In the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, I like to immerse myself in a fictional universe. In addition to films and series that I missed during the year, I prefer to dedicate myself to a beloved classic game.
Once upon a time in 2010, my younger self fell in love with a game that has lost none of its fascination to this day. At least for me. We’re talking about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The game was already four years old at the time, but I was immediately enthusiastic about it. This was primarily due to the huge open world and the many options for customizing my character.
As is often the case in role-playing games, I played a dark elf. In the first playthrough, I equipped him with a sword and shield, and the fire spell was always on the quickslot button. In contrast to its successor Skyrim, spells in Oblivion do not occupy either hand. And so I stumbled unsuspectingly into my first Elder Scrolls adventure. The sheer size of the world overwhelmed me as much as it fascinated me. I was able to reach almost every place I discovered from a distance. For a fourteen-year-old gamer at the time, this was a revelation.
The dark world of Oblivion has also been part of The Elder Scrolls Online for some time.
Even back then, the story surrounding the appearance of diabolical Oblivion gates didn’t really captivate me. Instead of saving the game world of Cyrodiil, I preferred to go cross-country to the mushrooms. What I found there surprised me. Once there were vile bandits lurking around a bend, but at another time they were sinister clients with complex side quests.
You can see the trailer for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion here:
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Trailer
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To this day, the side quests fascinate me
It was only when I played again that I realized that the side quests were the highlight for me. It’s their fault that I’ve started Oblivion over and over again since my first playthrough. To this day, the DVD-ROM disc rotates in the drive of my PC just in time for Christmas.
Oblivion offers a whole range of different side quest lines. There is, for example, the magician and fighter guild, which you come across sooner or later when exploring the game world. The arena in the middle of the imperial city is also easy to find. In it I fought my way to the top of the rankings with other gladiators.
But then there are certain other side quests. Once I broke into a house, illegally took some valuable items, and was caught by the imperial soldiers as I left the scene. I was stupid, I thought, and had myself thrown in prison. When I came back out, I encountered an NPC a short time later. He handed me a message that took me to a late-night meeting place. A strangely dressed man was already waiting for me there. He introduced himself as a member of the Thieves’ Guild and sent me on my first mission.
It was a similar story with the murderous Dark Brotherhood. This group of assassins approached me after my first murder in the game. For me, both the Thieves’ Guild and the Dark Brotherhood’s quests are some of the best I’ve experienced in a role-playing game to date. They offer highly creative and varied missions and motivate me to keep going with rank advancements and regular quest rewards.
It will still take some time until the sixth installment of the Elder Scrolls series is released. We have summarized what we know about the release.
Every year I return to Cyrodiil
I know most of the game’s quest lines inside out. Still, I never tire of starting a new save every year after Christmas. As the intro begins, the music swells and the speaker utters the famous words “These are the last days of the Third Age. “And the last hours… of my life” gives me goosebumps. At the latest after the prologue, which leads in the classic way through dark cellars and caves, I step outside into the open game world and have the feeling of having returned home.
I know the landscapes, cities and their residents from my last visits. Their stories have remained the same as I have grown another year older. The fact that nothing changes in the game is a reassuring thought. In the time between years, when sentimentality is not uncommon, Oblivion offers itself as an escape. So I wander around again, greeting the familiar characters and dealing with their problems.
I won’t really plan the next game either. I’ll just start running again, retracing the familiar paths, perhaps taking a break along the way and enjoying the amazingly well-aged graphics. I probably won’t play through the main quest again. I’ve never had that. It doesn’t bother me either, because Oblivion offers enough better quests to keep me busy well beyond New Year’s Eve.
I also played the successor Skyrim extensively. But the game never really captivated me. Maybe it was the virginal first impression that tied me to the fourth part of the Elder Scrolls series. And perhaps that first impression was so strong, formative and lasting that I return to Cyrodill every year without hesitation.
Have you played Oblivion? Or do you have another game that will help you get through the holidays, like my colleagues did while waiting for their food?