'The Elder Scrolls Online' Devs Share Their Fondest Memories of 'Morrowind' in New Video

Months before the Necrom expansion planned for The Elder Scrolls Online, developer ZeniMax Online Studios has been celebrating the upcoming Morrowind content with players through community and in-game events.

During the festivities, publisher Bethesda Softworks provided Distractify early footage of the first part of Return to Morrowind, a video series from the developers that share their fondest memories of the 2002 RPG game.

The ZeniMax team opens the video by discussing their thoughts on Morrowind, ranging from the Dark Elf culture to the terrifying beasties prowling the volcanic island.

"I think of that first experience of landing in Seyda Neen, and everyone's a jerk to you. Why is everyone so mean in this place?" Explained one ZeniMax developer. "It's not, you know, Halflings and Faeries when you step into Morrowind for the first time."

"Morrowind has a very specific aesthetic to it, and I think it was maybe the first thing that hit me when I jumped into the game. It's just how...real it was," said another developer describing their first journey through the game.

In Morrowind, there are ash storms in certain zones and mushroom towers inside Sadrith Mora, a city on the Azura's Coast. Players could ride giant long-legged bugs to traverse miles of land, becoming a unique mode of transportation forgoing the usual horse mounts.

Many aspects of Morrowind felt bizarre and uniquely separate from anything else on the video game market in 2002.

"One of the things that really hit me with Morrowind is when you get in there, and you have a great time, right? Really enjoying yourself — like you're living a different life," said one developer at ZeniMax. "[Morrowind] takes away all the cares and worries and everything, and I [wanted] to be able to do that for other people...I want to be part of creating these worlds that people can immerse themselves into."

The Elder Scrolls Online developers recaptured parts of Morrowind through DLC debuted in 2017 for the MMORPG. To expand on that content, they are returning players to the island to explore Necrom — known as the City of the Dead — in the overall Shadow Over Morrowind storyline.

Throughout the 30 hours of all-new story content, the Necrom DLC will expand on the lore of the Dark Elves and dive deep into the eldritch curiosities hidden within Apocrypha, the realm of Oblivion. The developers aim to unveil interesting bits and introduce new details of the City of the Dead through several quests spanning the Dark Elf region.

Pre-purchasing the DLC content between now and April 18, 2023, will give you an exclusive Sadrith Mora Spore Pony pet and mount that you can start using today. And at launch, bonus items like a new robed costume, pet, Crown Crate, and more will become available.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom DLC will kick off on June 5 for PC/Mac and become available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 20.