History YMMV / TheElderScrollsArena

* RealityIsUnrealistic: The Ohmes Khajiit in this game are considered by many fans to barely be considered catfolk because of their almost entirely human appearance and the fact that they don't even have tails. However, there is a cat breed called the Max, native to the Isle of Man that don't have ails.

** The Temple of Agamanus, which is visited right before the Halls of Colossus, is a fairly standard--if somewhat challenging--dungeon, but has the gall to spawn a group of very powerful knights right smack-dab at the entrance. A poorly-equipped or low-level player entering this dungeon may as well be walking into a meat-grinder.
* JustHereForGodzilla: In this day and age, pretty much the only reason people go back to this game is either to hang out in cities or provinces that haven't appeared yet on a mainline Elder Scrolls title, or to see how cities that were present on a mainline Elder Scrolls title looked like.

** The Temple of Agamanus, which is visited right before the Halls of Colossus, is a fairly standard--if somewhat challenging--dungeon, but has the gall to spawn a group of very powerful knights right smack-dab at the entrance. A poorly-equipped or low-level player entering this dungeon may as well be walking into a meat-grinder.

* GoodBadBugs:
** In the CD-ROM version, it's possible to beat the game by collecting scrolls in a single dungeon roughly 18 times, due to the plot-important item in it respawning.
** Enemies get stuck in walls constantly.
** You can stack Amulets with the Necromancer's Amulet to create a huge defense bonus.
** You can exploit the repair option at equipment stores to replenish the number of artifacts' special ability uses for 13 gold in one day (the default option is 10,000 gold for 10 days)
** It's possible to cause the amount of items in treasure piles to go up simply by climbing and going down dungeon stairs, and duplicate weapons and armor.
** A simple one that really helps players, though, is that, while you were meant to only get one artifact (at least until you use that artifact's special abilities enough times it disappears from your inventory), you can use the artifact's magic abilities at least once, leave it to get it repaired, and {{Non Player Character}}s will start nudging you toward side quests to acquire more artifacts again.
** There's a glitch that lets you ''create your own dungeons''. By going out into the wilderness, finding a water tile (or casting Destroy Floor on a ground tile if you can't find any water), and then casting Create Wall over the water or hole, you will spawn a door to a random dungeon (or on rare occasions, a Temple or Mages Guild building), which you can then click to go inside and explore to your heart's content. The only drawback is that the game will reset the area when you leave the dungeon, so the door you spawned will not be there anymore when you go back outside.

* GoddamnBats - Goblins and rats.
* GameBreaker: The Troll's Blood spell, which non-mages can also use through artifacts like the Lord's Mail or the Necromancer's Amulet. It regenerates health over time, which admittedly doesn't do too much good in a tough fight, but it makes dungeon crawling so much easier because you no longer have to worry about safely camping or stocking up on potions to restore your health. This is especially because it not only slowly brings your health back up, but the way the spell works you only need to camp for one or two hours to bring yourself back to full health rather than the often risky nine or so hours you'd usually need. Also its effect doesn't go away until a fairly lengthy amount of time passes or you leave the dungeon you cast it in.
** The drawback, at least for non-mages, is that if you use an artifact that has Troll's Blood too many times it disappears and you'll have to retrieve it from its dungeon again. Luckily you can restore the uses by getting the equipment repaired, albeit for a hefty price tag.
*** Keep in mind, however, that this drawback doesn't apply to Knights, who automatically repair their own equipment anyway.

* AngstWhatAngst: Emperor Uriel Septim (as well as General Warhaft, if you're playing the floppy disk version), despite being imprisoned in another dimension for several years, seems relatively at ease and none the worse for wear when you eventually save him from Jagar Tharn's clutches, and immediately launches into a big congratulatory speech upon liberation without even questioning what happened in his absence. Eventually subverted in the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' book "A Short Life of Uriel Septim VII", where it is revealed that his time in his dimensional prison actually ''did'' take a toll on his physical and mental health.

* AngstWhatAngst: Emperor Uriel Septim (as well as General Warhaft, if you're playing the floppy disk version), despite being imprisoned in another dimension for several years, seems relatively at ease and none the worse for wear when you eventually save him from Jagar Tharn's clutches, and immediately launches into a big congratulatory speech upon liberating him without even questioning what happened in his absence. Eventually subverted in the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' book "A Short Life of Uriel Septim VII", where it is revealed that his time in his dimensional prison actually ''did'' take a toll on his physical and mental health.

* AngstWhatAngst: Emperor Uriel Septim (as well as General Warhaft, if you're playing the floppy disk version), despite being imprisoned in another dimension for several years, seems relatively at ease and none the worse for wear when you eventually save him from Jagar Tharn's clutches, and immediately launches into a big congratulatory speech upon liberating him without even questioning what happened in his absence. Eventually subverted in the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' book "A Short Life of Uriel Septim VII", where it is revealed that his time in his dimensional prison actually did take a toll on his physical and mental health.

** There's a glitch in the game that lets you ''create your own dungeons''. By going out into the wilderness, casting Destroy Floor on a ground tile, and then casting Create Wall over the hole, you will spawn a door to a random dungeon (or on rare occasions, a Temple or Mage's Guild building), which you can then click to go inside and explore to your heart's content. The only drawback is that the game will reset the area when you leave the dungeon, so the door you spawned will not be there anymore when you go back outside.

** It's possible to beat the game by collecting scrolls in a single dungeon roughly 18 times, due to the plot-important item in it respawning. Also enemies get stuck in walls constantly, you can stack Amulets with the Necromancer's Amulet to create a huge defense bonus, exploit the repair option at equipment stores to replenish the number of artifacts' special ability uses for 13 gold in one day (the default option is 10,000 gold for 10 days), cause the amount of items in treasure piles to go up simply by climbing and going down dungeon stairs, and duplicate weapons and armor. A simple one that really helps players, though, is that, while you were meant to only get one artifact (at least until you use that artifact's special abilities enough times it disappears from your inventory), you can use the artifact's magic abilities at least once, leave it to get it repaired, and {{Non Player Character}}s will start nudging you toward side quests to acquire more artifacts again.

** There's a glitch in the game that lets you ''create your own dungeons''. By casting Destroy Floor on a floor tile and then casting Create Wall over the hole, you will spawn a door to a random dungeon (or on rare occasions, a Temple or Mage's Guild building), which you can then click to go inside and explore to your heart's content. The only drawback is that the game will reset the area when you leave the dungeon, so the door you spawned will not be there anymore when you go back outside.

** There's a glitch in the game that lets you ''create your own dungeons''. By casting Destroy Floor on a floor tile and then casting Create Wall over the hole, you will create a door to a random dungeon, which you can then click to go inside and plunder to your heart's content.

* GoodBadBugs: It's possible to beat the game by collecting scrolls in a single dungeon roughly 18 times, due to the plot-important item in it respawning. Also enemies get stuck in walls constantly, you can stack Amulets with the Necromancer's Amulet to create a huge defense bonus, exploit the repair option at equipment stores to replenish the number of artifacts' special ability uses for 13 gold in one day (the default option is 10,000 gold for 10 days), cause the amount of items in treasure piles to go up simply by climbing and going down dungeon stairs, and duplicate weapons and armor. A simple one that really helps players, though, is that, while you were meant to only get one artifact (at least until you use that artifact's special abilities enough times it disappears from your inventory), you can use the artifact's magic abilities at least once, leave it to get it repaired, and {{Non Player Character}}s will start nudging you toward side quests to acquire more artifacts again.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack, composed by Eric Heberling. While not as iconic as Jeremy Soule's compositions from the later series, Heberling's music still captures the essence and atmosphere of the series and much of it was even carried over into [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall the next game]]. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOFjco_jurE character creation theme]] in particular really makes you feel like you are creating a hero destined to save the world.

** The Vaults of Gemin. Like the Mines of Khuras, it's two massive floors that are filled with dead ends and no intuitive way to figure out on your own which way you need to go, especially on the first floor which is mostly a complex of interlocked identical rooms. However, while the Mines of Khuras were pretty generous when it comes to treasure, the Vaults of Gemin are much more skimpy, and anyway at the point you arrive at the dungeon treasure is likely much less of a priority. Plus both floors are full of Stone Golems and Humunculi, who just love to attack in pairs or groups, with one keeping you busy while the other one safely shoots you to death from the very dark areas of the dungeon with shock spells. And if all that isn't enough, you may end up destroying your computer once you find that on the second floor, which is a large underground lake covered with plenty of buildings empty except for enemies and tiny islands on which Stone Golems are perched and ready to shoot you down, your objective is [[spoiler:just a little ways south of the entrance.]]

* ScrappyMechanic: Not being able to save inside certain areas, such as stores, temples, and (most egregiously) taverns. Meanwhile, you're free to break into people's houses to save ''and'' rest all you want ''[[FridgeLogic on private property]]''. Obviously, someone at Bethesda realized how idiotic this rule was, since all TES games after this one allow you to save wherever and whenever you wish.

* GoodBadBugs: It's possible to beat the game by collecting scrolls in a single dungeon roughly 18 times, due to the plot-important item in it respawning. Also enemies get stuck in walls constantly, you can stack Amulets with the Necromancer's Amulet to create a huge defense bonus, exploit the repair option at equipment stores to replenish the number of artifacts' special ability uses for 13 gold in one day (the default option is 10,000 gold for 10 days), cause the amount of items in treasure piles to go up simply by climbing and going down dungeon stairs, and duplicate weapons and armor. A simple one that really helps players, though, is that, while you were meant to only get one artifact (at least until you use that artifact's special abilities enough times it disappears from your inventory), you can use the artifact's magic abilities at least once, leave it to get it repaired, and {{NPCs}} will start nudging you toward side quests to acquire more artifacts again.

* [[GameBreakingBug Level Breaking Bug]]: In the Temple of Agamanus (the dungeon you need to clear to get the location of The Halls of Colossus) the room which holds the item you were sent there to get requires you to swim through some trenches (unless you can use Passwall). The room has a bad habit of spawning a ghost or wraith, which levitates over the entrance, blocking you from getting in. The only possible fix (assuming you have no way of using Passwall) is to save under the enemy and reload[[hottip:*: Word Of Advice: use a different save file for this or else you'll make this UnwinnableByMistake]], which only ''sometimes'' works. Otherwise you'll have to backtrack through all 3 levels of the dungeon and go find an item with Passwall.
** Given that ''Arena'' was a hugely ambitious game for its time and ate up a lot of memory, there's quite a few of these. Even today and even if you have DOS box on the recommended settings, the game ''will'' crash and the only workaround is to save often. Also using your bare hands as a weapon will often cause the game to crash, sometimes you will get stuck descending from a raised platform, and using the spell Passwall to get to a dungeon door from the opposite side will actually ''corrupt your save file.''

* GoodBadBugs: It's possible to beat the game by collecting scrolls in a single dungeon roughly 18 times, due to the plot-important item in it respawning. Also enemies get stuck in walls constantly, you can stack Amulets with the Necromancer's Amulet to create a huge defense bonus, exploit the repair option at equipment stores to get replenish the number of artifacts' special ability uses for 13 gold in one day (the default option is 10,000 gold for 10 days), cause the amount of items in treasure piles to go up simply by climbing and going down dungeon stairs, and duplicate weapons and armor. A simple one that really helps players, though, is that, while you were meant to only get one artifact (at least until you use that artifact's special abilities enough times it disappears from your inventory), you can use the artifact's magic abilities at least once, leave it to get it repaired, and {{NPCs}} will start nudging you toward side quests to acquire more artifacts again.

* GameBreaker: The Troll's Blood spell, which non-mages can also use through artifacts like the Lord's Mail or the Necromancer's Amulet. It regenerates health over time, which admittedly doesn't do too much good in a tough fight, but it makes dungeon crawling so much easier because you no longer have to worry about safely camping or stocking up on potions to restore your health. This is especially because it not only slowly brings your health back up, but the way the spell works you only need to camp for one or two hours to bring yourself back to full health rather than the often risky nine or so hours you'd usually need. Also its effect doesn't go away until a fairly lengthy amount of time passes or you leave the dungeon you cast it in, ''even if'' you die in that dungeon.