How is the Elder Scrolls series views by Codexers?

[Gandalf]

I once visited a friend and he had Oblivion box on the shelf. I had no idea what that was, so I simply asked "Is it good?"

His response was "Yeah, it's good", so I got it too. BIG MISTAKE.

 

[NecroLord]

I once visited a friend and he had Oblivion box on the shelf. I had no idea what that was, so I simply asked "Is it good?"

His response was "Yeah, it's good", so I got it too. BIG MISTAKE.

 

[Lemming42]

Can you tell me where Armand Christophe is hiding?

 

[rubinstein]

Flyyyin'... flyyin' in the skyyyy.... cliff racer flys...
so high....

 

[Late Bloomer]

The Elder Scrolls is a renowned video game series that has captivated codexers since it's inception. In fact, the dex wouldn't exist without the Elder Scrolls. With a rich history spanning multiple games, the series is known for its vast open-world exploration, intricate lore, and complex gameplay mechanics. The people who openly have disdain for the series are just trolling. Looking for brofists and to rile up actual rpg gamers. Those of us that are open about our love of the Elder Scrolls as a series (including ESO) are the literal reincarnation of the dragonborn, the hero of kvatch, the nerevarine, the agent, the vestige, here on the codex.

 

[Lemming42]

Flyyyin'... flyyin' in the skyyyy.... cliff racer flys...
so high....

I'm Rena Bruiant. I love dogs. Doesn't everyone?

 

[Gregz]

This is the best Elder Scrolls experience currently available:

https://www.dfworkshop.net/

 

[Dr1f7]

Oblivion is a good example of a game that was good for its time

No it isn't, it was complete shit when it came out.

yea ur prolly right

 

[NecroLord]

Daggerfall Unity is great just for the bugs and glitches fixes alone.
Though it does have other features.

 

[Daemongar]

I played them all. Here is my critique:

Arena: Interesting promise, but it was dated on release. It came out a fully 2 years (ok 23 months) after Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld. Could have been better if they condensed the world, cities, dungeons. Just too little spread over too much empty. Not revered too much, but visited from time to time. There were sparks of brilliance in there, tho (music). Made wandering around interesting, and everyone owes it to themselves to fire up the GoG version at least once - seeing as its free (or was.)

Daggerfall: People look on it a wee bit with rose colored glasses, but it was buggier than Ultima 9 on release. People who played and finished it at the time hold it in high regard, folks who played it recently - well, may not see the magic. Excellent character creation, lots of content, lots under the hood but dated graphics even for 1996. Last one to require a manual, or at least last one you *should* read a manual.

Morrowind: Technical marvel at the time, still holds up. One of the most unique open worlds ever created. Hit the best balance on character creation of the series. Also (in)famous for it's quest instructions and directions (ie: West of where the rivier forks, North of the Ashlander camp...) Dialog system was bad. Still has a lot of life and mods today. This is the best TES Scrolls game for me.

Oblivion: Impressive graphics, big map, lots to do, but starting to diminish. You could tell the series was turning a corner. Fully voice by 4 people, better dialog system than Morrowind but starting to simplify everything for a wider audience. Dungeons really fell off (see: Ayleid Ruins) as well as the overall story. I liked the Daedra quests, but the the first Oblivion gate was interesting, the 97th was brutal.

Skyrim: The graphics are great, there is a lot to explore, and puzzles that any gamer can solve! The intro annoyed me and it was all downhill from there. Simplified everything. I'd rather play Arena than this. I did have some quality time modding this game though. Fell into the GTA IV trap for me. Let's make a simulator realistic to the point of boredom. I can see why folks like this tho, and maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Mise]

I remember I played Oblivion, and I was fighting a wasp or bee or whatever(if the game had guns they would've been called cazadors ) along the road and I was level 13 and didn't know anything about the level scaling and I remember beating the bees without a problem 6 levels prior but I had trouble beating them and the battle took much longer... that moment I thought, well if I get to max level, these ordinary bees by road will be able to kill me, I immediately deleted the game and never came back to the series.

 

[HappyDaddyWow!]

People like to shit on Oblivion, but out of all the post-morrowind bethesda games it probably has the most memorable and interesting sidequests.

Oblivion quests I can remember off the top of my head: the one where you enter the guys nightmare, the one where you teleport yourself inside an enchanted painting, buying a haunted mansion with a lich buried in the basement, pretty much all the Daedric quests and the Dark Brotherhood questline.

Skyrim quests I can remember: fucking none of them because they all boil down to "go to this draugr crypt and grab an item".

 

[Lemming42]

Oblivion's got the best quests in the whole series, at least conceptually (mostly because quests in all the other games are shit). Stuff like having to get recommendations from each of the Mages Guilds to join up is genuinely a really cool idea, and stuff like the nightmare and the painting do indeed beat DF/MW/Skyrim's "go to dungeon and pick up item/kill thing and then come back" stuff. I really love the one where you get lured to an island where people are hunting live human (or elf or khajiit, whatever) prey, and you've got to Die Hard your way through the gauntlet while turning the game against the hunters. The one where you go to sleep in the novelty boat inn and it gets hijacked and taken out to sea is good fun too.

Oblivon's such a weird game because I don't like it but almost everything about it makes me smile, and the jankiness and awful voice acting and shitty AI is just great fun. It fucking sucks so bad but I could happily watch someone else play it for hours. My gf played it a while back and watching her play was the most fun I've had in ages, but as soon as I started my own playthrough I gave up like ten minutes after leaving the sewers.

 

[NecroLord]

Skyrim quests I can remember: fucking none of them because they all boil down to "go to this draugr crypt and grab an item".

Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines are pretty good.

 

[luj1]

I know Oblivion is kind of a meme in a lot of ways, but I've been getting into the series.

Compared to say Baldur's Gate, Diablo, or even I suppose tabletop RPGS, how is the Elder Scrolls series considered here on the Codex?

Also, why does it seem Arena and Daggerfall have been quietly buried by Todd Howard?

Daggerfall and Morrowind are classics, as previously said

Morrowind was their last PC game, anything that came after is trash

Skyrim is probably the worst disgrace in the history of gaming, on both technical and art terms

 

[JarlFrank]

This is the best TES Scrolls game for me.

The Elder Scrolls Scrolls

 

[Nifft Batuff]

They ranges between good and mediocre, but they are not bad. Do you want to see bad ARPGs? Look at Diablo and its clones.

 

[Froila]

Some of the TES games have nice landscapes.

 

[NecroLord]

Some of the TES games have nice landscapes.

See that mountain?

 

[Gandalf]

One mention of Battlespire so far in the thread and none for Redguard

 

[ind33d]

Daggerfall Unity is great just for the bugs and glitches fixes alone.
Though it does have other features.

it must be better to just mod random dungeons into minecraft, right? daggerfall's engine doesn't even have collision

 

[NecroLord]

One mention of Battlespire so far in the thread and none for Redguard

I know, right?
Dem Imperials be raycist an' sheeeeit.

 

[Rudra]

Woops I'm playing Daggerfall again

 

[HumanTotemPole]

better dialog system than Morrowind

Conceptually maybe. In terms of the fidelity barrier to entry for extensive modding Morrowind-style wikilog has its merits.

 

[Butter]

and none for Redguard

If I want to play a low intelligence criminal I'll play Thi4f.