The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Disease & Cure

Learn how to identify, prevent, and cure diseases like Blight in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Protect your Nerevarine from Vvardenfell's afflictions.

Disease & Cure

Vvardenfell is a land teeming with dangers, and not all of them wield a weapon. Diseases are a common affliction, weakening your character and making adventuring significantly more challenging. Understanding how to identify, prevent, and cure these ailments is crucial for survival.

Identifying Disease

When you contract a disease, you'll typically see a message appear in the top left corner of your screen, stating something like "You have contracted Ash Woe Blight." You can also check your active effects by opening your character menu (default key: 'Tab') and navigating to the 'Magic' tab, then selecting 'Active Effects'. Here, any active diseases will be listed, along with their debilitating effects on your attributes and skills.

Common Diseases and Their Effects

Here's a list of some common diseases you might encounter in Morrowind, along with their typical effects:

  • Ash Blight: Reduces Agility, Strength, and Endurance. Often contracted from Ash creatures.
  • Corprus Disease: The most infamous and dangerous disease in Morrowind. Initially reduces Strength and Agility, but also causes permanent attribute damage and eventually leads to madness and monstrous transformation. This disease is central to the main questline.
  • Rattles: Reduces Agility and Endurance. Commonly found in caves and ruins, often spread by rats or other small creatures.
  • Swamp Fever: Reduces Speed and Strength. Prevalent in marshy regions like the Bitter Coast, often spread by Kwama or other swamp-dwelling fauna.
  • Witbane: Reduces Intelligence and Willpower. Can be contracted from various creatures, including Scamps.

Curing Diseases

There are several reliable methods for curing diseases in Morrowind. It's always wise to carry some form of cure, especially when venturing into dangerous areas.

1. Potions

The most straightforward method is to use a Cure Disease Potion. These can be purchased from alchemists and apothecaries in most major towns. Look for vendors in Balmora, Vivec, Ald'ruhn, and Suran. It's advisable to always have a few on hand.

  • Recommended Purchase Locations:
    • Balmora: Ajira (Mages Guild), Nalcarya of White Haven (Alchemy Shop).
    • Vivec, Foreign Quarter: Aurane Frernis (Apothecary).
    • Ald'ruhn: Bivale Teneran (Apothecary).

2. Spells

If you're a magic-user, the Cure Common Disease spell is invaluable. This spell is available from various spell vendors, particularly those associated with the Temple or Mages Guild. Training your Restoration skill will make casting this spell more reliable and less costly in Magicka.

  • Recommended Spell Merchants:
    • Balmora: Estirdalin (Mages Guild).
    • Vivec, Temple Canton: Llarar Bereloth (Temple).
    • Ald'ruhn, Temple: Folms Mirel (Temple).

3. Altars and Shrines

For a free cure, seek out an Altar of the Tribunal Temple or an Imperial Cult Shrine. Interacting with these altars will cure all diseases, including Blight diseases, and restore your attributes. This is an excellent option if you are near a town and low on potions or Magicka.

  • Common Altar Locations:
    • Temple Altars: Found in every Temple canton in Vivec, as well as in the Temples of Balmora, Ald'ruhn, Ghostgate, and other major settlements.
    • Imperial Cult Shrines: Located in Imperial Forts such as Fort Pelagiad, Fort Frostmoth (Bloodmoon expansion), and the Imperial Chapels in Ebonheart.

4. Corprus Disease Specific Cure

Corprus Disease is a unique and particularly virulent affliction that cannot be cured by normal means (potions, spells, or shrines). The only way to cure Corprus is to follow the main questline. Eventually, you will be directed to speak with Divayth Fyr in his tower, Tel Fyr, located in the Azura's Coast region. He possesses the only known cure for Corprus.

  • Location: Tel Fyr, Azura's Coast.
  • Questline: This cure is part of the main quest, specifically the quest "Corprus Cure."

Prevention

While curing diseases is important, preventing them is even better. Here are some tips:

  • Resist Disease Enchantments/Spells: Equip items enchanted with 'Resist Disease' or cast 'Resist Disease' spells before entering areas known to harbor diseased creatures.
  • High Endurance: Characters with high Endurance have a natural resistance to disease.
  • Avoidance: Simply avoid combat with creatures known to carry diseases if you are unprepared.