Your order of the Elder Scrolls games from worst to best.

[Lantairu]

My brother and I decided lately around the same time to play Oblivion again for the first time in years, and as is always the case when I play anything in a well loved series, it got me thinking what the best Elder Scrolls games were. I've heard so many different opinions on all the games, and each have their own merits that make them stand out. My list would go like this:

5: Daggerfall. Boring dungeons and clunky controls killed it for me. I will say the character creation system is pretty cool.

4: Arena. I don't actively dislike Arena like I do Daggerfall, as it is actually a pretty good game I think. It just really hasn't aged well at all.

3: Morrowind: Morrowind has some things I really don't like, such as the combat and the poorly aged graphics, but it really makes up for it with everything else, especially the world design and soundtrack.

2: Skyrim: Even though there are a good amount of people that really don't care for Skyrim, and for good reason, I personally think the pros far outweighed the cons. Maybe that's because of all the mods I installed.

1: Oblivion: Even though Skyrim did have a few things over Oblivion, I consider this the superior game. The environments, story, soundtrack, combat, and almost everything were just so much more immersive to me.

[Jedi]

Daggerfall and Arena are probably at the bottom, despite starting the standards.

Then I put Skyrim, because while it has alot going for it. It dropped the ball in a number of aspects that Oblivion and Morrowind did much better. Namely the world building, and various aspects I could name.

Oblivion did a number of things right, the combat, etc the world is ok. Had tons of fun with this game.

Morrowind however, has a magic that Elder Scrolls has yet to recapture, sure the combat isn't too grand and the dialogue isn't voiced, but it has such an amazing world, actual good writing, huge bouts of immersion, what helps (and this goes for almost every other game too) is the music. Also Morrowind had some of the best sets of spells, despite some of them being utterly silly, and from this point... Oblivion and Skyrim would feel like... they fixed the mechanics that Morrowind didn't do so hot in, but then dropped the quality of nearly everything else, am I purely based in Nostalgia? perhaps that is part of it, but I do honestly feel that Morrowind had the best "feel" of the games, while Oblivion and Skyrim had more nice little things and the combat was much improved.

But I feel Morrowind encourages you more in a weird way to explore being like a thief or a spellcaster, of course you can be a dedicated warrior, but the world feels ripe for just an explorer, the other 2 feel the NEED for some super warrior to save them (you can go against that, but I mean thematically).

[Magical CC]

Best to worst: Morrowind > Skyrim > Oblivion > The rest (havent played any of them)

Morrowind: best city and dungeon design, innovative gameplay, complexity spells and skills, boring combat, vague quests, great musics and...NO god damn free teleport! Do I look like I enjoy a walk from point A to point B for 10 minutes!? To do a single quest!? Then do it again for the next quest!? And again!?

Skyrim: best atmosphere, smooth gameplay, a lot of good mods, limited but fun combat, very simple and bland dungeon, good musics, bugs everywhere that still havent been fixed even in the most recent patch. Thanks modders almighty, they fixed everything.

Oblivion: ugly character models for games of its era, boring design, bland gameplay, so-so musics, have more bugs than even Skyrim. Seriously, Oblivion is not bad, it doesnt have any serious flaw but it doesnt have any standout features either.

[Lantairu]

Morrowind however, has a magic that Elder Scrolls has yet to recapture, sure the combat isn't too grand and the dialogue isn't voiced, but it has such an amazing world, actual good writing, huge bouts of immersion, what helps (and this goes for almost every other game too) is the music. Also Morrowind had some of the best sets of spells, despite some of them being utterly silly, and from this point... Oblivion and Skyrim would feel like... they fixed the mechanics that Morrowind didn't do so hot in, but then dropped the quality of nearly everything else, am I purely based in Nostalgia? perhaps that is part of it, but I do honestly feel that Morrowind had the best "feel" of the games, while Oblivion and Skyrim had more nice little things and the combat was much improved.

But I feel Morrowind encourages you more in a weird way to explore being like a thief or a spellcaster, of course you can be a dedicated warrior, but the world feels ripe for just an explorer, the other 2 feel the NEED for some super warrior to save them (you can go against that, but I mean thematically).

Definitely agree with the spell and music points. I mean, who doesn't like mages falling from the sky and getting scrolls that make you fly across the world? Also, Morrowind is the only game in the series where I have a physical copy of the full OST, so yeah. Honestly it's hardest for me to compare TES 3-5 because they all have their own merits, which is the whole reason I started this thread in the first place.

[Topazd]

Arena and Daggerfall are works in progress on my part so I won't comment on them. As for the others, the order from best to worst, in my eyes, would be Morrowind > Oblivion > Skyrim.

I have played Skyrim more than the other two, but that was with roughly a quarter of a billion immersion mods. The civil war was genuinely more interesting than most things Oblivion's setting had to offer, but I don't think the base game really recognized the potential therein and fell flat in that regard. Markarth was also great, but the dumb and uninspired stuff of the game ultimately make me unable to deem it better than Oblivion. Though I am a bit biased towards Skyrim's environments, seeing as they feel very homelike.

[Mrs Chrom]

1. Skyrim

2. Morrowind

3. Oblivion

4. Daggerfall

Haven't played Arena.

[Lantairu]

Arena and Daggerfall are works in progress on my part so I won't comment on them. As for the others, the order from best to worst, in my eyes, would be Morrowind > Oblivion > Skyrim.

I have played Skyrim more than the other two, but that was with roughly a quarter of a billion immersion mods. The civil war was genuinely more interesting than most things Oblivion's setting had to offer, but I don't think the base game really recognized the potential therein and fell flat in that regard. Markarth was also great, but the dumb and uninspired stuff of the game ultimately make me unable to deem it better than Oblivion. Though I am a bit biased towards Skyrim's environments, seeing as they feel very homelike.

Huh. For me I honestly couldn't get behind the story in Skyrim, and thought the evil cult story in Oblivion was way more interesting.

[Elwind]

I love The Elder Scrolls, but I can never express how much I likr the games in words. I've only played the main games, so for me it's Morrowind > Skyrim > Oblivion > Daggefall

Morrowind is simply amazing in so many ways. Great story, writing and lore, amazing soundtrack, neat graphics, unique world, factions, good designs, fun spells and the game is weird in a good way. To me, it has aged fairly well, and is one of my favourite RPGs for many reasons.

Skyrim is easily the one I've spent most time in, though I play it on console because my PC can't run it. I have so many complaints about the game, I can't even begin to list them all. Most of them are related to the guilds, the civil war (I liked the idea, not how it was executed), how some mechanics were simplified and the countless bugs and crashes. Even so, I didn't put 400+ hours into the game without a reason - it's deeply flawed and could be improved in many ways, but I love it despite that.

Also, the environments are beautiful.

Oblivion was the first one I played, so it has some kind of special place in my heart, I guess. It's the ES game I find the least interesting to play - nothing in the game appeals to me in particular, it feels more generic than the other titles. It hasn't aged very well either. I like it and I think it's a good game, and that's about it.

I haven't played Daggerfall that much, but I like the little I have played except for the broken dungeons and somtimes the controls. I especially like the lore and story in this game, it feels very 1990's RPG-ish without being too bland.

I've barely played Arena at all, so I can't judge it fairly. I barely made it out of the tutorial dungeon.

[Rapier]

The funniest part about the Elder Scrolls that I've played (Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim) is that the sequels fix mistakes done in the prequels while also taking away things that worked well or were interesting concepts.

I didn't play Morrowind much, but the incredibly vague quest system, the lack of teleportation in a huge world, the strange battle system, bad graphics and overall newbie unfriendliness were a downer to me, whereas the spells, the freedom and the lore were strong points that could've been worked better in the sequels. That's all I remember from the game.

And then Oblivion improves the combat system, adds a teleportation system (in spite of sacrificing the exploration of the huge world the game's set into), has much better graphics and fixes the quest vagueness... by even including a GPS to find whatever one's looking for. In a way, it is good because I don't have to read walls of text to find clues about where X person might be, then find out my NPC is in another castle and repeat the proccess like in Morrowind, but Bethesda took it to the extreme by simplifying the proccess to absurd levels. Also, the spells are less dynamic and inventive as in Morrowind, despite being less absurd and more practical overall, which harms the freedom and creativity the latter had.

And then comes Skyrim, with a much better crime system than Oblivion's cops who chase criminals into Sheogorath's lair if given the chance, and who somehow know about crimes commited on cities miles away from each other. The combat system is also slightly better, and so are the spells. The thu'uns bring back some of Morrowind's creativity and freedom with interesting abilities. The quests are still simple but less ridiculous than Oblivion's system that points exactly where you need to go without requiring you to think about it. However, the environment is worse - there is only snow, snow and snow, the factions had a less interesting storyline and quests than Oblivion's. The main quest, while having an enjoyable storyline, is just too easy and simple compared to Oblivion's.

... Now I feel like playing Oblivion and Skyrim again. Great.

[Magical CC]

Oh come on, there are green grass in Skyrim too. I built my house near a river, the weather must be nice there. Also, it's the fantasy version of Canada, of course everywhere is snow.

[Original Alear]

Oh come on, there are green grass in Skyrim too. I built my house near a river, the weather must be nice there. Also, it's the fantasy version of Canada, of course everywhere is snow.

I'm not sure that Skyrim is based on Canada. It's probably more inspired by Northern European countries (especially the whole Viking flavor). I mean, I guess that the Vikings did make it to the Americas...

Sorry, that's all the substance I have. I've only played Skyrim.

[BrightBow]

I didn't play Morrowind much, but the incredibly vague quest system, the lack of teleportation in a huge world, the strange battle system, bad graphics and overall newbie unfriendliness were a downer to me, whereas the spells, the freedom and the lore were strong points that could've been worked better in the sequels. That's all I remember from the game.

There are quite a few teleportation options available. For spells, there is Divine Intervention, Almsivi Intervention and Mark/Return. Since this is Morrowind, they can all be found as regular spells, automatically recharging magical items and scrolls. Mark/Return can even be found in potions. There is nothing quite like getting floored just to instantly teleport away before receiving the killing blow.

And if it's about alternate transportation, there are the Silt Striders, the Mage Guild teleportation service and boats. There are also the Propylon Chambers but they are extremely impractical to use, so they might as well not be there.

Edit: I would say the biggest problem with travelling in Morrowind is that it costs you stamina to run. You can keep running without stamina but if you get into a fight, you are screwed.

[Integrity]

morrowind would be perfect but the core gameplay systems suck worse now as when they were released.

i still think morrowind is better than skyrim due to depth and that special morrowind magic, but i'd actually play skyrim before morrowind any day. but i also don't play skyrim much anymore.

oblivion is gash but somehow i think i've played more of it than all the other elder scrolls. i must not have had much to do when i was 15.

daggerfall was really cool when i was 8 and has not aged well.

[Rapier]

There are quite a few teleportation options available. For spells, there is Divine Intervention, Almsivi Intervention and Mark/Return. Since this is Morrowind, they can all be found as regular spells, automatically recharging magical items and scrolls. Mark/Return can even be found in potions. There is nothing quite like getting floored just to instantly teleport away before receiving the killing blow.

And if it's about alternate transportation, there are the Silt Striders, the Mage Guild teleportation service and boats. There are also the Propylon Chambers but they are extremely impractical to use, so they might as well not be there.

Edit: I would say the biggest problem with travelling in Morrowind is that it costs you stamina to run. You can keep running without stamina but if you get into a fight, you are screwed.

Oh. I didn't play much of the game, so I didn't know they existed. At the start of the game, I remember it was hard to travel around because I couldn't skip long walks so easily.

Isn't there a mod that changes Morrowind's gameplay to be more similar to Oblivion's? If Morrowind could get the improvements of Oblivion while missing out the bad things with it, it'd be a great game.

[Magical CC]

Mark/Return is useful but the problem is I usually forget to use it until it's too late. And due to its limit nature, I dont like it much. Silt Striders, Mage Guild teleport gates and boats are also limited. There's no "beam me up, Scotty" like in Oblivion and Skyrim.

Now that I remember how much I like the run speed and jump height in Skyrim. They are good right from the start so you dont have to "practice" running and jumping everywhere like in the previous game.

[Rxmonste]

5 and 4. Daggerfall and Arena (No Order):

I haven't played them enough to grade them properly, but I'd say they're one of those games that didn't age well, I may give them another chance in the future.

3. Morrowind:

I also haven't played this one enough to grade it properly, but I liked it more than the older games. This one I will give a chance in due time.

2. Oblivion:

The Elder Scrolls series will never stay the same without this one, its introduction to Radiant AI and its sprawling world gave Bethesda a triumphant victory and a step forward into the game industry. 9/10

1. Skyrim:

But Skyrim took everything Oblivion did well, polished it and added to it Radiant Story, took a page out of Fallout's book with perks, and stands as one of Bethesda's strongest titles to date. 9/10

And now I cannot wait to see how Bethesda will deliver on Fallout 4, it has strong potential to be Bethesda's greatest title. I only hope it avoids the glaring flaws in their other games, the fact that a lot of the quests feel generic with little story to give it uniqueness or flair. They still have much to learn from Majora's Mask and Witcher 3. Make no mistake, I still think the modern Bethesda games are absolutely superb, just not exactly 10/10 material.

[Jedi]

And now I cannot wait to see how Bethesda will deliver on Fallout 4, it has strong potential to be Bethesda's greatest title. I only hope it avoids the glaring flaws in their other games, the fact that a lot of the quests feel generic with little story to give it uniqueness or flair. They still have much to learn from Majora's Mask and Witcher 3. Make no mistake, I still think the modern Bethesda games are absolutely superb, just not exactly 10/10 material.

You have a very differing opinion than mine, seeing as I feel Bethesda has gotten worse with time rather then better, I can only hope they don't mess up the Fallout universe even more then 3 did.

[Magical CC]

You know what I want in Fallout? Playable mutant and ghoul protagonist.

[Jedi]

You know what I want in Fallout? Playable mutant and ghoul protagonist.

I'd just like my freedom of choice of how to save the Wasteland back instead of having to solve every problem by shooting it.