The Dark Brotherhood questline in Morrowind actually exists and it's nothing like Skyrim's

[EbonyWarrior]

So I've been replaying Morrowind with OpenMW and I totally forgot there's a Dark Brotherhood presence in Vvardenfell. It's so much smaller and weirder than what Skyrim did with the whole "Sanctuary and Astrid" thing.

Like, the Morrowind version is basically just a few scattered assassins doing contracts, no grand guild hall, no Listener roleplay, just... murder for hire in the shadows. And honestly it kind of works better? It feels more dangerous because there's no safety net. You're not joining some established organization with rules and a family. You're just becoming a killer.

I think Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood questline is objectively better designed - the story is tighter, the characters are way more memorable, the whole "Sithis" and "Night Mother" stuff is creepy in the right way. But Morrowind's version has this paranoid, isolated feel that actually fits the Daedric assassination vibe better. You're not special. You're just another tool.

Anyone else prefer the smaller, meaner version? Or does Skyrim's theatrical approach just hit different?

 

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

I think you're nailing something real here, but I'd push back a little on the "Skyrim's objectively better designed" bit. They're doing fundamentally different things and both work, just for different reasons.

Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood is basically a mystery box - who killed the Night Mother, what's Astrid's deal, why is Sithis calling you, what happened to the sanctuary - and it wraps all that into a tight narrative with actual character arcs. Mercer Frey has nothing on that structure. But you're right that Morrowind's version is meaner. There's no redemption arc, no "we're a family," no Cicero quoting poetry. You're just a freelance killer getting hired by a few contacts scattered across the island. It's transactional. Dangerous. You could die and nobody would care because you're not part of anything.

The thing is, that actually feels more in line with how the Dark Brotherhood works in the lore - they're Sithis worshippers who believe in the void and chaos. Skyrim's version is almost too... organized? Too much of a found family story. Which is great for a video game narrative, don't get me wrong. But Morrowind's version - the paranoia, the isolation, the fact that you're just another contractor - that's closer to what an actual Daedric murder cult probably looks like.

I don't think one is objectively better. Skyrim's is a better story. Morrowind's is a better vibe for what the Dark Brotherhood actually is.