8Bit/Digi

A Look at Tamriel Rebuilt Mod

I’ve tried multiple times to get into Bethesda biggest franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, but it never clicked for me. I’ve played most of the entries, given them a shot, even if only for a few hours. There is just something about the worlds and systems that never grabbed me, even though they sound wonderful in concept. The closest I ever got to enjoying an Elder Scrolls game was with Morrowind after it came out on the original Xbox, when I had a friend showing me the ropes. With all the recent hype around the Oblivion Remaster, I wondered why Morrowind wasn’t getting the same love, but the truth is it has been for quite some time, just from the fans.

I was aware there were mods for the third Elder Scrolls game to improve the visuals and make it look impressive, but Tamriel Rebuilt isn’t just overhauling the presentation. In fact, they strive to keep their additions incredibly close to the original, so their work feels like a natural extension of the initial content Bethesda released over 20 years ago, in an effort not to alter the experience too much. This is a massive undertaking I was not expecting. The TR community has been active for over two decades, claiming that the project started before the game was even released, as fans learned about the setting being scaled back. We’re talking about some of the oldest enhancement content for Morrowind, and it is still being played and updated, as the group continues its goal to restore all of the province’s mainland, while staying true to the base game.

Welcome to the Old Country

The TR mod is released episodically, and its newest expansion, Grasping Fortune, is said to be the largest yet. Players will now be able to explore Narsis, one of Morrowind’s biggest and most bustling cities. The dedicated team of volunteers has been continually working on this update for quite some time, and it may feature the largest custom-made city in the franchise to date. For those who think this is just a single new city, though, there is much more waiting to be discovered.

Narsis is spectacular, from its grand bazaar and casino to hundreds of buildings that can be searched before venturing down into a sprawling maze of shadows and sewers. The Coronati Basin is another new region with much more to explore now, containing several small settlements and towns, littered with large mushrooms. A lot of thought and work was put into the architecture, details, debris, and flora to bring this world to life. TR isn’t just offering us fresh areas to look at, but thousands of new enemies, beasts, and NPCs to interact with. There are 140 more dungeons to conquer, 270 additional quests to tackle, and many new items to add to the inventory.

Rebuilt to Last

There’s so much more to do now within this version of Morrowind, and Grasping Fortune has just released on May 1^st, so many are still feeling out the newest content. Overall, the project has constructed an enormous chunk of the mainland and revised so much of their work on other areas; it’s genuinely inspiring, and Narsis looks to have been an exceptional milestone in their personal quest of making Morrowind whole. Many claim that TR is the best Elder Scrolls mod available, rich in history, full of hard work, and still crafting its legacy. Nine expansions in and they aren’t done yet.

Mods aren’t something I usually mess with, but this one is pretty straightforward. It is easy to find on their website and works with other popular enhancement programs, like OpenMW. There are more in-depth features for those who want to take that plunge. I’ve seen some impressive builds, just be careful about throwing too much on there because that’s how we get crashes. TR isn’t associated with Bethesda Software, of course, and it may still have some bugs and issues to work out, but that shouldn’t scare anyone away. This project comes from a community who are in it for the love of the game, people who enjoy making mods and extending the lifespan of a cherished experience. That’s the kind of fandom that goes a long way, so for anyone who was keen on Morrowind, but didn’t know it was still thriving, or maybe for someone who just found the series thanks to the Oblivion Remaster. It’s a good time to give these mods and the game a shot, even for a Bethesda grump. 

Explore Tamriel Rebuilt:

Website: https://www.tamriel-rebuilt.org/
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/9T6TtNU 
Twitter / X: https://x.com/TamrielRebuilt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TamrielRebuilt

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.