The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was originally released in March 2006. Despite this, the game still has a massive fan community, with players praising its charming, though outdated systems. Now, with new Bethesda games such as Starfield and, potentially, The Elder Scrolls 6 on the horizon, it’s worth revisiting why Oblivion is so fondly remembered among the community.
There are many things that players love about Oblivion. There are aspects of the game that truly shine, like the gorgeous open world that still holds up after all these years. Though there are also other, clunkier elements of The Elder Scrolls title that fans can’t help but love, like the potato-faced NPCs with surprisingly interesting dialogue lines. It’s these aspects, among others, that will ensure that Oblivion isn’t forgotten, even after The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s Gorgeous World
Oblivion starts the player off in a dark and musty prison chamber. Suddenly, Emperor Uriel Septim VII appears, setting off the chain of events wherein the player must help in containing the Oblivion Crisis. After a somewhat lengthy tutorial process, the player is finally allowed to leave the musty dungeons beneath the Imperial City, and they’re met with a vast, vibrant world to explore.
Oblivion’s open world is a huge expanse of forestland peppered with unique towns, cities, and some interesting landmarks such as the daedric shrines. Though the dungeons don’t hold up when compared to the more player-friendly variants in Skyrim, some are still worth visiting.
Generally, however, the game’s world map is a pleasure to explore. The sense of calmness and serenity in Oblivion’s open world is something that The Elder Scrolls series hasn’t replicated since the game’s release. Cyrodiil’s forests, marshlands, and mountains all meld together to create a welcoming setting, arguably one that’s more familiar than Morrowind’s alien yet interesting landscapes or Skyrim’s freezing tundras.
Though the community knows little about The Elder Scrolls 6, including its setting, it’s likely that the game will improve upon the maps of both Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls Online. Whether it will top previous games remains to be seen. However, it won’t be easy for the game to replicate the sense of welcomeness that comes with Oblivion’s world.
The Memorable Quests and Factions
Oblivion’s many quests are lauded as some of the best in the series. Many even prefer its Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines to Skyrim’s. Not to mention, the title has some excellent side quests. This is mostly because of the factions’ more memorable characters and diversity of quest types. While Skyrim is somewhat notorious for its fetch quests and draugr-filled dungeon-crawling missions, Oblivion has more variety in terms of what the player can do.
Of course, the game has its fair share of fetch quests too, but these are interspersed with other kinds of quests. For example, “A Brush with Death,” “Canvas the Castle,” and “Paranoia” are some of the most notable Oblivion quests, and they don’t even center around going into a dungeon. They, instead, rely on interesting set pieces and intriguing characters. Also worth noting is the game’s Shivering Isles DLC, which dials up the game’s absurdity, making for even more enjoyable — and especially strange — quests.
If The Elder Scrolls 6wants to outdo both Skyrim and Oblivion, Bethesda needs to bring back the variety in their quests. Though regardless of how the next Elder Scrolls installment performs, many players will remember Oblivion (as well as its predecessor, Morrowind) for having some of the most compelling and creative quests in the franchise.
The Hilarious Yet Endearing Oblivion NPCs
The potato-faced character models of Oblivion are a huge reason why the title is still so popular today. However, beneath their goofy appearances, the characters of Oblivion feel surprisingly alive. Each of the NPCs has a distinct schedule, which they follow every day. They even stop every now and then to converse with other NPCs. This makes the world of Oblivion feel that much more alive. And though many of these NPCs are generic characters with unique names but little dialogue, it still lends to the player’s immersion in the game world.
On a more humorous note, the Oblivion NPCs are also remembered for being clunky, making for some hilarious situations. Recently, there’s been an influx of videos on YouTube poking fun at Oblivion’s NPCs — from clips on the Adoring Fan being one of the most annoying characters in the game to the outdated AI system creating absurd scenes. Truly, memes are a staple in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
Additionally, Oblivion’s conversation systems may be seeing a comeback soon. With Starfield taking inspiration from Oblivion, there have been reports that the persuasion mini-game might get a revamp in Bethesda’s new title. Though generally seen as outdated, many would argue that Oblivion’s persuasion mini-game struck a good balance between the chance metrics of Morrowind and the lack of any sort of discernable metric in Skyrim. It provided a clear albeit initially complex way for the player to raise their affinity with any of the NPCs of the game.
Given this, it’s clear that Oblivion’s outdated systems still hold sway over Bethesda’s newer titles. Thus, once The Elder Scrolls 6 is released, players will likely see some callbacks to Oblivion, whether it’s in the form of story content or gameplay. Pair that with the sheer number of Oblivion memes available online, and it’s unlikely that the game will ever truly disappear from the Bethesda fanbase.
Oblivion is one of the most-loved titles in The Elder Scrolls lineup, and for a variety of reasons. It’s a charming game that hooks many of its player base through the nostalgia factor. However, it also stands well enough as its own game to pull in newer Elder Scrolls fans and fantasy RPG players. Thus, more than 15 years after its initial release, Oblivion still has an avid fanbase — one that will only continue to persevere even as The Elder Scrolls 6 is released.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.