So I'm making a quick guide for anyone who would like to check out the first two games in the The Elder Scrolls series, Arena(1994) and Daggerfall(1996). These two games have been made available to download for free by Bethesda, and can be downloaded from Bethesda's official site here:
For TES Arena:
https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/arena
For TES Daggerfall:
https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/daggerfall
However, I would recommend not downloading the versions that are directly from Bethesda's site. They're not updated or patched and require setting up an emulator like DOSBox in order to even play them, which is tedious at best and frustrating at worst. The best versions to download are the versions made available by the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, the better of the two TES wikis. The UESP versions have nice installers that let you choose which patches to use, as well as running in their own little DOSBoxes so you don't have to set anything up. You can download them here:
For TES Arena(ArenaSetup.exe):
http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Files
For TES Daggerfall(DaggerfallSetup.exe):
http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:Files
As for advice about playing the actual games, the biggest thing I can say is to use the UESP. The UESP have tonneon of information about both games, and it's very helpful to have guidance.
For Arena, understand that the control setup can't be changed at all. It's very clunky. Arena is, all around, very clunky. I've beaten the game, and I have to say that Daggerfall is by far the better of the two and that Daggerfall is nearly everything Arena aspired to be, at a simultaneously larger and smaller scale. Magic is a very useful asset in Arena, although I would suggest sticking to magical items over spells, since the magic classes are barred from using most of the game's armour. Also, fast travel is essential. Traversing the continent of Tamriel could take real world months, and you have to explore the entire continent to finish the game.
For Daggerfall, the control scheme can be changed, and the mouse can be used to look around as well. Definitely change them. Aside from that, one thing I have to say is to always make a custom class. The pre-made classes aren't very good, or very fun to play. Custom classes are absolutely where it's at. One thing I definitely recommend is making a spell with the effect Teleport, or buying one(which is much more expensive, both in septims and magic points). Join the Mages Guild or rank up in a temple to access the spell maker, add the effect Teleportation, and don't edit the duration or any of that at all. This spell will be your lifesaver. The dungeons in Daggerfall are absolute madness, they're gigantic and very easy to get lost in. Use the spell you made at the start of all dungeons you enter to set an anchor. Then, when you want to leave, use the spell again to return to the start of the dungeon without hassle. Fast travel is also essential in Daggerfall, which though only taking place around the Iliac Bay in-game, would be half as large as the United Kingdom if it were super-imposed over the real world. The only other big tip I have is to find Lady Brisienna as soon as you can after you receive the letter from her. Hers is the only quest in the main questline that is timed, and it's important that you don't fail it if you're choosing to do the main questline.
With that, I hope to have helped show you how to play some cool games you may not have played otherwise. The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
For TES Arena:
https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/arena
For TES Daggerfall:
https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/daggerfall
However, I would recommend not downloading the versions that are directly from Bethesda's site. They're not updated or patched and require setting up an emulator like DOSBox in order to even play them, which is tedious at best and frustrating at worst. The best versions to download are the versions made available by the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, the better of the two TES wikis. The UESP versions have nice installers that let you choose which patches to use, as well as running in their own little DOSBoxes so you don't have to set anything up. You can download them here:
For TES Arena(ArenaSetup.exe):
http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Files
For TES Daggerfall(DaggerfallSetup.exe):
http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:Files
As for advice about playing the actual games, the biggest thing I can say is to use the UESP. The UESP have tonneon of information about both games, and it's very helpful to have guidance.
For Arena, understand that the control setup can't be changed at all. It's very clunky. Arena is, all around, very clunky. I've beaten the game, and I have to say that Daggerfall is by far the better of the two and that Daggerfall is nearly everything Arena aspired to be, at a simultaneously larger and smaller scale. Magic is a very useful asset in Arena, although I would suggest sticking to magical items over spells, since the magic classes are barred from using most of the game's armour. Also, fast travel is essential. Traversing the continent of Tamriel could take real world months, and you have to explore the entire continent to finish the game.
For Daggerfall, the control scheme can be changed, and the mouse can be used to look around as well. Definitely change them. Aside from that, one thing I have to say is to always make a custom class. The pre-made classes aren't very good, or very fun to play. Custom classes are absolutely where it's at. One thing I definitely recommend is making a spell with the effect Teleport, or buying one(which is much more expensive, both in septims and magic points). Join the Mages Guild or rank up in a temple to access the spell maker, add the effect Teleportation, and don't edit the duration or any of that at all. This spell will be your lifesaver. The dungeons in Daggerfall are absolute madness, they're gigantic and very easy to get lost in. Use the spell you made at the start of all dungeons you enter to set an anchor. Then, when you want to leave, use the spell again to return to the start of the dungeon without hassle. Fast travel is also essential in Daggerfall, which though only taking place around the Iliac Bay in-game, would be half as large as the United Kingdom if it were super-imposed over the real world. The only other big tip I have is to find Lady Brisienna as soon as you can after you receive the letter from her. Hers is the only quest in the main questline that is timed, and it's important that you don't fail it if you're choosing to do the main questline.
With that, I hope to have helped show you how to play some cool games you may not have played otherwise. The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
