New to Morrowind and could use some help sticking with it

[DaralenManta]

Hi guys,

I picked up Morrowind via Steam (like so many others I'm guessing) and spent a couple hours modding it on Sunday.

I'd really like to give the game a fair shot, but so far it's boring and frustrating the heck out of me. Everything (including a "rat") seems to be able to beat the snot out of me and even when I am winning a fight, I find it hard to believe that a "large mouse" takes 50 plus hits of a magical sword. I've gained a couple levels, but I really can't discern that I'm getting any better at surviving.

I'm guessing a starter guide is likely where you'll suggest I begin and I plan to after making this post, but I wanted to ask about a few things that are causing me the most grief at this point:

My mercantile skill never seems to go up - I realize there is a number representing my actual and a 0/100 bar representing my progress towards the next skill up, but the bar itself never fills at all. I read somewhere that simply buying and selling would raise it, but even getting slightly better prices from a merchant (by using the + and - when bartering) hasn't changed it at all. I'm hoping one of the mods I've installed isn't screwing with it (see below).

Oftentimes when I rest with low health I die - It's werid... if I rest with enough health to live through the resting process, I see my health bar actually go DOWN and then pop up higher than what it started almost immediately. The result of this is, if I try to rest with low health, I die from the initial health drop before raises. The only way I've been able to get around this so far is to buy healing potions, but it's not always possible if I'm low on funds or far from a town. I realize there are some effects that might cause me to lose health over time, but I've tried it without any negative effects on me and had it happen the same way.

Speaking of resting, anytime I do it outdoors I'm ALWAYS interrupted - This combined with the problem above makes it nearly impossible to regain health without resting in a dungeon that I've recently cleared.

I'm using BTB's list of mods (which considering that his page came up near the top of a Google search for Morrowind mods, I take to mean is popular). Here are the ones I think may be relevant to the stuff I mention above:

The Morrowind Patch Project
Herbalism For Purists
HotFusion's Economy Adjuster
BTB's Game Improvements
Service Requirements
Talrivian's State-Based Hit Points
Morrowind Advanced
Morrowind Code Patch
Timeslip's .exe

I came to Bethesda games with Fallout 3 (been playing that since Fallout 1) and wanted to give their fantasy games a try. So far, I'm not enjoying Morrowind, but I understand that it was made several years ago at this point.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Wolfie]

I picked up Morrowind via Steam (like so many others I'm guessing) and spent a couple hours modding it on Sunday.

your first msitake, play it with out mods first.

I'd really like to give the game a fair shot, but so far it's boring and frustrating the heck out of me. Everything (including a "rat") seems to be able to beat the snot out of me and even when I am winning a fight, I find it hard to believe that a "large mouse" takes 50 plus hits of a magical sword.

What are your skills? what did you majoir in? whats your equipment?

I've gained a couple levels, but I really can't discern that I'm getting any better at surviving.

lv means nothing really, if you give a new guy a lv 5054994 he can still die, its just how the game is, it don't hold your hand

I'm guessing a starter guide is likely where you'll suggest I begin and I plan to after making this post, but I wanted to ask about a few things that are causing me the most grief at this point:

Not at all, we are all to happy to talk about tips for morrowind, even if you dont want them

My mercantile skill never seems to go up - I realize there is a number representing my actual and a 0/100 bar representing my progress towards the next skill up, but the bar itself never fills at all. I read somewhere that simply buying and selling would raise it, but even getting slightly better prices from a merchant (by using the + and - when bartering) hasn't changed it at all. I'm hoping one of the mods I've installed isn't screwing with it (see below).

my first gues would be a mod, my 2nd one is depnding on your build.

Oftentimes when I rest with low health I die -

I don't recall this...
do you hapeen to have a greater power that gives you hp +? or endunce? if so when it runs out and it hits 0 you die.

Speaking of resting, anytime I do it outdoors I'm ALWAYS interrupted - This combined with the problem above makes it nearly impossible to regain health without resting in a dungeon that I've recently cleared.

Interrupt happens a lot to be frank, I did not have that bad (or at least it did not bug me)

I'm using BTB's list of mods (which considering that his page came up near the top of a Google search for Morrowind mods, I take to mean is popular). Here are the ones I think may be relevant to the stuff I mention above:

The Morrowind Patch Project
Herbalism For Purists
HotFusion's Economy Adjuster
BTB's Game Improvements
Service Requirements
Talrivian's State-Based Hit Points
Morrowind Advanced
Morrowind Code Patch
Timeslip's .exe

xbox user here sorry cant help here.

I came to Bethesda games with Fallout 3 (been playing that since Fallout 1) and wanted to give their fantasy games a try. So far, I'm not enjoying Morrowind, but I understand that it was made several years ago at this point.

besides graphics it has nothing to do with the age, the game was degined like that on porpouse in that day some gamers LIKED those type of games, rpgs like that where "big" and TES was one of them.
the game is not "bad" its just defrient form fallout and oblivion

It may be the game is not for you, like some pepole dont like soccor, maybe you dont like the chance to hit and the old chool rpg, something to think about..
of couse you should keep playing just in case

[Akiraka]

My first suggestion is to remove the mods. I almost passed this thread up, but Morrowind players are few and far between, it seems, so I'll take a chance on turning your perspective around.

Remove the mods. After that, yes, read a starter's guide. EDIT: I take this back. I can't even find one I like.

Here's a digest, though.

Agility, Strength, and Endurance are your most important Attributes, unless you're going to be a Mage, then things get a little fuzzy, but, you sound like you're using a melee character.

You're having a problem hitting things, because, like RPGs of old, your Chance to Hit is a percentage that is based on your Attributes, Skills, and some other factors. Having a problem means that said Attributes and Skills are a little too low, and I would guess that you're not paying attention to your Fatigue level.

Here's a brief description of Chance to Hit:

Your weapon Skill is multiplied by 1.25 -- that's your base chance to hit whatever you're aiming at. If your Skill is 30, we know your base chance is only 37.5... kinda dismal, huh?
Your Agility modifies your chance to hit in this fashion (Your Agility - Their Agility).25
If that number winds up positive, it is added to your chance to hit. If it's negative, it's subtracted.

With these two things in mind, let's say your Agility is 50, and your Skill is 30. Your target's Agility is 40.

(30)1.25 + (50 - 40).25 = 40
37.5 + (10).25 = 40
37.5 + 2.5 = 40

Still 'only' 40 (40%'s not that bad -- almost one hit every two swings), and it would be even less if your Agility was lower than your target's.
Luck makes even less of a difference.
If you want to read more about it, try this.

As to your other problems, dying in your sleep, being consistently interrupted, etc., just remove the mods, then, if things persist, write back.

[DaralenManta]

K thanks.

[Akiraka]

K thanks.

Have things improved?
The reason I advise you to remove the mods (aside from being a little biased against them) is that they change things in a way that isn't always understood, or intended, even by people who are familiar with the game they're modding. As a new player, it would be a shame to walk into Morrowind for the first time with it modded, but, more importantly, it would be a shame to walk into it modded, experience inexplicable negative phenomena, and walk away attributing it to a bad experience with Morrowind. Let us know if things improve.

[ladamyre]

I know it's a long read, but I believe if you'd follow the story line in my post here...

http://forums.uesp.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24544

...you will get a better feel of how this game is played.

You might want to remove the mods first, then install the ones I had on that saga.

I warn you though, the post has a lot of spoilers in it.

[dem]

When starting I make sure I am on the easiest setting. I go up 10 per level. I have played on max difficulty for the whole game but a rat should not kill you. pick an armor skill as major even if it is unarmored. Pick a weapon as a major skill even if it is hand to hand and use that weapon and that armor. buying and selling does not raise your mercantile. you need to negotiate higher when selling and lower when buying. I don't know the formula but I think negotiating 1 gp does not do as much good as negotiating 10 gp. I try and do 10% but you have to have the deal accepted. losing health should not happen. It is like you are getting constant effect damage. There are a bunch of little icons at the top of one of your screens that indicate effects due to disease and magick check them to see why it is going down.

[Andere]

I'd roughly agree with the ones above: learn to know the game before using mods, unless your "modding" means you're a person who mods... starts working on anything one's hands get hold of...

In my case, use of mods and active modding have usually meant the loss of the game itself - once you learn to build everything on your own terms, you're practically invincible. It's fun for a while but then you start wondering, where did the fun go?

Anyway, enjoy the game. And don't forget to be vulnerable!

[Svetlonio]

I'm hijacking this thread because I'm not sure my question warrants a new one.
I want to start a playthrough with a mage/thief character. I started the game several times but never went far, because most challenges encourage you to abuse game design flaws to power up your character, to the point where you're massively op and I got bored pretty fast.

So I'm using the btb improvements mod. I have two questions:
- are beds available for rent only in the bigger cities? many times npc will tell you "so-and-so rents bed at the tradehouse", but speaking with so-and-so does not give me the beds topic. e.g. arrille, but pretty much every one of the small villages is like this. (btb forces you to sleep in beds only)
- I never played a mage before. What schools do I want as major/minors? for example it's pretty easy to find enchanted items or potions for the essential restores and cures, and btb removes the option of custom fortify spells. Do I want restoration? are there spells for sale powerful enough to justify majoring in it? Another example is conjuration. My impression is summons should serve as fodder, but they always get in the way of every other ranged attack in cramped dungeon tunnels, and I certainly don't want to get into melee range with my 20hp character. Ancestral ghosts are more hindrance than help, do I get something awesome if I sweat through it? Mysticism: plenty of scrolls/amulet are available for the teleport spells, and the only other thing I need is telekinesis. What are other useful spells? are they more awesome than the competing schools'?
I'm confused and spending my time creating new chars and tossing them as soon as I get to balmora

[Coletrain]

A lot of people are a bit intimidated by Morrowind at first. Maybe "intimidated" isn't the best word for it, but it's definitely one of those games that some people would rather drop all together than force their way past the difficulty curve. It's refreshing to see that the game is still drawing in first-timers.

Like everybody else is suggesting, you should play the game without mods. You can pick those up later after you've become acclimated. As far as the difficult of it goes.. I feel that the majority of new players set off into the world expecting to hack their way through their opposition, when in fact, you need to get the [&@%!] kicked out of you a dozen times to get the hang of things. It's like a cruel initiation. I don't know any die hard fans who didn't die hard and hate the game at first.

Eventually, you'll take over someones house and begin stocking it full of your own hard earned (or stolen) trophies. I think that's ultimately the element that won me over. From there, I developed an endless urge to explore the world and discover new things. It's very rewarding to level up and tackle a ruin that you couldn't get close to initially. It's even more exciting when you're plundering just another cave and wind up finding the entrance to a lost daedric shrine. I once found a massive cavern underground that housed an entire ship within it. It was like The Goonies minus Sloth.

You'll figure things out.

[Akiraka]

I don't know any die hard fans who didn't die hard and hate the game at first.

-raises hand-

[YogiBaar]

I find it hard to believe that a "large mouse" takes 50 plus hits of a magical sword.

Do you mean real, connected hits or just swings? Because when you swing at an enemy, you don't automatically hit. Whether the hit connects or not is based on your character's skill with the equipped weapon, your character's agility and some other things.