Key points
- For Windows 8 and later apply The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind fullscreen border fix.
- OpenMW is an open-source engine that improves some technical drawbacks and adds native support for MacOS and Linux.
- Active modding community.
- A wide array of bugs have been fixed through community patches.
General information
- GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
- GOG.com Support Page
- Steam Community Discussions
- Morrowind Nexus, the largest active modding community for Morrowind.
Availability
- The in-game soundtrack can be found at
<path-to-game>\Data Files\Music
in 128kbit/s MP3. These differ in arrangement from the versions on the official soundtrack.
Version differences
- The Game of the Year Edition includes both expansions and the latest patches. All digital distribution versions are the Game of the Year Edition and are already fully patched.
- The Elder Scrolls Anthology includes both a retail version and a single Steam key that unlocks Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim.[7]
- The retail and GOG.com versions include The Elder Scrolls Construction Set.[5] The Bethesda.net and Steam versions do not include the Construction Set.[6]
- The GameStop PC Downloads/Impulse version is not compatible with some mods.[8] This version is no longer sold.
DLC and expansion packs
- Official downloads for addons no longer hosted on The Elder Scrolls Official Site. Alternative downloads are available.
Essential improvements
This section may require
cleanup to meet basic
quality standards. The specific problem is:
Test intercompatibility between the mods and patches listed here. You can help by
modifying
the article. The
discussion page may contain useful suggestions.
Patches
- The Game of the Year Edition and the digital distribution versions are already fully patched.
Latest patch versions:
Unofficial Patches
- Aims to fix the bugs in the game without controversial rebalancing or additions.[9]
- Fixes for the Official Plug-Ins (freely available via UESP, included in the GOG edition)
- Comes in merged and individual forms, as well as compatibility variants
- Has non-vanilla enhancements in PikachunoTM's Misc Mods
- Requires both the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions.
- The official plugins are included in the patch.
- Fixes several hundred bugs and inconsistencies not covered by the official patches. Including edits of Russian localization
- Complete update of Polish texts in the form of dictionaries and converter for the latest version of the game.
- Correction of as many errors in the translation of the Polish version of the game as possible.
- Allowing to run English mods without errors on the Polish version.
- Translation of Patch for Purists and Official Plugins (should also work with Unofficial Morrowind Plugins Patched).
General
- Fixes bugs in the Morrowind executable that could not be covered by the Morrowind Patch Project.
- Includes several optional gameplay enhancements, such as a sneak toggle and smoother magic casting.
- Modifies the executable. To revert to vanilla, use
Morrowind.Original.exe
.[10]
A graphics improvement add-on to Morrowind. Also known as Morrowind Graphics Extender XE.
- Allows you to select any resolution, custom FOV, variety of shaders any many other options
- An updated fork of MGE with expanded features, bug fixes and performance enhancements over standard MGE.
- Vanilla Pixel Shader effects (Such as reflective water) is not compatible with MGE XE. See this mod to replicate the effect.
- Improves stability on systems with at least 3GB RAM by allowing the application to use more than 2GB RAM. Particularly useful when using large numbers of mods or heavily scripted mods.
- Included with Morrowind Code Patch
Engine reimplementations
- Open-source re-implementation of game's engine. Allows Morrowind to be played natively on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Fixes technical drawbacks and corrects design flaws that plagued the original engine.[11] Requires a legal copy of the game in order to play Morrowind.[12]
- Not all mods are compatible with OpenMW, the official wiki maintains a compatibility guide.
- Mod installation guides are available on the wiki or in the documentation
Morroblivion / Skywind
- Morroblivion, a full port/remake of Morrowind in the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion engine has been released and is available here.
- Skywind, a full port/remake of Morrowind in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim engine is still in progress. More information can be found here.
Miscellaneous
Skip intro videos
Use replacement video files
|
- Download the Morrowind intro skip files.
- Apply the files into
Video , replacing existing files if prompted.
|
MGE XE
|
- Install MGE XE.
- Open
MGEXEgui.exe .
- Go to In-Game tab.
- Check Skip opening movie.
|
Replacements for MGSO/Morrowind Overhaul
- MGSO/MO is ancient and will likely have issues with any modern install
- Thastus is a pretty solid guide, though it has many small mods.
- Morrowind Graphics Guide is a bit simpler. Compare and contrast.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
Save game data location
Video
Edit registry[14]
|
- Open the configuration settings in the registry.
- In the right hand window, change
Screen Height and Screen Width to the desired resolution.
Notes
- FOV change is Vert-.
|
Set widescreen resolution[citation needed]
|
- Run Morrowind at least once.
- Download and run Morrowind FPS Optimizer. (all versions)
- Choose Change Morrowind registry settings here.
- Change defaults to the resolution you want.
- Uncheck novice mode and set your field of view (FOV) on the misc/2 tab.
Notes
- FOV change is only applied when the Morrowind FPS Optimizer is running.
- Some UI elements have maximum resizing limits; use Morrowind Code Patch to remove these limits.
|
Enable MSAA[14]
|
- Open the configuration settings in the registry.
- In the right hand window, change
Multisamples from 0 to the number of samples you wish to use (ie, 4 = 4x MSAA).
|
Enable Vsync[14]
|
- Open the configuration settings in the registry.
- In the right hand window, change
Presentation Interval from 0 to 1.
|
Input
Audio
Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
Separate volume controls |
|
Voice, Effects, Footsteps, Music. |
Surround sound |
|
Up to 7.1 output[citation needed] |
Subtitles |
|
|
Closed captions |
|
Subtitles must be enabled as they also enable closed captioning. |
Mute on focus lost |
|
|
EAX support |
|
|
Royalty free audio |
|
|
Localizations
Network
Multiplayer types
Connection types
VR support
Issues fixed
Crashing During Install or Launch
Crashing During Install or Launch[citation needed]
|
Some users have reported issues with crashes whilst installing or launching the game.[15] This can often be put down to a conflict between the Macrovision SafeDisc encryption software packaged with the game, and specific background programs installed on your computer. Programs known to lead to this conflict:
- Iomega removable hard disk drives and flash drives
- Hex and kernel editors.
In order to resolve this issue, the user should use the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination, and end all running processes except Explorer and Systray (these are essential system processes).
|
Render Creation Failure
Render Creation Failure[citation needed]
|
- This issue often occurs with users who have a corrupted install of the MGE XE. If this is the cause, it can be resolved by reinstalling the mod correctly.
However, the issue may also be caused by the following:
- The system does not meet the minimum system requirements for Morrowind, or is using an unsupported video card. In this case, there is little that can be done to resolve the issue, other than upgrading the under-performing parts to meet system requirements.
- Outdated graphics card drivers. In this case, the user must update their drivers to the latest version, available from their respective manufacturer's website.
|
Audio Problems (Windows XP)
Audio Problems (Windows XP)[citation needed]
|
- Some users have reported issues with in-game audio, which may often lead to crashing. One way to resolve this is to reduce sound quality to low in the options menu. If this does not work, try the following:
- Open the Start menu, and search
dxdiag , then open the program.
- Go to the "Sound" tab, and reduce the audio hardware acceleration down two notches to Basic Acceleration.
|
Grey Haze
Grey Haze[citation needed]
|
- Users with Nvidia cards who report a grey haze in their games often have their "fog emulation table" turned off. It can be turned back on by doing the following in Windows XP:
- Click the Start button, and navigate to the Control Panel
- Double click Display, and navigate to Settings, then Advanced
- Select the GeForce Tab and click Additional Properties
- Click on the Direct3D Tab
- Place a check mark in the box for Enable Fog Emulation Table
|
Crash After a Few Minutes of Play
Crash After A Few Minutes of Play[citation needed]
|
- Users with the Nvidia GeForce 2MX video card and a Via based motherboard often report this issue.
- It can be resolved by downloading the latest drivers.
- It is unknown where the latest version of Via's 4-in-1 driver can be obtained, after the original domain (
viaarena.com ) elapsed and was bought by malware groups.
- Many computer and motherboard manufacturers have special version of these drivers for use with their hardware. It is highly recommended that you contact the system/motherboard manufacturer to see if the manufacturer has a special version of these drivers, in which case you should use the version specified.
|
Mouse Lag
Mouse Lag[citation needed]
|
Turning down the music slider to its minimum often results in severe mouse lag, particularly indoors.
- This can be resolved by moving the slider one notch up, which will halt the lag whilst keeping the music inaudible.
|
Load Failure
Load Failure[citation needed]
|
Some users who have installed both the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions separately have reported loading errors, which are caused by the expansions being installed in the wrong order. This can be resolved by installing Bloodmoon over the top of the existing installations, with no need to uninstall anything.
|
Black Sun
Black Sun[citation needed]
|
Users with ATI Radeon graphics cards often see a black sun during gameplay. This graphical anomaly can be resolved by installing the fan-made "ATI Card Sun Fix" mod. MGE XE also fixes it.
|
Installing The Elder Scrolls Construction Set Disc
Installing Disc[citation needed]
|
- If the user purchased the game on disc, they may be unable to install the construction set through its packaged disk. This issue can be resolved by installing the set from the game disc (Disk 1) instead. To do this, follow these steps:
- Place Disc 1 in the CD-ROM drive
- Right-Click on your CD-ROM drive and click on Explore
- Go to
CSInstall , then double click on setup.exe
- This will launch the construction set install from the play disc rather than its specific disc, and should resolve any install issues.
|
Unable to construct potions, due to a wrong message it does not have a name
Window border visible in fullscreen mode
- Morrowind does not go fullscreen correctly on Windows 8 and later.
Retail version does not work
Install the latest Patches to remove the incompatible SafeDisc protection from the retail version.[4]
Settings don't stay saved
Run as administrator[citation needed]
|
- Right click Morrowind Launcher.exe
- Select properties
- Select compatibility tab
- Tick run this program as an administrator
|
Crash on minimizing the game (alt-tab)
Edit ini[17]
|
- Open the Morrowind.ini
- Set Background Keyboard=1
|
Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
Direct3D |
8.1 |
MGE XE implements DirectX 9.0c and OpenMW implements OpenGL |
Executable | PPC |
32-bit |
64-bit | ARM |
Notes |
Windows | |
|
| |
For 64-bit use OpenMW |
macOS (OS X) | | |
| |
Natively supported by OpenMW |
Linux | | |
| |
Natively supported by OpenMW. ARM32 builds of OpenMW are not easily available, but do exist;[18] ARM64 is widely available. Raspberry Pi is not officially supported.[19] |
Middleware
Modifications
Morrowind mods can be found at Morrowind Nexus
Mod Manager
- Mod managers are used to simplify mod installation. Use one of the following.
- Wrye Mash is a utility for installing and managing mods and savegames.
- Powerful and easy to use mod manager with mod virtualization, in order to keep the installation folder clean.
Fixes
- Greatly improves outdoor - and to a degree indoor - performance.
UV Texture Fixes
- The following mods fix texture seams:
Graphics
- AI upscale of vanilla textures.
- Has less upscaling and compression artifacts than Morrowind Enhanced Textures[20]
- Authentic to the original textures' artstyle.
- AI upscale of vanilla textures.
- Provides significantly more detailed and natural-looking textures than Intelligent Textures.
- 100% vanilla-friendly.
- Normal maps for Morrowind adding depth to original flat textures.
- Compatible with Intelligent Textures and Morrowind Enhanced Textures.
- A high resolution replacements for Morrowind's Magic Cards font, used in most of the UI and for the Daedric font used in scrolls.
- Both mods have special version for Polish fonts compatibility.
Gameplay
- Delays Tribunal's Dark Brotherhood hit on the player significantly and adds sanity check.
- Not everyone knows about Bloodmoon's Solstheim and immediately tells you to go there, also has sanity checks.
- Modernizes combat by removing the dice roll hit chance and changing parts of the game that were built around it.
- Includes other popular gameplay tweaks.
- Compatible with Tamriel Rebuilt and Morrowind Rebirth.
Utilities
- Sorts mod load order to reduce conflicts and provides messages regarding known issues with mods.
System requirements
Windows |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
98, ME, 2000, XP | |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 3 and Intel Celeron 500 MHz AMD Athlon |
Intel Pentium 3 800 MHz AMD Athlon |
System memory (RAM) |
128 MB |
256 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
1 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
32 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.1 compatible
| Nvidia GeForce 2 GTS ATI Radeon 7500 |
Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 4, NVIDIA GeForce 3, NVIDIA GeForce 2, NVIDIA GeForce 256, NVIDIA GeForce TNT2, ATI Radeon 8500, ATI Radeon 7500, ATI Radeon 7200, ATI Radeon.
Notes
References
- ↑ The Elder Scrolls - Ubi Soft signs major publishing contract with Bethesda Softworks to distribute multiple titles in Europe - last accessed on 2020-09-09
- "Paris, France, January 3, 2002 – Ubi Soft® Entertainment today announced the signing of an exclusive European publishing contract with Bethesda Softworks® Inc., a ZeniMax Media company. The agreement covers nine games, including several yet-to-be-announced titles and the highly anticipated The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind™ for PC and Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft, as well as the award-winning Sea Dogs™ for PC."
- ↑ RPG Vault: Morrowind Developer Q&A #8
- ↑ NDL news
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Overclockers Australia Forums - View Single Post - Morrowind Patch Released
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Release: The Elder Scrolls, page 4 - Forum - GOG.com
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition on Steam
- ↑ The Complete Elder Scrolls Collection comes to PC this September (Updated) | Bethesda Blog
- ↑ [Gamestop] Quakecon 2013 Sale: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim LE 40% off ($35.99), Skyrim 50% off ($14.99), Oblivion GOTY 75% off ($4.99), Morrowmind GOTY 75% off ($4.99) : GameDeals: - Reddit
- ↑ Morrowind Guide for New Players | Bethesda's Giving TES3 Away Free | Engine, Mods, Multiplayer - YouTube
- ↑ Morrowind Code Patch - Morrowind Modding Wiki
- ↑ OpenMW FAQ
- ↑ https://openmw.org/faq/#do_i_need_morrowind
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Verified by User:Blackbird on 2019-05-19
- Extremely easy to use and worth it for the number of useful options you get.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Verified by User:SirYodaJedi on 26 March 2019
- ↑ Known Issues and Resolutions - The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind Forums
- ↑ Morrowind talk:Alchemy - UESPWiki
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Morrowind/comments/85xklg/alttab_fix_for_morrowind
- ↑ [[missing url] New port installer: OpenMW (Morrowind)] - last accessed on 2021-05-08
- ↑ Missing Textures Raspberry Pi 4 B Model, 4GB RAM - last accessed on 2021-05-08
- ↑ Morrowind Enhanced Textures 4.1 vs Intelligent Textures 2.0 - last accessed on 2021-06-22