Which Elder Scrolls game is your personal favorite and why?

Which Elder Scrolls game is your personal favorite and why?

Gapewind.

Skyrim, I prefer non-rpg diceroll combat from Morrowind, especially when Kingdom Hearts literally released at the same time

Skyrim has the worst combat of the three because it's built for braindead toddlers and poses zero challenge.

morrowind.

The oblivion vs skyrim discussion is interesting because both games are strong in some area and weak in others.
Oblivion is weak in exploration, skyrim is much better in it. Oblivion is stronger in having choices in terms of building a character and playing around with the game, skyrim is mostly just stacking % damage modifers. Oblivion has good guild quests, skyrims dont seem as good in comparison.

Both exploration and character building/ role playing is better in morrowind though

Skyrim, though I regularly replay and greatly enjoy all three. Skyrim's world is most fun to play in and explore, and overall it's most refined. More varied and viable character builds. More activities and playstyles.

grinder

Cool story bro.

More varied and viable character builds.

skyrim

lolwut

Dunno what that means but idk how you could say Skyrim has the best combat when its enemies are literally so braindead and passive. At least Oblivion and Morrowind enemies actually try to murder you. Like I said, Skyrim is built for toddlers.

Morrowind.
Because it's a game about exploring and learning about the game's world, not about following quest markers.

Morrowind. Because Oblivion and Skyrim = noncanon trash for casuals.

elder scrolls online

not that guy but skyrims stats are so fucked the game is either too easy or a mini boss will 1 shot you. The world does an OK job of feeling dangerous though. Im playing a mage now on expert, lvl 6 and its somewhat engaging sometimes. 90% of the time im just mowing guys down with my spells but the mini boss type enemies that are several level tiers above me are deadly, this is an OK experience for a power fantasy type game, some stuff should be deadly, i at least have to kite even the stuff i mow down, as im a it of a glass cannon.

Honestly I feel kinda bad for hating on skyrim so much, its OK. No slowfall, swiftswim, or feather spell makes me think todd went a little 'no fun allowed' mode with all the feature cutting, but its still fun unless you totally minmax it and exploit the crafting loops.

Not him but Warrior playstyle is fun in Morrowind.
You don't need to cast to enjoy the game.

gayest frog poster

Now try an elder scrolls game without magic

id rather not, but ironically enough morrowind is the elder scrolls game i would play if i had to play one without magic because the melee combat in that game is all RNG and stat based so you can at least make a good build then combat becomes an afterthought as you explore the world, where as in oblivion melee combat is completely cooked past a certain point unless you use enchants and keep refilling your weapon after a few kills and you have to deal with NPCs holding up their shield making the fights last longer, and in skyrim you have killcams (granted they can be turned off with mods).

Protip: always use the frost spell on melee enemies to slow them down. Shock on spellcasters. Wards are great against fireballs.

Potions and poisons to increase your magic damage against bosses.

It's okay. I feel bad if I entirely ignore the existence of the mana bar. Even being just mediocre at one school of magic can offer a big amount of utility in Morrowind. Even if it's just charm, night-eye, free DI / mark and recall, unlock, or a basic heal, all of those are really handy.

Fuck no the combat is unironically horrible and has terrible feedback meanwhile the magic system is probably the best in gaming... No reason to play morrowind for a pure warrior playthrough.

Morrowind actually has the best feedback when you land a hit.

Hopefully morrowind gets ragdolls modded in someday

I grew up with ascii dungeon crawlers so morrowind not having animations for missing and only for hits doesnt bother me at all

Nah
See this guy has the correct idea.

Average hits actually stagger enemies in MW, so it's automatically better than the pool noodle swinging of Oblivion and Skyrim.
At least to me.

That's what power attacks, bashing, and overcharged spells are for, so you can do it purposefully when it's advantageous and you have the stamina/magicka to spend

Skyrim. I love all three and have played the shit out of all of them since 2003 (Daggerfall I consider something else). The reason Skyrim wins is because of its atmosphere, how the world feels, and how it sheds lights on established TES mysteries, provide new ones, and give just enough info to remain continuously endearing. I like to play around with builds, spells, and that stuff, it's just not what ultimately captivates me about these games. It's the little moments, like getting my first horse, trotting around the Whiterun tundra scaring moose, stopping to stare at the flapping banner of a long decrepit watchtower as steppe wind surges up past my ears. I wonder who built it, when, why it was abandoned. I think about other towers I've seen built in an obviously older, darker more megalithic style. I get to learn all about these things as I progress through the game; it rewards my curiosity. The lighthouse with the doomed Redguard family and my first meeting with Falmer and their nasty ass chaurus. My accidental bump into Kagrenzel- fuck me that was magical- and its implications for tonal architecture. Shit like this, I love it to death, and so far only TES nails it, and Skyrim goated it.

Oblivion not some tranny ass game like trannywind and not boring ass one like skyrimjob
Get out tranny

I'll kill you tranny freak

braindead toddlers and poses zero challenge.

That's all the games

Skyrim. Has best mods and largest build variety thanks to them.

Morrowind, which I played last.

the story is actually good

guilds are actually guilds and not glorified theme park rides

combat is simple but with many options, instead of failing to be an action game

favorite interpretation of the races

more involved questing and travel

world is interesting and dangerous

awesome loot and treasure

most rewarding progression

Second place goes to Oblivion, which I will play if I'm in the mood for a more familiar western fantasy setting.

Contrarian cope

Morrowind has the best world and power fantasy.

Holy fucking Chad

The lighthouse

The falmer are bastards. I remember finding a ransacked carriage on the road with falmer arrows near it, and the nearby falmer lair with the corpses of people.

There's a ton of neat things to find in Skyrim. Like that burned down house with a summon fire atronach scroll

More varied and viable character builds

saying this when magic is at its worst here

lol

Morrowind is the first one I played(at a friends house) and it blew me away I'd never played anything like it-I can still remember that feeling. But i ended getting Oblivion and properly playing that through first. That said Oblivion is a legitmate really good 10/10 game that's also so bad its good. There's so much stupid absurd shit to laugh at and the game seems to have inpeccable comedy timing- you couldn't make a game this funny on purpose. That said it also an actually good game(with actual intentional funny moments). It's a rare combination.
I do like SKyrim but not as much as Oblivion and Morrowind-I think they might have dumbed it down a little too much but it is still fun

The hypothetical game I made up in my head that will never happen

Morrowind spellswords can't even use spells and swords at the same time

Gameplay Morrowind, aesthetics Skyrim. I simply love snowy mountains and I often just walk around Skyrim for hours without doing any quests, if would be even better if I could disable fucking bears so they stop attacking me after every 20 steps I make. Oblivion when I feel like goofing around.

Oblivion did it the best

true

Morrowind can be hassle at times. If you want to take all the heavy loot out of a dwemer ruin or daedric temple, this is most onerous in Morrowind because encumbrance slows movement speed considerably, and of course there's no fast travel. But it's worth so much you can't just leave it all behind, so you make as many trips as are needed, and the game begins to feel like work.

Alchemy is a fucking ache in the balls too. The recipe menu of Skyrim doesn't exist in this game, so you must hover over all the ingredients individually to see what they do. I had to take notes to make the process manageable. Unlike Skyrim, you can't discover the effects of ingredients through tasting and experimentation, and they can only be discovered by raising your Alchemy skill, which is a long and expensive process. If a new player takes Alchemy expecting it be a money-maker in the early game, they're going to be sorely disappointed, because it's a drain on money and resources until you get it above level 50 or thereabouts. The economy of it is so bad: do I sell this diamond for 200g, or do I use it to try and make a potion of invisibility, with a 0.8 probability of failure in the attempt, and which, if successful, can be sold for only 30g?

Oblivion is great if you want to play a jack of all trades with no good reason to specialize. Stealth heavy armor battlemage

Morrowind >>>>>>>>>> Skyrim >>> Oblivion for me
Morrowind is the best because the world feels the most immersive and the gameplay gives you the most ways to interact with it that feel plausible (as opposed to gamey like in Skyrim)
Oblivion is the worst because it has the ugliest and least immersive world, which feels like a midly lotr-looking generic fantasy with the least attention put to hiding its videogame nature. Also the one with the worst engine stability and gameplay balance.
Skyrim is in the middle. Its design choices follow the exact same trends as Oblivion, but pretty much all of them feel significantly higher quality.
Oblivion walked so Skyrim could run. Too bad Morrowind drove a car.

Skyrim feels the most alive by far. And that's what truly matters in the end.
And Nord culture is just more interesting all around than watered down romans and duneified jews. Contemporaneous Nord settlements are seldom in snowy wastelands, and the architecture is mostly scaled to human proportion. But then ancient Nordic settlement and burial ruins are these huge structures with tall stone arches, almost always located at high altitude where the cold blows harshest, scaled to dragon proportions. The contrast is very well done, has the much appreciated "lost civilization" vibe to it that other games are a bit lacking in, you know, that of the genetic descendants of an older people living in the latter's ruins, and being dismissive because they're just so old that their secrets and purpose has been lost.
And then you add to that the apocalyptic aspect, Alduin having returned, bandits running rampant, these same ruins attracting bold adventurers and criminal fugitives alike for their desolation and bad omens, thieves and rapists sleeping on top of thousands of years old stoney mausoleums with but a dimly lit fireplace, vampires settling where mortals no longer dare delve into.
I really think they hit the ambience sweet spot with skyrim, that alone carries it to genre-defining status despite the often shoddy combat.

Morrowind because it's the only good one

Because it's the most open in options, you aren't forced into the gay magic hand shit

Skyrim > Oblivion > > > > > shit > Morrowind > anime > weebscum

YES, this is what it's all about. Well put.

I mean, look at this. This is the kind of stuff you don't see in either Morrowind or Oblivion. A grotto that was once a safe haven for bandit ships where no one dared enter, saw its entrance collapse on one of them, trapping the bandit captain's ship and remainder crew inside. He then used the materials to build a structure where he claims the upper floor, reflecting the hierarchy. This makes for a very humid, mossy setting where darkness is queen, interrupted solely by torchlight and the occasional skylight from naturally occuring gaps in the ceiling, a perfect dwelling for bandits and all kinds of scum.
This isn't part of the MQ, nor is it a secondary nor thertiary setting. It's part of a completely inconsequential side mission. And yet it's incredibly layered, while not being in your face about it.

I like Oblivion the most. The voice acting is Corny but hilarious. The AI is wacky The dungeons are kinda shit. But I love playing it as a generic blobber as a jack of all trades character where I just go to generic copy paste dungeons and Oblivion gates and grab loot as the challenges constantly increase with my level. Plus shivering isles takes all the good qualities of Oblivion and isolates them which is nice

It's part of a completely inconsequential side mission

You lose the ability to make this argument when you have radiant quests.
For all intents and purposes this place is at worst a secondary setting, since you're more likely to see it than any dungeon used exclusively as the location for one side quest (assuming there even is one like that, I certainly have been sent back to dungeons with scripted events in them a shitload of times).
All the "scenic" dungeons have a chance to be targeted by dozens of quests, which means you'll see the "top" dungeons multiple times through a run, with completely nonsensical overlapping of questlines.

I like to pickpocket the male elves just to get caught and hear their reaction

which means you'll see the "top" dungeons multiple times through a run

You liked doing radiant quests, didn't you? I was never sent to that ship dungeon

The radiant system affects every location, that's common ground and that's where you start from. With that said, in the universe of non-radiant quests, this location is completely unimportant, despite being incredibly detailed. I would say tier 1 dungeons are those of the MQ (DLC included), tier 2 those of Dragon Priests and Daedric quests, 3 those of guilds and finally you have those which aren't radiant but are still unique as given by specific NPCs/world events (such as the Morthal vampire quest).

50 hours into Morrowind. My thoughts of the series so far is

Morrowind >>> Battlespire > Daggerfall>>>>>>>>Arena > Redguard

Morrowind and Battlespire are kino

You liked doing radiant quests, didn't you?

My brother in christ how the fuck do you expect me to know which quests are radiant beforehand, or even just remember it across playthroughs?
In every rpg I just go around and collect all quests unless they're obviously the same one repeated like the ones given by companions or the orc librarian, but how am I supposed to expect that quests handed to me by randos like Octieve San and the redguard bitching couple in whiterun are radiant?

The radiant system affects every location, that's common ground and that's where you start from.

I don't understand what you're trying to say. From a game design perspective, the fact that radiant targets are given a lot of attention should be obvious, considering you're very likely running through them multiple times.
It would be one thing if being targeted by a quest once would ban it from being used by others, but that's not how the system works.

morrowdrip

In every rpg I just go around and collect all quests

What are you, a NPC?

I prefer the term ocd completionist.

How many hours was your playthrough? 200 hours?

Zoomers, are you okay?

I don't understand what you're trying to say.

I'm saying that the fact the radiant system exists doesn't detract at all from the astounding amount of detail placed in seemingly and canonically minor locations, inconsequential even because they aren't part of some bigger plot unfolding. Every location can be targeted by the system, but clearly not all of them are as important for the story, some are there just for variety, as is the case with this, and for a setting this minute all things considered to have this many contextual clues and environmental depth, it's something to applaud.
I never followed the wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle criticism.
The only legitimate criticism I think can be made, apart from mechanical decisions, is that the biomes are too small, PoI are too common, I'd like it if there were more space in between them, if you set out to go hunting you quickly find yourself trekking across 2 different biomes or holds if you can't one shot elk. But I understand that the engine and consoles forced this somewhat.

But I understand that the engine and consoles forced this somewhat.

And the work required. I recall a dev saying Oblivion's world took years to make, and while they probably got more efficient at it, I doubt they were feeling ambitious about doing even bigger maps with more detail.
Skyrim's size seems like a good compromise.

Most Skyrim dungeons are linear copy pasted caves and draugr tombs with the most braindead "puzzles" I've ever seen
Skyrim toddlers are embarassing

And the work required.

But that's for the more detailed spaces, no? I meant just expanding the space between PoI a bit, make it so I don't just walk for 3 irl minutes in a straight line and suddenly I'm in a different biome. For example, Lake Ilinalta is a bit of a joke, supposedly this huge body of water which can be crossed in just under a minute.

Bro u ever played Morrowind? The Dwemer ruins are all tiny, empty and identical

Skyrim is the only REAL Elder Scrolls game so i'll go with that.

I like Oblivion because it was the first Elder Scrolls game I owned.
I like Morrowind because it was the first Elder Scrolls game I tried and it's still captivating.
I dislike Skyrim because I found the combat boring, the character models boring and the world being too grey, muted and lifeless.

Oblivion (2006)

No clue. I doubt it was that long though, Skyrim is one of those games that only feels big at the beginning.

I'm saying that the fact the radiant system exists doesn't detract at all from the astounding amount of detail placed in seemingly and canonically minor locations

But it does, because how can you consider a place inconsequential when you are unironically more likely to see it than dungeons targeted by a single sidequest?
Hell, given we're talking about bethesda, you're actually more likely to see it than mq dungeons outside of your first run.
You're basically arguing that the designers were witless retards with no grasp of their design implications who succeeded by accident.
If you want to hype skyrim's inconsequential dungeons use the abandoned prison with literally no quests targeting it.

Skyrim because it was my first

No clue. I doubt it was that long though, Skyrim is one of those games that only feels big at the beginning.

What's your total playtime then?

That's not even true, some are small and some are pretty big

Either Morrowind for its role playing, world design and story, or Skyrim for an action oriented power fantasy.
Can’t stand Oblivion though

Skyrim>Morrowind>Oblivion
Skyrim is the best at being a "boot up and adventure" RPG. You just play it and unwind.

Morrowind > Skyrim > Oblivion

Morrowind remains my favorite because it was my babby's first TES, and it has a hefty nostalgia buff. I don't have a fucking map of Cyrodill or Skyrim hanging framed on my wall, but you bet your ass I have a map of Vvardenfel.

IMO Oblivion is deeply flawed at its core, and even though Skyrim was more casualized in terms of skills and items it was a far better game than Oblivion.

they're all kinda bad in their own ways, i'd rather play a better fucking rpg. i guess skyrim wins because the fans are less obnoxious than the losers that suck off morrowind. shit, i'd take that pajeet/spic that worships fallout 3 over them.

For transporting heavy stuff, feather + mark & recall and DI are amazing. For alchemy, there is a simple trick to getting unlimited cheap ingredients to practise with which is a bit of a bug really, but if you just want to level it, trainers are actually good in this game. Morrowind can seem really hard at first but eventually you'll discover the most broken things in gaming ever to exist.

But it does, because how can you consider a place inconsequential when you are unironically more likely to see it than dungeons targeted by a single sidequest?

You're basically arguing that the designers were witless retards with no grasp of their design implications who succeeded by accident.

I meant inconsequential from a story perspective, whose setpieces will always have more care and attention diverted to them than those of scripted one off events and then radiantly-generated sequels.
In any case, they pretty much rivaled previous entries in content quantity and depth and still the lesser locations are as detailed as they are. Even if the team was bigger this time around, the locations themselves never feel like a throw away in the vast majority of cases, even if they're radiant-fodder. The fact that they put so much effort on relatively minor locations, from a main and secondary story standpoint which is their focus always, than previous entries (which I feel is the case) is very commendable. Even if these dungeons , which play fourth fiddle to the core narrative, were made with replayability in mind per radiant quests, the fact that the game is consistent with them and as condensed for content as previous entries elevates skyrim a notch.

I was about to ask you why the fuck you expect me to know these numbers when I realized you likely have them all one click away on steam.
I have been exclusively pirating for longer than skyrim has been out though. Would be interesting to know how much time I have on any specific game, I doubt the numbers reflect my enjoyment very closely.
If I were to guess, I must have 300-ish hours, but I don't trust my estimates of anything I don't have a routine need to estimate.

Skyrim because I can install mods where I become a chastity cage wearing shota and get fucked by a bunch of demon futas in vr

only feels big at the beginning.

I felt the opposite actually, as soon as you start becoming strong loads of content open up to the point it becomes overwhelming if you don't have a specific RP character

morrowind because it's the closest we'll ever get to a runequest game that isn't king of dragon pass or six ages

Which mods?
Asking for a friend.

Skyrim. Morrowind and Oblivion is boomer shit

Also I'm used to games showing the hours played on the save file. I don't remember if Skyrim had that.

I doubt the numbers reflect my enjoyment very closely.

Then I wonder what keeps you playing. You said you pirate games, so you have other games to enjoy instead.

Morrowind cause my decisions matter, especially the stat choices I make.

pick long blades as a major skill

be more effective with long blades

dont pick blunt weapons as a skill

be complete dogshit with blunt weapons

run out of fatigue

cant do shit

it's an actual RPG

Spbp

I made it up, my motivation to set up a porn modlist goes away after I jack off

Preach it brother
Many dungeons in skyrim have at least a tiny bit of uniqueness, a little snippet of storytelling or level design or anything of the sort to make it interesting. AND the inhabitants often have dialogue (that you only hear if you sneak up on them, but anyway).

Are you me?

Porn mods will do that.

IMO Oblivion is deeply flawed at its core, and even though Skyrim was more casualized in terms of skills and items it was a far better game than Oblivion.

After playing both for the first time I have to agree. Oblivion is just not great or fun. The only time in my 100 hours of playing Oblivion that I felt something was when I did the Dark Bortherhood quest and was forced to kill all my guild mates and then Lucien dying not long after. I read the book before I met up with him at the house and saw his desecrated corpse. It made it sting a lot more. I feel like the people I see here saying Oblivion is better haven't played the game. I can tell by some of the points these anons list that they got their opinion from some youtuber or some buddy of theirs who also hadn't played the game.

Play game for 100 hours

Stop playing 1/3 through main quest

Force myself to complete it years later

Even happened with daggerfall unity

it peaked here

blunt and blade weapons operate in literally the same way mechanically (swing stick, hit with sharp/blunt end)

this needs separate skill trees

Talk about bloat.

use a hammer to hammer a nail

succeed

use a short sword to hammer a nail

fail

Talk about bloat

Then I wonder what keeps you playing.

I didn't mean to imply I keep playing games I don't like though.
More like, certain games have 100h of above average content vs others with 30h of top notch content, I'll have more playtime in the ones with more content but have a better opinion of the others.

Even if the team was bigger this time around, the locations themselves never feel like a throw away in the vast majority of cases, even if they're radiant-fodder.

You're straight up ignoring my point. Radiant quest locations can't be treated as fodder when they're so extremely likely to be visited.
Only the most retarded designer would treat them as afterthoughts insofar as resource allocation.

I started playing Skyrim last week and now have 250hrs in it. Very good game.

Morrowind because it is better.

stab with longsword

success

stab with shortsword

umm guys how do i operate this obscure piece of equipment

That's mathematically improbable

You're straight up ignoring my point. Radiant quest locations can't be treated as fodder when they're so extremely likely to be visited.

And my point is that *they're* the fodder locations in relative terms, that's the level skyrim's world design is at. there is nothing below them on the totem pole.

It's as if long and short bows were different skills entirely, when the only effective difference is weight and arrow reach, which you don't need separate skills for unless you're really grasping at straws for content

playing skyrim

overhear the two guys in the companions talk about whether swords or hammers are better

I'm sure to some that this sort of dialogue is charming, but it feels... bad? Idk

This sentiment is true honestly, martials are crippled a bit in morrowind (and many pnp systems) because they're only allowed to be good with a single tool at once, while magic users can simply be good at everything.
And frankly not being able to use certain melee weapons doesn't make the game harder or more interesting, it just limits your choices and makes it more boring. If it's something like bows vs. melee where it's fundamentally different that's one thing. But being a guy with 50 Long Blade who found a cool axe and can't use it is just sad.

I would add that it's more acceptable in games with multiple characters. Where different characters make use of different weapons.

there is nothing below them on the totem pole

But there's nothing above either. Skuldafn and Ustengrav just don't feel any different than fodder locations in Skyrim.
That's basically why the world feels small and gamey: It's just the same dungeon trek repeated a thousand times regardless of textures.
Now, I like dungeon runs so I can still enjoy myself, but it's inherently very unimmersive due to the formulaic setup: get in, cross, get whatever you came for in the boss treasure chest, conveniently looping right by the entrance, repeat.

In every questline (except the main one), Oblivion is noticeably better than Skyrim

Counterpoint: Level scaled unique quest rewards

favorite

skyrum

reason

waifus

Skuldafn and Ustengrav just don't feel any different than fodder locations in Skyrim.

Then the fodder dungeons must be quite good.

Ustengrav had those necromancers using reanimated bandits to mine ore and fight draugr, there's that huge chamber with a waterfall secret and another secret accessible with the whirlwind shout. Then you reach the horn and the statues rise from the water around you. Cool shit.

But there's nothing above either.

Disagree, Sovengarde as a location leaps over pretty much anything else. Most main quest locations do tbqh, Thalmor Embassy, Blackreach, Throat of the World... It's just that the lesser locations don't stay too far behind in concpet nor in execution.

Skyrim but Oblivuon is cozy af

Morrowind - Skyrim - Daggerfall >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Oblivion> Arena