The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal
An expansion set in Mournhold, exploring the Tribunal's mythology.
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal, a November 2002 expansion for Morrowind, takes place in Mournhold, the province's capital and a self-contained city separate from the main game. It was the first of two expansions. The central quests involve resolving conflicts between King Hlaalu Helseth and the Living God Almalexia. Quality-of-life improvements include updates to the quest journal and map.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher
- Bethesda Softworks
- Producer
- Ashley Cheng
- Designer
- Ken Rolston
- Programmer
- Craig Walton
- Artist
- Matthew Carofano; Christiane Meister
- Writer
- Gavin Carter
- Brian Chapin
- Mark E. Nelson
- Series
- The Elder Scrolls
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The core gameplay of Tribunal is the same as Morrowind, adding more quests and open areas to explore. Its primary new feature is the city of Mournhold, which is separate from the main game world. To get there, players must use a teleportation service, and levitation magic is turned off to hide this separation. The expansion's content starts when the player character falls asleep for the first time, which begins a quest leading to the teleport. Tribunal also brings several small improvements. The quest journal, which originally listed entries in the order they were written, can now be sorted by quest name, and players can tell which quests are active or finished. The map can be annotated, and players can hire followers. One is a mercenary who will use any weapons and armor given to them as long as they are paid regularly. Another is a pack rat that carries items from the player's inventory. Finally, the Museum of Artifacts lets players sell valuable items they found in the original game.
Plot
The player is attacked by an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood. To learn more, the player is directed to Mournhold, where they defeat the head of the Dark Brotherhood and complete side quests for King Helseth and the Living God Almalexia. Almalexia has ruled Morrowind for thousands of years with Vivec and Sotha Sil, who call themselves the Tribunal. Mechanical creatures called Fabricants attack a plaza, emerging from a statue and revealing a passage to a Dwemer ruin. Suspecting Sotha Sil, the player investigates and completes quests to reconstruct Nerevar's sword Trueflame. The player then goes to the Clockwork City to kill Sotha Sil, but finds him dead. Almalexia appears and claims she killed Sotha Sil and instigated the attack to gain power, driven mad by the Heart of Lorkhan. The player kills Almalexia. Upon exiting her temple, the Daedric Prince Azura reveals that the Heart of Lorkhan drove Almalexia mad, and that mortals cannot become gods without consequences. By destroying the Heart and killing Almalexia, the player continues fulfilling the Nerevarine prophecies.
Development
The plot and setting of Tribunal were conceived during earlier development in earlier Elder Scrolls titles; Mournhold featured as a location in Arena. In 1996, after Daggerfall, Bethesda began work on an unfinished sequel that would later become Morrowind, also named Tribunal, intended to be set in the entire province of Morrowind. That initial development contained conflicts, characters, and themes later used in the expansion, including adamantium armor and monsters like goblins and liches. No staff from those initial discussions were involved in the expansion. Development started after Morrowind's release and was completed in a five-month cycle from June 2002, with the expansion ready for testing in October 2002. The Construction Set expedited development by providing tools to quickly add content. The team consisted of 15 to 25 of the 40 Bethesda staff who worked on Morrowind. Initial work was strained by fatigue from the Morrowind cycle, and creative differences between lead designer Ken Rolston and writer Douglas Goodall led to Goodall's departure.
Reception
Tribunal was generally well received. Metacritic scored the PC version 80 out of 100, and GameRankings scored it 81 out of 100. Reviewers praised the interface and quest journal updates as necessary changes. Shakil Ahmed of Hyper noted the expansion alleviated problems with the original game's fragmented journal system. Computer Gaming World said the quest system improved on the original but retained accessibility issues due to organizing quests by title. Reviewers welcomed the greater difficulty; Computer Gaming World stated new monsters were challenging for high-level characters. Some found it too difficult; William Abner of GameSpy said it was no cakewalk even with powerful items. Critics commended the main quest design but disagreed on Mournhold's setting. Keith Pullin of PC Zone critiqued the expansion as relatively linear and lacking the original's scale. Computer Gaming World viewed Mournhold as underpopulated and confined. Others praised the focused structure; Matthew Peckham of Computer Games described Mournhold as massive with deceptively simple detours. Steve Polak of PC Powerplay found it easier to follow than the original. Steve Butts of IGN found the main quest more focused and better-paced. Some reviewers encountered technical problems, including crashes and sound issues. The poor pathfinding of companions was noted; Abner described followers as a pain due to pathing and clipping issues, and Polak expressed annoyance with NPC pathfinding and follower behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal?
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal was developed by Bethesda Game Studios.
Who published The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal?
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal was published by Bethesda Softworks.
When was The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal released?
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal was released on November 8, 2002 in North America and on November 29, 2002 in UK.
What platforms is The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal available on?
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox (GOTY Edition).
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