is open-ended and your character can live as a hero that rescues those in need or you can become a dastardly criminal with a large bounty on your head. The island of Vvardenfell is home to a race of dark elves and as your character explores the island, he or she will learn about the various political powers that control the island. Your character can join a number of factions such as the mage guilds, thief guilds, a local aristocracy, a secret assassins guild, and even a clan of vampires. There are thousands of spells, weapons, armor, clothes, potions and anything else you can think of.

That being said, I have a warning about MW. If you have a low-end system (Pentium II, 32MB video card, 128MB RAM or less), do not purchase MW. It says on the box that the game supports some of the specs I just listed but it's not true. Lots of RAM and a great video card are probably the most important things to have in your computer if you expect to play a smooth game. Another warning is if you're not familiar with computers, you're purchasing the wrong game because MW needs every aspect of your computer (drivers, directx, performance tweaks) to be in sync to work properly.

ACTION FANS - 2 STARS - While MW plays like a first-person shooter with its viewpoint and weapons system, it is the furthest thing from a fast-paced FPS. If you are a dedicated action gamer, I would hesitate before purchasing MW because the game moves at a slow pace and requires plenty of downloading when traveling. If you have enjoyed role-playing games before, you will probably like MW but I would recommend that others wait for a possible demo.

STRATEGY FANS - 3 STARS - The only strategy required in MW is that you remember everything you've been told which can be quite a lot. There are a few quests that require puzzle solving but for the most part, MW is a hack and slash game in the middle of a grand story. If you've enjoyed role-playing games before, MW will probably satisfy you.

ADVENTURE/RPG FANS - 5 STARS - The PC gaming market doesn't see many quality RPGs. Since the fan favorite Baldur's Gate II was released, there have been a few quality RPGs but not until MW has an RPG been released that has garnered such universal appeal. MW goes the extra mile and expands on everything you've ever encountered in a role-playing game be it an incredibly large island to explore or even hundreds of books about local lore. Not wishing to reveal too much, if you've ever read The Wheel of Time book series, you already have an idea what the story in MW is like.

BUGS - 2 STARS - This is the one bad thing about MW and a huge problem. No matter how hi-tech your computer is, MW is full of bugs. Many games these days are released before they are ready and MW appears to fall in that category. If you are a gamer that is easily frustrated with crashes, I would wait a few months before buying MW. Not only has my game crashed to the desktop several times but I have encountered numerous freezes. There are plenty of glitches such as broken quests and environments that you character can get physically stuck in. While a game this advanced needs a quality system to run smoothly, there is probably a memory leak as it shouldn't have this many problems on high-end systems. Maybe after several patches, the game will run better but be prepared for frustration.

REPLAY VALUE - 4 STARS - MW was shipped with a comprehensive construction set that allows you to edit almost any aspect of the game. You can change races, building locations, create new islands and quests - almost anything! You'll need an expensive software program called 3D Studio Max if you intend to make new models but you can use any art program on the available meshes and you can move or recreate anything in the game into a file called a plug-in. Before you start the game, you can select which plug-ins you would like to use. Because of this great feature, you'll never alter the game's essential files and the only problems you will encounter are if you try to take out plug-ins that your character was using in the latest save game file. Already there are tons of plug-ins available for download on the internet. The tutorial included in the construction set is terrible and I would recommend searching MW fan websites as many generous gamers have written easy-to-follow tutorials for all features of the construction set. One negative aspect about the replay value in MW is through all the plug-ins, the game still depends on a quest system. To advance in power and rank affiliations, your character needs to complete quests for the group he or she belongs to. If at any time you as a gamer become bored with this quest system, you'll quickly become bored with the game. In all fairness, I've played RPGs with better stories than MW but it still can hold its own to most of the great RPGs to hit the PC.

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