Restriction List For Hardcore Players (100% Difficulty)
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:42 pm
Morrowind Restrictions List
The purpose of this list is to encourage roleplay and inspire interesting and entertaining character ideas for a 100% Difficulty playthrough. Morrowind can become an extremely easy experience if you allow yourself to obtain the most powerful items early in the game, and this list is an attempt to approach the game differently.
Some points may be removed or altered depending on the type of playthrough you want to experience. Ultimately, it is entirely up to the player.
1 - Read attentively all topics provided by NPCs:
This will allow you to understand the lore of Morrowind and Tamrielic history much better, but it will also add location markers to your map and unlock certain topics that can lead to interesting discoveries. Do not overlook what NPCs have to say.
2 - Close all doors behind you:
The way Morrowind is scripted means that the game remembers changes made to static objects placed in the world. Leaving doors open everywhere can eventually contribute to save instability and potential crashes.
3 - Avoid picking up static items:
For the same reason mentioned above, taking intentionally placed items creates additional data that the game must track. It is better to store items in containers and avoid picking up objects that are deliberately placed in the world.
To be clear: take valuable loot while exploring caves and dungeons, but do not steal every single item from every house in Balmora.
4 - Try to complete every journal entry:
Some entries are undesirable or difficult to obtain (such as killing an Ashlander during the main quest), but others are so subtle that they are easy to miss if you do not carefully read what NPCs tell you.
A good example is taking supplies from Fort Moonmoth during the "Meet Sul-Matuul" quest or speaking with Raesa Pullia during the "Sixth House Base" quest.
As a completionist, I enjoy trying to obtain every possible journal entry for each quest.
5 - Always sell and buy with maximum Fatigue:
This provides better prices in both directions, so there is no reason not to do it.
6 - Walk inside interiors:
This is more of a roleplaying rule, but running everywhere indoors is not realistic at all.
7 - Avoid obtaining godly items early:
Items such as the Boots of Blinding Speed, Amulet of Shadows, Dragonbone Cuirass, or Fist of Randagulf are extremely powerful. It does not make much sense from a roleplaying perspective for a new character to immediately travel across Vvardenfell and acquire these legendary items.
8 - Proceed through quests in order:
Suggested order:
Morrowind Main Quest
Tribunal Main Quest
Bloodmoon Main Quest
Faction Quests
Miscellaneous Quests
The main reason for this is to keep your journal properly organized if you aim to complete as many quests as possible.
Some miscellaneous quests are intertwined with the main quest. Good examples are "Mystery of the Dwarves" and "Nchuleftingth Expedition." Both are Mages Guild quests that can be accessed through the "Antabolis Informant" quest. While completing them early can be fun, I personally avoid doing so.
9 - No Creeper or Mudcrab Merchant:
This does not make much sense from a lore perspective. Making money is a difficult part of the early game and naturally becomes easier over time. Trading with an animal or a creature from Oblivion is simply strange from a roleplaying standpoint.
A better alternative is Ababael Timsar-Dadisun, a merchant in Zainab Camp with 9,000 gold and the ability to train Mercantile. He is a much more fitting option.
10 - Dwemer Collection:
During the Mages Guild questline, or even earlier, it can be very enjoyable to begin a Dwemer collection and attempt to gather a certain number of every Dwemer item.
I personally like collecting:
A complete set of Dwemer armor
The two Dwemer Pneuma-Traps
50 Dwemer coins
All keys from every Dwemer ruin visited
Dwemer schematics and books
11 - Sixth House Collection:
Many Sixth House bases and caves are optional, and I would guess that the majority of players never explore them.
I always aim to discover all of them and defeat every unique "Dagoth" creature in the game. This allows you to collect:
Every Ash Statue
Every Bell Hammer
Every Sixth House Amulet
12 - Do not steal anything unless it is required for a quest:
This is mainly for roleplaying reasons and to maintain a greater challenge.
13 - Do not kill anyone unless necessary:
Only kill NPCs when required by quests or when doing so for completionist purposes.
Examples include defeating all unique Dagoth creatures or the Wraith of Sul-Senipul during the main quest.
14 - Read documents, guides, and papers:
If you are roleplaying, your character is new to Vvardenfell and knows very little about its culture, history, and geography. It makes sense to study these things and learn about the world around you.
15 - When you search a crate, take what is inside:
It is too easy to abuse containers by repeatedly checking them until a valuable item or scroll appears early in the game.
16 - No Alchemy abuse:
After finishing the game, experimenting with powerful Alchemy can be entertaining, but before that point it completely destroys the balance of the game.
17 - No early Bittercup:
I do not have a problem with the Bittercup itself, but it does not make much sense for a new adventurer to immediately travel there solely to obtain its bonuses.
18 - No Corpus abuse:
This one is more complicated because it naturally occurs during the main quest.
Contracting Corpus can provide a significant boost to Strength and Endurance, sometimes even at level 1, if you know how to exploit it.
I do not mind receiving a few bonus points after completing the quest (roughly 5-25), as this can be a legitimate way to naturally increase Strength and Endurance rather than relying heavily on trainers.
However, sleeping for 100 days straight to gain excessive attribute bonuses is clearly an exploit and should be avoided.
My advice is to play through the quest naturally and accept the bonuses you receive. Another interesting option is completing the "Sleepers Awake" quest, where you attack Sixth House shrines to free infected Sleepers. This takes several days and fits naturally into the storyline.
The timing works especially well because these attacks can be done after the Cultist attack following the "Sixth House Base" quest, during the Corpus Cure storyline.
19 - Cartography:
Throughout your playthrough, explore the entire map from one end to the other, including Solstheim.
Note: After completing the game and allowing yourself to use more powerful tools, exploring the world with an extremely strong Levitation spell becomes much easier. However, discovering Vvardenfell naturally during your adventure is a much more rewarding experience.
20 - Constant Effect Enchantments:
Some players consider enchantments such as 100 pts Sanctuary, 100 pts Chameleon, or 50+ pts Drain Strength to be exploits, but I disagree.
Creating powerful constant-effect enchantments requires the player to obtain:
Extremely valuable soul gems filled with powerful creatures
Suitable enchantment items, such as Exquisite clothing or a Daedric Tower Shield
A large amount of gold
When playing on Maximum Difficulty and following the restrictions listed above, obtaining these resources is a significant achievement. For this reason, I consider powerful constant-effect enchantments to be completely legitimate rewards for a dedicated player.
21 - Capture the souls of unique creatures:
A true collector should attempt to capture the souls of unique and powerful beings throughout the game.
Examples include:
Dagoth Ur
Vivec
Wraith of Sul-Senipul
Dagoth Gares
Ash Vampires
Other unique creatures encountered during your journey
22 - Join factions that make sense for your character and race
Your faction choices should reflect your character's background, beliefs, and culture.
For example, an Altmer joining the Tribunal Temple would make very little sense from a roleplaying perspective. Likewise, certain factions may conflict with your character's personal values or origins.
23 - Ebony and Dwemer items:
Depending on your roleplay, Ebony and Dwemer artifacts may be considered Imperial property and illegal to sell.
If you are playing as a thief or treasure hunter, taking advantage of these resources can make sense. However, if you are playing as an Imperial Legion soldier or a lawful character, you may want to avoid selling or exploiting these materials.
24 - No early trips to Solstheim or Tribunal content:
From a roleplaying perspective, traveling to Solstheim or accessing Tribunal content very early does not make much sense.
Additionally, the rewards found in these areas are extremely powerful and can trivialize the early and mid-game experience.
These regions are better experienced once your character has established themselves and gained enough reputation to justify such adventures.
25 - Do not read Skill Books early:
Save Skill Books for later in your character's progression.
Reading them after your skills are already high allows you to gain additional levels and makes the bonuses feel more meaningful. It also prevents your character from becoming overpowered too quickly.
Following these restrictions creates a slower, more immersive Morrowind experience where exploration, preparation, and character development matter much more. The goal is not to make the game artificially difficult, but to preserve the sense of discovery and progression that makes Vvardenfell such a memorable place.
The purpose of this list is to encourage roleplay and inspire interesting and entertaining character ideas for a 100% Difficulty playthrough. Morrowind can become an extremely easy experience if you allow yourself to obtain the most powerful items early in the game, and this list is an attempt to approach the game differently.
Some points may be removed or altered depending on the type of playthrough you want to experience. Ultimately, it is entirely up to the player.
1 - Read attentively all topics provided by NPCs:
This will allow you to understand the lore of Morrowind and Tamrielic history much better, but it will also add location markers to your map and unlock certain topics that can lead to interesting discoveries. Do not overlook what NPCs have to say.
2 - Close all doors behind you:
The way Morrowind is scripted means that the game remembers changes made to static objects placed in the world. Leaving doors open everywhere can eventually contribute to save instability and potential crashes.
3 - Avoid picking up static items:
For the same reason mentioned above, taking intentionally placed items creates additional data that the game must track. It is better to store items in containers and avoid picking up objects that are deliberately placed in the world.
To be clear: take valuable loot while exploring caves and dungeons, but do not steal every single item from every house in Balmora.
4 - Try to complete every journal entry:
Some entries are undesirable or difficult to obtain (such as killing an Ashlander during the main quest), but others are so subtle that they are easy to miss if you do not carefully read what NPCs tell you.
A good example is taking supplies from Fort Moonmoth during the "Meet Sul-Matuul" quest or speaking with Raesa Pullia during the "Sixth House Base" quest.
As a completionist, I enjoy trying to obtain every possible journal entry for each quest.
5 - Always sell and buy with maximum Fatigue:
This provides better prices in both directions, so there is no reason not to do it.
6 - Walk inside interiors:
This is more of a roleplaying rule, but running everywhere indoors is not realistic at all.
7 - Avoid obtaining godly items early:
Items such as the Boots of Blinding Speed, Amulet of Shadows, Dragonbone Cuirass, or Fist of Randagulf are extremely powerful. It does not make much sense from a roleplaying perspective for a new character to immediately travel across Vvardenfell and acquire these legendary items.
8 - Proceed through quests in order:
Suggested order:
Morrowind Main Quest
Tribunal Main Quest
Bloodmoon Main Quest
Faction Quests
Miscellaneous Quests
The main reason for this is to keep your journal properly organized if you aim to complete as many quests as possible.
Some miscellaneous quests are intertwined with the main quest. Good examples are "Mystery of the Dwarves" and "Nchuleftingth Expedition." Both are Mages Guild quests that can be accessed through the "Antabolis Informant" quest. While completing them early can be fun, I personally avoid doing so.
9 - No Creeper or Mudcrab Merchant:
This does not make much sense from a lore perspective. Making money is a difficult part of the early game and naturally becomes easier over time. Trading with an animal or a creature from Oblivion is simply strange from a roleplaying standpoint.
A better alternative is Ababael Timsar-Dadisun, a merchant in Zainab Camp with 9,000 gold and the ability to train Mercantile. He is a much more fitting option.
10 - Dwemer Collection:
During the Mages Guild questline, or even earlier, it can be very enjoyable to begin a Dwemer collection and attempt to gather a certain number of every Dwemer item.
I personally like collecting:
A complete set of Dwemer armor
The two Dwemer Pneuma-Traps
50 Dwemer coins
All keys from every Dwemer ruin visited
Dwemer schematics and books
11 - Sixth House Collection:
Many Sixth House bases and caves are optional, and I would guess that the majority of players never explore them.
I always aim to discover all of them and defeat every unique "Dagoth" creature in the game. This allows you to collect:
Every Ash Statue
Every Bell Hammer
Every Sixth House Amulet
12 - Do not steal anything unless it is required for a quest:
This is mainly for roleplaying reasons and to maintain a greater challenge.
13 - Do not kill anyone unless necessary:
Only kill NPCs when required by quests or when doing so for completionist purposes.
Examples include defeating all unique Dagoth creatures or the Wraith of Sul-Senipul during the main quest.
14 - Read documents, guides, and papers:
If you are roleplaying, your character is new to Vvardenfell and knows very little about its culture, history, and geography. It makes sense to study these things and learn about the world around you.
15 - When you search a crate, take what is inside:
It is too easy to abuse containers by repeatedly checking them until a valuable item or scroll appears early in the game.
16 - No Alchemy abuse:
After finishing the game, experimenting with powerful Alchemy can be entertaining, but before that point it completely destroys the balance of the game.
17 - No early Bittercup:
I do not have a problem with the Bittercup itself, but it does not make much sense for a new adventurer to immediately travel there solely to obtain its bonuses.
18 - No Corpus abuse:
This one is more complicated because it naturally occurs during the main quest.
Contracting Corpus can provide a significant boost to Strength and Endurance, sometimes even at level 1, if you know how to exploit it.
I do not mind receiving a few bonus points after completing the quest (roughly 5-25), as this can be a legitimate way to naturally increase Strength and Endurance rather than relying heavily on trainers.
However, sleeping for 100 days straight to gain excessive attribute bonuses is clearly an exploit and should be avoided.
My advice is to play through the quest naturally and accept the bonuses you receive. Another interesting option is completing the "Sleepers Awake" quest, where you attack Sixth House shrines to free infected Sleepers. This takes several days and fits naturally into the storyline.
The timing works especially well because these attacks can be done after the Cultist attack following the "Sixth House Base" quest, during the Corpus Cure storyline.
19 - Cartography:
Throughout your playthrough, explore the entire map from one end to the other, including Solstheim.
Note: After completing the game and allowing yourself to use more powerful tools, exploring the world with an extremely strong Levitation spell becomes much easier. However, discovering Vvardenfell naturally during your adventure is a much more rewarding experience.
20 - Constant Effect Enchantments:
Some players consider enchantments such as 100 pts Sanctuary, 100 pts Chameleon, or 50+ pts Drain Strength to be exploits, but I disagree.
Creating powerful constant-effect enchantments requires the player to obtain:
Extremely valuable soul gems filled with powerful creatures
Suitable enchantment items, such as Exquisite clothing or a Daedric Tower Shield
A large amount of gold
When playing on Maximum Difficulty and following the restrictions listed above, obtaining these resources is a significant achievement. For this reason, I consider powerful constant-effect enchantments to be completely legitimate rewards for a dedicated player.
21 - Capture the souls of unique creatures:
A true collector should attempt to capture the souls of unique and powerful beings throughout the game.
Examples include:
Dagoth Ur
Vivec
Wraith of Sul-Senipul
Dagoth Gares
Ash Vampires
Other unique creatures encountered during your journey
22 - Join factions that make sense for your character and race
Your faction choices should reflect your character's background, beliefs, and culture.
For example, an Altmer joining the Tribunal Temple would make very little sense from a roleplaying perspective. Likewise, certain factions may conflict with your character's personal values or origins.
23 - Ebony and Dwemer items:
Depending on your roleplay, Ebony and Dwemer artifacts may be considered Imperial property and illegal to sell.
If you are playing as a thief or treasure hunter, taking advantage of these resources can make sense. However, if you are playing as an Imperial Legion soldier or a lawful character, you may want to avoid selling or exploiting these materials.
24 - No early trips to Solstheim or Tribunal content:
From a roleplaying perspective, traveling to Solstheim or accessing Tribunal content very early does not make much sense.
Additionally, the rewards found in these areas are extremely powerful and can trivialize the early and mid-game experience.
These regions are better experienced once your character has established themselves and gained enough reputation to justify such adventures.
25 - Do not read Skill Books early:
Save Skill Books for later in your character's progression.
Reading them after your skills are already high allows you to gain additional levels and makes the bonuses feel more meaningful. It also prevents your character from becoming overpowered too quickly.
Following these restrictions creates a slower, more immersive Morrowind experience where exploration, preparation, and character development matter much more. The goal is not to make the game artificially difficult, but to preserve the sense of discovery and progression that makes Vvardenfell such a memorable place.
