Highly anticipated: Most Elder Scrolls players these days probably know the series from its latest entry, Skyrim, given that game's explosive success. However, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall remains a favorite among old-school fans. Some of these enthusiasts have welcomed the new year by completing development on a port to refresh and modernize the game.
After almost a decade in development, the Unity port of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall has reached full release, supporting all of the original gameplay content and features. The source port introduces numerous visual and mechanical enhancements to the 1996 classic, and allows for additional modding.
While Bethesda has long offered Daggerfall as a free download on Steam and elsewhere, the game normally runs through DOS-based emulation. Players unaccustomed to 90s PC gaming might find the low resolution and ancient controls stifling. Daggerfall is the latest among many DOS-era classics to receive source ports to alleviate these issues.
Daggerfall Unity allows users to run the game natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux in high resolution with modern first-person controls, improved lighting, bug fixes, and various other quality-of-life features. Players can toggle settings to tailor the experience to be as modern or old-school as they prefer. While the source port doesn't give the game Skyrim's graphics, it does make the 90s presentation more accessible for new players, similar to the recent official remasters of Doom and Quake.
To try it out, install Daggerfall through Steam or one of the DRM-free packages (the developers advise against using the GOG cut), then unzip the Daggerfall Unity files into another folder. Clicking on the source port's executable prompts players to locate the main game's installation folder and set their desired resolution to complete the setup.
Throughout its development, hundreds of mods have become available for Daggerfall Unity, allowing users to enhance the game further. Some overhaul the gameplay, while others improve the graphics and sound. A popular quest pack adds almost 200 new quests to Daggerfall.
Daggerfall isn't the only classic Elder Scrolls entry receiving a fan-made overhaul. Modders have spent over a decade migrating The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind into Skyrim's graphics engine. A lengthy preview video showed positive signs of progress last year, but no release date is yet in sight.