House Redoran vs. Hlaalu for a first playthrough—which one clicks better?

[RiftenWanderer]

I'm finally jumping into Morrowind after years of Skyrim, and I keep seeing people say the Great House questlines actually matter. I'm planning to go with either Redoran or Hlaalu based on what I've read, but honestly the descriptions make them sound pretty opposite—one's all honor and combat, the other's politics and sneaking around. I'm playing on OpenMW, doing a melee/light armor build if that helps. Which one would feel less grindy for someone who just wants to follow the story without getting lost in faction politics?

 

[EbonyWarrior]

Honestly, Redoran's gonna feel less grindy for what you're doing. Their quests are way more straightforward - you get a task, you go do it, boom, next rank. It's very "here's the problem, solve it" which meshes better with a melee build since most of it is just combat encounters.

Hlaalu's all about dialogue checks, sneaking into places, bribing people, politics with the other houses. Not bad, but it requires more... finesse? And if you're not spec'd into Speech or Speechcraft (yeah, it's a skill in Morrowind, not a perk like Skyrim), you'll hit walls where you can't pass checks and have to reload or find another angle. Way more friction for a first playthrough when you just want to follow the story.

Plus Redoran's questline actually ties into the main plot in a way that makes sense - without spoiling it, the Great Houses matter to what's happening on Vvardenfell. Hlaalu's more self-contained, which is fine but less epic.

The one caveat: Redoran expects you to actually do some exploration and talk to people to figure out where to go next. Morrowind doesn't hand-hold like Skyrim does with the compass markers. But if you're cool with that (and OpenMW has a search function in the journal now I think?), you'll be fine. Light armor and melee is perfect for their vibe too - very "honorable warrior" which is the whole House identity.

Go Redoran. You can always do Hlaalu on a sneaky character later.

 

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

I'd push back a tiny bit on the "Hlaalu = dialogue checks everywhere" thing though. Yeah, you'll hit some Speechcraft requirements, but Morrowind's actually pretty good about giving you alternate routes if you fail a check. There's usually a sneaky way in, or an NPC who'll help you, or you just... do the thing manually instead of talking your way past it. It's less "you're locked out" and more "okay, different approach."

That said, the previous reply nailed it on Redoran being the better first House pick. Not because Hlaalu's bad, but because Redoran's philosophy is baked into the quests themselves - you're proving yourself through deeds, the tasks are self-explanatory, and there's this satisfying progression where you're earning respect. For someone coming from Skyrim's more streamlined design, that directness is genuinely helpful.

One thing worth knowing though: Redoran questline does get you involved in some heavy political / religious stuff later on, especially if you're also doing the main quest. It's not just "punch this problem," it becomes about why you're punching it. That's the tie-in the other post mentioned. Hlaalu's more mercenary and transactional by design, which is thematically consistent but less... weighty? If you care about that stuff.

Your melee/light armor build is basically made for Redoran anyway. Hlaalu would almost push you toward sneaking, which isn't bad, but you'd be fighting against the faction's grain a bit.