What video games have you been playing III: You're gonna need a bigger boat.

[Civ'ed]

ooooh, blackreach! I forgot about blackreach!

 

[Arakhor]

It doesn't seem that big when you're down there, because it's so improbably large and spacious.

 

[Snerk]

I still think I'll eventually get back into Skyrim and at least complete the main quest with my axe-wielding warrior/archer adventurer. On the other hand I thought for a long time that I'd get back into Oblivion and complete that main quest. And that never happened. Truth is that I'm somewhat over it. But I wish I still wanted to play it a lot more.

 

[Arakhor]

I still don't know why Bethesda thought it even remotely a good idea to force the Dragonborn to join the Thieves' Guild and the College of Winterhold to complete the MQ. (I believe there are work-arounds, but you're unlikely to discover them the first time through.)

 

[Snerk]

Indeed. IIRC it was on one of the College of Winterholds missions I stopped playing. My character has no interest in silly magical trickery.

 

[EgonSpengler]

[...]force the Dragonborn to join the Thieves' Guild and the College of Winterhold to complete the MQ.

Wait, what? Is it handled in a way that makes sense if your character wouldn't normally have joined? (e.g. a non-thief/non-mage "going undercover" as a guard) If not, That's really lame.

 

[Arakhor]

As far as I can tell, unless you deliberately set out to find the madman in the frozen north (and thus sidestep the Orc librarian), you have to join the College to be able to speak to the Orc. You can say, "I'm the Dragonborn: let me join" if you have the right words, I think, but you still sign up, rather than just getting a day pass (or anything else remotely sensible).

It seems like they just gave up caring at that point.

 

[BirraImperial]

Indeed. IIRC it was on one of the College of Winterholds missions I stopped playing. My character has no interest in silly magical trickery.

I just started doing those missions. A dragon showed up and killed me before completing the college tour

 

[gay_Aleks]

You violent monster!

But seriously, yes, Skyrim added in some gameplay improvements that make roleplaying a normal person much easier compared to previous games. I mean you can pretty much play the game as a laborer who only chops wood and works as a migrant farmer or something. It's not perfect and not necessarily fun or for everyone, sure, but it's possible. Generally speaking though few people do pure commoner playthroughs, usually it's still adventuring but with a more down to earth focus (for instance you only take on low-risk quests that do not involve dungeon delving, or you only do it for certain guilds, or other such roleplaying restrictions).

That's still insane. People play mostly games like TES for escapism, not to remind them that even in reality, there are people with mundane jobs and that one of them is probably much alike them. A completely peaceful playthrough in a game where you can take a dragon down to the ground with a single line is the most insane and depressing thing I've heard in my entire life.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

A while back I started to play Morrowind and on the one hand it was pretty great but on the other I felt lost and I did not really like the long ways I had to walk. However after doing some lurking in here I really like to get back into it But as I remember, the character creation is overwhelming.
Any tips or guides to recommend for how to go about it?

 

[gay_Aleks]

Roll a dice, or if there's a Recommended button like in NWN2, just spam it.

Chances are, anything too bad will be erased in 100 hours or so. If the skill-leveling system in TES works as I think (i.e to get good at a skill you spam it until you reach Master's).

 

[Wolfbeckett]

A while back I started to play Morrowind and on the one hand it was pretty great but on the other I felt lost and I did not really like the long ways I had to walk. However after doing some lurking in here I really like to get back into it But as I remember, the character creation is overwhelming.
Any tips or guides to recommend for how to go about it?

It's not that hard. You pick a race, then you pick a class (or make a custom one), then you pick a birthsign, which gives you a powerful permanent bonus for the whole game, and then you're done. The race and class you pick will affect your starting skill levels and stats and such, but honestly, the game is not difficult enough that you need to worry about min/maxing that kind of thing. Pick some skills you like the sound of, pick a race and class that lets you start off decent at those skills, and start playing. If you have specific questions feel free to post them and I'll be happy to try and answer, Morrowind is one of my all time favorite games I'm always happy to help new people discover it's greatness.

 

[bhsup]

Pick some skills you like the sound of, pick a race Khajiit and class that lets you start off decent at those skills, and start playing.

I fixed your post

 

[trader/warrior]

The race and class you pick will affect your starting skill levels and stats and such, but honestly, the game is not difficult enough that you need to worry about min/maxing that kind of thing.

Yeah, my current character is a Dark Elf specialized in magic but with only 3 major/minor magic skills, using a big 2-handed sword, light armor and with a few stealth skills and speechcraft, mercantile and athletics as well. A proper all-rounder and it works really well. The only advice I would give to a first timer is to ensure your characters preferred weapon skill is as high as possible to avoid only hitting on one in ten attacks when first starting out.

 

[Ajidica]

Yeah, my current character is a Dark Elf specialized in magic but with only 3 major/minor magic skills, using a big 2-handed sword, light armor and with a few stealth skills and speechcraft, mercantile and athletics as well. A proper all-rounder and it works really well. The only advice I would give to a first timer is to ensure your characters preferred weapon skill is as high as possible to avoid only hitting on one in ten attacks when first starting out.

I found you couldn't really go wrong with a Dunmer focusing on Sword/Bow with Medium armor and some stealth skills.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

Hard to go wrong with Dunmer in any case, they're a great well balanced race, good at everything without being exceptional at anything. I always like Redguard though, Adrenaline Rush is a great panic button.

 

[Takhisis]

Ha-ha! Take that, evil queen! I have overthrown you and placed the obnoxious princess on the throne.

Yeah, you do that in Fallout. In slow motion, and with the appropriate weapons, you can make the corpses explode.

*nods* Bloody Mess trait FTW.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Or you could just buy the Two-Step Goodbye with 100 Unarmed, 10 luck, Finesse and Better Criticals. Throw in Ninja if you have the skill points to waste in Sneak, and then, volia! And don't forget your 1st Recon baret! Every single hit is a critical explosion!

 

[cybrxkhan]

That's still insane. People play mostly games like TES for escapism, not to remind them that even in reality, there are people with mundane jobs and that one of them is probably much alike them. A completely peaceful playthrough in a game where you can take a dragon down to the ground with a single line is the most insane and depressing thing I've heard in my entire life.

I think it's more an idealized versions of mundanity. Lots of people would rather spend their days doing what they think is simple farming in a pastoral wonderland without the actual difficulties.

Also the pacifist run-through required a lot of gamey tactics, planning, and patience, so it's a really weird but interesting challenge in and of itself, kinda a way to break the game so to speak.

A while back I started to play Morrowind and on the one hand it was pretty great but on the other I felt lost and I did not really like the long ways I had to walk. However after doing some lurking in here I really like to get back into it But as I remember, the character creation is overwhelming.
Any tips or guides to recommend for how to go about it?

Like WolfBeckett said don't worry too much about min maxing. Though the leveling system has some similarities to Oblivion's horrid system, it's not as bad and honestly in Morrowind I do not pay much attention to it and manage fine (at worse I'll just lower difficulty or use console cheat if I'm really lazy). Just pick whatever feels right (for instance obviously you wouldn't be good in both heavy and light armor). Certain races and birthsigns are more suited for certain types, but TES has always been about the freedom, so at worse things will just be a little harder.

Anyways, from what I recall, if you want a good all-round character go with Dunmer or Imperial. Orcs, Nords, and Redguards tend to be better in melee; Bosmer, Khajiit, and Argonians for stealth; and Altmer and Breton for magic. Of course, again, not gonna ruin your game if you go with a heavily armored war hammer wielding Altmer, I like to think of the racial bonuses more as suggestions.

Also, download a mod that makes it so you always hit when you smack something. It really improves the game.

I fixed your post

You furry!

(Though seriously I do forget my anti-furry tendencies when it comes to the Khajiit, they be some cool cats yo)

 

[Arakhor]

Also, download a mod that makes it so you always hit when you smack something. It really improves the game.

I still disagree. It probably makes the Warrior birthsign (as well as the Sanctuary effect) irrelevant. Just make sure sure that your Stamina (Fatigue) is always as high as possible and only use weapons with which you are proficient.