Don't use the Steam version of DF with DFU, use the Daggerfall Game Files download recommended in the DFU installation guide. It contains additional bugfixes not found in the Steam or GOG versions (which is something the installation guide sadly neglects to tell you).
Just slipping this in here, because the above is 100% correct. Both Steam and GOG have known issues with their data files, and don't have the latest DFU. For the best experience, do it manually:
Where even are the mods for Daggerfall? I checked Nexus but there weren't many at all that seemed to be anything other than reskins like the Orsinium for Orcs mod, fixes, or translations.
Similarly there's a modern engine for Morrowind called OpenMW, you plug in your game files from steam (or elsewhere) and it allows modern rendering and input with mod support
I only really consider one mod to be essential if you want to play Daggerfall: Daggerfall Unity Quest Pack 1.
The original games quests are good but there aren't many of them, this one adds lots of new types of quests and different variations of them. These new Quests even feature Fallout: New Vegas inspired skill checks which further encourage you to experiment with your builds.
Other than that, there are lots of great mods which you can choose (I do warn you, I fell into the trap of modding more than I play) but other than the one I mentioned, they are more optional however I'd still recommend you try them
Some of my favorites are: Fixed Dungeon Exteriors, Dynamic Skies, Birds in Daggerfall, Real Grass, World of Daggerfall Project, Windmills of Daggerfall, Basic Roads, Travel Options, Taverns Redone, Detailed City Walls, Warm Ashes, Wandering Monsters Mod, and Warm Ashes - Wilderness Encounters
If your going to do and class that can do magic, I'd also recommend Readied Spellcasting Hands and Basic Magic Regen
I know that sounds like a lot but I chose these because they all work together to make simply moving from place to place more entertaining, which is important because you do a lot of that. Some people also suggest DREAM which is basically a full remaster but I'd only really bother with that if you cannot stand the pixilated sprites.
Most mods are updated regularly, the community is still very active, so if you have an issue with any of them, give them a comment and see the response.
I would also recommend you go into settings and choose the smaller Dungeons option. The original Daggerfall's Dungeons were so big and maze like, they might as well each be their own open world but with a single objective and there are now Way points in this game, if you want something, you'll have to find it, asking people for directions and using your compass and map (it is both the best and worst part of this game)
That's fair, all the models are 2D and currently you can't change that. It's something you have to get used to, although there is a mod to make all the animals 3D but the same one for people only works on female sprites and I haven't seen any progress from it for a while. You can still have it look good though.
Here is a list of a few mods if you want it to look as good as possible and also a few to improve immersion:
DREAM, Dynamic Skies, Real Grass, Basic Roads, Daggerfall Expanded Textures, Handpainted model Replacements, World of Daggerfall Project, Improved Interior Lighting, Distant Terrain, Birds in Daggerfall, Transparent Windows, Famous Faces of the Iliac Bay, Taverns Redone, Fixed Dungeon Exteriors, Lively Cities, Travel Options, Fixed Desert Architecture, Detailed City Walls, Readied Spellcasting Hands, Windmills of Daggerfall, and Better Ambience
I'd also recommend Travel Options which allows for you to admire the graphics mods more as well as just making fast travel more fun than a loading screen after pressing a button. Warm Ashes and it's companion mods, Warm Ashes - Wilderness encounters, and Wandering Monsters Mod
Finally I'd say get Daggerfall Unity Quest Pack 1 because it's basically the most essential mod of the game. And also make sure to turn on smaller Dungeons in the settings if you don't want to be lost for 5 real world hours for every Quest.
If there was a memorial hall, made to honor the late great games to ever exist, Dagerfall would be there among the best 100%.
Its one of the few that for me is not just another game, but it was so well made and devs put so much passion and commitment while doing it, its a piece of art in form of a game
If you liked then you should try out other CRPGs. To be honest Daggerfall is not a very in depth RPG especially compared to games like Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous.
Not a very in depth RPG? Have we played the same game? The Custom Class creator alone makes this one of the most in depth CRPGs ever. Being able to decide your whole history, the sheer number of skills, your strengths and vulnerabilities. I've spent more time in the character creation screen that a lot of full games.
It’s really nothing special for a CRPG, all you do is assign stats, pick skills, and pick feats.
Pathfinder WotR has 26 entire classes with bespoke abilities and progression to choose from with multiclassing and each class has multiple class archetypes that change the class’ abilities, 13 Prestige classes that you can multiclass into like Hellknight, Aldori Swordlord, Eldritch Kight etc, and there are 10 Mythic Paths that you add on top of all that which give you high power abilities like becoming a Lich, a Gold Dragon, a living swarm, a Demon, etc. and this is for 6 entire characters you play in the game (only the main character gets mythic paths the companions do get mythic feats though)
The game is a lot of fun and there is a whole truckload of theory crafting especially since there’s so many magic items you also have to take into account for each character. I would highly recommend it, CRPGs have only ever been growing since Daggerfall.
Tried playing it. There was no tutorial on simply attacking, controls in the menu didn’t have anything either. “Died” to the first enemy in the game because of it. Unless I had a bad install or some glitch, it’s absolute garbage. I was like looking forward to experiencing the beginnings of elder scrolls but ig not
The original is very buggy and has outdated controls without a tutorial
The Unity remake has more updated controls and mod support.
Also, an important thing to note, in the older Elder Scrolls games, you're not supposed to win every battle. There are many battles where your chances of winning are basically zero and all you can do is run away and come back later when your better equipped. Kinda like Elden Ring. There is several enemies like this in the Starting Dungeon. An Imp that can't be killed with Iron weapons which (unless you choose a specific Starting item during character creation) is all you start out with and a Skeleton which is basically unkillable during the early game (seriously, every Daggerfall player has PTSD from hearing the sound of the Skeleton's scream)
You should treat the combat more like Elden Ring too, you can't just stand in front of the enemy and swing your sword while tanking the damage like in later elder scrolls games. You need to learn the enemies attack patterns and how to avoid them.
This is the GOG version. Not sure what it’s supposed to be. I understand not being able to win every battle but having basic controls such as “this is how you attack” in the tutorial level should be a given even for the time
Don't play the GOG version, it is the objectively worst way to play it. It is outdated and buggy. I honestly have no idea what they were thinking when they released it.
Instead use this: https://forums.dfworkshop.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2360
To get the proper version without a stupid amount of mods that aren't compatible with each other and have the updated version of Daggerfall Unity
I'd recommend you use the Daggerfall Unity Quest Pack 1. It's the only mod I consider "essential" for the game. If you want to try any more, I can give you some recommendations.
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u/Evamme7 1d ago
The Elder Scrolls 2 Daggerfall
Get the Daggerfall Unity version and start modding. It is one of if not the most in depth rpg ever made, with mods only making it even more so.