- These sophisticated barbarian beast peoples of the Wrothgarian and Dragontail Mountains are noted for their unshakeable courage in war and their unflinching endurance of hardships. Orc warriors in heavy armor are among the finest front-line troops in the Empire. Most Imperial citizens regard Orc society as rough and cruel, but there is much to admire in their fierce tribal loyalties and generous equality of rank and respect among the sexes.
Orcs, also called Orsimer or "Pariah Folk" in ancient times, are sophisticated, brutish elves of the Wrothgarian Mountains, Dragontail Mountains, Valenwood, and Orsinium (literally translated as "Orc-Town"). They are noted for their unshakable courage in war and their unflinching endurance of hardships. Orcs have elven blood, but are usually considered to be both beastfolk and goblin-ken. In the past, Orcs were widely feared and hated by the other nations and races of Tamriel. However, they have slowly won acceptance in the Empire, in particular for their distinguished service in the Emperor's Legions. Orc armorers are prized for their craftsmanship, and Orc warriors in heavy armor are among the finest front-line troops in the Empire, and are fearsome when using their berserker rage. Orcs have a lifespan similar to that of humans. Most Imperial citizens regard Orc society as rough and cruel. The Orcs of the Iliac Bay region have developed their own language, known as Orcish, and have often had their own kingdom, Orsinium.
For more information, see the main lore article.
Base AttributesEdit
| Attribute | M | F |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 45 | 45 |
| Intelligence | 30 | 40 |
| Willpower | 50 | 45 |
| Agility | 35 | 35 |
| Speed | 30 | 30 |
| Endurance | 50 | 50 |
| Personality | 30 | 25 |
| Luck | 40 | 40 |
Skill BonusesEdit
| Skill | Bonus |
|---|---|
 Armorer |
+10 |
 Block |
+10 |
 Heavy Armor |
+10 |
 Medium Armor |
+10 |
 Axe |
+5 |
AbilitiesEdit
- Resist Magicka —
Resist Magicka 25 pts on Self
PowersEdit
- Berserk —
Fortify Health 20 pts for 60 secs on Self
Fortify Fatigue 200 pts for 60 secs on Self
Fortify Attack 100 pts for 60 secs on Self
Drain Agility 100 pts for 60 secs on Self
Ideal CharacterEdit
Like the Nords, Orcs are defensive combat characters, although they focus more on physical defense than magical. A starting Endurance of 50, plus a good Block bonus, means you may actually go out looking for scars. You're not totally helpless against magic, with about 50 willpower to start and 25% magicka resistance, but chances are you won't be devoting much of your time to increasing your willpower throughout the game. Pairing this high resistance they have as well as the natural Armorer bonus means you probably won't worry too much about long hikes, but you will need to improve your strength to compensate for the weight of your hammers. Berserk will turn you into a titan in case you find you started to feel immortal and got yourself in deep trouble, however, you may want a potion, scroll or enchantment to boost your agility as you may otherwise find it difficult to avoid being knocked down by your enemies; alternatively, you can use Berserk with a Marksman weapon to stay out of harm's way, while also landing every shot. Your personality means you probably won't be well-liked, especially as a female character, so look forward to lots of straight-up hits from the Fighters Guild and Imperial Legion. It will be difficult to get along with anyone without plenty of training.
Orcs are the only race that get a bonus to Armorer and Block, so you can count on those being favorite skills for you. With axes being the only favored weapon skill, that's naturally a good place to start, but +5 isn't much of an incentive if you prefer another one-handed weapon style. The choice between Heavy and Medium Armor is even more equal, so go with whatever suits you more. Acrobatics will help you develop your strength, but it's up to you how much further you wish to develop your character. Armorer, Block, Axe, Heavy/Medium Armor, and perhaps Acrobatics are all that the Orcs really ask for, so you still have half your skills to assign as you would like to play.
Female Orcs are uniquely positioned to play as a Battlemage-type character, due to having increased Strength and Endurance without having compromised Intelligence. This comes with the tradeoff of slightly decreased Willpower, compared to the Male Orc, and an even further damaged Personality, having the lowest starting Personality in the game.
NotesEdit
- A list of all the Orcs in Morrowind can be found here.
- Morrowind is the first game in the series where Orcs are a playable race.
- In Morrowind, movement speed is heavily affected by a character's weight. With a weight of 1.35, Orc males are the heaviest playable characters in the game. Therefore, if other statistics are equal, Orc males will be noticeably faster than members of other races.