The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition

Item: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition
Rating: 90
Author: VaporLens

Last updated: 2025-04-30

Summary

Immersive atmosphere and detailed world-building.
Exceptional freedom, extensive modding support available.
Rewarding gameplay and unique magic system.
Rewarding open-world exploration without quest markers.
Frustrating, unforgiving combat early in the game.
Outdated graphics and sound design.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition header

Categories

RPG Single-player Open-World Exploration Character Progression Character Customization Real-time Combat Mod Support Choice-based Narrative

Reviews (sample size): 2000
Helpful reviews: 55%
Unhelpful reviews: 44%
Protest reviews: 1%

90%
Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
10%
Helpful reviews with negative sentiment

Positive points: 2611
Negative points: 1366
Gameplay points: 398
Perf. points: 72
Rec. points: 855
Misc points: 118

Point	Description	Importance
Immersive atmosphere and world-building Description The game excels in its immersive atmosphere, largely due to its detailed world-building, engaging lore, and high-quality soundtrack (especially Jeremy Soule's work). This creates a captivating and nostalgic experience for players, drawing them into a believable and magical world. Importance 56%	The game excels in its immersive atmosphere, largely due to its detailed world-building, engaging lore, and high-quality soundtrack (especially Jeremy Soule's work). This creates a captivating and nostalgic experience for players, drawing them into a believable and magical world.	56%
Exceptional freedom and modding support Description Morrowind is highly praised for offering unparalleled player freedom and agency, allowing for non-standard playthroughs and meaningful choices. The active modding community further enhances the game by fixing flaws, improving graphics, and adding new content, making it a timeless and customizable experience. Importance 52%	Morrowind is highly praised for offering unparalleled player freedom and agency, allowing for non-standard playthroughs and meaningful choices. The active modding community further enhances the game by fixing flaws, improving graphics, and adding new content, making it a timeless and customizable experience.	52%
Rewarding gameplay and magic system Description The game offers a rewarding and enjoyable experience, with satisfying progression, fun quests, and quirky characters. The magic system is particularly noteworthy, offering flexibility and depth that allows for creative exploitation of game mechanics and diverse character builds. Importance 47%	The game offers a rewarding and enjoyable experience, with satisfying progression, fun quests, and quirky characters. The magic system is particularly noteworthy, offering flexibility and depth that allows for creative exploitation of game mechanics and diverse character builds.	47%
Rewarding open-world exploration Description The game's open world is a major highlight, offering a vast and dangerous environment to explore with minimal guidance. This encourages exploration and discovery, rewarding players with a sense of freedom and immersion as they chart their own course and uncover the world's secrets. Importance 42%	The game's open world is a major highlight, offering a vast and dangerous environment to explore with minimal guidance. This encourages exploration and discovery, rewarding players with a sense of freedom and immersion as they chart their own course and uncover the world's secrets.	42%
Deep lore and engaging story Description The game features deep and rich lore, with intricate storylines, well-developed characters, and meaningful choices. This creates an engaging narrative experience that encourages players to delve into the world's history and culture, making it more immersive and rewarding. Importance 38%	The game features deep and rich lore, with intricate storylines, well-developed characters, and meaningful choices. This creates an engaging narrative experience that encourages players to delve into the world's history and culture, making it more immersive and rewarding.	38%
Unique and detailed world setting Description The game's unique setting of Vvardenfell, with its alien landscapes, bizarre creatures, and rich Dunmer culture, creates a distinct and immersive experience. The world is dense with content, offering extensive exploration possibilities and a high level of detail that sets it apart from other fantasy settings. Importance 21%	The game's unique setting of Vvardenfell, with its alien landscapes, bizarre creatures, and rich Dunmer culture, creates a distinct and immersive experience. The world is dense with content, offering extensive exploration possibilities and a high level of detail that sets it apart from other fantasy settings.	21%
Overall positive experience Description The reviewer expresses strong positive sentiment towards the game, finding it enjoyable, unique, and engaging. They appreciate its non-linear gameplay, challenging aspects, and the sense of freedom it provides, making it a personal favorite and a standout in the genre. These points are too general to be of high importance. Importance 19%	The reviewer expresses strong positive sentiment towards the game, finding it enjoyable, unique, and engaging. They appreciate its non-linear gameplay, challenging aspects, and the sense of freedom it provides, making it a personal favorite and a standout in the genre. These points are too general to be of high importance.	19%
Complex RPG system and customization Description The game features a complex and rewarding RPG system with extensive character customization options. Players can create unique builds, develop diverse skills, and equip their characters with a wide variety of items, allowing for significant player agency and impactful progression. Importance 18%	The game features a complex and rewarding RPG system with extensive character customization options. Players can create unique builds, develop diverse skills, and equip their characters with a wide variety of items, allowing for significant player agency and impactful progression.	18%
Timeless classic, still holds up Description Despite its age, the game still holds up well due to its timeless charm, engaging gameplay, and unique art style. Many reviewers express nostalgia and appreciation for the game's enduring quality, even surpassing more modern titles in some aspects. Importance 17%	Despite its age, the game still holds up well due to its timeless charm, engaging gameplay, and unique art style. Many reviewers express nostalgia and appreciation for the game's enduring quality, even surpassing more modern titles in some aspects.	17%
Classic and groundbreaking RPG Description The game is considered a classic and groundbreaking RPG, offering a unique and detailed experience that surpasses many modern titles. Reviewers praise its non-linear gameplay, challenging aspects, and the sense of freedom it provides, making it a standout in the genre. Importance 15%	The game is considered a classic and groundbreaking RPG, offering a unique and detailed experience that surpasses many modern titles. Reviewers praise its non-linear gameplay, challenging aspects, and the sense of freedom it provides, making it a standout in the genre.	15%
Requires active player involvement Description The game requires active player involvement, encouraging players to pay attention to quest instructions, read dialogues, and explore the world. This enhances immersion and creates a more rewarding experience, as players must actively engage with the game's systems and world to progress. Importance 12%	The game requires active player involvement, encouraging players to pay attention to quest instructions, read dialogues, and explore the world. This enhances immersion and creates a more rewarding experience, as players must actively engage with the game's systems and world to progress.	12%
Large active community Description The game has a large active community and millions of fans even after 25 years. The game offers diverse gameplay mechanics and character customization. The game is very moddable and it's easy to do. These points are too general to be of high importance. Importance 8%	The game has a large active community and millions of fans even after 25 years. The game offers diverse gameplay mechanics and character customization. The game is very moddable and it's easy to do. These points are too general to be of high importance.	8%