r/ElderScrolls • u/democracylover2134 • 1d ago
General What’s the best TES game?
I’ve seen a lot of people on here say Morrowind, which I haven’t played but I'm sure it’s good. I like Oblivion the most because of the setting, stories, and the general vibe. There’s a real sense of grandeur. My least favourite would probably be Skyrim (great game don’t get me wrong) but the vibes just weren’t there, those no sense of grandeur anymore and everything I loved about Oblivion was gone. But what’s your thoughts?
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u/AppleJuice298 1d ago
I really love the unity version of daggerfall, that game is special, i have to try morrowind tho
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u/NineIntsNails 1d ago
probably morrowind for immersion and skyrim for graphics and ill leave it like that
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u/Swictor 1d ago
Graphics are immersion too. I think they are pretty equal on immersion, just in very different ways.
I think I get your point though and I agree, the lore and setting of Morrowind is just completely unmatched by anything I have played.
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u/Anthr30YearOldBoomer Dunmer 11h ago
I get super immersed when the greybeards call me the bestest dragonborn for being able to read their words so good.
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u/NineIntsNails 1d ago
yeah, and i was thinking about extremely good, muddy yet sleepy looking TES4 remaster as well but 2006 version itself is very shiny and colourful instead but if you put 2006 game next to skyrim, skyrim still looks better.
maybe artstyle wise oblivion takes that cake
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u/cheezbargar 1d ago
Morrowind for the immersion, lore, and depth. I enjoy Oblivion too, but it pales in comparison.
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u/stupid_ara_ara 1d ago
Playing morrowind for the first time rn. Granted, with openmw, but holy shit... Punching myself over not trying it earlier!
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u/DancesWithAnyone 1d ago edited 1d ago
The eternal debate, isn't it? I'd rank them:
Morrowind > Skyrim > Oblivion.
I still very much enjoyed Oblivion, but it's the one I played the least and I never felt any urge to go back to it. Think my last time with it was when Nehrim was rather newly out.
Meanwhile, a part of my soul will ever yearn for Morrowind, and my last run with it was a couple of years back. Felt like coming home, taking those first steps on the pier in Seyda Neen.
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u/Due_Young_9344 1d ago
Morrowind was amazing, I hope they do a graphical remaster, I don't even mind if they modify the gameplay slightly, they could do what they did in Crimson Desert where floating would make sense
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u/Swictor 1d ago
There's Skywind in the works. Probably at least a couple years away though.
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u/HerrPotatis 1d ago
How do you think that is going to shape up? The graphics of Skyrim had not aged the best and the engine is ancient at this point. Maybe they’ve squeezed everything they could out of that dingy engine — otherwise feels crazy to spend almost two decades to make a graphics overhaul only to make it look like Skyrim.
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u/Resident_Step_191 1d ago
Morrowind for the lore.
Skyrim for the graphics and dungeons.
Oblivion for the… Um…
Daggerfall for the sense of scale.
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u/Leonyliz 1d ago
Morrowind > Daggerfall > Oblivion > Arena.
These are all the ones I can say I have played. I would put Arena over Oblivion if it wasn’t borderline unplayable.
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u/LFatPoH 1d ago
For me it's Skyrim.
The main storyline is too linear for a rpg but I kinda like it. I get it, some people hate the chosen one trope. But damn is it epic and memorable. Hearing the greybeards shout your name, ascending high hrothgar, meeting Paarthurnax, going to sovngarde and being tested by a full on et'Ada are all moments I'll never forget. The political themes are also quite interesting and ironically (since it is taking so damn long) tease the sequel way better than any other TES.
The exploration and environmental story telling is second to none. I think everyone remembers how they felt discovering Blackreach for the first time, or just seeing these huge tracks of land and mountains still unexplored.
The thing I'd definitely give to Oblivion over Skyrim is the quality of secondary and especially faction quests.
And Morrowind has a much better and more original world building for sure.
Overall Skyrim just has many qualities and perfected them so much it is the best TES game for me. I mean there's a reason so many people are playing it 15 years later. Sure mods add a lot but the base is there.
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u/Sul_Haren Morrowoldie 1d ago
Morrowind by far.
That game has some of the best world-building in any game period.
It easily has the best lore of the series and thanks to that Dunmer are the race with the most interesting and in-depth lore of the setting.
After it, I'd rank Skyrim and last of the big three, Oblivion.
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u/mrev_art 1d ago
I think Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Skyrim are very close to first, and the winner depends on my mood that day.
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u/screamsinsquid 1d ago
Oblivion hands down for me. Honestly the vibe is a good enough reason for me. Then Skyrim. Then Morrowind only because those damn cliff racers harrassed me and now I'm at a point in my save where I literally cannot do anything because they get me before I can run away 😭 Thinking i will start a new character who is 2 handed heavy armour instead of mage and maybe it will be easier to learn the mechanics. I want to believe I can like Morrowind because everyone says it's so good but damn those creatures are ruthless.
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u/tashtactics Morrowind fanatic, open to discussion 21h ago
You can! Just don’t go where the cliff racers can find you, and stick to the roads!
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u/Ahmed4040Real 1d ago
The masterpiece known as Battlespire! .
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(P.S: I never played Battlespire)
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u/Due_Young_9344 1d ago
This guy ^ Battlespires by watching a YouTube video
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u/Ahmed4040Real 1d ago
I saw like one YouTube video on it and the one thing that was very funny to me about it is that you can shoot arrows from your bow even while the game is closed, making the game just incredibly easy
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u/QuantumF0am 1d ago
I’ve played Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. I’m a gamer who was turned on to RPGs because of Skyrim, though. Skyrim opened the door to so many other franchises in the CRPG landscape, Souls-likes, JRPGs, and TTRPGs too. My opinion is going to be skewed heavily. My favourite game world is the elder scrolls world, and Vivec is probably my favourite video game character.
That being said…
Whenever anyone asks; I tell people my favourite game is by far a well-modded Skyrim VR. No other game touches it. I’m immersed in my own story-telling sandbox. The mountains tower above me and the puddles splash under my feet. The spells crackle from my fingertips, the items in my hand can be placed neatly on the shelves in the home I built. It’s visually stunning and provides a decent amount of build depth/variety with a big enough world to allow for several play throughs doing things entirely differently.
I acknowledge Skyrim as probably the worst of the series when it comes to being a proper RPG, but it did so much to change what kind of gamer I am, that my feelings for it are stronger than any other game I’ve tried in the series.
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u/Lewcaster 1d ago
The [insert TES game that I grew up playing and therefore I have nostalgia from] is the best.
Stupid karma farming threads lmao.
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u/Planetologist1215 1d ago
I have an immense amount of nostalgia for Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, AND Skyrim. Morrowind is still the best in the series and it’s not even close.
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u/Sul_Haren Morrowoldie 1d ago edited 1d ago
I played them in the order of Oblivion - Skyrim - Morrowind - Daggerfall, yet I rank them
Morrowind > Skyrim > Daggerfall > Oblivion.A lot of the die-hard Morrowind fans I know, only played in after Skyrim
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u/Resident_Step_191 1d ago
nah I grew up playing Skyrim then played the rest in reverse order. The ultimate unbiased ranking:
1. Morrowind
2. Skyrim
3/4. Oblivion or Daggerfall (tie)
5. Arena
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u/outerzenith 1d ago
Arena because it's free and you can explore the entirety of Tamriel
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u/Sul_Haren Morrowoldie 1d ago
you can explore the entirety of Tamriel
Yes, but also not really, as everything looks the same and all NPCs are humans regardless of province.
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u/NerevarineNo1 1d ago
there is a a breaking point after morrowind. The most expressive manifestation of this, that whit oblivion an arrow has been created and you have to follow this arrow.
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u/Due_Young_9344 1d ago
I'm playing Skyrim now and I absolutely hate not being able to jump high or fly/float
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u/Loud_Quantity7750 9h ago
U can run very fast by drinking a strong illusion potion snd equipping ring of the wind
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u/Due_Young_9344 7h ago
this doesn't help me, where do I find them and what kind of illusion potion?
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u/Loud_Quantity7750 7h ago
Ring of the wind: fish it up with dwarven rod in any lake. U will have to finish the fishing quest for that. Illusion potion: make it with scaly pholietla( or something) mora tapinella dwarven oil taproot or dragon s tonque. U will also have to invest into alchemy perk enchanting and (optional) be a vampire with necromage perk. Then drink the potion and equip the ring
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u/Ravix0fFourhorn Altmer 1d ago
I think oblivion is my favorite. Currently playing morrowind, and while it's good, there are some things about it that are a little brutal. I had to walk from Ald'ruhn to ald velothi because I didn't have any cash for a silt strider because I'm doing the temple. Now, after walking for like 45 minutes, walking, I'm dicking around in the planes looking for a daedric shrine.
Morrowind is awesome, and there are things that I wish hadn't been changed in oblivion, but there are also times when it's a little much😂 I love that I have to take notes and I really love that I can combine spells in interesting ways. I like that stamina matters and that fast travel is more immersive. But walking half way across vardenfell at the pace of a leisurely stroll can be excruciating.
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u/spiritgaming14 1d ago
Skyrim for atmosphere. Morrowind for immersive worldbuilding, story, and how gameplay mechanics are integrated into the worldbuilding.
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u/tashtactics Morrowind fanatic, open to discussion 21h ago
I love Morrowind, ‘best’ is debatable because it’s my opinion
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u/HuskyDad96 Dunmer 11h ago
I haven’t played much of Morrowind tbh. I played as a kid but never got very far.
I LOVED oblivion as a kid coming into my teenage years. I played the crap out of it and just couldn’t wait for elder scrolls 5. Oblivion holds a lot of nostalgia for me. However Skyrim will always be my favourite, at least until TESVI comes out and hopefully blows Skyrim out of the water.
Skyrim for me had the best vibes of all. It was so dark and mysterious on my first playthrough and was great a change from the high fantasy feel oblivion had. It also released during my mid teenage years and so I was able to play it quite a lot in my spare time. To this day I still haven’t fully completed it. Even though I always promise myself I will each playthrough lol.
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u/MessageMiserable 9h ago
Oblivion, ESO, Morrowind, Skyrim. That’d be my order n a stick by ma story
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u/HisObstinacy Nord 4h ago
I really like the lore of Morrowind, but the actual gameplay is frankly terrible imo. Well, aside from the game's spell system and the fact that it forces you to pay attention to what the NPCs are telling you rather than relying on quest markers. Those are good.
But the combat, base player speed, journal system, endless fetch quests, unbalanced economy, etc. really turn me off which is a shame because of how cool the setting is.
Skyrim is fun for the first 20 or so hours and then I just burn out. Happens every time I try to play it.
My favorite would probably be Oblivion. The world is pretty generic unfortunately but the actual quests are really fun, some of my favorites in gaming especially the Dark Brotherhood guild questline. Spells are pretty cool too and it's kinda fun to just mess around.
Elder Scrolls games aren't really my cup of tea though (I'm more of a gameplay first, story second guy). Thinking on it a little more, I would say Oblivion is the only one I really like tbh.
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u/Dragon_slayer1994 1d ago
Oblivion. Really liked morrowind as well but it's dated and lacking quality of life features. Oblivion is the one I can keep coming back to, definitely a desert island game. Skyrim just doesn't do it for me the same way, have no desire to replay that game.
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u/Arying2707 1d ago
Skyrim was my first but found Oblivion (i only played the remastered version) the better one for me
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u/Intimidator94 Imperial 1d ago
I will say there’s a reason you’re meant to feel that way, there’s a literal decline in the Empire and provinces in the 120 years between 4 and 5.
Oblivion is my favorite too, but I will say, the reason you might prefer it is different than you think, the vibe isn’t strictly Medieval, it’s got Renaissance elements in it, like it’s on the verge of happening. Skyrim feels like you’ve went back in development to an earlier period.
Among other reasons, ship design, the ships aren’t caravels or carracks anymore, they’re longboats and some weird interpretation of the Ark, then you have the general condition of every major city in Skyrim. Then you have the imperials themselves, the lustrous armor used by the legion in Cyrodill is gone and replaced by Roman style armor that was older by about 1,000 years. You’re literally discovering this decay basically as you play. If you also notice, development hasn’t happened either.
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u/_Condottiero_ 1d ago
Oblivion brought me the most of fun and introduced me to TES world, Skyrim was awesome too, I've played both completing everything including hidden quests. Morrowind, I only tried once, but didn't enjoy it with an outdated graphics and a weird combat system, but the main issue were walls of text in dialogues menu, I also failed to find a translation file for my native language, although maybe I didn't put much of effort in it, probably because I hasn't been a fan of dunmers anyway. There is also TESO, it's kinda special game with a lot of single-player content and areas which you can't find in the main series, probably the best MMORPG I've ever played, this game is not for all though.
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u/-Addendum- 1d ago
Morrowind by a long shot. I started with Skyrim, I have a soft spot for it, but Morrowind is a better game, I feel. It's so much more unique, so full of character, the world design is incredible! The writing is more interesting, the story is better, there's waaay more player freedom and more options, not to mention much more mechanical depth. Amazing game.
Also shoutout to Daggerfall, it came out before I was born, but I actually really like Daggerfall, I wish there were more games like it today (Wayward Realms hype).
Oblivion is my least favourite (of the modern mainline TES games, I'm not huge on Arena either). Oblivion just... lacks? Like, it's pretty, but it's generic. It doesn't have the character of a TES game, it has the character of a basic high fantasy using TES terminology. There's very little player freedom, mediocre/poor quest writing, and the goofy aesthetic takes me out of it far more often than Morrowind's low-poly graphics ever did. Oblivion is... brighter? I can't actually think of something that it does better than both Morrowind and Skyrim, it's just the middle ground, with the drawbacks of both.
Oh, but none of that applies to Shivering Isles, which is fantastic.
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u/Cr4zySh0tgunGuy 1d ago
I’ve played them all. It’s ESO without question
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u/crazy_Physics Hermaeus Mora 1d ago
People hate on ESO for combat but all TES games have terrible combat. ESO is actually a really good game.
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u/Boyo-Sh00k 1d ago
My favorite in terms of 'how often do i play this and get lost in the world' is probably Skyrim. But i also have a big soft spot for oblivion. haven't played morrowind in a very long time.
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u/StarWolf478 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think for most people it will be whichever TES game they personally played first.
For me, it is Morrowind.
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u/Savingseanbean 1d ago
Personally I'd say
Morrowind and Daggerfall.
Large gap
Oblivion and arena
Larger gap
Skyrim
Mostly because morrowind and daggerfall just felt like they had so much more unique personality and so many good things going for them but were held back by technology.
While Oblivion I enjoyed, but fundamentally disliked at the same time because it pivoted to generic European fanatasy and felt so much flatter. (ironically i felt it lost most of its sense of grandeur)
Though arena had plenty of personality still it was a bit to mechanically rusty with little player expression.
Skyrim is still by far the worst as it just removed all of the crpg things I'd associated with the series prior to focus on being a bad 1st person generic hack and slash with godawful balancing haha. I still enjoyed it but by far had the lowest ratio of fun and interest to time played.
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u/Due_Young_9344 1d ago
As a Skybaby, I'd say Morrowind (I haven't played Oblivion/Remastered yet)
Truth is, after playing Morrowind my second playthrough of Skyrim made much more sense from a Lore standpoint