I have about 100 hours in Daggerfall Unity, the port of this game to the unity game engine. I would advise anyone playing the game these days to play it there. It comes with many quality of life options and just plays nicer with modern systems in general.

If you are a die-hard Elder Scrolls fan, and by that I mean somebody who is totally engrossed in the entire franchise, then you owe it to yourself to play Daggerfall. The game is a lot of fun and is a glimpse into the history of not only the TES franchise but ARPGs as a whole. What it isn't is a simple hack and slash like Skyrim or even Oblivion. It is far closer to an analogue for pen and paper RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. Daggerfall is basically a medieval fantasy simulator where you create a character with a specific set of skills and explore an open world. The main quest is a captivating story of magic and political intrigue with a wide array of characters, but is also a slow burn. The narrative is happy to wait for you while you go off to another county and perform some quests. The main quest basically has you moonlighting as an adventuring detective in addition to whatever it is you choose to do for your actual day job.

Keep in mind that this game, like others in its day, came with a physical manual that was expected to be read. It assists in character creation and learning the basics of the game. However, you have the benefit of playing this game in (current year) and have this new thing called the internet. If you are confused or otherwise lost then simply turn to the internet for help as old school players had the manual to aid them and there is no reason to try to play Daggerfall completely blind. I find it’s pretty easy to avoid main quest spoilers when looking things up for Daggerfall too. One thing I think all modern players should take advantage of is the wealth of guides on character creation out in the wild these days. The choices you make during character creation majorly affect what you can and cannot do with said character. Make your choices wisely and don’t be afraid to reroll another character all together! I also find that many new players refer to Privateer’s Hold (the place you spawn in) as a tutorial… and then those people are confused… and then they quit Daggerfall forever lol. The manual or the internet are your tutorials, Privateer’s Hold is mostly a place to test your new character out.

I have about 100 hours in Daggerfall Unity, the port of this game to the unity game engine. I would advise anyone playing the game these days to play it there. It comes with many quality of life options and just plays nicer with modern systems in general. If you are a die-hard Elder Scrolls fan, and by that I mean somebody who is totally engrossed in the entire franchise, then you owe it to yourself to play Daggerfall. The game is a lot of fun and is a glimpse into the history of not only the TES franchise but ARPGs as a whole. What it isn't is a simple hack and slash like Skyrim or even Oblivion. It is far closer to an analogue for pen and paper RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. Daggerfall is basically a medieval fantasy simulator where you create a character with a specific set of skills and explore an open world. The main quest is a captivating story of magic and political intrigue with a wide array of characters, but is also a slow burn. The narrative is happy to wait for you while you go off to another county and perform some quests. The main quest basically has you moonlighting as an adventuring detective in addition to whatever it is you choose to do for your actual day job. Keep in mind that this game, like others in its day, came with a physical manual that was expected to be read. It assists in character creation and learning the basics of the game. However, you have the benefit of playing this game in (current year) and have this new thing called the internet. If you are confused or otherwise lost then simply turn to the internet for help as old school players had the manual to aid them and there is no reason to try to play Daggerfall completely blind. I find it’s pretty easy to avoid main quest spoilers when looking things up for Daggerfall too. One thing I think all modern players should take advantage of is the wealth of guides on character creation out in the wild these days. The choices you make during character creation majorly affect what you can and cannot do with said character. Make your choices wisely and don’t be afraid to reroll another character all together! I also find that many new players refer to Privateer’s Hold (the place you spawn in) as a tutorial… and then those people are confused… and then they quit Daggerfall forever lol. The manual or the internet are your tutorials, Privateer’s Hold is mostly a place to test your new character out.