I'd go with Morrowind.

To me, it's like asking which was the best GTA game. They always get better, but which one deserves the most accolades? GTA IV was clearly superior to its predecessors in every way, but it, like the newest TES games, are really just improving that which the ground-breaking title in the series (GTA3 for GTA, Morrowind for ES) created. There was a massive paradigm-shift in the development of these games, which would be followed by every game in-series (and many clones or variations by other groups) taking the majority of its function from that cornerstone-like title.

Which game, would I say, is the best right now? The one I'm currently enjoying most? Well, that'd be Skyrim. Which is the game which made this all possible? That would be Morrowind.

Plus when people say one or the other is the "worst" we're still talking about a game that scores in the upper 90th percentile or so, compared to games within the 98th percentile. (These numbers are not cited or particularly factual, but a gross exaggeration to explain my point.)

As far as I'm concerned the Elder Scrolls franchise began in 2002. I have no desire to play Arena or Daggerfall.

My favorites, in order, are: Skyrim, then Morrowind, then Oblivion.

I can't tell until we have 90000000 mods for skyrim. Straight up 0 mods? im having the most fun with skyrim with morrowind at a close 2nd or tied. While i LOVED morrowind it's what the poster already said nostalgia. People get it alot and will deny forever that it's not. like in WoW where classic wow was the best but in reality it svcked compared to now. It's not exactly the same but u get my idea.

Honestly i enjoyed all of the ES series. I didn't know oblivion even was released until 2 years ago and i only played it on xbox unmodded and loved it so idk how i can even say 1s the best. Gameplay wise though of course the latest one takes the cake. Complexity would be morrowind yet i understand why they took changed removed it and replaced.

Flying was fun as hell in morrowind but it hindered the Team in making anything cool that took time to get too when you could just fly to everything lol

I would have to say as of right now Skyrim is my second favorite game under Morrowind. That might change as I put a few thousand hours into Skyrim.

You are right Skyrim is the most optimized Elder Scrolls game to date, my friend.

Skyrim will probably remain number two or one for me until The Elder Scrolls VI. I love Fallout but they do not compare to The Elder Scrolls. That is just a personal opinion.

I played Oblivion, Morrowind, and Skyrim. I enjoyed Skyrim the most, and Oblivion second. The ONLY reason why I place Morrowind in last was because the landscape was ugly as all sin, and also cliff racers.

No, but it did change. I hear some people have nasty allergies to that.

I agree with you.

Skyrim is the best by a large margin IMO. Oblivion was OK, better with a ton of mods. I enjoyed Morrowind at the time but I'm not going to claim it was some epic flawless masterpiece like so many do on these boards. People need to take off their nostalgia-goggles.

Morrowind

There were scrolls that let you fly across the world, discussion over (also you could make an amulet that lets you jump over houses)

Also raiding the house vaults was pretty awesome

The only reason people will say Morrowind is due to nostalgia. Skyrim is the best in the series imo. Bethesda just went over the top with the dungeons.

Daggerfall for me. At the time it had unprecedented features and a HUGE world.. It was a totally amazing. I'm glad Steam didn't track the hours I spent on that game..

edit: AND YOU COULD CLIMB WALLS!!!

Morrowind
Skyrim
Daggerfall
Oblivion
Redguard
Arena
Battlespire

One of the things I really loved about Morrowind were the characters. People like Divayth Fyr, Mistress Therana, Baladas Demnevani, Crassus Curio, Caius Cosades, etc., whereas Oblivion, outside of the Shivering Isles, had mostly forgettable npcs.
They were all too generic and bland.

Skyrim is much more like Morrowind in that respect, but I still like Morowind best.

Morrowind just has that special something. I can't put my finger on it. And I'm playing the vanilla version, have been for 2 years, and I still love it to pieces. Skyrim does come second though, but it feels like a completely different game, not always in a good way. Bethesda had the wrong idea taking away skills, when they should be putting more in.

And you can't say I love Morrowind because of nostalgia, because I played Oblivion first.

Edit: Ok, let me put my finger on it. Morrowind had more skills, which allowed me to really feel unique for each character I created. It also had a better combat system in my opinion, having a dodge and miss chance was not as exciting but I liked it better. It also had a world that felt so alive, despite NPC's having no schedules. The fact that cities weren't evenly distributed around the map and that towns weren't all clearly marked made it feel much more natural. Happening on those towns or giant cities was awesome. Finally, leveling in Morrowind was simple but elegant. I was fine with the fact that I couldn't take on anything at level 1, because I knew I would get better, and I loved that feeling of progression. It felt so rewarding to finally be able to take on Daedra you got killed from one hit from at the beginning. Unlike in Oblivion and Skyrim, where I feel as though I need to wisely level each skill or perk in order to not fall behind the enemies. Most important though was the greater variety of skills, it forced you to specialize and make each character feel unique. Now in Skyrim, with only 18 skills, all my stealth characters feel the same.

So, my ideal Skyrim would have had a levelling system like Morrowind, where dungeons, items, and quests were not levelled, but only the enemies you encountered above ground. Secondly, I would like all the skills from Morrowind to return, with all the weapons being individually split up. But of course that's not going to happen.

I have enjoyed Skyrim right out the gate more than I did either of the other two TES games I've played, so for me it's Skyrim then MW and Oblivion tied in second. I love all three though. LONG LIVE THE ELDER SCROLLS!

Actually, most of the books in Morrowind came from Daggerfall. That game had a ton of books, and each game has added to the library since then.

Morrowind and Skyrim are my favorite two. I'd put Skyrim just ahead, as I am enjoying it more(which is quite a feat, as I loved Morrowind). Daggerfall would be # 3 for me, followed by Arena, then Oblivion. Loved them all, though.

Morrowind is incredibly overrated. (Yes it was my first TES game.)

Skyrim is the best by quite a large margin. It could still be better if it had some components from previous TES games though.
My personal major annoyance is the long respawn time. I just love traveling down roads for no apperant reason, and the 30 day respawn made this a lot less fun.

Oblivion.

Morrowind was too action orientated and not as in depth as Oblivion, not to mention a horrible main quest compared to Oblivions'. Oblivion had lore to it where as Morrowind did not.

Skyrims just a Morrowind rip off too.

Are you [censored] with me? Morrowind is overrated? Its the only ES game which has made me scared to go to certain areas.. like a level 3 should be..

Daggerfall
Skyrim
Morrowind
Oblivion
Redguard
Arena
Battlespire

Skyrim would probably be my favorite if it still had the Daggerfall/Morrowind skills/skillsystem (major/minor), classes and spell-making. I definitely prefer Skyrim as a setting (been playing Nords whenever possible since the release of Arena) and I prefer Skyrim's storyline.

I could never get into Morrowind due to the terrible combat system. Oblivion was better overall, imo, but I could still never get into it much. When it comes to Skyrim however, i'm practically addicted. Great exploration, story, combat, and overall feel to the game. My opinion: Skyrim is the best.

Morrowind or Daggerfall. Morrowind was my first and i loved it to death, but i can appreciate Daggerfall as well for its depth and complexity. Do you know how many skills and fetures got axed since then?

Modded Oblivion is the best Elder Scrolls experience you can have right now there's no doubt about it... However when mods start to come out on Skyrim it will most likely beat Oblivion.

This.

having played them all - modded for most of them and written professional reviews for few of them
Taking into account the actually release date

1. Morrowind
2. Daggerfall
3. Oblivion / Skyrim (I've put these together as I just feel that past the supposed uprated graphics Skyrim feels and plays like a tweaked Oblivion - some bits being better ( levelling) and some bits worse (The UI and less varied character progression)
4. Arena
5. Redguard
6. Battlespire
7. the mobile one

As for the comment about Main quests and Oblivion's being better than MW's - Oblivion's is possibly the worse telegraphed one in the series - totally predictable all the way and not interesting either (why most people didn't bother with it after the first play through)

Skyrim is the, overall, best in the Elder Scrolls series.

I understand some people have a lot of nostalgia for Morrowind, but I guarantee everyone that if they re-released Morrowind as a follow-up to Oblivion every mainstream gamer and reviewer would be scratching their heads wondering what just happened. In my opinion Skyrim is an important step forward in RPGs. A lot has been polished in Skyrim that has lead to a much fuller and satisfying experience in the Elder Scroll series.

Keeping in mind no game will ever be perfect (or close to) for every gamer out there, but lets be honest: What other RPG, past or present, comes close to providing the overall experience that Skyrim does? Look at the the graphics, the open world, the improved leveling and perk system, the addition of a much more interesting crafting and enchanting system, dual weapon wielding, the ability to swing a sword with one hand and blast your enemies with a fireball with the other. How about the satisfaction of slitting a throat in slow-mo or watching your opponent get his head chopped off? Or how about the dragon battles?! Which other RPG again allows us to fight dragons the way Skyrim does? Did Morrowind have a huge dragon swoop out of the sky and lay havoc to a city the way Skyrim does?


The only place I can honestly see Skyrim come up short is with NPC companions (and horses that tank). NPC companions seem relatively shallow compared to the rest of the game with little dept once they join your party... Which wouldn't be as bad if they at least had a better combat and path finding AI... But lets also be honest, what game has good AI? That is always a complaint when you have a new generation of gamers where online gameplay against human opponents is more the norm then ever. Of course the AI (whether Skyrim or COD) is lacking.

Critism is good and helps game publishers push out better and better games. But for those of you who think Skyrim comes up short, just go play some of those earlier RPGs from the 90s and early 2000s for a day or two and then come back to Skyrim and see what you think.