Wich class to start??? No spoilers on historyline, only on char creation and beggin

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 12:50 pm

I'm heading home now, and my Morrowind pack has just arrived, according to my sister. So, first:

Wich class shall I start with?

There are classes in this game?

Shall I play on 'core' like BG2 or is it too hard to play?

How shall I start?

Garthdawg · Post by **Garthdawg** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 3:53 pm

I'd play on the normal setting 0 (between [-100,100]) until you've aquainted yourself with the world, then you get slide it up to harder difficulties.

Breton seems to be the best race, due to magic resistance. However, Dark Elf looks really cool. They all look cool actually, but I preferred dark elf.

Best birthsign is probably Womburn (stunts magic, but lets you absorb it, and triples your magicka pool; make sure to get Conjuration as skill if you get it). The warrior and thief are decent signs, as well as any of the fortify attribute signs.

Class is actually somewhat irrelevant, but I found the theivery classes most rewarding. Most spells can be covered by alchemy and enchant, and you only need 1 weapon and 1 armor.

Speechcraft is very useful. Make sure to have at least 1 weapon class and 1 armor class (in addition to marksman if you pick it).

Have fun, and good luck.

Shadrach · Post by **Shadrach** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 4:06 pm

My first couple tries at making my own class were pretty bad flops, because I was trying to balance too much at once. My eventual success was an Orcish fighter, with heavy armor, several of the "heavy" weapon styles (long blade, axe, spear, etc.) and a bit of magic here and there. Don't try to play a pure mage the first time through, since the only way to get new spells is to buy them from merchants, and then take those spells and make new spells with *other* merchants. Until you've explored a good bit of the world, you simply won't have enough killing power.

I would recommend a fighter-type, since fighters are relatively straightforward and don't require much advance preparation. The beauty of Morrowind is that it really doesn't matter what skills you choose, because you can increase anything and everything whenever you like, simply by using them.

If you're going to be spellcasting, make sure to take a race or a birthsign that gives you an increase to maximum magicka, or you'll be very frustrated very quickly. Maximum magicka is the only thing in Morrowind that can't be increased very easily, or very far. If you're not going to be doing a lot of spellcasting, the Lady is a good choice. It gives you lots of extra hitpoints throughout the game, and people like you a lot more. Having people like you is a GOOD thing.

But despite all of this advice, you can do whatever you want, and choose whatever skills you want, and you'll do well.

P.S. Partial spoilers, but not really: 1) Don't choose medium armor as one of your skills. There's very little good medium armor in the game, and lots of good heavy and light armor. You can always train it up later. 2) Choose luck as one of your two favored attributes. It's very very difficult to increase otherwise.

HiRo11er · Post by **HiRo11er** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 4:07 pm

I have actually never picked a class from the given list, or even answered the old man's questions. I just customize every character, and mold him/her into exactly what I want them to be. Make sure you have the right skills for your character however. It sucks getting a bunch of hours into it, only to realize that one or two of your skills are pointless for your character...

JesterKing · Post by **JesterKing** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:16 pm

it all depends on who your dream fantasy man is. if you were in this game would you want to be a brutal warrior, a super theif, an evil necromancer who can summon legions of dead to his side? a battle mage who can hurl spells to fry his opponents into piles of ash... it all depends on your preference. or you can go for a micture of them all. i shun the way of the theif, becuase i dont find it all that thrilling, and stealing from wimply npc's gets really old really fast, for me anyways. i would go with at least rudimentary warrior skills, light or heavy armor, long blade, block. but also get speachcraft!!! and conjuration because its defenitely something you want later in the game. i make custom classes,but the first i anwered the old man's questions and it worked like a charm. i wouls suggest you do that.

beornica · Post by **beornica** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 9:28 pm

One thing that's been muchly discussed on this forum is alchemy. It's something which, when I first started playing, I said to myself: "myself, why bother with alchemy? I can just buy all the potions I need, so that seems like a pretty useless skill if you ask me." But it just so turns out it is an AWESOME skill to have! I think it's the best way to make lots of money very early on in the game. When you start, just pick flowers and mushrooms and junk and make potions and sell them - until you get a TON of cash. Then you can go buy your wonderful delightful glass armour and whatever else you want! Plus, when you get your alchemy really high, the potions you make will be far better and longer lasting than anything you could possibly buy.

I also recommend speechcraft somewhere in there. There are a lot of quests that just don't work out unless you can a) persuade someone to like you b) bribe them to like you or c) witch them into liking you. Persuading and bribing both only being possible with a good speechcraft skill.

I think all this is covered on GameFAQS, if you want to try that. Some marvelous writer there did a nifty little going-over of all the classes and signs and whatnot, and rated them all and gave recommendations. I love GameFAQS. It's loverly.

Psi_RedEye22 · Post by **Psi_RedEye22** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 9:57 pm

Agreed on the alchemy. I suggest going for the light armor, and small weapons (glass becomes extremely useful, and many of the smaller weapons have amazing magical effects) And light armor characters can afford to get speed, and running speed is extremely important, at least for me. (I won the game as a kajiit thief, amazing speed and acro)

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 10:24 pm

Consider a Breton with the mage birthsign: you don't have to worry about absorbing magicka with your first character, he/she comes with a goodly supply. Consider building a new class with alchemy, destruction, heavy armor, longswords, and illusion in your major skills group. This gives you 5 of the basic 6 attribute classes in that group, and lets you raise 'em all pretty quickly. I'd put the other spellcasting skills, perhaps, in the minor group. Perhaps block, too.

This will give you a good fighter/mage configuration, able to use spells and swords in battle. Thieving is a little trickly; I'd save it for a second character, later. Just my two cents.

JesterKing · Post by **JesterKing** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 10:41 pm

ok everybody goes on and on about alchemy... but i dont relaly think its all that great, you can get tons more money by selling sould gems i think, and it becomes more of a hoby than an occupation, not really as useful when you are really struggling in the beginning of the game, i would say if its somehting you are really interested in, make it a minor skill... you can always train it up. thats just my opinion...

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 9:15 am

and it becomes more of a hoby than an occupation, not really as useful when you are really struggling in the beginning of the game...

Hobby? It's the easiest way to make money in the environment. It's also the easiest way to supply yourself with a variety of essential potions. And by raising your Alchemy skill you have recourse to one of the few skills that raise Intelligence, which in turn has a drastic effect on increasing your mana reserves as you level.

You wouldn't use alchemy when you just start up; but then, you wouldn't run around finding gemstones to sell when you just start up either, as you suggest for making cash. But the placement of alchemy as a major skill means it will be available, and will work, when you turn to it, because you'll already have a good skill level to start, and it will rise quicker. IMO, it's as close to an essential skill for a new player to consider as possible. Veterans can afford to forego it, making the game considerably harder, but not newbies.

Dark Master · Post by **Dark Master** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 12:21 pm

First few times I played through the game I didn't touch alchemy, I've yet to try enchant as well, is that any good?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:02 pm

Takes a long time to become decent at enchanting. The rewards are good, but first you have to be able to kill Very Large, Powerful Things, and steal their souls. Only after that, and with a high enchantment skill, will you really be able to produce anything better than you can find relatively cheaply in the stores.

giles337 · Post by **giles337** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 2:23 pm

if you attempt to self enchant something and fail do you lose the soul??? or does it just fail?

Dark Master · Post by **Dark Master** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 3:41 pm

You lose the soul and the gem.

(Not azuras star)

JesterKing · Post by **JesterKing** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 4:16 pm

soul gem vs. alchemy

i meant SOUL gems, not diamonds and pearls etc. buy a soulgem, summon up an ancestral ghost, sell it for 6000-20000 gold (depending on the gem), and repeat! its how I make my fortunes when short on cash in any case... i use to mess with weapon and armor salvage but its not worth the hassle. If its as great as everyone says it is I will give the alchemy another try though, just so I am not arguing in ignorance... and azuras star is a re-usable soulgem?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 4:27 pm

6000-20000 drakes? For a summoned ancestral ghost? Last time I checked, that fetched about 50 drakes. Could you be thinking of a dremora lord, perhaps? Even those go for about 1500 drakes, I think, maybe less. And where did you find anyone, save the mudcrab, who could pay 20000 drakes for anything? No other merchant in the game has that kind of money, always barring mods.

JesterKing · Post by **JesterKing** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 4:50 pm

the riches of the soul

yes, 6,000 in greater sould gems and 20,000 in grand sould gems (ancestor ghost). daedroths fetch a woppin 39,000, dremora are 20,000, storm atronochs 30,000 (sometimes 27,000 but i dont know why it changes)... winged twilights 60K, and golden saints 80K. these are all grand soul gem prices, some can be used in both grand and greater, but value is dramatically decreased in greater... its very useful to have these on hand, in mournhold Elbert Nermac (somethign along those lines) is one of the very few poeple who sells soul gems and he has 6K so you can get pretty rich pretty fast... its also nice if you want to enchant something for 100,000 drakes and then get it all back in a few seconds...

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 5:55 pm

Sounds like the system's changed a bit since I played it when MW first came out.

I guess my point is, though, that the prices you quoted, getting to Mournhold, and killing the stuff it takes to fill those gems aren't really available to a newbie. If you're just starting out a new game, I'd say, put enchanting in as a minor skill, so it has some points that positively affect the use of items. (The number of item charges is directly affected by your enchantment skill.) Meanwhile, put alchemy in as a major skill. As a newbie PC, learn how alchemy works, and make plenty of money in MW (not Bloodmoon) terms. Then, when you get a real wad going, have good weapons and high attack skills, spend some of that money raising your enchanting skill, and get to work on it.

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 6:21 am

WOW! Lots of instructions!

I have used the lucky thing, and become kind of a fighter with light armor (thanx for the medium armor spoilers). I will post my progress here soon enough.

Thanx all!!!

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 8:24 am

That's a good choice, Luis Antonio. Let us know how you enjoy Morrowind, and post whatever questions that arise along the way.