UESP Forums

Hello everyone!
First things first: I've been using this wiki for years to find infos about the various elder scrolls games, and I have to say it has always been very helpful.
I'm planning to go back to Morrowind soon, with a great number of mods installed (which includes the Sounds and Graphics Overhaul), and I decided to make myself a specific challenge for this character: conquering the whole of Vvardenfell and Solstheim, an idea I got from this post .
But before conquering and such, I planned to do efficient leveling to create a very powerful character, to justify his right to conquer.
As of yet, I've been searching for quite some time a comprehensive guide about efficient leveling (while I remember one such guide, I can't seem to find it anymore...), and wondered if I could receive various indications about it on this forum.
However, to spice up the challenge, I already set some rules about it:
- no killing NPCs unless required by a quest or if they posses a unique or interesting item (as I'll go for absolute completionism on this playthrough).
- avoiding to disturb the game world too much before I'm done leveling to 100 in every attributes and skills (that is, leaving as much quests as possible for after the leveling phase is done, same with exploring caves and dungeons; so I'm restricting my leveling playfield to the wilderness and the towns/cities/villages).
- no abuse of alchemy or the soul trap glitch to raise attributes (I want natural leveling).
- no abuse of bartering tricks to maximize money income (that would be too easy).
- no stealing with impunity in the Census and Excise Office at the start (at least not the room with Soccucius Ergalla, the room with Sellus Gravius and the warehouse).
As previously said, I'm playing on a heavily modded game, so her's the list mods I currently installed (which could vary a little in the future, due to some being potentially unstable/not needed):

Also, I already have a few ideas set about character creation: a breton with the sign of the Atronach or the Lady (haven't decided yet), with Endurance and Luck as his primary attributes.
After that, the only clue I got is that training will be a big part of leveling: which means, lots of gold will be needed.
In the end, the two main questions would be, how to level efficiently, and how to make gold easily, but following the rules set up above.
Thanks in advance for answers!

Majors: Alchemy, Conjuration, Mysticism, Destruction and Enchant.
Minors: Shortblade, Heavy Armor, Block, Armorer, Marksman.
Max these and get a 35 in Unarmored, sneak and alteration. You'll have met the requirements so you can join and rule any faction or Great House.

Buy cheap ingredients like Wickwheat and Marshmerrow and make potions for sale. Use the cash to buy empty soul gems in Tel Branora or Mournhold. Cast custom spells to "Summon an Ancestral Ghost for 12 seconds", "Trap the Soul on target for 10 seconds", "Fire damage on target for 28 points" to fill Common or better soul gems. The Common gem is then worth 3k and a Grand Soul Gem 20k. Use Restore Magicka potions to keep it going. Enchant an item to "Disentegrate Armor". Wear heavy armor and cast the item's spell until it is drained. Fix your armor. Use soul gems to recharge the item and repeat this as needed. Finally, summon a creature and strike it three times with a short sword or arrow. Then summon another creature before that one fights back. Use these routines and this should get your level up to around 60. Now just summon a creature and let it pound on your shield and heavy armor while you drink Restore Health potions to max out your character. You can build your character up to max and never leave town. Good luck!

Great thanks!
I'll set up this character soon (that is, when I find some free time...)
Maybe I'll open a thread about the specifics of the challenge, for those who might be interested.

I'd be interested in your play-through.

Unlike normal grinding, these routines for your majors will get you a ton of valuable potions and filled soul gems and otherwise make you a fortune. It still takes many hours to max out, so I usually mix in some other routines. If you levitate over a lava pool (like the one inside the Vacant Tower next to Dagon Fel), you can summon a Golden Saint so that she is standing in the pool up to his knees. The lava will kill her for you so that she doesn't attack you or dispel anything. Stay close to her and with a little practice you can snatch her weapon and shield. If you cast "Trap the soul for 12 seconds" and aim the cross-hairs right at her nose, then you can get a filled Grand Soul Gem, too. Enchant an item to fortify your enchant skill about 500 levels for a few seconds and you can enchant even CE items by yourself.

Atronach is by far the best choice, Apprentice being second best when coupled with the Breton race. The Lady is worthless.

And it would behoove you to finish Endurance grinding as soon as possible. With Endurance as a favored attribute, you'll see it maxed by level 13 if you level efficiently. Don't wait until after you've done all that business with the soul gems.

Well, maybe I'll have to do a clean character now...
I had already planned to max out endurance first to get maximal HP, and I thought of the lady because it would allow me to max out endurance earlier.
I guess I would avoid the apprentice to be able to reach immunity to magicka (it can always help).
As for the stunted magicka, that would be counter-balanced by one one the mods I'm using.
However, which other attributes would I best max out early together with endurance? I'm keeping a slot for luck until roughly level 50, though.
Thanks anyway for the advices.

You can go for the 5/5/5 or the 5/5/1 leveling scheme (5/5/1 meaning each level you achieve x5 multipliers in two rather than three attributes, and assign the third point to luck). I prefer 5/5/1, because

a) It makes leveling more balanced. With 5/5/5 you'll end up being unstoppable by level 20 or so, and consequently lose some incentive to grind out further levels; and

b) It's easier to achieve two x5 multipliers, rather than 3. With 5/5/5, you will need 30 controlled skill increases per level, which I find to be overly tedious.

Other folks elect to forego Luck entirely. It boils down to personal preference in terms of character progression and the amount of grinding you're willing to commit to. Since there are several ways to break the level cap, and you can conceivably level infinitely, factors like max health or when to allot Luck points are irrelevant. Any leveling scheme, efficient or otherwise, can end up with 100 in all skills and attributes, and as much health as you are willing to grind for.

Which brings me to the Lady. Yes, that early endurance bonus may seem like a boon for the first few levels, trimming off 5 levels of required endurance grinding. But, like all attribute boosting birthsigns, it has no long-term benefit. If you choose the Atronach, you're sacrificing a few measly points of health for 2.5x magicka and 50% spell absorption, which puts you well on your way to godlike status from square one. When building a godlike character, magicka is all-important. And those few extra points of health you would have had can be regained regardless, by using simple leveling tricks after you hit level cap.

And even without mods, stunted magicka is easy to manage. Between the ancestor ghost trick, replenishing magicka at shrines, absorbing from enemies, and buying/crafting restore pots (finally, a use for those thousands of drakes you don't know what to do with), you will never find yourself lacking magicka if you play it smart.