when you graph all the rpgs over the years onto, idk, a supercontext, theres gonna be an impressively obvious spike labelled morrowind
-best conversation system, where you say a word, or topic if you will, and an npc will respond, according to many, many, many different factors, just like real life. dont be rude! or look like youll be rude. theres a heavy, pitch black artifact helmet-mask combo in the north that smooths over lots of people. people love a mystery person w a black, expressionless, sheening, spiky and rather sinister headgear obscuring their identity.
-best inventory system, visual grid inside resizable windows w a doll of the pc, the ability to switch left and right pauldrons, bracers, shoes, layered clothing and robes, racial, or racist fashion restrictions.
-best story. convincing a council of actually mentally handicapped/different immortalish wizard kings and queens, all dwelling in their mushroom towers w very handicapped unfriendly layouts, that you're the new most valuable person in the local politic, is just ch17 or something of a 25 chapter main campaign. it is extraordinarily memorable, especially as it's magic territory and you very quickly learn of transport shortcuts to avoid the back and forth that is made unbearable by the constant vertical fungal palaces, and occassional random, errant summon stomping around dead ends.
-on top of the campaign, theres all the other stuff that skyrim and oblivion DID NOT invent, such as 7-12 factions and their mission trees/hierarchies, strewn about the country. plus a metric ton of misc quests, the stuff that is both of little consequence, but considerable interest. they're usually funny. also each of the local demon gods have a task or two, but only if you touch their statue, usually on the knee
-fantasy banks you can rob. getting ahold of mediocre plus stealing technology and breaking into these (they're inside the floating bonemold pyramids that lay in formation at the south of this nation) nets you a huge jump in stuff. you will spend a few minutes dropping and stacking heavy stuff in the bank chamber before teleporting somewhere. all ordinators (the religious police) hate you before and after this, it is the best.
-fantasy prison. suspended moon body above the capitals religious area.
-brass ruins full of steam, acid, lava and a bunch of automata that would not have been useful in domestic life. daedric ruins with actually significant angle and map variability, in that it's manic. tombs where the locals pour the remains into pits. mines full of a symbiotic ill tempered ant-larva combo family. cults to a new god that are most strong when you rest. brick bunker dojos filled w immortal zombies blooming cancer perpetually. a giant bell shaped outsider plays on the musical instrument that is the multi trunk coming out of his face, surrounded by gently dozing staff bumping intoeachother, who all have their heads scooped out, leaving a black gap where there should be the self. There are heavy bells and a hammer nearby, and a trough for all the things taken.
uhh. ice island expansion w goblins, nords and werewolves. bottle world expansion which is major political capital with several sections of hostile area underneath impressive city. the main continent is at least 7 different flavours of...state, or province.
-ultra flexible magic, enchant and alchemy system. very good for power roofs, ie somehow getting a constant effect chameleon thing going, so everyone is spooked when you go to talk to them. literally a thing, cultists and daemons can be spoken to if they aren't too hostile.
-ambience. musics great, but youre gonna be playing this for more than the runtime provided. new slurs in different cultures.
-a very well spaced portion of easter egg/creepy features. most of them are in the north, really, including the mission for the god of madness. the falling bosmer mage is largely a tradition than a mystery.
-you get, um, ahem, 'casting couched' by one of the highups of the social skill faction. no matter what or who you are. when i was a kid i just shrugged and went, eh, prob funny for adults, but now, now i know its wrong. he is v personable for a questgiver tho
-your initial contact after you arrive on the island is a drug addicted, shirtless spymaster, who is perfectly at home w the natives. he'd be wearing a hawaiian shirt if the setting was vaster. his bong for cat meth is in plain sight, but at no point does he seem impaired to the point of unprofessionalism
-wildlife! floating sexually dismorphic jellyfish, leathery green hounds w nonsymettrical faces, daemons that were summoned but not unsummoned, such as frantic goblins and women of gold fortitude and hollow voice. also ghosts and skeletons.
there are men covered in chitin with octopus tentacle lower limbs and claws for hands that you will find thrashing at you from behind as you explore the sea(s)
-mods. prob one of the big mod lands too, on par w doom
cons
-cliff racers, which feel bad to fight when youre bad at fighting. they are v much an inworld and incommunity cultural nuisance. apparently a saint was hassled by a thousand of them, once, i think its the homeless guy that shakes you awake after you dream about the opening movie file
-fighting is old school! as in you will miss if you have low skill.
thats it.
if you dont like reading, perhaps thats another reason to avoid this. but you made it this far!?
