Rebuilding Morrowind inside Skyrim, huge fan project Skywind now looks like the best way to play

There’s still no end date yet, but I’m really starting to believe. A new Skywind video just gave us a fresh look at the fan project rebuilding the entirety of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind inside the modern Skyrim engine. Inspired by the “creative risks” of the Bethesda original, which was made as a last-ditch effort but won enough acclaim to springboard the series into Oblivion and Skyrim, it imagines how the groundbreaking RPG might have looked if it was built using the technology of the latest installment. As the first full progress check-in since its 2024 reveals, it’s come a very long way.

Looking at the numbers, this comprehensive rebuild is feeling close in a way that I still can’t yet say about The Elder Scrolls 6. It’s taking full advantage of everything that the Skyrim Special Edition has at its disposal, and honestly looks even more gorgeous than the game it’s been constructed in, thanks to the hard work of its art and animation teams. The developer says its 2D artists are now “99% complete” and working on optional extras like environmental decals, tattoos, scars, and images for the various in-game books and guides.

The 3D art team is making striking progress too; 28 of the 30 planned level kits are finished, with the remaining two being the Dunmer Stronghold interiors and exteriors. Of the other work still ahead, it says that the biggest remaining asset category is clothing. If you’re interested in helping with this, they’re actively looking for volunteers, with a bounty board listing projects in the official Discord that you can offer to contribute to.

Critically, the team is staying well clear of any gen-AI tools. I reached out to ask about this, and was told, “Skywind is still being made entirely by human contributors and we use no generative AI. Being a labour of love, and with all our volunteers working on Skywind out of passion and appreciation for the game and the craft itself, any sort of AI outsourcing would ultimately defeat our core purpose.”

Ten of the 13 regions that span the Morrowind map are now “at least 90% complete,” including the likes of Molag Amur, Sheogorad, and the Grazelands. The last three on the list are Zafirbel Bay (80% done), West Ashlands (60%), and Red Mountain (40%, and thus “likely the final region to wrap up”). The navmeshing and optimization process, which includes everything from ensuring reliable NPC pathing to the smooth loading of areas as you explore, is approximately 75% finished.

One of Morrowind’s great strengths is its unique creature variety, “each with its own distinct look and behavior,” and that’s something the animators have been working hard to bring to life. While many use existing Skyrim skeletons, some have had their models rigged and animated from scratch, and 14 of the 15 in that category are now in a near-finished state. Seeing the likes of the waddling Guar, scuttling Scrib, or even a teasing silhouette of Yagrum Bagarn is taking me right back to my teenage years.

“Nearly all spells” are now complete on the visual effects side, with artists ensuring they look good whether in first-person, third-person, or floating in your equipment menu. The team notes that, because the environments have been built entirely within Skyrim’s vanilla engine, Skywind should be compatible with the likes of lighting and weather-related Skyrim mods right out of the box.

While licensing prevents use of the complete original soundtrack, many songs are available due to their inclusion in the Skyrim Dragonborn DLC. They’ve been supplemented by a wide cast of composers who have created over 130 new tracks inspired by the Morrowind score. At the latest count, the team has finished 82% of the exploration music it wants, 50% of the combat tracks, and 64% of those for dungeons. It’s also carefully determined which active and ambient sound effects are “must-haves” for launch.

Skywind also incorporates key features from Morrowind such as layered armor, allowing you to wear two different glove types at the same time. Spellcrafting has been implemented as well, and continues to evolve as development progresses, letting you build your own magic from scratch. The coding team has also built in an NPC class system and enhanced traps, throwing weapons, paralysis effects, and underwater combat (which now supports the use of ranged attacks and spells).

All of the major writing work has been done, leaving that team to tackle various smaller aspects such as item descriptions and books. Approximately 300 volunteer voice actors have lent their voice to the game since development began, with 92% of the roughly 3,000 NPCs now recorded and the rest all cast. 22,000 lines have been mixed and mastered, which only comes in at about 12% of the total, but the team is happy with its progress – more on that in just a moment.

A total of 320 of the 484 quests in Skywind have been through at least one QA pass, with the “vast majority” of missions now in a playable state. While the voiced dialogue will only be in English, translations are ongoing across 13 separate teams, including Czech, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese, with more under consideration. Once the base game has been released to the public, the intent is for work to begin on the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions, but not before.

To date, it’s estimated that more than 1,000 people have contributed to Skywind since its inception, some finishing their work and handing it off, and others sticking around for longer stretches of development. The key bottlenecks right now are 3D artists, asset implementers, dialogue editors, programmers for systems like NPC behavior, and QA testers. If you’re interested in taking part, you can find more details on how to do so via the Skywind website.

“Skywind exists today for the same reason it began: a shared love of The Elder Scrolls 3 and a desire to experience its world and story for the first time, all over again,” narrator Joy Hayward concludes. “Like the game that inspired it, Skywind is the result of creativity, persistence, collaboration, perhaps a little risk, shaped by many hands over many years, each one leaving their mark before passing the torch. Every contribution matters. Every step forward counts. Together, they bring Skywind closer to the vision that started it all.”