The Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind Test: More Story DLC than Expansion

• How do I fight?
• How do I move through the world?
• What else is there outside of quests? How do I interact with objects in the MMORPG?

In the meantime, games like Black Desert have emerged, which have their strengths exactly in these three areas. In Black Desert, one climbs buildings, the combat is fluid and dynamic, and there is much to do and experience in the world outside of quests and combat – The Elder Scrolls Online is lacking in these aspects.

Skyrimization brings technical disadvantages

This is the downside of the Skyrimization that has brought ESO so much success in recent years: ESO is at the technical level of Skyrim in these core gameplay aspects – and Skyrim is 6 years old.

ESO has similar approaches to a modern MMORPG. They pursue the same goals as Black Desert:

• ESO also wants to bring a dynamic combat system
• it wants to make the world experiential and explorative
• it wants to let the player craft and tinker. After all, they should be able to care for their horse.

But ESO feels outdated compared to Black Desert.

The combat system is neither fish nor fowl. It feels mushy, the force behind the abilities is lacking. One spams buttons instead of chaining combos together. Of course, there are the now customary telegraphs and red zones to avoid, but the combat system does not feel top-notch.

Where I can climb onto a roof in Black Desert, ESO plays like an RPG from the last decade. I am dependent on following the paths – otherwise, I get stuck. I cannot jump from the water onto a pier and pull myself up the wood – but I have to find the designated entry point.

In 2014, The Elder Scrolls Online’s crafting system was interesting. There were learnable traits and styles – just by that it was more complex and exciting than, for example, crafting in WoW. But since the release, crafting in The Elder Scrolls Online has not changed decisively and now feels outdated compared to newer games.

But The Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind has other strengths.

The advantages lie in storytelling – Completely in English, fully voiced

The focus of Morrowind is on the world and the quests. Morrowind is modeled after the classic “The Elder Scrolls III”, resurrecting the world of yore but playing much earlier.

The zone is lovingly designed. The quests are outstandingly presented. They are fully voiced and spoken by top-notch actors. The main character Vivec is voiced by the same voice actor who lends his voice to Kevin Spacey in German.

 Zenimax wants The Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind to be experienced like a “single-player RPG”. Players should follow each quest – not just read the quest text but hear it, engage with the world, and care about the NPCs’ problems. Players should immerse themselves in the world presented to them.

This is the strength that Black Desert completely forgoes. There, the developers assume that story elements will be skipped anyway. In Black Desert, the story is an alibi to familiarize players with the game mechanics.

This is vastly better and more valuable in The Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls Online must be experienced as an event – not as an MMORPG

If players can engage with this story and the quests, Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls Online work. Therefore, ESO could only embark on its successful path when it was released on PS4 and Xbox One and was experienced “on the couch” – like an event, like a film.

Console RPG players, fans of Skyrim, focus much more on a game and its story than most MMORPG players usually do, who have the television running in the background or guild mates chatting in voice chat.

MMORPG veterans need to adjust for Morrowind

MMORPG veterans on the PC tend to skim quest texts and focus on game mechanics. Because the quests often are not worth reading:

1. Go there
2. talk to X, kill B or collect C
3. come back
4. I will tell you how it continues.

Morrowind brings exactly these quests – but presents them with fully voiced actors and puts in a lot of effort.

Morrowind insists that the player takes their time. It wants the player to be interested in their story and the history. The game firmly assumes that the player listens to every dialogue from the first to the last syllable, then clicks on the next question and patiently listens to the next answer.

Morrowind is only worth it if players take this time. Anyone who doesn’t want to listen to the NPCs should stay away from the game.

One wishes they could block out other players

Morrowind demands a lot from the player to be enjoyed.

MMORPG fans need to adjust and perceive Morrowind as an “adventure RPG”. Additionally, they need to learn to mentally block out other players in the world.

If one is following a dramatic quest, standing over the body of the NPC whose life story they have experienced for the last 20 minutes – and other players are hanging around because they have arrived at exactly the same point in the linear quest – it immensely disrupts the immersion. One cannot dive into the game that way.

I experience a hero’s journey – but a thousand others are experiencing it too – and not together with me, but parallel to me.

I have never wished more to be able to block out other players than I do in Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls Online Test: How does Morrowind work for new players?

Morrowind is an expansion but also wants to be able to be played as a “new game,” serving as an entry point for ESO. Former veterans should be able to return and create a new hero with the Warden. New players should find their way into the MMORPG with Morrowind.

As such a “new game,” Morrowind unfortunately does not work so well. Anyone who sets off as a level-1 Warden to seek adventure will feel like a dwarf in a world of giants. Because veterans experience the same quests as you do in Morrowind, but deal much more damage and can endure more.

If one cannot mentally block out companions, they experience Morrowind as a single-player game currently washed through. When the “adventurous journey” in a dungeon ends with four heavily equipped players waiting at the endpoint for the spawn of the boss to defeat him over and over again, quite a bit of the magic typically radiated by an RPG diminishes.

The Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind Test: Who is the game worth it for?

Conclusion: Morrowind offers fans of The Elder Scrolls Online a beautiful and lovingly crafted story DLC. The game is worth it if you are willing to engage with these quests and stories. Fans of the world of “The Elder Scrolls” can grab it here.

If you enjoy The Elder Scrolls and want to experience more of your beloved content, you will get your money’s worth here.

Morrowind is especially suitable for friends of the story who want to lose themselves in a narrative. If you like The Elder Scrolls Online, you might even love it after Morrowind.

If you have not been able to connect with the game before due to mechanics or gameplay bothering you, you can skip Morrowind – perhaps take a look during a free weekend sometime.

Gameplay-wise, Morrowind does not advance ESO: It is an MMORPG that places great value on single-player aspects, but here it faces challenges with immersion – due to other players hopping around in the frame.

ESO only really deals with MMORPG aspects in the endgame. There is a transition from “casual questing and story listening” to PvP with theory crafting and endgame activities.

Note: Morrowind has been playable since May 22 in an early access on PC. The game will be released on PS4 and Xbox One on June 6. Our review pertains to the PC version.

More information about Morrowind and how others see the expansion:

The Elder Scrolls Online: Is Morrowind worth it? – Good but too short