Classes & Custom Classes

Classes & Custom Classes

Morrowind presents players with a foundational choice at the outset: selecting a pre-made class or forging a unique path with a custom class. Each approach carries distinct advantages and disadvantages that can significantly shape your early game experience and long-term character development.

Pre-made Classes vs. Custom Classes

Understanding the trade-offs between these two options is crucial for setting yourself up for success in Vvardenfell.

Pre-made Classes: The Path of Least Resistance

Pre-made classes offer a straightforward entry into Morrowind's complex skill system. They provide a curated set of major and minor skills, along with a starting attribute distribution, designed to align with a specific playstyle. This can be beneficial for new players who are still learning the intricacies of Morrowind's mechanics.

• Advantages:
• Simplicity: Easy to understand and jump into gameplay without extensive planning.
• Early Game Focus: Skills are chosen to provide a solid foundation for a particular archetype, allowing for quicker leveling in core abilities.
• Clear Identity: Immediately establishes a character archetype (e.g., a spellsword, a stealthy assassin).
• Disadvantages:
• Less Flexibility: You are locked into a predefined set of skills, which may not perfectly match your evolving playstyle.
• Potential Skill Overlap: Some pre-made classes might have skills that are less useful to your intended build, leading to slower progression in more desired areas.
• Missed Opportunities: You might miss out on synergistic skill combinations that a custom class would allow.

Custom Classes: The Architect of Your Destiny

The custom class system is where Morrowind truly shines for those who enjoy deep character customization. It allows you to meticulously select your major and minor skills, attributes, and even a birthsign, tailoring your character to an exact vision. This offers unparalleled flexibility but requires a more informed approach.

• Advantages:
• Ultimate Flexibility: Design a character that perfectly suits your desired playstyle, combining any skills you wish.
• Optimized Progression: Focus on skills that synergize well, allowing for faster leveling and more potent abilities from the start.
• Unique Builds: Enables the creation of highly specialized or unconventional character builds that pre-made classes cannot replicate.
• Disadvantages:
• Steeper Learning Curve: Requires a good understanding of Morrowind's skill system and how different skills interact.
• Potential for Poor Choices: Inexperienced players might select skills that don't complement each other, leading to a slow and frustrating early game.
• Requires Planning: You need to think ahead about your character's long-term development and how your initial choices will impact later stages of the game.

Default Classes in Morrowind

Morrowind offers a diverse array of pre-made classes to cater to various playstyles. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Acrobat: Focuses on Acrobatics, Athletics, and Light Armor for agile combat and evasion.
• Agent: Combines Sneak, Security, and Short Blade for a stealthy approach with lockpicking and assassination.
• Battlemage: Blends Destruction, Alteration, and Heavy Armor for a powerful spell-and-sword hybrid.
• Barbarian: Emphasizes Axe, Heavy Armor, and Blunt Weapon for raw, unadulterated melee power.
• Crusader: Utilizes Axe, Heavy Armor, and Restoration for a holy warrior archetype.
• Healer: Specializes in Restoration, Mysticism, and Blunt Weapon for a supportive and defensive role.
• Knight: Focuses on Long Blade, Heavy Armor, and Block for a traditional armored warrior.
• Mage: Centers around Destruction, Mysticism, and Conjuration for a pure spellcaster.
• Monk: Relies on Hand-to-Hand, Acrobatics, and Light Armor for unarmed combat and agility.
• Nightblade: Combines Sneak, Illusion, and Short Blade for a shadowy assassin who uses magic to deceive.
• Pilgrim: Emphasizes Restoration, Mysticism, and Spear for a divine warrior.
• Scout: Utilizes Marksman, Light Armor, and Athletics for ranged combat and mobility.
• Sorcerer: Focuses on Destruction, Conjuration, and Alteration for a powerful offensive mage.
• Spellsword: Blends Destruction, Long Blade, and Heavy Armor for a balanced fighter who uses magic.
• Thief: Centers around Sneak, Security, and Short Blade for a master of subterfuge and larceny.
• Warrior: Emphasizes Axe, Heavy Armor, and Block for a straightforward, durable combatant.

Choosing Your Skills: Early Game Impact

The skills you designate as major skills will level up much faster than minor skills. This is crucial for early game progression, as higher skill levels grant access to better equipment, more powerful spells, and improved combat effectiveness. Consider these examples:

• For a Melee Fighter: Prioritize a weapon skill (e.g., Long Blade, Axe, Blunt Weapon) as a major skill. Combine this with Heavy Armor or Medium Armor for survivability and Block to mitigate incoming damage. Early access to higher weapon skills means hitting more often and dealing more damage, making encounters with early game enemies like Cliff Racers and Kwama Warriors much more manageable.
• For a Mage: Make Destruction and Mysticism your major skills. Destruction allows you to cast offensive spells effectively from the get-go, while Mysticism provides utility spells like "Levitate" and "Feather," which can be invaluable for exploration and reaching hidden areas. Having high Destruction early on can trivialize many early quests that involve combat.
• For a Stealthy Character: Designate Sneak and Security as major skills. High Sneak allows you to avoid combat altogether or get the drop on enemies with surprise attacks. High Security means you can open locked chests and doors with ease, accessing valuable loot and shortcuts. This playstyle benefits greatly from early access to these skills, as it opens up more questing avenues and allows for resource acquisition without direct confrontation.

Synergistic Skill Combinations for Custom Classes

When creating a custom class, think about how skills can complement each other. Here are a few examples of effective combinations:

• The Spellsword:
  • Major Skills: Long Blade, Destruction, Heavy Armor
  • Minor Skills: Block, Alteration, Restoration
  • Rationale: This build allows you to engage in melee combat while supplementing your attacks with powerful destruction spells. Heavy Armor and Block provide excellent defense, while Alteration can buff your defenses further, and Restoration keeps you alive.
• The Assassin/Nightblade:
  • Major Skills: Sneak, Short Blade, Illusion
  • Minor Skills: Security, Light Armor, Alchemy
  • Rationale: Focuses on stealthy approaches, backstabs with a short blade, and using Illusion spells to control enemies or become invisible. Security is vital for accessing locked areas, and Alchemy can provide potent poisons or healing draughts.
• The Battlemage/Spellsword Hybrid:
  • Major Skills: Destruction, Blunt Weapon, Heavy Armor
  • Minor Skills: Alteration, Conjuration, Restoration
  • Rationale: A more magically inclined warrior. Destruction provides offensive power, Blunt Weapons offer a reliable melee option, and Heavy Armor ensures durability. Conjuration can summon allies or weapons, and Alteration/Restoration offer defensive and healing support.
• The Archer/Scout:
  • Major Skills: Marksman, Light Armor, Athletics
  • Minor Skills: Sneak, Security, Alchemy
  • Rationale: Excels at ranged combat with a bow. Light Armor and Athletics allow for mobility and evasion. Sneak can be used to position yourself for optimal shots or to avoid detection, and Security can open up loot caches found in dangerous areas. Alchemy can provide useful buffs or poisons for your arrows.

By carefully considering your major and minor skills, and understanding the strengths of different combinations, you can craft a character that is not only powerful but also incredibly fun and rewarding to play through the vast world of Morrowind.