Elder Scrolls Online's Morrowind Chapter was the MMO's first major expansion, aside from Dark Brotherhood, Imperial City, Thieves Guild, and Orsinium. These DLCs were very small in scope, though, and aren't connected narratively at all. The Morrowind Chapter was the introduction of a new narrative formula for ESO in the form of year-long stories tying multiple releases together.
ESO Morrowind takes players back to the island of Vvardenfell during the height of the Tribunal's power over the Dark Elf homeland. In Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind we get to talk to the Living Gods, but we never get to see them at their full power. Morrowind is just as full of great storytelling as it is netches and nix-hounds, and it's considered by many players to be the best Chapter for ESO so far.
Updated May 6, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Now that Zenimax has made ESO Morrowind free for every player, regardless of their subscription level or purchased edition, players are flocking back to the online world of Tamriel to experience what many consider to be the game's best DLC. The Morrowind Chapter for Elder Scrolls Online introduces a swathe of collectibles, explorable locations, quests, and other items that can only be collected on the island of Vvardenfell. It's very neat to be able to interact with the Tribunal during the Elder Scrolls Online storyline, and players get to know Vivec pretty intimately during the story of this Chapter. Needless to say, it's a must-play for every Elder Scrolls Online fan.
The ESO Morrowind Chapter Is Free For All Players
Just about every DLC and Chapter, except for expansions from the current year, are included in ESO+, Elder Scrolls Online's version of a subscription service. The game is free-to-play if you buy the base game, but almost all later content must be purchased individually without the subscription – that is, except for the Morrowind Chapter.
The Morrowind Chapter was added to the Standard Edition of the game a few years after release, and now is given for free to all ESO players with no restrictions. It only adds the PvE content, though, and doesn't include the Warden class or anything else that the original release (or its special editions) came with. Interestingly enough, the Standard Edition of ESO doesn't include the Imperial City, Dark Brotherhood, Orsinium, or Thieves Guild DLC, despite being released earlier.
The Morrowind Chapter Kicks Off ESO's Daedric War Story Arc
Before Morrowind there were only a handful of major storylines a player could take part in. There was the main quest involving the Planemeld, the Imperial City questline, each Faction's questline, and stories for each of the guilds. Orsinium was its own self-contained story, whose consequences really only affected Wrothgar and not the fate of Tamriel itself.
The Morrowind Chapter started the Elder Scrolls Online trend of releasing yearly expansions with grand, sprawling stories. Unlike later expansions, though, Morrowind actually leads into the next year's storyline in the Summerset Chapter, tied together by the Clockwork City DLC. Called the Daedric War arc, this two-year-long storyline sees Tamriel threatened by three Daedric Princes, despite Sotha Sil's contract with Oblivion – and it all starts in the familiar, yet totally alien, territory of Vvardenfell.
It Introduced The Warden Class, Now Only Available Via The Crown Store
The Morrowind Chapter kicked off one of Elder Scrolls Online's best narrative arcs, but that's not its best contribution to the game. The Warden class was added to the game, changing the meta, offering a new way of experiencing the game, and serving as Elder Scrolls Online's first new class since its vanilla release.
The Warden class is now only available as its own separate purchase in the in-game Crown Store for 1500 Crowns, although it was included with Morrowind upon release. The class plays like a grab-bag of other classes – it's built around summoned companions and elemental magic, like the Sorcerer, as well as self-preservation spells like the Templar and strictly offensive skills like the Nightblade.
There Are Six Delves, Six World Bosses, And Two Public Dungeons On Vvardenfell
The Morrowind Chapter began a trend for future Elder Scrolls Online releases with its inclusion of six new delves, six world bosses, and two public dungeons on the mainland of Vvardenfell. That's about as many delves and world bosses as a regular zone on mainland Tamriel with an extra public dungeon thrown in there too.
Delves
- Ashalmawia, found in the northwest of Vvardenfell
- Khartag Point, found on the western shore of the island
- Matus-Akin Egg Mine, on the southeast of Vvardenfell just below the Halls of Fabrication
- Nchuleft, just northeast of Red Mountain itself close to the Forgotten Wastes public dungeon
- Pulk, to the east of Red Mountain and south of Nchuleft
- Zainsipilu, found just below Balmora and northwest of Seyda Neen
Public Dungeons
- Forgotten Wastes, just north of Red Mountain and northwest of Nchuleft
- Nchuleftingth, found in the center-east of Vvardenfell just southwest of the Halls of Fabrication
World Bosses
- Dubdil Alar Tower, in the northeast of the zone
- Missir-Dadalit Egg Mine, southwest of the Halls of Fabrication in the eastern area of Vvardenfell
- Salothan's Council, found in the northwest just beyond the Ashlands
- Sulipund Grange, found in the central area of the map just south of Red Mountain
- Shipwreck Cove, found in south-southeast Vvardenfell on an island, head directly east from Vivec City to find it
- Nilthog's Hollow, just north of Balmora before entering Ashlander territory
New Armors, Cosmetics, and Collectibles In ESO Morrowind
The Morrowind Chapter for ESO comes with a variety of gear and cosmetics to hunt down all over Vvardenfell. Many of these powerful armor sets still see use in high-level play, and there are three special crafting sites in the homeland of the Dark Elves that players can get started making some of these sets at.
- Marandus, north of Vivec City, where players can craft the Assassin's Guile set for bonuses to Weapon/Spell Damage, Critical Chance, and Poisons
- Randas Ancestral Tomb, found in west Vvardenfell, where players can craft the Daedric Trickery set for increases to all resources and randomized Major Buffs
- Zergonipal, found in the Ashlands west of Red Mountain, where the Shacklebreaker set can be crafted for increased Magicka/Stamina totals and recovery
The ESO Morrowind Chapter introduces a variety of cosmetics that can be earned or bought, mounts for purchase, and non-combat companions that can make a journey through the scarred lands of Vvardenfell a little less lonely - though the pets of Morrowind aren't exactly the cuddly, friendly type.
Exploring All The Ancestral Tombs On Vvardenfell Unlocks A Secret Quest
Some of Vvardenfell's most iconic landmarks are its Ancestral Tombs, places where Dunmer families inter their dead and commune with their ancestors through what some consider a form of necromancy. These Tombs are often guarded by fierce, ghostly defenders – typically ancestors who were banished from the family who owns the tomb.
In Elder Scrolls Online's take on Vvardenfell, there are 30 Ancestral Tombs spread all throughout the island. Head to the Library of Vivec and talk to Bradyn, the Librarian. He starts the player on the quest "The Lost Library" and tasks them with getting rubbings from all 30 Tombs. After this long and arduous task is completed, the player completes a short epilogue quest and receives a miniature scale model of Vvardenfell for their player home.
How To Start The Morrowind Chapter Main Quest
Starting the main quest of the Morrowind Chapter and beginning your adventure in Vvardenfell can be done in two ways: through the Collections menu tab or by heading straight to Vvardenfell. To start the Chapter from the Collections menu, head to the Collections tab and click the "Stories" option. There should be a section labeled "Chapters", which includes the starting quests for all DLC credited to your account. You should see the quest "Divine Conundrum" here – click this, accept the quest, and head to Vvardenfell.
You can also start the quest by going directly to Vvardenfell from any wayshrine (or pay the fee to travel from anywhere). Zoom out on the map of Tamriel and click the gigantic island to the north of Stonefalls. At the bottom of the Vvardenfell map there should be a white Wayshrine, indicating it can be traveled to. Click this, check out your new surroundings for a bit, then head West towards the town of Seyda Neen to find Alavesa Arethan, who also begins the "Divine Conundrum" quest.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.