Morrowind combat is based on dice-rolls, while Oblivion and Skyrim are not. That's why it gets mentioned in connection to MW being a bit more difficult.

If you are playing Morrowind and expecting PoE or Diablo... Well that just makes no sense.
The games have nothing in common when it comes to game mechanics, or design and implementation of how to make progress. It's comparing apples to oranges... But clearly that seems to be root of your issue, because you completely ignore all the advice here about how to enjoy an open world TES game where you have free control to create the rules as you see fit.

TES isn't about min-maxing, being optimal, over-thinking stats, or even doing things correctly. Just explore and create your story.

If disabling the expansions is what will help your game, go for it. But if the assassins ruined the game for you because you couldn't stop selling the gear (despite there being many ways you could fix that) than you're going to discover the exact same problem through the entire game, just in other forms.

The dice-rolls argument is the worst.

Apples and oranges indeed. Although it is where I come from, I didn't expect the exact notion to be present here. Only a general challenge that is tailored for the player, instead of the opposite which TES is. I am pretty new to TES in general, I haven't got very far in any of them. I tried playing them all a few times over the years but only recently I understood what it means and feels like to be playing an open world RPG.

I posted after selling the gear, going through a mission and thinking about the effect it had on my character then.

Also, I didn't ignore any of the advice. I just expected the game to challenge me by itself, I partially got around to playing it because people say it's difficult compared to the newer titles which now I think is untrue, unless only speaking about very early game and early game learning curve. And let's face it, once you're finished with that learning curve, even the early game is easy.

If I wanted to mix-max, I would purposely farm assassins which was the opposite of what I was trying to do. In hardcoe you can't over think and imo theorycrafting is more interesting than just being optimal doing whatever is already out there. And well, yeah, you can't do things incorrectly in a TES game. Unless if it's ESO.

I appreciate the comments, it was all helpful. It always to read what others' thoughts are, especially veterans. The perks of being a noob.

When people say Morrowind is difficult compared to the newer titles they are typically referring to the lack of quest arrow and fast travel and the fact that you must manage your fatigue bar or suffer the consequences. You'd be surprised how many people seem to find the combination of a those things difficult. But I agree, once you get past the initial learning curve, the game is not terribly hard.

Yeah when you know the mechanics of morrowind, it's actually ridiculously easy game. That's even why i turn the difficulty to max after about level 5 to 15, depending on my character build. As Turija said above me, the lack of hand holding is what people see as difficult. They plug in the game, expect it to be skyrim, realize they have to read dialogue, then go and die on the first mudcrab because they're using a dagger when their short blade skill is 5 and they have no fatigue, and then they say "what the hell! this game is so stupid" and then turn it off never to play it again.

Morrowind is easy. The expansions are harder.

I'm of the opinion that no TES game is really difficult. I don't think that "difficulty" is a particularly interesting reason to play this sort of game, anyway.

I've played the game so much, it's hard to remember what the first playthrough feels like. I envy you for this new experience

This.

And this.

Sums up why the game is considered "harder" than Oblivion and Skyrim. It's not hard like Dark Souls or the original Mega Man games where the entire point was to be a huge challenge.
Morrowind just requires more patience and trial-and-error than Skyrim.... That's all. That's the only reason it gets called "harder."

And as Glargg points out, Bethesda did address this issue a bit, by making the two expansions noticeably more difficult. (they are aimed at levels 20-30, and you will die a lot more in same places)

if you talk about vanilla game, YES. You can gain a lot of money in a flash with assassins armor.

If you use a mod that delaying attacks regarding the real power and level of your character,it's another thing entirely.

Consider these facts:

1- Helseth isn't dumb, he not sent assassins after a perfectly unknown stranger disembarked and released as any other criminal;

2- the Emperor has mantained the Nerevarine plot secret, and only Blades know this,then Helseth its out of games, almost at start: he must hear that a newcomer in Vvardenfell has become powerful, then start to think about it, and finally sending DB after him.

3- For your 1st level character, 500 dracmes have a big value, but for your 10th level character are no more than a regular payment.

You see that my reasons for use a DB attacks delayer has a sense: find and use, please.

The game is an empty canvas. Players make it as difficult as they want. Once you have sold ten sets of DBA armor, or a thousand self-made potions, or a hundred common soul gems that you filled with Ancestal Ghosts, you still have to decide what to do next. If the basic game was as challenging as I play it for everyone right out of the box, then nobody else would have bought it.

I don't buy this. We are not perfectly unknown. The Emperor and, presumably, the Elder Council, knows who we are. We are important enough to be released by his personal order. We have to assume that Helseth has spies. If I ruled Morrowind I would want to know about any unusual persons entering or exiting my realm. I would be very, very interested in a prisoner released from jail by the Emperor and sent to my province. I might even see that as a threat.

As far as I'm concerned, if we accept the idea that the Emperor knows of our existence then we also should consider the possibility that other important people may know of our existence as well.

And even if Helseth didnt know that you're released because you might be the nerevarine, he still has a reason to fear you because you're released from prison with a full pardon and sent to work for imperial spies. For all he knows you could just be an assassin or some sort of usurper that threatens his rule.

Plus there's also the possibility that Dagoth ur subtly influenced helseth through dreams and convinced him to assassinate you.

Also he's not on good terms with the tribunal temple, and if he thought for any reason you were some agent sent to help the tribunal temple in any way (like becoming the nerevarine) then he probably wouldnt look to kindly on that either.

I don't know what say: probably you're right, then one must have assassins under every bed for long time (VERY NICE especially when resting after a battle and be without magicka and/or HP's....) but the uber-valued armors problem remain (MORE than 500 drakes, this is the cost of 1 piece only, sell all armor give more or less about 2000 drakes)

2000 drakes is half the value of a common soul gem with an ancestor ghost's soul in it. You can find one of them in any tomb.

Agreed. Not to mention a man who came to the throne by poisoning his predecessor is probably going to have at least a mild case of paranoia.

If you want a challenge, Johnz0r, try navigating Smoke Hole Cave for Province:Cyrodiil. I'd be impressed if you could find your way around it and discover the Sload lair. Doesn't matter if your character is level 1 or level 100. It's how well can you, the actual human player, get through it. It's quite maze-like.

I'm glad I read that. Saw it on sale for $20 and seriously considered it. But if it's a min/max affair, I'll pass.

To be fair, I've only played on Ranger difficulty (Which is effectively hard mode), so that sort of colors my perception. Min/Maxing is necessarily the only way to play the game and that you can't create a diverse squad filled with different attributes...but Action Points, Combat Initiative, and Intelligence are single handily far more imp than almost any other stat in the game.

No I don't.

The devs included it, It's not a cheat..If you don't want to use creeper or mudcrab.. use tilde key and disable them from game.

No one is forcing you..

Indeed. Personally I stopped using Creeper because it made the game very tedious and not fun. And too easy.

Anyway, I don't see how DB assassins attacks make the game too easy, even at the beginning. Provided you stop the attacks after the first assassin, and sell the armor to regular merchants, you will get enough money to train and / or buy better armor and weapon, but at a 50+ difficulty setting, the edge it gives you won't last.