Oblivion, Bethesda's seminal open-world RPG, turned seventeen just the other day. Back in 2006, Oblivion changed the playing field for sandbox adventures and remains a favourite for fans today - both for the impressive depth of its world and the hilarity that ensues from that signature Bethesda, er, "polish". Skyrim has come and gone a few times in the last seventeen years, but as we wait for the elusive TES VI, here's a look at five mods justifying a replay of Oblivion!
Insanity's Improved Armoury Compilation
By InsanitySorrow
This compilation mod packs together a huge range of refreshed visuals for the game's items, ranging from revised texture detailing on helms, weapons, and armour to improved materials across the board. Much of these improvements are granular alone but when taken together, they improve the lustre of the game and help channel a little bit of that nostalgia for when we first left the starting sewer of Oblivion all those years ago.
Apotheosis of a Mad God
This mod lets you alternate between divinity and mortality while in the Shivering Isles by adding two new powerful spells to the game, along with a natural setback. Become intangible and invincible to all damage, letting you dominate the land after conquering the main game; or take physical form again to operate outside of the Shivering Isles on an ordinary plane. This mod aims to be lore friendly and mesh well with other mods expanding the endgame of Oblivion.
Bartholm
By J.Sera
Ruled by Count Serverus Victrix, Bartholm is a small town consisting of a Castle, Arena, Inn, General Store, Chapel, Stables, Mages' Guild & 8 houses. Protected by the Bartholm Foreign Legion, the village of Slartholm is situated on the Isle of Slart. Slartholm consists of an Inn, General Store, Blacksmith, Barracks, Alchemist Tent & 3 houses. Put together, this equals two highly developed locales to explore, each chock full of their own intrigue and primary questlines to expand the world of Oblivion just a bit more.
Hoarfrost Castle
By josephlollback
Sitting high on a bluff above the steepest part of the Orange Road is Hoarfrost Castle. The keep and castle yard rest at the foot of the Jerall Mountains proper - at the edge of the snowfall. The yard is almost always half-covered with snow, ice and frost. The windswept keep tower provides an unsurpassed view over the Great Forest, the Heartlands, and the Nibenay basin: from Bruma, to Chorrol - to the Imperial City itself. Seven quests all in all give this grand new location a fitting place in the world.
Arcane University Overhaul
By Lambton Worm
This mod is an internal renovation of the arcane university, introducing some substantial additions to the internal structure of the place. For non-guild members, a new book store, some new museums, and a new library will be enough to keep you entertained on your way through; for guild members, however, you gain access to a rank-based department system with new items available depending on your achievements, and some modifications are made to base game quests to facilitate the improvements to the university.
Older Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has just celebrated turning 17, having released back on March 20th 2006. At the time and in the years since, Oblivion has been recognised as a game changer for the genre, following on from the already fondly loved Morrowind and being succeeded by the even more ambitious (and some would argue, even more influential) Skyrim. It set a standard for open world RPGs that was challenging to follow and remains a difficult ask even today.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion introduced relatively high-fidelity graphics into a huge, expansive open world
Escaping Oblivion
Since Oblivion's release, Bethesda has put out more than a few RPGs (including their revival of the Fallout IP), but only one actual entry in the Elder Scrolls series with Skyrim, which has been released and re-released many times. Ostensibly, Elder Scrolls VI is out there...somewhere...but when it'll be in players' hands is a total unknown. For the time being, Bethesda's RPG efforts seem to have been focused on Starfield instead, an original IP set out in space that feels like Fallout and No Mans Sky met up, had a few drinks, and then decided not to call. Plenty ambitious on its own, it's no wonder TES VI has languished a bit, but Bethesda's not blind to the value of the IP and neither are we - so we expect it's only a matter of time till it's back to Tamriel and beyond.
