Morrowind: Bloodmoon

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Bloodmoon is the second and possibly last official expansion for Morrowind so I'd say it's about time we gave it a review!

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Does it continue the fine Morrowind tradition or will Bloodmoon fall flat?

IÂ'm going to kill any suspense that may be had in this review and say right now that if you enjoyed Morrowind and you want more you should get Bloodmoon. On the other hand if you didnÂ't like Morrowind this expansion isnÂ't likely to change your mind. However, since IÂ'm sure my little summary isnÂ't enough for the traditionalists among you, letÂ's get down to business!

The Story

Bloodmoon introduces a new northern island to Morrowind by the name of Solstheim. Hopping a boat in Khuul you will find yourself in a harsh winter landscape full of Nords, bears, wolves, various ice minions and of course, werewolves. When you arrive on the island your first stop is Fort Frostmoth, a small Imperial outpost on the southern part of the island. ItÂ's here that you launch the main quest of the game and get a feel for what lies ahead. Obviously the main plot has a lot more to it but IÂ'd rather not spoil anything since the details shouldn't affect your buying decision in this instance.

The Gameplay

You can enter Bloodmoon with any level character youÂ'd like but anyone lower than about level 10 will have some difficulties with some of the beasties roaming the winter wonderland. Like Tribunal before it, Bloodmoon is ultimately made for higher level characters who have spent quite a bit of time in Morrowind climbing the level ladder. The main plot line especially is where a higher level character is an absolute must. This becomes obvious very soon after you get started on it actually.

Combat in Bloodmoon is similar to what youÂ'll find on Morrowind proper for the most part. The only real difference is that Bloodmoon contains more battles between you and multiple foes rather than the usual one on one situations from the main game. Packs of smugglers, wolves and more will rush you hoping that strength in numbers will overcome your usual method of paralyzing one target from a distance and strolling up to hack him to bits while he stares mutely at you, unable to move or scream. Not that I do that of course, that would be cheap and dirty. One thing I also want to mention is that it gets mighty annoying that every low-level wolf, bear and hog attacks you on sight no matter how many of them youÂ've killed within three seconds. Thankfully, there is already a mod out that turns these buggers passive unless attacked and you can grab it here.

The land itself is maybe 1/5th the size of the main gameÂ's land mass which may not seem like much at first but the area Bloodmoon does encompass is packed with tombs, caves and other interesting locations. It is set up in such a way that you still get a strong sense of exploration without crossing miles of barren wasteland to do it. Less ground to walk and more content per square foot is a definite plus in this case, hereÂ's hoping the next Elderscrolls game sticks with this kind of philosophy.

Some of you may be wondering why I havenÂ't mentioned the ability to be changed into a werewolf. I will say that itÂ's possible and the resulting change is both fun and interesting but I think the details are something you will have to find out about for yourself. I will say that when turned you gain a good stat boost and attack with your newly arrived claws. It adds a neat element to the game and itÂ's worth looking into when you get the chance, just donÂ't change in front of a crowd in Balmora, thatÂ's bad news.

The Graphics

The snowy landscapes, ice caves and tall pines are a refreshing change of pace from the outlandish look of the main land. The bears, wolves and other new enemy models are rendered well although some of the animations (like bears walking up hills) leaves a little to be desired. The bears insist on walking straight even when theyÂ're going up a hill which means their back ends kind of float until they level out again. ItÂ's really saying something when thatÂ's the best I can come up with for negatives. The graphics performance is actually a little better in Bloodmoon than the original although not leaps and bounds by any means. The game is still a resource hog – youÂ'll need a beefy system to crank up the details and viewing distance, so donÂ't expect any miracles in that regard.

Sounds

Animal grunts, howling winds, guards repeating the same damn phrase over and over again, itÂ's all here! NPCÂ's do have quite a bit of new voice work which is nice and most of the plot-centered conversations have some sprinkled throughout.

Final Thoughts

Bloodmoon is probably the final official expansion for Morrowind and it is well worth picking up if you enjoyed the original game. Like I said in the beginning, if you didnÂ't like Morrowind this isnÂ't going to rock your world but if youÂ're still itching for more of that sweet RPG goodness you really canÂ't go wrong here.

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View the rest of the Bloodmoon gallery here!

Final Score: 89/100

- Certis

Comments

Great review Certis.  I'll admit that the meat of the review came in the mod to tone down the aggressiveness of the wildlife critters.  I'm using a level 34 Redguard and I'm not really being challenged as much as I am being annoyed by endless packs of wolves, bears and boars every 10 feet.  This mod will hopefully allow me to get absorbed by the story line a little more.  My only real complaint so far is that Bethesda has replaced those damn annoying Cliff Racers from the mainland with even more irritating beasts in the expansion.

At level 34 I expect they would be. Even at the level 17 I was when I entered the expansion area I found the buggers to be quite annoying.