Fans of Bethesda‘s Skyrim can thank its two predecessors for its unique approach to gameplay and core narrative. For instance, TES 3: Morrowind gave players the opportunity to explore one of the most unique settings in gaming as a whole, complete with an endlessly compelling narrative. Likewise, TES 4: Oblivion further iterates on the experience with fully voiced NPCs and gripping forays into the realms of Oblivion (as the title might imply).
However, despite Skyrim‘s impact on the RPG industry, players might find themselves conflicted when deciding which Elder Scrolls game holds the title of the most “definitive classic” in the franchise. After all, both Oblivion and Morrowind made their unique marks in the gaming landscape with their respective releases. But which of these titles contributed most to the definition of an Elder Scrolls title?
10 Oblivion Wins: Cyrodiil Is Gorgeous
Cyrodiil just looks stunning. Even today, players might recognize Oblivion‘s unique take on bloom and painting-like color schemes, giving Cyrodiil an almost pastoral atmosphere. Granted, Cyrodiil takes a more traditionally European-medieval take on its themes when compared to the wild and alien landscape of Morrowind. However, Oblivion‘s depictions of the Oblivion gates do create a nice contrast.
It’s also worth addressing the obvious — Oblivion‘s much more immersive due to its higher level of graphical detail. From different pieces of armor and weapons to more humble items like cutlery, Oblivion‘s level of detail was unprecedented at the time.
9 Morrowind Is Better: Exotic Morrowind
If there’s any way players can describe Morrowind‘s setting, it’s “exotic.” After all, Morrowind was unlike any other RPG setting at the time. Unlike the usual medieval-fantasy landscapes of traditional games, Morrowind instead takes elements from Middle Eastern and even early Japanese cultures — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Moreover, the game’s flora and fauna were entirely unique.
These themes, when mixed together, make up Morrowind‘s unique aesthetic (even in terms of weapons and armor) and render it extremely difficult to forget. This aesthetic, coupled with the game’s compelling narrative, easily captures a player’s imagination and drags them deep into the setting.
8 Oblivion Wins: Essential NPCs
Players might find it tricky to explore open-world RPGs, especially if they want to go on the main quest. After all, it might be difficult finding the right NPC to progress through the story. In Oblivion, Essential NPCs have a crown icon to tell players that they’re integral components of the main quest.
Perhaps more importantly, essential NPCs never die in the game. Instead, they’re simply knocked out. This concept can be extremely useful, especially when random enemies suddenly appear while these essential NPCs pursue their daily routines. Some fans may complain that the essential NPC system might ruin the game’s immersion. While that’s valid in its own right, this remains a welcome addition for fans who want to enjoy the main story without worrying about accidentally ruining it.
7 Morrowind Is Better: True Player Agency
Morrowind offers a metric ton of player agency. The creative freedom players are afforded is nearly unmatched — from the ability to create ludicrously powerful or counterintuitive spells of their own design to, however morose it is, the option to literally murder an NPC and steal their home, Morrowind is quite a stranger to the concept of limitation in most respects.
In fact, players can literally kill all NPCs in Morrowind — even important ones. However, when they do kill a relevant NPC, their questlines just come to a halt. This includes NPCs essential to the main quest. At the very least, the player will be treated to an ominous warning that they’ve rendered the main quest unplayable and afforded the option to persist in their “doomed world.” That’s true freedom.
6 Oblivion Wins: Fully-Voiced Dialogue
Thanks to Oblivion, games in The Elder Scrolls franchise now feature fully-voiced dialogue. As such, players no longer have to scroll through books’ worth of content when talking with NPCs. Instead, they can actively listen and understand NPC reactions based on both their dialogue and facial expressions. Thanks to this innovation, Bethesda got a step closer to their goal of bringing players to a completely new world.
Granted, players might complain about the weird inter-NPC dialogue and the fact that the game’s 1,000 NPCs of different races had to be voiced by less than 25 people. However, this novelty reflects how any great idea’s first iteration will always have a few hiccups.
5 Morrowind Is Better: More NPCs
Unlike modern installments in the franchise, Morrowind retains text-based dialogue throughout the games. However, this low-tech solution to dialogue allows it to furnish the game world with an incredible population of NPCs. A Redditor evaluated that Morrowind has around 2,914 NPCs across the main game and its expansions. Interestingly, this number trumps the overall NPC count for Oblivion (855 for the base game) and Skyrim (1,106 base game) combined.
Granted, players might complain about the same-ish dialogue for most of the NPCs, especially when asked about basic information. However, the sheer number of NPCs in an exotic province like Morrowind does make it feel more alive.
4 Oblivion Wins: You’re Not The Sole Important Hero
Players who finish Oblivion might still find themselves surprised that they’re not the “main character” in the story. Essentially, the game starts when the player (as a prisoner) accompanies Emperor Uriel Septim VII as he and his Blades try to avoid and subvert an assassination attempt. Unfortunately, the Emperor still dies and the player needs to bring his amulet to Martin Septim, his only surviving son.
When the player does this, they’re thrust in a region-spanning mission to protect Martin. In the end, thanks to the player’s efforts, Martin successfully stops Daedric forces from invading Tamriel in the Oblivion Crisis. It’s a straightforward plot — but seeing the player almost become a side character in the overarching plot is a refreshing change from the usual implementation of the “chosen one” trope.
3 Morrowind Is Better: Incredible & Cryptic Lore
Morrowind has quite a complex plot. In essence, the player — yet again a prisoner — ends up freed in Morrowind, thanks to the machinations of Emperor Uriel Septim VII. However, it appears that the Emperor has done this under suspicion that the player is a reincarnation of the hero Indoril Nerevar. Moreover, as the Nerevarine, players need to defeat the would-be deity Dagoth Ur to save Morrowind from his schemes.
This quick summary of the game hardly does it justice, however. Morrowind’s worldbuilding is absolutely stunning. The Lovecraftian lore behind Dagoth Ur and The Tribunal absolutely defies any attempt at brevity, and simply must be experienced and studied in order to be truly appreciated.
2 Oblivion Wins: Radiant AI
One of Oblivion‘s main selling points was the then-new Radiant AI system. Unlike other RPGs at the time, Oblivion‘s NPCs actually have intuitive “programming.” This means that not only do NPCs have unique responses to certain events, but they essentially have schedules. NPCs will go out of their way to find food, find a bed to sleep on, or even fight for basic needs when necessary.
Granted, a lot of players complain that the Radiant AI system might seem a bit “dull” when players focus on a single NPC. However, in essence, all NPCs are actively doing something unique in the game world at most times, making Oblivion feel much more alive.
1 Morrowind Is Better: True Immersion
This tends to be a divisive topic, but Morrowind runs incredibly light on direction and HUD elements. There’s no magic arrow pointing you to the next objective and fast travel is incredibly limited. Players must actively navigate the gameworld, perhaps even resorting to memorizing landmarks and shortcuts.
This makes every outing a true journey, resulting in the player exploring and experiencing more of the game in the process. Some may find this inconvenient, and when navigating locations such as the infamous Vivec, it almost certainly is. But the sense of wonder and exploration is entirely worth the tradeoff.
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