I finished Morrowind today. I played every day since the early release except one day were I worked on my main with these new changes. I played the new warden who ended up level 23 just shy of 24. Never left the island just like a new player would probably do. I believe I completed every quest on the island. I know I have been to every area for the pathfinder and cave achievements. Not all the skyshards but every area that had quests. I'm a bit torn on what I think of this 'chapter'. There some really good things and some really not so good. I have never played the old game Morrowind so I'm not attached to this area in any way. I have never completed any Elder Scrolls game. Played the most of Skyrim. Set up new characters for the old Morrowind and Oblivion but that is as far as I've gotten (sorry but those games have terrible graphics but not a non-started since I play older games often). i am able to play upwards of eight hours each day which many aren't. So, this is long. Anyways...

I have to touch on something I've been very critical of ZOS for and that's these store purchase items. I ended up with one costume (not counting the pre-order one), two body markings, two face markings, two personalities and probably a half dozen mementos. I believe these items should be obtainable in the game and not a store item. At the same time, except for costumes (I thought there were supposed to be two btw), I don't use body or face markings so never purchase those. I will wear one of these for a bit on my warden. The personalities I thought were really well done and I don't purchase those since I bought that awful Thief personality that I just don't use. Or mementos since the name says it should remind you of something not remind you that you made a crown purchase. So this is the right track to be taking. These type items should always be in game. You can still sell some but we have had far too few yo can earn within the game. Now if they could just do the same with pets and mounts. I know there are a few pets you can already get but I don't know of a single mount that you can except for just buying the horses from a stable master.

The quests in this really felt unconnected. I'm going to try to remain spoiler free for anyone that hasn't completed it yet. We have I guess what you would call a main quest but its not overarching the whole area like you may be familiar with the base game. In Glienumbra, Angof is our main component throughout. Vulkhel Guard had the Vieled Queen. Stonefalls main was probably Tanval Indoril was who I thought of as the main antagonist. He doesn't start as an opponent but he is connected throughout the main quest of the area. Morrowind is different in this regard. We don't have what I think of as a main questline here. And that's a bit of a problem because it makes so much of the quests seem unconnected. In fact, if you don't actively go out for them, nothing really leads you through the island. And the quests are quite long due to traveling the same areas repeatedly. I was seeing a lot of use of the same wayshires repeatedly. What I guess you would call the main quest doesn't really present itself as a huge problem to solve until almost at its completion. It does get very exciting but then just kind of fizzles out. I think if danger was apparent close to the start then it might have seen more urgent. I felt just a bit disappointed here since the Mail Story quest the game begins with keeps the undercurrent of the threat apparent while presenting a huge conclusion that leaves a great impression. At least it did to me. I was hoping for something closer to this than a Stonefalls meh type. You basically find out who you're up against just before you take him out. There was no feeling of I've got to solve this or something terrible will happen until when you're almost done. There are three main stories besides Vivec's that were enjoyable on their own. One involving Naryu, another with an Argonian mage and the Ashlanders. Only one connected to another.

Dungeons are really well done in their look. No more just play rock or a little growth. These things are fully alive. And the twist and turns in most are enough to confuse me quite often. Especially the public dungeons. In one, I must have spent hours just going over and over the same tunnels. Quest markers are near useless. Especially given that I would often have mine switched to another quest. I found this happened often after a fight for some reason. While the art is great on the dungeons, I don't think you'll find much else different. A few warden NPCs to fight I believe. New looking Draedra (or new to me at least). All in all, the dungeons aren't bad or better than what we already had. But it was nice to see foes with some new moves. One thing I noticed is the picture you get while zoning in was used over and over. If it was Dwarven, the same spiders. And there are lots of Dwarven lairs. I wasn't able to complete all the bosses in the public dungeons and one dungeon had a boss that really gave my warden a run for his money. Don't know if I would have beaten him since by my third try someone else showed up to help finish him off. I don't remember any of those usual dungeon quests we get (like having to tell a mother her son died in on(. Those could have help push you to new areas. But I since I did things near the area I was in, I got to revisit some due to some dailies.

The lore in the whole thing is really was disappointing. We're introduced to the Great Houses (at least some of them) and the Ashlanders. I'm still not sure how the Great Houses are set up or even why they are set up. We find out the Ashlanders don't believe in the Tribunal and still worship the Draedra like their ancestors. And the two groups hate each other but except for one incident (and really it was an outside party), there's nothing but name calling and kid stuff between them. I thought that the main story was going to actually be about the Ashlanders with Vivec just a secondary point. But instead that's when Vivec's story kicked into high gear. So, I know the names of the houses. I know there are four or five with one destroyed (or was it). But what they are and how this system works, no idea. Same is true with the Ashlanders. I get they oppose the Great Houses and that's about it for them. There was so much that we could have really gotten into. More quest to have from these (there certainly was room on the map). My warden was wearing a defiler set which I saw some Ashlanders in but I have no idea what a defiler is or if they are part of a group a tribe or just a name plucked out.

Now then, is Morrowind worth a play. Of course, if you've finished the base game and all the DLCs, Morrowind makes perfect sense. I suppose if you loved the old Morrowind game, you might want to check out the area now that its been updated and time reversed. I think this is the main target crowd with this release. I tried to play and experience the game from this angle like a new player would and it really felt incomplete. We have the Fighters Guild and Mages Guild who seem to serve no purpose. You join and that's all to them. I got a level playing through for the Fighters Guild which I'll touch on in a bit. One of the people you talk to in the Mages Guild is just a placed in from Vulkhel Guard. That just made them seem even more out of place. I'm not sure why they bothered adding these. I don't know if the Undaunted are on VVardenfell since I didn't look for them. With the quests just having no connection, I think a new player would feel lost and confused or just think the game was incomplete. I felt like it was incomplete at least. There seemed to be so much promise that it simply didn't deliver. But if you are a new player, I think this is a much better introduction to the Main Story of the base game. I loved how that was done and reincorporated. You still start out as a prisoner in an Elder Scrolls game and this one does it twice to you. But that was quite enjoyable and really deepened my hatred for Mannimarco. Overall, I just felt underwhelmed by Morrowind. I don't know if it worth the price. I mean, would I pay $40 for Glenumbra, Vulkhel Guard or Stonefalls? No, I wouldn't. If this is the future of ESO then this will probably by my last chapter in this book. And honestly, as someone with no former Morrowind experience, I think those starting areas did their jobs much better than this. Morrowind feels really incomplete and unpolished. The way the world looks is truly beautiful. And you can just feel how deeper these quest could have been. Its just a poor start to these so called Chapters. I wasn't expecting a whole new base game but I was expecting something better than a starting area we already have. But it did the quest rewards right at least. I guess I don't regret the purchase completely but it is pretty close. I will use the costume and things on my other characters at least. I was quite annoyed that there was no clear direction off Vvardenfell. If I hadn't gotten a level in Fighters Guild, there would have been nothing leading me to that one little boat. I even asked zone chat if I had missed a quest. And also, that boat takes you to Wayrest (for my warden at least) where you pick up a quest that will take you to Daggerfall only if you just turn around and take the boat there. It was just so sloppy. It didn't occur to me so I went into tow and saw all the available quests before realizing I didn't need to look in Wayrest. But once you do, I really liked how it progressed from there with you witnessing what leads you into the Main Story. But messy way to get there. Extra praise for Stos M'Kai beginner area. Now at least new players can start to get some game knowledge at 20+.

Hope you forgive the length and found it somewhat informative.