Hey guys, and welcome to yet another of my blogs. As promised, I'm trying to keep them more regular and a little shorter, so consider this the first bite-sized chunk of my summer.

In case you didn't already know, I've decided to start playing The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (specifically, the Game of the Year Edition on Xbox). I poured around twenty-five hours into Oblivion earlier this year, and I was really enjoying it, but one thing seemed to hold me back. After gaining a few levels, I found myself struggling to keep up with the game's enemies, which seemed to be getting rapidly stronger (much more so than myself, at any rate). As they left me behind, rendering me unable to hold my own against them, I came to realise that I hadn't set out on my adventures in Cyrodiil with a real vision of what I wanted to achieve. Instead of thinking about what I wanted to do in Oblivion, I'd just charged in and tried to bolster as many stats as possible. I hadn't given any thought as to the role I wanted to play. Call me crazy, not knowing that I had to pick a role in a role-playing game, but that's genuinely what happened.

Anyway, the point of that little aside is, I'm not going to make the same mistake with Morrowind. I've been thinking long and hard about what I want my character to achieve, and what kind of experience I want to get out of Morrowind. I decided I wanted to focus on combat, and on creating a strong character that could look after himself in the harsh environments of Vvardenfell. So after a couple of trial runs with default characters to get the gist of which stats do what, I've finally decided to settle down, create a finite character and start questing. My final character choice is DanK the Dark Elf (not a traditional name for a Dunmer, but we'll roll with it), a charismatic warrior-type with a penchant for enchanted swords and alchemy. My intention is to focus on creating a combat-oriented character, placing an emphasis on fighting, collecting loot to sell for cash, and brewing potions to keep me fighting fit.

Hey guys, and welcome to yet another of my blogs. As promised, I'm trying to keep them more regular and a little shorter, so consider this the first bite-sized chunk of my summer.

In case you didn't already know, I've decided to start playing The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (specifically, the Game of the Year Edition on Xbox). I poured around twenty-five hours into Oblivion earlier this year, and I was really enjoying it, but one thing seemed to hold me back. After gaining a few levels, I found myself struggling to keep up with the game's enemies, which seemed to be getting rapidly stronger (much more so than myself, at any rate). As they left me behind, rendering me unable to hold my own against them, I came to realise that I hadn't set out on my adventures in Cyrodiil with a real vision of what I wanted to achieve. Instead of thinking about what I wanted to do in Oblivion, I'd just charged in and tried to bolster as many stats as possible. I hadn't given any thought as to the role I wanted to play. Call me crazy, not knowing that I had to pick a role in a role-playing game, but that's genuinely what happened.

Anyway, the point of that little aside is, I'm not going to make the same mistake with Morrowind. I've been thinking long and hard about what I want my character to achieve, and what kind of experience I want to get out of Morrowind. I decided I wanted to focus on combat, and on creating a strong character that could look after himself in the harsh environments of Vvardenfell. So after a couple of trial runs with default characters to get the gist of which stats do what, I've finally decided to settle down, create a finite character and start questing. My final character choice is DanK the Dark Elf (not a traditional name for a Dunmer, but we'll roll with it), a charismatic warrior-type with a penchant for enchanted swords and alchemy. My intention is to focus on creating a combat-oriented character, placing an emphasis on fighting, collecting loot to sell for cash, and brewing potions to keep me fighting fit.

good luck with your role playing! i seems to have the same problem right now with oblivion... i just made a guy without thinking about him...  i hate how oblivion makes me join guilds to get certain benefits though... it does not make for good role playing

for instance, i kind of want to be a thief, but at the same time be a loner, but i cant do that if i actually want to SELL anything i steal... just really annoying

Be warned, when you come up against enemies that are a higher level than you, you will be dead quickly. It's best to run away to live and fight another day.

*Edit* I'm talking about Morrowind of course.

People who pretend that a videogame could actually have roleplaying in it are funny.

They are called role playing games because of where they come from. Not because of what they are.

" People who pretend that a videogame could actually have roleplaying in it are funny.They are called role playing games because of where they come from. Not because of what they are. "

natetodamax, I love RPGs. But being able to change a handful of variables, paths and skins doesn't make you roleplay.

Just so you know, the reason you were having a hard time in Oblivion against enemies has nothing to do with you, the leveling system in that game is broken and the situation you describe is the inevitable result. You have to get around it by "beating the system" and power-leveling, something I don't find fun. That's why I dislike unmodded Oblivion. But I disgress.

From the sounds of it, you just haven't quite yet grasped the nuances of character-creation in an Elder Scrolls game.  Picking Dark Elf to "fit in" and choosing Endurance so you can carry more loot when it's Strength which determines your carrying capacity are a few not-so-subtle hints of this.  Picking Mercantile as a greater skill?  The Lady?  You could get an equivalent bonus just by levelling up endurance and personality-related skills 10 times in your first two levels.   You're just not grasping the fundamentals yet, and if Oblivion was too much for you, good luck in Morrowind.

In Oblivion I found I could start my character with the lowest point-total skills so as to achieve the highest level possible by the end of the game.  With Morrowind, I had to choose skills that would make my character less of a wimp at the beginning or else the first few hours were grueling.  It's really important when choosing your Minor and Major skills in Morrowind to pick ones that are going to give you the appropriate stat-bonus upon levelling (hint: Endurance).  Oh well, there's a few pointers anyways, here's another; RTFM!

Creating a custom class alone does not equate to Role-Playing. The character you're playing is a jack of all trades.

I've been meaning to play Morrowind for a while now.  Oblvion remains one of my favourite 360 games.

@Dank

If I remember correctly, the natives of Vvardenfell will hate you regardless of race because you're an outsider even if you're a Dunmer. The Dark Elves of Morrowind, especially the tribal Elves, are pretty xenophobic. One of the themes of the game, when I think about it.

And, on the note of "playing the role" and "playing said role incorrectly"--with Morrowind, I had to use a sort of trial-and-error management system to figure out what I wanted as well. Once I hit level 10 with my axe-wielding Nord, I knew I wasn't satisfied with the direction I'd taken, so I switched to a magic-casting Wood Elf. Who was also highly proficient with one-handed long blades.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about your decisions. You may have to abandon this character for a new one, but ultimately you're playing to get enjoyment out of the game.