Why Every Skyrim Player HATES This Patch Of Land 

I hate it because some random enemy that doesn't seem to exist on the same plane in existence keeps me from being able to fast travel every time I enter the marsh

"You can not fast travel while enemies are nearby." Meanwhile, in some tiny stream 200 feet away: random slaughterfish is eyeing you angrily.

For me, the swamp was always a plentiful source of fun alchemical ingredients, and that's mostly why I went there. Bonus: The name "Morthal" etymologically is probably from "mort" (death, dead) and "thal" (dale or valley) meaning "Death Valley." Perhaps not a bad name for a treacherous, Vampire-infested swamp.

I don't think it's boring, the icy area around WInterhold is worst, and I like the idea of this "no mans land" especially when you're in the abandoned shack during the Dark Brotherhood questline. It also more looks like the actual stage of the downfall of Morthal and that region. It could be lore, the vampires, or other Daedric things that make that area as it is now and this is why this city is less populated (eg your missing blacksmith example) and more affected by vampirism. Probably Falion is one of the last standing against it because most of ppl still don't believe it, just rumoring (especially the burnt house storyline).

I love the region because its different. Nice and creepy as opposed to the beauty that is the rest of skyrim. What I hate is the lack of things to do there. They could have added more quests dealing with supernatural threats I reckon.

Its one saving grace to me, is that it is a great place to find alchemical ingreients. That and I like the Jarl there. She's cantankerous, a bit crazy but also has a sense of humor. She also is one of the better characters to cause a scene at the Thalmor Embassy.

I think the Morthal Marsh is a bit underrated. It's got more going on than it seems at first. For such a small area, it does have some pretty significant locations that fit the scenery, like Fallion's vampire-curing ritual site (one of many unmarked locations in Skyrim. It's also one of the very few places in the overworld you find Swamp Fungal Pods and free-roaming Chaurus. It has it's problems, but that could be said of all of Skyrim. If the place was too busy, some things there wouldn't make sense. Fallion's site, Movarth's Lair, and the Abandoned Shack work best in relative seclusion and with a dismal atmosphere. On top of that, Anniversary Edition adds Myrwatch. If anything, one area that feels more empty is the plainlands between Whiterun and Rorikstead. It's not just about the number of locations or their density, but also their quality. A giant camp and a wolf den don't carry much weight.

I like that area a whole lot! I honestly wish it was twice as big of an area because it feels way too tiny. I want my desolate lonesome swamp to feel as never-ending as the vampires that call it home! Plus, if it was bigger, we could add more points of interest without changing the ratio of markers and empty space. This area is especially interesting to navigate when using survival mods like Frostfall and Campfire. It makes falling into the freezing water a huge danger, and camping in the foggy swamp is a heckin spooky vibe!

Falion was the teacher for Conjuration at the College of Winterhold (Phinis Gestor mentions him). He is likely one of the most powerful mages in Tamriel. I think his business in Morthal is to keep the Vampires and other Daedra-related threats from destroying Morthal. Without him Morthal would probably not be standing any more. Jarl Idgrod probably knows that which is why she wants him to stay.

The hjaalmarch swamp / Morthal itself always seems to me like it was meant to be bigger and have a bit more stuff in it, but the constraints of the rest of the map meant it couldn't.

I really like the creepy and desolate vibe in Hjaalmarch and the Reach, they have that same vibe in a different way. In the Reach it's closer to that "the hills have eyes" feeling. The funny thing is that even the beautiful places have this eerie feeling when you stop to think about it. The wide plains of Whiterun or the deep forest of Falkreath, they are very scenic and beautiful but carry that sort of noonwraith vibe. Can anyone relate?

I always love going to Morthal. I like the characters of both Idgrods and the peaceful quiet of the swamp makes me feel at ease. I understand if someone finds that unnerving, but for me it's comforting. Also, Jarl Idgrod is one of the few people willing raise a ruckus at the Thalmor Embassy for you in the main quest line.

The marshes of Hjaalmarsh are an alchemist's paradise. All the ingredients for some of the most useful poisons can be found readily here. If any place is truly "empty" it would be the craglands of Eastmarch, south of Windhelm. Its quite a contrast from the Rift immediately south of it. Sure, there's a mammoth graveyard, a bonestrewn mountain with a dragon on it, and the only friendly giant i the game, but other than that its basically just a geyser-filled hellscape with literally nothing in it.

The area I hate is the icy region between Dawnstar - Winterhold - Windhelm with all the gaps in the glaciers.

I actually like this place. I've found that I appreciated it even more without fast travel with the maximum of realism. This place is confusing to navigate when you play without any UI. You move from one weird shaped island to the other. You can get attacked by dangerous ennemies. The Chaurus are the worst at low level. So this place is excellent to cause dilemmas. Depending of where I am, I am sometimes tempted to save time by crossing this marsh land, but sometimes, I know that I'm too sleepy or hungry to give a good fight.

A funny thing is Morthal usually ends up a dead City for me. If you follow the main quest like you're supposed to and you have the DLC. The cultist from the Dragonborn DLC usually show up when you leave the inn. They usually end up killing half the population and then a dragon attack the next time you show up finishes the rest

Anytime you’re there: “you cannot fast travel while enemies are nearby”

I mean, the area is great for alchemy ingredient collection.

In the defense of Morthal and the marshlands, they kinda make things more believable to me. Morthal reminds me of a "city" in rural america. I live in a state with a juxtapositing mix of bustling modern cities (density wise), and sparsely inhabited townships (both are refered to as cities depsite the numerical difference because around here, the difference between city and township is whether or not your connected to the utility networks of the city, rather than popularion density). I love the aesthetic of morthal. It isnt my favorite place in skyrim, but it gives me the same kinda vibe as where my parents live in real life. The entire township is under 100 people, and the whole place can be seen from one road, standing on the far end looking down. Everyone knows everyone, and that town is right off a major highway, so no one goes to the town itself unless they have family there. Theres no "open" or "closed" signs on local shops because they still use an old fashioned bell tower that rings every hour (which can be heard across the whole town), and they also have a factory lunch bell. Everyone just falls in sync with those chimes. Everyone there knows the system, but someone like me who just visits every so often just assumes the town is nearly dead, because i go out and see a bunch of unopen shops, when the reality is shop owners have been selling to the exact same people for decades and know when to open and close their shops to save operating costs. For them, it doesnt make sense to be open all day long when all their regulars are working in the factory, so they just open after 5pm, which is extremely unusual for a city dweller like me who has gotten used to shops being open before sunrise and closing well agter sunset, because people have different jobs with different hours and shops want the most customers possible. Over there its so different. Personally, i love it more, which is why i have an attachment to morthal. A place in Skyrim which is drenched on history as the town that built around a heroes graveyard. I might be off with the comparison, but that reminds me of arlington cemetery. A place that on its own was just a small town, but became predominately known for its cemetery that holds those who fought in the civil war. Nowadays Arlington has a lot more going for it than just the cemetery, but much in the same way most NPCs of the town state people come to bury their dead or pay homage to fallen heroes in morthal, people today take a form of pilgrimage to the arlington cemetary to pay respects to the fallen of the civil war and all those buried at the cemetary.

Morthal could have been so much more. The Ravencrone family is fascinating. Jarl Idgrod's mysticism, her visions and her grandson's behaviour - there could have been a fascinating storyline and quest associated with that. She is a fantastic character and I think would be a great ally. Imagine a Jarl as a secret magic user for example? I would have loved to have more dealings with her. I would have thought with the Dawnguard DLC storyline being about vampires that Morthal would have featured quite a bit. I would have thought that Falion would have been an active part of the Dawnguard quest, considering he can heal vampirism and all. At least I wouldn't have minded bŕinging Serana to him to help cure her vampirism. Instead of hack, slash and kill it would have been cool to be able to heal Vrythur of his vampirism. I also thought that Sybille Stentor, only being a hop, skip and jump away at Solitude, may have had a role to play in the Hjaalmarch, with it being full of vampires and her, you know, being a vampire... It's like whoever was responsible for Morthal took the week off and was reassigned with a whole lot of half-finished tasks lost in the process. Pity, because it's spooky and atmospheric and a welcome break from the endless ice and snow you get around Winterhold/Windhelm/Dawnstar

I’ve grown to like this area more recently because it’s teeming with mudcrabs, and the stew and bisque you can make with their meat are actually fantastic stamina recovery items.

Hey now I like living there and RPing as an Orc named Shrek. That is my swamp.

Thanks for watching! If you liked this video, check out a similar video I made on the Witcher 3's worst patch of land: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N5DH1H80gXw.html&

It's actually kind of a nice place to set up your alchemy lab if you have the manor out there. There are a lot of good ingredients in the swamp, you get the hatchery and as you said there really aren't too many enemies. The few to worry about (like the chaurus) give useful ingredients as well. My first magic playthrough was like a dark elf and it just suited the rp really well. Good spot for a vampire, conjurer, alchemist, etc.

I remember when I first started using mods for Skyrim, I downloaded one that let you change your starting location so you wouldn't have to do the whole Helgen tutorial quest all over again. As i was going over the possible starting points, I saw Morthal and thought to myself "I dont really remember much from here so it would be a cool place to start and find new things" Five minutes after starting I realized why i couldn't remember anything about Morthal

I am surprised you forgot to mention that if you want to build your own home via Hearthfire then Windstad Manor, the "best" location, will be in that swamp too. Though "best" is simply from a gameplay mechanics standpoint as this location's unique feature is the fish hatchery, which allows you easy access to Salmon to abuse Alchemy. Otherwise it still is a rather unpleasant place to live and have your player home in. If you have the Anniversary Edition or Creation Club content in general there is also the Myrwatch tower located roughly around that area, which could be a cool home for a Wizard character, though it is still not the most pleasant surroundings.

Mentioning the Abandoned Shack unlocked a memory of first playing it way back when. I got out in the daylight and just wanted a safe place to save the game. Instead I trudge through what feels like miles of spooky marshes and swampland, with a sense of dread and a fear of getting jumped at every turn, until I finally enter Morthal and can save my game.

It's a creepy place, but the Dark Brotherhood quest makes me quite fond of it. Being abducted and dropped in the middle of the swamp just hit different. Loved that quest, even if it was very, very dumb.

Falion really just dropped in casual conversation that he’s spoken to Dwemer travelling through Oblivion and then moved on like it was a neat party trick.

I like this area a lot, I have always liked swamps for their atmosphere, and certainly when the sun shines through the atmosphere there it is very beautiful. The area of the map I don't care for is any of the ice flows around Winterhold, because there is nothing to do there, everything is desolate and if you fall into a crevice it takes a long time to walk back around.

I liked it, the lower density of points of interest felt like true wilderness, a step beyond the frontier feeling of other regions. It felt like a land that the Nords hadn't managed to make feel home, despite their fortitude and ability to live in other unhospitable places. Other areas of Skyrim felt at least like they were in the process of being tamed.

I actually really like / respect this area. Plenty of good Alchemy ingredients and a generally creepy area. I met my first Chauros Reaper in that area and I had no clue what it was, nor was I prepared to fight one! I was really creeped out and was slaughtered. I am cautious in every new play through in this area due to that memory. The Chauros species still creeps me out to this day. Lol

I think in terms of raw ingredients morthal would be the best place to live if you are an alchemist or a healer. Bonus points if you are a business owner trying to import a large supply of deathbell and nightshade. I have also noticed there are a lot of nirnroot there, the most other than that nirnroot farm near Riften.

Interestingly, in ESO, that same region is still a wetlands... but is a lot less spooky. Mostly because it's got far less tree cover and a longer draw distance, making it far easier to see long distances.

I love that you included the ambient travel moment at the start. It reminded me of how it felt. It's been a while for me.

One of my all time favorite mods is Windstad Mine, which takes place in this location. I feel like it adds exactly what is needed to make this region feel alive and interesting.

The building that you passed at 4:03 looks like it was a blacksmith's at on time. It has the same structure as the blacksmiths in Riverwood, Dawnstar, and Falkreath. (Also, Lami is a skooma dealer)

I'm glad someone else referenced the horror aspect of the game. I remember I wouldn't go into oblivion dungeons at night (irl night not in game) cause it was just to scary for me.

The Pieces of the Past Daedric quest takes you to Morthal. Also Lami at the Thaumaturgist's Hut (alchemist) has a fetch quest. Skyrim is weird in the way certain misc quests aren't always available so it's easy to miss them. I like the swamp mainly for its unique atmosphere and abundance of alchemy ingredients, but I can see how some might be turned off by it

I always got the feeling that the swamp was empty because of the vampires and spiders. A lair effect in DnD terms, and actually one of my favorite world building tools. Imagine what the town might have looked like before the vampires moved in. On a personal conspiracy theory I think there might have been a DLC outlined for this area, or some large cut quests. Either thing could explain the whole area. Bathesda has a history of leaving things boring in an area they plan on upgrading later

Probably my favorite region, tbh. Very beautful, especially at sunset or dawn.

There is the rather minor quest involving the Jarl's son, but you're directed to go to Whiterun directly after its start. Lurbuk is also an assassination target if you go do the side quests from Nazir.

The marsh is such a atmospheric treat, and this swamp is a perfect place for some nice ingredients

There's also the annoying slaughterfish near the abandoned shack that prevents fast travel, even if they're far away from you.

I like all the places, including this one. Right next to nice Solitude, you do the Abandoned Shack thing with Asstrid, they got deer to hunt, chauruses for their chitin, there’s a place you can build a house there, and they have SO many swamp fungal pods for paralysis potions. Plus in real life if you’d have to run around all day in full armor plus supplies, this place will help keep you cool.

I love this region. So much character and atmosphere.

I LOVE your intros man. The music and fading in and your perfect commentary voice is perfect

This is literally tied for my favorite region in the base game (with Southern Whiterun Hold, near Riverwood, being the other). It's desolate and foreboding, while populated primarily with a mix of spiders and crabs. It's full of Deathbell and Swamp Fungal Pod...two of the coolest "plants" (Pod is 'shroom) in the game (and I'm not even talking about their considerable value for leveling Alchemy here). In addition...I just have a thing for cold marshland/cold wetlands in real life. I hate mosquitoes, but if the "swamp" you are in is between 45-50 F (~7-10 C), that isn't a problem.

The most annoying thing is that EVERY TIME I fast travel to my house there, there's always a group of bandits attacking it. I wish they'd released an update enabling you to create settlements around your houses, with fortifications etc, similar to F04. That would have been awesome. Maybe there's a mod out there, somewhere.

I don't hate it. I love it for all of the reasons you mention.

I really loved the marshlands especially when farming swamp fungal pods for paralysis potions. You could make a solid “S”shaped path through and then end up in Solitude, sleep and sell off or craft and then take the S path back.

I actually like it. It's a very cool area. I've always tested my load order at Solitude's docks and in the forest in the marshlands. It's a neat region.

For some reason, Windstad Manor is my favorite of the all the house you can get, best real-estate in the game for me, and after they allowed consoles to add mod, I add the windstad mine, which turns the Manor into a nice lively town fit for a thane.

I have great memories of this area due to the Interesting NPCs mod, specifically Anum-La's questline. the final encounter in the swamp, coupled with the thunderstorm, really set the mood; something that couldn't be replicated elsewhere

It's really funny watching this when Morthal and it's swaps are your favorite patch of land.. I just like the dark mystery behind it and emptiness that it brings. It's small and there's not much too do and its poor, but that's why I like it, it's like a relief from those other over-bombarded areas with quests, stuff, great castles and people. It's small village in a middle of nowhere and that's why it's beautiful. Quests, although, not much of them, are interesting I really enjoyed them. You have point that it could be more developed and it could be bigger, but even what it is know, I can it's my favorite land of Skyrim. I think this area brings the contrast that it's much needed in Skyrim, a brief pause from constant action. Also I was raised as a child in a swampy area so I have soft spot for it. You could say it's nolstagia.

lol you really nailed it with the Witcher vid and this one, I've played both of these games a ton yet my memories of these areas are almost nonexistent

Get a Morthal Mod (Jks or Great Cities etc..) and “The marshlands” mod to make the marsh actually sketchy and the hold capital actually respectable. Add in some undead/beastial creature mods too if you like. You’ll be lost going in circles and hoping you reach Solitude or Morthal, before getting run down by monsters haha

Always felt unfinished to me, like there's more that was supposed to happen that they never got around to. I like the Jarl. And becoming her thane is always a plan for me in every playthrough as is having the house at the edge of the water. Love using her for the distraction at the embassy. I enjoy accidentally getting Lurbuk killed which you can do just by practicing telekinesis in the inn. Drop anything worth even twenty septims and Lurbuk will try to claim it if you drop it enough times and because he is so hated someone else will try to claim it as well and Lurbuk has next to no health.

I like the emptiness of the swamp, its a nice break from the immersion breaking 3 bandit camps within half a mile of Whiterun (one of which is a fort clearly built as a forward garrison for the city )

It's one of my favorite locations in the game. One of my last characters was essentially a poison-damage only witch lady and it became one of my fondest playthroughs, and I had bought the land plot in that area as well as installed a creepy little hut mod nearby.

I just hate that I can't immediately fast travel out of the abandoned shack when starting the Dark Brotherhood questline. Have to run and make sure no enemies are around first.

I love this area. Cool random encounters, nice atmosphere and pretty good use of fog to create the illusion of mystery

Im so glad to see that you get videos with 100k + views again :D

One of my favorite places. If you pick those purple flowers and combine them with a river betty (a fish you can catch underwater) it makes one of the strongest poisons in the game.

You missed out Lurbuk is a DBH target and there are side quests there like for Idgrod the younger and Mehrunes Razor. During Dawnguard ,the evil and mysterious ‘Traveller’ attacks you in Morthal and with The fishing quests you get an ambush there. Plus Falion is one of the few (only) sources of purchasable Black Soul Gems. So you left out quite a bit actually…

Actually, I quite like Hjaalmarch. The place is an absolute poisoner's paradise.

One of my most memorable gaming moments was struggling through this swamp at 1am, real time and game time, search for Solitude for the first time ever, and then seeing its silhouette in the distance.

It's peaceful, nice view of the blue palace from my favorite player home you can build.

It's even worse with Frostfall installed (survival mode is garbage fite me) Getting caught in the swamp at night is a great way to die of hypothermia

I actually like Morthal. Lots of creatures to kill. I love it. Killing and killing and killing makes morthal my favorite place in skyrim outside a dungeon.

I have begun to really enjoy Morthal and the surrounding swamp! Spooky and nice :D

My backyard growing up was part of a marshland, and my front yard was full of trees -- As such, I actually found the area oddly serene (heck, the vegetation even looks similar to how it looks back home at the very start of winter). That is, except for the more freakish monsters, and the fact that it's easier to get lost there than pretty much any other exterior location.

Title: "Why every TES V player hates this patch of land" Video: Explains mainly the narrator's gripes Me: I'm just disappointed in the lack of reptiles and amphibians. There's lots of plants that are difficult to come by anywhere else.

Was Falion supposed to be an Altmer in development? It's a very Altmeri-sounding name and his skill as a wizard implies that they changed him to a Redguard late in development and kept everything else.

I love this place. I pop in from time to time to check if there is any random dragon encounter I could have here. The vampire quest is also one of my favorite.

I always love this area. I almost never get into it but when I do there’s always creepy crawly things to fight and fish to catch for potions.

Ironically Skyrim has always felt too small and unrealistic to me.

Yeah I don’t hate it but it’s quite scary when i didn’t really like those black centipede creatures those where really strong in early levels

I truly enjoy quite a bit if these locations. There aren't many places I dislike in Skyrim. The only once being the snowy covered flats in Dawnstar hold as well as some of the hold of Winterhold. Best places for me are southern mostly. The plains of Whiterun, the forests of Falkreath, the Autumn like woodlands of Riften and the high peaks and mountains of Markarth all resonate with me. I do enjoy the tundra in the Northwestern side of the map as well. But whenever I find myself playing I always go back to those locations. Always.

The back story of Falion is mentioned in the college of Winterhold if iam not mistaken, something about him looking for just some quiet time without hinderance and his sister (the Inn owner) having invited him to Morthal.

that makes an interesting mod idea,. Lurking vampires that will only attack if you get too close , but will follow you and hide if you move towards them or attack you and try an bite you if you stand still too long

I kinda like lull areas in an rpg map. No location should have nothing to do but a few that only have one or two things going on is fine. They become synonymous with that task. Meanwhile at best the places with lots of things to do feel familari andcomfortable but at worst they can feel tedious. So having a variety feels nice. A good map needs both its whiteruns and its morthals.

I remember running from Morthal to solitude through that swamp because I hadn't discovered Solitude at that point in my playthrough and I didn't know about the carriage driver. The only other reason I went to that swamp was to complete that quest in Riften where you have to collect 20 deathbells for that woman.

I love how isolated and atmospheric the area is. Not much to do there, but I like walking through.

The main attraction for me is the achemical ingredients. You can get large amounts of death bell and fungal pods, with little effort. It also has a rather large number of slaughter fish eggs and wild giant lichen, significantly more than what alchemy shops try and sell me. Also it does have an alchemy shop.

A frozen marsh that's so humid it has a mist, AND snow on the ground .

.....also a fishing related quest which gives a powerful artifact, and a quest relating to the Dragon Born, with a word wall and a late stage Saints and Seducers reward quest. There is also the house you can build which has a fish farm. Also a part of the 3 brothers quest dungeon.

are there any mods that give an alternate ending for quests when you don't take them or take too long to finish them? example: what if you don't stop the vampires in Morthal from taking over? wouldn't there be a ton of vampires there after a while?

I love running thru there to get to the ship wreck quest just to CTD every time

I love the swamp! The property there is my favorite in the entire game, Morthal is my favorite settlement and it’s such an interesting landscape. I love going there at night to collect deathbell and swamp fungal pods

Expected some spot where a bunch of roads meet or something... Turns out the spot in the vid is one of my favorite areas lol. Also tons of alchemy ingredients :)

It might have been interesting to create lots of quests and adventure locations around the periphery of the swamp, which would make the lack of such things inside all the more ominous.

- Jurgen the lumberjack is part of Mehrunes Dagon's 'Pieces of the Past' quest as he is one of the guardians. - Labyrinthan is located Hjalmarch

I like how dark it is. That dark chill you get is why there is not a lot of stuff there. Its like a cold dead hand has it grip on it.

The coolest thing about it is that the Fort you visit in the civil war quest was the palace of the starting city if you played as a Nord in Arena I find it to be cool to have somewhat of a ancient reference

I always loved this area. Seems like a phantom, love it

Chaurus reapers, normally in caves, can be found there, too. They are also formidable enemies for a low lever player.

The Bogmort mod adds new encounters in the region, highly recommend it along with windstad mine

It is one of the first areas I head to as I establish myself at Myrwatch which is a free home with everything a budding mage needs. A fully equipped smithy, a small ingredients garden, an alchemy table, an arcane table, and a staff table. Full kitchen with ovens, lots of storage, the usual trophy racks and mannequins. I then establish the farm in Rorikstead for income.

I feel like the hot springs area in the east is pretty similar except it’s the opposite. They’re both small biomes and look unique but the ladder has a dragon area, giant spot, and hagraven lair