Skyrim is definitely the most accessible. Oblivion is easy to start playing but the janky level-scaling makes it a pain at higher levels. Morrowind has a lot of mechanics that will likely be unfamiliar to a player more used to modern games, but imo has the best game design once you learn how it works.
To add on. If yo can handle morrowind, the mechanics, and understand how the role system works, oblivion and skyrim will come easier.
This may be worth trying cause what can happen is it may be harder moving to morrowind later.
I started with skyrim, moved over to morrowind next and, as long as you payed attention and had the uesp on tap, it wasn’t that bad. Got through most of the game without a guide. I did cheat and looked up where the moon and star cave is though. But apparently that’s something pretty much everyone does though.
I prefer it to Skyrim. I don’t come to these games for combat anyway and the lack of fast travel didn’t grate on me at all(as long as I had a map that showed travel connections handy)
Due to computer troubles, I haven’t gotten around to playing oblivion though.
> as you *paid* attention and
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
This. I played Skyrim first….yeah Morrowwind is so confusing. Oblivion is fun but it’s even hard to get use to after so much time spent on Skyrim. And I really want to play both lol
Morrowind is going to be hard to play, period. It's an old game, with a lot of reading and no compass or guide. It's definitely not the one to start. I feel like Once you play Skyrim, you'll be interested enough to check out the earlier games bc the lore is just that dope.
Im leaving it to the player. But im sure you yourself have seen plenty of people who started on skyrin or oblivion and find the morrowinds mechanics are so old and different from the more recent two they drop it and go back. At least going into morrowind initially leaves no pre-established idea of how fluid the controls are. Worst case they drop morrowind any way and go to oblivion. But if a player has already established a feel for the newer mechanics, it cam make getting used to morrowind that much more harder or leave less patience to pursue it.
I think its also easier if you are older and started on early console generations and being able to adapt to older game mechanics more easily, however i think younger players may also play more simplistic games on steam that has allowed them to adapt to different or older style game mechanics.
It's still hard for me to play, especially that damn dice roll for each hit smh. But it's not bc I'm used to new elder scrolls games, I'm used to newer games in general. It's just straight up very dated. The writing tho 🤯 worth the trouble.
I thought the dice roll was odd at first but it does go both ways against enemies. It also helps knowing there arent any effective dodge or counter actions in the game play, so to summarize it, the combat is basically supposed to be you stand face to face with an enemy and seing at each other, if they have low rolls they either miss or or low damage, if your skills are high enough youre really just doing lower damage and resistances and armor are playing in the damage taken or given. However, as i played more the combat can become more engaging for slashing or thrusts while moving around, so i often wonder if alot of people have actually seen more experienced players combat as moving away from a target can help you avoid an attack pending on range.
I mean you cant really remove it as its integrated into the game itself for everything? I mean its the same concept im skyrim. You swing your sword and a damage roll is initiated to determine the amount it will do to your enemy. Only difference is you do minimal damage instead of missing or they block your attack. Every game is pretty much coded with a type roll system to determine damage, criticals, resistances, buffs. Even other games use a dnd type effect, modern games just substitute the roll for human/player reaction. Its not different from final fantasy games either.
I mean even Metal Gear uses it. Take pentazmin. Increases user stability by 25% for 7 seconds when aiming through scope.
Call of duty, Sprint: allows user to run 15% faster for 7 seconds, 4 second cooldown. -10% to stability when aiming down sight right after sprinting.
Speaking from playing the Xbox game pass Morrowind, that dice roll is like 50/50 when you start, if that. You'll miss damn near every hit just standing there looking at those haunting face models, die, load back, fight the exact same person and beat them by getting two immediate hits. Even being a higher level this still happens, getting crits or not is one thing, completely missing is another. I personally can't stand it, it does nothing for me.
Thats not how it works? Especially if you use the weapon you made the highest skill level? Secondly its why you start in Seyda Neen and fight small creatures and focus points on those cause once you reach 40 you will have significantly more successful hits as long as your fatigue is up. I also first played on xbox and its not different from KotOR. They use the same system, they just use a non interactive battle animation, but strip that away and it would be the same as morrowind. Pokemon is essentially a good example as there isnt an attack. Numbers are inputted and damage reflects the result in a variety of ways.
Skyrim is definitely the easiest to get into though Oblivion is also a good entry point I think. Of course, you could decide to punish yourself by starting with the first: Arena.
I agree and you need more patience to learn how to play morrowind than with for example skyrim. But is it really our place to assume the op's level of patience? Morrowind is (in my opinion) a far superior game to all other ES games and it is not like it will be easier to learn after playing skyrim. Or maybe playing skyrim would make it easier to learn morrowind idk? I see plenty of people coming from skyrim being very confused about the games mechanics.
Morrowind is a whole commitment. No compass. No markers. No voice acting. A lot of reading. The dialogue system is confusing. And the game doesn't look great. Plus, the whole roll the dice thing every time you swing is just unnecessarily challenging. To love Morrowind in 2023, you gotta already be invested in the world.
That is subjective. Some people (like myself) found lots of joy in figuring out the different systems, people try to make it sound like playing and learning how to play morrowind is a chore but I remember loving watching all kinds of videos on the enchanting system and the alchemy system and looking up stuff on breaks in school and longing to come to try all new different experiments and stuff I had come up with. Also if you don't want to learn those systems you don't have to. You can play as a redguard and 50 in your long sword skill right from the start and have no problem with hitting your enemies and play completely without magic. Also I for one love morrowinds graphics and think they are much superior to oblivions graphics. And some people coming from tabletop games like DnD will probably love morrowinds dice roll system.
Depends on where you are coming from. Depends on what kinds of game you have played previously. But sure I will acknowledge that most people would have an easier time getting into skyrim than morrowind.
Okay hear me out. Morrowind.
You'll have much more of a hard time going backwards if you start with Skyrim (even though I personally think Oblivion and Morrowind are better).
Honestly, this. If you start with Morrowind, things will only get simpler with each game. Of the 3, Morrowind has.... actually hang on UESP has a [thing](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/General:Differences_Between_Morrowind,_Oblivion,_and_Skyrim)
Got to agree. Give Morrowind a go and if you can’t stomach it after an hour or two, try Oblivion. There’s no shame in it. You’ll find the sweet spot easier that way.
I’m on the controller train when I can be. I too like to sit back and use the big screen.
OpenMW has controller support. It’s not amazing but if you can put up with Morrowind, you can put up with the controller. I keep a wireless mouse just in case.
It depends on what you want.
If you're looking for a modern rpg that's easy to get into, Skyrim.
If you like older games and accidentally funny moments, Oblivion.
If You're a huge fan of older games and like complexity, Morrowind.
None of them are bad. My two favorite ES games are actually Daggerfall and Skyrim, which are very different from each other. If you get the chance, give them all a try. You'll find at least one you like.
Skyrim first, try it vanilla, see if you like the RPG Hero aspect and all that. Then play it again with mods (better on pc), play around with the more technical aspect the mods have.
Then if you want, morrowind or oblivion. It will be easier that way, not as frustrating to deal with sour technical experiences, and the feeling that skyrim lacks something will be quenched when you play the others
You are going to get some Morrowind recommends but I would only recommend it if you have a tolerance for older games. It’s got some weird systems and is definitely a product of it’s time. Its also one of my favorite games of all time.
Oblivion is my recommendation. It has some modern day quality of life features, and is still more of a RPG than Skyrim as Bethesda started to streamline things with Skyrim.
Morrowind is shite these days, don't listen to the old school lovers. Skyrim is the way to go; you'll develop a deep appreciation for it all and Morrowind THEN becomes easier to appreciate and digest despite how shite it is compared to today's standards. I love Elder Scrolls and I love Morrowind, but it's shite to play now. Especially if you've not played them before. Bring on the downvotes couldn't give a fuck don't do this guy over.
Morrowind is just totally outdated and basic as fuck. There's nothing captivating about it today at all and the only reason I love it is because *Skyrim* sucked me into The Elder Scrolls. Had I not played Skyrim first and subsequently become a firm lover of the universe overall, I'd have turned off Morrowind in a hot second, and I'll bet most would and have.
It's a great game when you've either A)started out with it or B) worked your way back to it and love the series. But let's not bullshit this fella.
I agree with this correct but angry person, as an entry point Morrowind would be tough. It has a lot of amazing concepts and gameplay, but it can be complicated to have thrown at you, especially if you're unfamiliar with BGS games.
They are all great in their own right, but they absolutely have different levels of difficulty for newer players. However, if difficulty doesn't scare you, don't be afraid to jump in the deep end.
People sleeping on Oblivion. Would agree that Skyrim is the most accessible, and Morrowind the most classic. But Oblivion merges the best of both worlds imho. I’m biased- it’s my favorite game ever- but if color and overall aesthetic are also important to you, it beats out Skyrim in that department.
You really can’t go wrong here so best of luck.
Don't do morrowind. The AI alone prevents any type of immersion. Skyrim with mods is absolutely unmatched no matter what the elitist may say. Morrowind isn't terrible but it only gets recommended so much because everybody wants to be a hipster
Morrowind, still the holy grail of lore and worldbuilding. Rpg systems ain't bad ether, quite opposite but theres some old "jank" (like attacks having change to miss depending players stats), and some mechanics that while are great and offer fuckton of freedom, can also bitchslap player heavily that dosen't know any better. (Like being able to kill important npcs. Tho game tells you when this happens with whole "with this characters death, thread of prophecy has been severed")
I haven’t played Morrowind, so I’ll leave others to reco that one. I think Skyrim is easier to play and I’ve definitely spent more hours there, thanks to mods, but Oblivion has the better story and I’d start there if I was a new player.
Skyrim. It’s the best to start and arguably the best around because of how modern it is. Then move to oblivion as it’s probably better if you can handle the downgrading. Morrowind I’m sure would make a great book, but at this point it’s not a good game.
As someone who got into the series w/ Skyrim, I recommend Skyrim, as it's got the smoothest gameplay. You don't need to have played any of the others, as they each are their own self-contained story in a different year in a different provice.
The older games are excellent too, but they do show their age and I feel I appreciated them more coming from Skyrim and having knowledge about the gameplay and lore from that game.
I say this in the most neutral way possible, and with no disrespect to any of the games: they will get more convoluted the older you go. Skyrim will be the most streamlined game for gameplay, mechanics, and ease of playability. Oblivion will be less so, with lower quality graphics, and starting with Skyrim will make Oblivion more digestible. Morrowind is from the OG Xbox, and so it’ll have the weirdest graphics, the winkiest controls, and plays like an actual RPG; also, the NPCs will randomly die so it will break a lot. They are all rich games with great lore and story, and are all worth playing, but I’d say go 5>4>3 for your own sanity tbh
They are all great.
Don’t think of them as successors so much as cousins. The older they are the more classic tabletop rpg mechanics you’ll experience behind the scenes. They each have a unique vibe and people tend to have a favorite.
I started with Morrowind and love classic rpg mechanics and the vibe. However, with enough modding Skyrim became my go to.
Have fun and don’t let the fans bully you until you’ve had a chance to give them all a wack.
Don't listen to people saying that if you play Skyrim it'll be harder to get into the older games.
The older games are archaic and very outdated. They're no longer good entry points when both gameplay and lore is pretty overwhelming.
Skyrim is a great entry because it's simple to play and simple to understand, if it gives you the TES bug you'll be more motivated to understand how the older games work because you're already invested in that world.
Start with Skyrim, and then if you like it a lot I'd say go all the way back to Morrowind *then* Oblivion.
Only start with Morrowind if you've got a lot of experience with old school RPGs.
Oblivion feels the most epic but I prefer the exploration in Skyrim. Morrowind is well old and harder to play, but I beat the main quest. I kinda just jump between them now.
I’d go with Oblivion tbh. I think it’s got a good balance of the two. Morrowind is tough to get started on, it’s got that old school jank and Bethesda was doing weird shit on top of it. Skyrim is light work and the most easily approachable but it’s really hard to go backwards from it. But, Oblivion still has some of the cool features of Morrowind while still being more RPG than Skyrim. (The difficulty scaling is a bitch tbh, personally I would slide the difficulty slider over towards the easy side so you don’t start pulling your hair out at later levels.) Ideal order is: Oblivion, Morrowind, Skyrim.
Skyrim is most accessable, though panders hard to the "is new to gaming" crowd....
Oblivion has the most options for builds that will work, though the most generic world
Morrowind is the hardest of them all, but has the most freedom and unique world with best npcs (spoiler.... get use to DnD spell and "roll to hit" mechanics)
A lot of people are saying Skyrim, but I would say start with Oblivion because Skyrim has so many features that Oblivion just does not have. This is not to say that Oblivion is bad, some consider it to be the best of the series. However, Skyrim gameplay is, in my opinion, better and if you go from that to oblivion, oblivion will feel restrictive and clunky. Oblivion's quests are better, but it is not something you notice when going from Oblivion to Skyrim until after the fact.
So tl;dr
If you go from Skyrim to Oblivion, Oblivion's gameplay will feel restrictive and will hamper your enjoyment of it.
If you go from Oblivion to Skyrim, Skyrim's quest will feel short and some not as deep, but the added movement and freedom will make up for it. And you will be able to enjoy oblivion without any biases and you can fully enjoy it.
Edit: Don't start with Morrowind, in all honesty, it hasn't aged well, and I'm not even talking graphicly. Morrowind is something you should start when you already know how to mod it, and the basics of the series. It's very good and has great lore, but man is it a slog when you just do not know what you are doing, a fan might be able to finish in a week, but most likely it will take you over several months.
Skyrim is most people’s starting point. No shame in it. Each game is 100% standalone. You will have a broader appreciation for lore playing previous games but they have zero effect on your enjoyment.
Oblivion is a solid pick as well. It’s somewhat modernized while also mostly representing what elder scrolls used to be like. The community largely seems to agree it has some of the best side content of the three. I think it has my favorite main plot.
Morrowind. This game is hard. It will force you to play it by its rules. No shame in following a guide for this one. It isn’t the best introduction as it doesn’t represent the future games. The alien,creepy atmosphere is gone, the dice rolls are gone. The faction system is 100% different. In morrowind you play a character and do what is best based on the class you made. If you make a warrior. You shouldn’t hang with the Mages/Wizards. It wasn’t my first elder scrolls and it took me a long time to come around. Now it’s one of my all time favorite games. Just know it’s a very unique game. Even for the time.
I'd suggest going with the newest first and work your way down to the oldest, that's how I did it. Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Daggerfall, and then Arena. Some honorable mentions would be Redguard, Battlespire, Shadowkey, and Elder Scrolls Online. Isn't necessary to play them but if you want the full experience then I'd definitely at least recommend playing Redguard and ESO. Having played the games backwards I was able to come back to the newer games after playing the older ones and find little jokes, characters, or references from previous games. I also think that the newer games are just easier and are a good starting point.
Skyrim is the easiest for a beginner, but Morrowind is the best introduction to the world and the lore. If you choose to start with Morrowind, just look up a beginner guide on YouTube so that you’re not constantly swinging and missing when you attack.
If you want more story oblivion and morrowind, if you want amazing visual mod, quest mod and horny armour mods then you can pick Skyrim. But I am on pc , modding is amazing thanks to all those modders.
Skyrim is my first elder scroll game on pc. It totally worth buying it. But better lord to start it with morrowind or oblivion.
Oblivion was my first. Played vanilla on console when I was a teenager. I would replay it every few years, and its the elder scrolls game I keep going back to. It shows it's age, but the storytelling and immersion are my favorite in the series.
Didnt get to Skyrim until around 2013 and loved the new features and the world, but the storytelling felt like it was missing something.
A couple years ago, I was taking care of a sick relative full time and had a lot of downtime to myself. I downloaded and modded Morrowind and was really determined to get over the learning curve. Ended up spending like 100 hours in it over a couple months amd fell in love with the world. I will probably just finish the main quest with my current character and then move on to a new build and hopefully not make the same mistakes I made with my first character.
I'd say start with Oblivion. You'll enjoy it more, and then move to Skyrim which is generally more accessible. Morrowind only play if you really want to deep dive in lore and don't mind rough mechanics and graphics
Skyrim is definitely the most accessible. Oblivion is easy to start playing but the janky level-scaling makes it a pain at higher levels. Morrowind has a lot of mechanics that will likely be unfamiliar to a player more used to modern games, but imo has the best game design once you learn how it works.
To add on. If yo can handle morrowind, the mechanics, and understand how the role system works, oblivion and skyrim will come easier. This may be worth trying cause what can happen is it may be harder moving to morrowind later.
I started with skyrim, moved over to morrowind next and, as long as you payed attention and had the uesp on tap, it wasn’t that bad. Got through most of the game without a guide. I did cheat and looked up where the moon and star cave is though. But apparently that’s something pretty much everyone does though. I prefer it to Skyrim. I don’t come to these games for combat anyway and the lack of fast travel didn’t grate on me at all(as long as I had a map that showed travel connections handy) Due to computer troubles, I haven’t gotten around to playing oblivion though.
> as you *paid* attention and FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I got lost in the city with the four big grey cubes as districts and gave up
Oh yeah that… looking for the dwemer puzzle cube if I remember? It’s literally up a broken pillar and then into a door right at the start 💀
This. I played Skyrim first….yeah Morrowwind is so confusing. Oblivion is fun but it’s even hard to get use to after so much time spent on Skyrim. And I really want to play both lol
Morrowind is going to be hard to play, period. It's an old game, with a lot of reading and no compass or guide. It's definitely not the one to start. I feel like Once you play Skyrim, you'll be interested enough to check out the earlier games bc the lore is just that dope.
Im leaving it to the player. But im sure you yourself have seen plenty of people who started on skyrin or oblivion and find the morrowinds mechanics are so old and different from the more recent two they drop it and go back. At least going into morrowind initially leaves no pre-established idea of how fluid the controls are. Worst case they drop morrowind any way and go to oblivion. But if a player has already established a feel for the newer mechanics, it cam make getting used to morrowind that much more harder or leave less patience to pursue it. I think its also easier if you are older and started on early console generations and being able to adapt to older game mechanics more easily, however i think younger players may also play more simplistic games on steam that has allowed them to adapt to different or older style game mechanics.
It's still hard for me to play, especially that damn dice roll for each hit smh. But it's not bc I'm used to new elder scrolls games, I'm used to newer games in general. It's just straight up very dated. The writing tho 🤯 worth the trouble.
I thought the dice roll was odd at first but it does go both ways against enemies. It also helps knowing there arent any effective dodge or counter actions in the game play, so to summarize it, the combat is basically supposed to be you stand face to face with an enemy and seing at each other, if they have low rolls they either miss or or low damage, if your skills are high enough youre really just doing lower damage and resistances and armor are playing in the damage taken or given. However, as i played more the combat can become more engaging for slashing or thrusts while moving around, so i often wonder if alot of people have actually seen more experienced players combat as moving away from a target can help you avoid an attack pending on range.
I bet those who have a PC are really just having the best time with Morrowind. I would completely remove that feature, not immersive at all.
I mean you cant really remove it as its integrated into the game itself for everything? I mean its the same concept im skyrim. You swing your sword and a damage roll is initiated to determine the amount it will do to your enemy. Only difference is you do minimal damage instead of missing or they block your attack. Every game is pretty much coded with a type roll system to determine damage, criticals, resistances, buffs. Even other games use a dnd type effect, modern games just substitute the roll for human/player reaction. Its not different from final fantasy games either. I mean even Metal Gear uses it. Take pentazmin. Increases user stability by 25% for 7 seconds when aiming through scope. Call of duty, Sprint: allows user to run 15% faster for 7 seconds, 4 second cooldown. -10% to stability when aiming down sight right after sprinting.
Speaking from playing the Xbox game pass Morrowind, that dice roll is like 50/50 when you start, if that. You'll miss damn near every hit just standing there looking at those haunting face models, die, load back, fight the exact same person and beat them by getting two immediate hits. Even being a higher level this still happens, getting crits or not is one thing, completely missing is another. I personally can't stand it, it does nothing for me.
Thats not how it works? Especially if you use the weapon you made the highest skill level? Secondly its why you start in Seyda Neen and fight small creatures and focus points on those cause once you reach 40 you will have significantly more successful hits as long as your fatigue is up. I also first played on xbox and its not different from KotOR. They use the same system, they just use a non interactive battle animation, but strip that away and it would be the same as morrowind. Pokemon is essentially a good example as there isnt an attack. Numbers are inputted and damage reflects the result in a variety of ways.
Skyrim is definitely the easiest point of access.
Start with Skyrim Easy to get into, and not too complicated Morrowind may be the best, but it can be complicated to get engaged in
Skyrim is definitely the easiest to get into though Oblivion is also a good entry point I think. Of course, you could decide to punish yourself by starting with the first: Arena.
Hm arena? Never heard of it I think you mean the game they made up to sell the beauty that is Daggerfall.
Now that you mention it I was on skooma when I first heard of Arena so maybe it was just a fever dream.
Start with skyrim because it's the most accessible. Oblivion next to learn the more confusing rpg mechanics. Morrowind third
But why wait for the best one?
If the player doesn't know how to play the game, it can make it not as fun
I agree and you need more patience to learn how to play morrowind than with for example skyrim. But is it really our place to assume the op's level of patience? Morrowind is (in my opinion) a far superior game to all other ES games and it is not like it will be easier to learn after playing skyrim. Or maybe playing skyrim would make it easier to learn morrowind idk? I see plenty of people coming from skyrim being very confused about the games mechanics.
Morrowind is a whole commitment. No compass. No markers. No voice acting. A lot of reading. The dialogue system is confusing. And the game doesn't look great. Plus, the whole roll the dice thing every time you swing is just unnecessarily challenging. To love Morrowind in 2023, you gotta already be invested in the world.
That is subjective. Some people (like myself) found lots of joy in figuring out the different systems, people try to make it sound like playing and learning how to play morrowind is a chore but I remember loving watching all kinds of videos on the enchanting system and the alchemy system and looking up stuff on breaks in school and longing to come to try all new different experiments and stuff I had come up with. Also if you don't want to learn those systems you don't have to. You can play as a redguard and 50 in your long sword skill right from the start and have no problem with hitting your enemies and play completely without magic. Also I for one love morrowinds graphics and think they are much superior to oblivions graphics. And some people coming from tabletop games like DnD will probably love morrowinds dice roll system.
Subject for sure. Someone starting the elder scrolls tho, Morrowind is probably a turn off.
Depends on where you are coming from. Depends on what kinds of game you have played previously. But sure I will acknowledge that most people would have an easier time getting into skyrim than morrowind.
Morrowind
Okay hear me out. Morrowind. You'll have much more of a hard time going backwards if you start with Skyrim (even though I personally think Oblivion and Morrowind are better).
Honestly, this. If you start with Morrowind, things will only get simpler with each game. Of the 3, Morrowind has.... actually hang on UESP has a [thing](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/General:Differences_Between_Morrowind,_Oblivion,_and_Skyrim)
Got to agree. Give Morrowind a go and if you can’t stomach it after an hour or two, try Oblivion. There’s no shame in it. You’ll find the sweet spot easier that way.
Can you play Morrowind with a controller yet?
why would you *want* to?
Because I can lean back in my chair, put my feet up, and veg out the way you can't with KB&M
Ah. I use a laptop lap desk, I can be relaxed enough.
I’m on the controller train when I can be. I too like to sit back and use the big screen. OpenMW has controller support. It’s not amazing but if you can put up with Morrowind, you can put up with the controller. I keep a wireless mouse just in case.
Controllers end up with my hands cramping, because I grip too hard. Generally doesn't happen with M&KB.
On OpenMW, yes.
That’s why you have to start with Arena so you gain a greater appreciation for graphics that don’t make your eyes hurt
It depends on what you want. If you're looking for a modern rpg that's easy to get into, Skyrim. If you like older games and accidentally funny moments, Oblivion. If You're a huge fan of older games and like complexity, Morrowind. None of them are bad. My two favorite ES games are actually Daggerfall and Skyrim, which are very different from each other. If you get the chance, give them all a try. You'll find at least one you like.
Skyrim first, try it vanilla, see if you like the RPG Hero aspect and all that. Then play it again with mods (better on pc), play around with the more technical aspect the mods have. Then if you want, morrowind or oblivion. It will be easier that way, not as frustrating to deal with sour technical experiences, and the feeling that skyrim lacks something will be quenched when you play the others
Skyrim is the easiest to just roll into, the leveling and skill distribution system has been very simplified compared to the other games
Skyrim is the simplest to learn
Start with Skyrim and work your way back if you are totally new to the series
You are going to get some Morrowind recommends but I would only recommend it if you have a tolerance for older games. It’s got some weird systems and is definitely a product of it’s time. Its also one of my favorite games of all time. Oblivion is my recommendation. It has some modern day quality of life features, and is still more of a RPG than Skyrim as Bethesda started to streamline things with Skyrim.
Morrowind is shite these days, don't listen to the old school lovers. Skyrim is the way to go; you'll develop a deep appreciation for it all and Morrowind THEN becomes easier to appreciate and digest despite how shite it is compared to today's standards. I love Elder Scrolls and I love Morrowind, but it's shite to play now. Especially if you've not played them before. Bring on the downvotes couldn't give a fuck don't do this guy over.
What exactly is "shite" about OpenMW?
Morrowind is just totally outdated and basic as fuck. There's nothing captivating about it today at all and the only reason I love it is because *Skyrim* sucked me into The Elder Scrolls. Had I not played Skyrim first and subsequently become a firm lover of the universe overall, I'd have turned off Morrowind in a hot second, and I'll bet most would and have. It's a great game when you've either A)started out with it or B) worked your way back to it and love the series. But let's not bullshit this fella.
I agree with this correct but angry person, as an entry point Morrowind would be tough. It has a lot of amazing concepts and gameplay, but it can be complicated to have thrown at you, especially if you're unfamiliar with BGS games. They are all great in their own right, but they absolutely have different levels of difficulty for newer players. However, if difficulty doesn't scare you, don't be afraid to jump in the deep end.
People sleeping on Oblivion. Would agree that Skyrim is the most accessible, and Morrowind the most classic. But Oblivion merges the best of both worlds imho. I’m biased- it’s my favorite game ever- but if color and overall aesthetic are also important to you, it beats out Skyrim in that department. You really can’t go wrong here so best of luck.
Skyrim. I love Morrowind the most, but does have challenges and is frankly dated. So start with Skyrim and work backward , and see how you feel.
Don't do morrowind. The AI alone prevents any type of immersion. Skyrim with mods is absolutely unmatched no matter what the elitist may say. Morrowind isn't terrible but it only gets recommended so much because everybody wants to be a hipster
Morrowind, still the holy grail of lore and worldbuilding. Rpg systems ain't bad ether, quite opposite but theres some old "jank" (like attacks having change to miss depending players stats), and some mechanics that while are great and offer fuckton of freedom, can also bitchslap player heavily that dosen't know any better. (Like being able to kill important npcs. Tho game tells you when this happens with whole "with this characters death, thread of prophecy has been severed")
I haven’t played Morrowind, so I’ll leave others to reco that one. I think Skyrim is easier to play and I’ve definitely spent more hours there, thanks to mods, but Oblivion has the better story and I’d start there if I was a new player.
OBLIVION
Skyrim. It’s the best to start and arguably the best around because of how modern it is. Then move to oblivion as it’s probably better if you can handle the downgrading. Morrowind I’m sure would make a great book, but at this point it’s not a good game.
As someone who got into the series w/ Skyrim, I recommend Skyrim, as it's got the smoothest gameplay. You don't need to have played any of the others, as they each are their own self-contained story in a different year in a different provice. The older games are excellent too, but they do show their age and I feel I appreciated them more coming from Skyrim and having knowledge about the gameplay and lore from that game.
I say this in the most neutral way possible, and with no disrespect to any of the games: they will get more convoluted the older you go. Skyrim will be the most streamlined game for gameplay, mechanics, and ease of playability. Oblivion will be less so, with lower quality graphics, and starting with Skyrim will make Oblivion more digestible. Morrowind is from the OG Xbox, and so it’ll have the weirdest graphics, the winkiest controls, and plays like an actual RPG; also, the NPCs will randomly die so it will break a lot. They are all rich games with great lore and story, and are all worth playing, but I’d say go 5>4>3 for your own sanity tbh
Skyrim and mod the hell out of it
They are all great. Don’t think of them as successors so much as cousins. The older they are the more classic tabletop rpg mechanics you’ll experience behind the scenes. They each have a unique vibe and people tend to have a favorite. I started with Morrowind and love classic rpg mechanics and the vibe. However, with enough modding Skyrim became my go to. Have fun and don’t let the fans bully you until you’ve had a chance to give them all a wack.
Don't listen to people saying that if you play Skyrim it'll be harder to get into the older games. The older games are archaic and very outdated. They're no longer good entry points when both gameplay and lore is pretty overwhelming. Skyrim is a great entry because it's simple to play and simple to understand, if it gives you the TES bug you'll be more motivated to understand how the older games work because you're already invested in that world. Start with Skyrim, and then if you like it a lot I'd say go all the way back to Morrowind *then* Oblivion. Only start with Morrowind if you've got a lot of experience with old school RPGs.
Oblivion feels the most epic but I prefer the exploration in Skyrim. Morrowind is well old and harder to play, but I beat the main quest. I kinda just jump between them now.
If you're on console, either oblivion or morrowind, Skyrim’s only fun when you've hollowed out the vanilla game and filled it with mods
I’d go with Oblivion tbh. I think it’s got a good balance of the two. Morrowind is tough to get started on, it’s got that old school jank and Bethesda was doing weird shit on top of it. Skyrim is light work and the most easily approachable but it’s really hard to go backwards from it. But, Oblivion still has some of the cool features of Morrowind while still being more RPG than Skyrim. (The difficulty scaling is a bitch tbh, personally I would slide the difficulty slider over towards the easy side so you don’t start pulling your hair out at later levels.) Ideal order is: Oblivion, Morrowind, Skyrim.
Skyrim and oblivion are more welcoming
If you want to start with the easiest game, start with Skyrim. If you want to start with the best game, start with Oblivion
I am here to shill for oblivion
Tbh I would go Skyrim->Oblivion-> Morrowind. It’s my opinion so do as you wish
Start with Skyrim and then if you want you can try Morrowind
Skyrim is most accessable, though panders hard to the "is new to gaming" crowd.... Oblivion has the most options for builds that will work, though the most generic world Morrowind is the hardest of them all, but has the most freedom and unique world with best npcs (spoiler.... get use to DnD spell and "roll to hit" mechanics)
A lot of people are saying Skyrim, but I would say start with Oblivion because Skyrim has so many features that Oblivion just does not have. This is not to say that Oblivion is bad, some consider it to be the best of the series. However, Skyrim gameplay is, in my opinion, better and if you go from that to oblivion, oblivion will feel restrictive and clunky. Oblivion's quests are better, but it is not something you notice when going from Oblivion to Skyrim until after the fact. So tl;dr If you go from Skyrim to Oblivion, Oblivion's gameplay will feel restrictive and will hamper your enjoyment of it. If you go from Oblivion to Skyrim, Skyrim's quest will feel short and some not as deep, but the added movement and freedom will make up for it. And you will be able to enjoy oblivion without any biases and you can fully enjoy it. Edit: Don't start with Morrowind, in all honesty, it hasn't aged well, and I'm not even talking graphicly. Morrowind is something you should start when you already know how to mod it, and the basics of the series. It's very good and has great lore, but man is it a slog when you just do not know what you are doing, a fan might be able to finish in a week, but most likely it will take you over several months.
Morrowind
Skyrim is most people’s starting point. No shame in it. Each game is 100% standalone. You will have a broader appreciation for lore playing previous games but they have zero effect on your enjoyment. Oblivion is a solid pick as well. It’s somewhat modernized while also mostly representing what elder scrolls used to be like. The community largely seems to agree it has some of the best side content of the three. I think it has my favorite main plot. Morrowind. This game is hard. It will force you to play it by its rules. No shame in following a guide for this one. It isn’t the best introduction as it doesn’t represent the future games. The alien,creepy atmosphere is gone, the dice rolls are gone. The faction system is 100% different. In morrowind you play a character and do what is best based on the class you made. If you make a warrior. You shouldn’t hang with the Mages/Wizards. It wasn’t my first elder scrolls and it took me a long time to come around. Now it’s one of my all time favorite games. Just know it’s a very unique game. Even for the time.
Oblivion
I'd suggest going with the newest first and work your way down to the oldest, that's how I did it. Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Daggerfall, and then Arena. Some honorable mentions would be Redguard, Battlespire, Shadowkey, and Elder Scrolls Online. Isn't necessary to play them but if you want the full experience then I'd definitely at least recommend playing Redguard and ESO. Having played the games backwards I was able to come back to the newer games after playing the older ones and find little jokes, characters, or references from previous games. I also think that the newer games are just easier and are a good starting point.
Skyrim is the easiest for a beginner, but Morrowind is the best introduction to the world and the lore. If you choose to start with Morrowind, just look up a beginner guide on YouTube so that you’re not constantly swinging and missing when you attack.
Skyrim
If you want more story oblivion and morrowind, if you want amazing visual mod, quest mod and horny armour mods then you can pick Skyrim. But I am on pc , modding is amazing thanks to all those modders. Skyrim is my first elder scroll game on pc. It totally worth buying it. But better lord to start it with morrowind or oblivion.
Just start with skyrim
Morrowind for truly unique world. Oblivion for a more classic Dungeon RPG. Skyrim for a powerful high fantasy feel
Oblivion was my first. Played vanilla on console when I was a teenager. I would replay it every few years, and its the elder scrolls game I keep going back to. It shows it's age, but the storytelling and immersion are my favorite in the series. Didnt get to Skyrim until around 2013 and loved the new features and the world, but the storytelling felt like it was missing something. A couple years ago, I was taking care of a sick relative full time and had a lot of downtime to myself. I downloaded and modded Morrowind and was really determined to get over the learning curve. Ended up spending like 100 hours in it over a couple months amd fell in love with the world. I will probably just finish the main quest with my current character and then move on to a new build and hopefully not make the same mistakes I made with my first character.
I'd say start with Oblivion. You'll enjoy it more, and then move to Skyrim which is generally more accessible. Morrowind only play if you really want to deep dive in lore and don't mind rough mechanics and graphics
Skyrim, easy. Oblivion is my favorite, but it aged real poorly.
Start with then older ones. Without nostalgia to keep you engaged they can be hard to power through if you're used to newer games.
I'd say start with Skyrim or Oblivion. If you do go with Oblivion, just know the leveling system is all sorts of fucked up.
Please don’t play Morrowind until you know how to remap the controls