Okay, so I just recently bought Morrowind after a long time of not owning the game due to my disc breaking. I bought the GOTY edition, and, honestly, I don't want to go through so much trial and error again (Or do I? If so, I can just ignore you guys and go my merry little way...). Anyways, I'm just curious what you guys would suggest I do. I'm open to modding (so long as I don't have to buy into Winzip or something to unzip all my files...), I'm not sure how well my computer will handle Morrowind (I can easily upgrade it, though, just never really needed to...), so graphics enhancing mods I might download on my own time. Yes, I'm essentially asking for a walkthrough of how to start the game, but hey, you're here, you're bored, and you obviously have experience playing Morrowind, I hope...

Anyways, I don't remember anything, really. Other than that I really liked my Nord, and always created custom classes, never went with presets.

I'm not bored but I'll give it a few min. I run the game on an older laptop, so I don't use graphics mods. These are the mods and patches I use.
Bloodmoon patch: Official patch, fixes some bugs in all three games, necessary for other patches and mods.
http://elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_patches.htm

Official plug-ins: No reason not to install them, some are fun, some add to gameplay (area affect arrows!) all are official and work flawlessly
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Official_Plug-ins

Morrowind Patch Project: Fixes hundreds of bugs the official patch misses, goal is to make the game bug free.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes3Mod:Morrowind_Patch_Project

Morrowind Code Patch: Not so much bug-fixes, as repairs to seriously broken game-balance issues. And it's buffet-style, you can pick and chose what feels right to you.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes3Mod:Morrowind_Code_Patch

These are the mods that I would NEVER start a game without. I'd say every player needs at least these base patches. After that, it depends so much on your play-style.

Here's a list of some top-rated MW mods:
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/fms/TopRated.php?content=mods

And a huge resource on all aspects of mods when you want more info:
http://www.mwmythicmods.com/

ps... how to start?

Don't worry to much about skills and stats and leveling. Create a character that feels real to you, and then really try to role-play that character.

Of course, this works best if you role-play a character that can deliver some serious hurt on occasion.

Thanks for that. Will any of those patches be covered in GOTY edition?

My understanding is that the Bloodmoon patch MIGHT be, depending on when your disc of GOTY was mastered. It certainly wouldn't hurt to install it, if it's files are older, it won't overwrite anything.

The official plug-ins have never been included on disc to my knowledge, but they are free and small from the official site.

The others I listed are vital, but completely unofficial patches. Probably will never be included on a MW disc.

Okay. Also, what service would you suggest for unzipping them? I remember I played around with modding them way back when, but right now I can't remember what I used to unzip.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1060141-mod-recommendations-for-new-players/page__p__15392814__fromsearch__1&#entry15392814
Has links to all the Tools and Patches you'll need. Including a section on tools for unzipping.

If you have the separate Tribunal, Bloodmoon expansion, then you'll need the Bloodmoon patch. If you have GOTY, then you don't need the Bloodmoon patch.

Also good for starters: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Starting_out

Wow, you must have taken your time to make that first thread. Thanks for the links!

I sure did.
I felt that a concise and practical guide for new players was needed. It will point you in the right direction and inform you on how to keep your modded game healthy.

Hands-down, 7-Zip: It's true freeware, and as you get into modding, you'll see that more compression formats than .zip are used, 7-Zip can eat them all (.tar, .rar, .ace, etc)

It doesn't have the prettiest interface of the bunch, and it will take you a few min to figure it out. Trust me, it's worth it. It just works. Every time.
http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/12/windows/download-7-zip-best-free-file-compression-software.html

Thanks for making that! I'll make good use of it


Thanks.

As well, this should go in the mod section, shouldn't it?

Pluto, I have made much use of your "Recs for New Players". It is a gift, and I thank you.

I'm personally not fond of UESP's "Morrowind: Starting out" guide. So many of the tips are either exploits "Drop the expensive plate in the census office, apologize, stick it in your pack, rinse and repeat" or outright spoilers "look in THIS tree-stump for THIS weapon", that honestly, I think it breaks the game (or at least it's immersion) for early characters.

Call me an old reactionary, but I think new or returning players should start with the game Bethesda intended. (which I would argue not only includes the official mods, but MPP and MCP)

I'm not opposed to graphics mods, I've seen some that blow me away. But I'm on a low-end system, and I'd rather my chip figure out smart instead of pretty. Other thing I've noticed about graphics mods?
It's an addiction. Change Bodies, heads look like hell,. Change Heads? then Weapons, Beasts, Armor,Signs,NPC's...etc,etc,etc...
where does the madness end?

I'm going to leave bodies well alone unless I ever find an armor I simply must have that requires better bodies. Also, I plan on starting with a spear wielding character (who will also use long swords for close encounters), and I've heard that there are no Daedric spears, which kind of disappoints me. If there are none found in Vanilla, is there a mod that introduces them, or an Artifact version of equivalent value, but with strong enchantment to boot?

Many mods just work better with BB, because it's almost a standard mod that 99% of us use. But you can still use older armor/clothing mods.

There is a daedric spear in vanilla game. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Daedric_Spear#Daedric_Spear (at the bottom)

Yes, there are absolutely Daedric spears (or at least, a spear) in Vanilla.

No, I'm not going to tell you where.

Well, to be perfectly honest, I think I might just get the Spear of Bitter Mercy (or whatever it's called... The Sheogorath one), and EltonBrand, and be a happy little camper.

Though if I get the Daedric Spear, I may try enchanting it for an Area of Effect damage, so that I may effectively take on groups with it.

I agree with your post. Except that I would not make an exception for Bethesda's mods. Bethesda's mods are generally of a worse quality than those produced by the modding community. They do not add anything more special or lore-enhancing than user-made mods.




This is what I do, too. Better Bodies is a wonderful addition to the game for those that want it but, as far as I'm concerned, it is absolutely not essential to anyone's game unless one needs clothing or armor that requires it. Or unless one intends to spend a lot of time looking at one's character naked.

Okay, I have a winzip trial pack (old and expired) on my computer. It automatically uses Winzip, and I can't seem to get 7zip to get in it's place

Step #1: Completely uninstall the winzip trial using Windows uninstaller.

Step #2: (optional) REALLY uninstall the last traces of winzip using something like Auslogics Registry cleaner (trusted freeware). This isn't strictly neccessary, but it's a VERY god habit to acquire when uninstalling programs. They leave bits of cludge everywhere that build-up and cause headaches.
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/registry-cleaner/

Step#3: Install 7-Zip. There are multiple versions, current is 9.15, cleanest/most current will always be at SourceForge first.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sevenzip/

Step#4: Download the wanted mod, and right-click. "Open with 7-Zip" should be one of the main options.

Step#5: Since you are newly back, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!!! After you've uncompressed the mod, read the installation instructions carefully, twice. Then read them again. Far more headaches are caused by bad installations than any other error or glitch.

(Unsolicited advice) If you are using more than a few simple mods at a time, you really need to learn and love Wrye-Mash. It's pretty intimidating at first, but absolutely vital to keep multiple mods playing nice with each other.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes3Mod:Wrye_Mash
http://forums.uesp.net/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18209

I managed to find the hidden uninstall button on Winzip, got rid of that, and things are working great now. Thanks for all the advice, I'm on my way to modding! (As soon as that copy of Morrowind gets here in the mail )