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{{Short description|2006 video game}}
{{Infobox CVG| title = The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
{{featured article}}
| image = ]
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
| developer = ]
{{use American English|date=July 2019}}
| publisher = ]
{{Infobox video game
| designer = ], Executive Producer
| title = The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
| music = ], Composer
| image = The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion cover.png
|engine=Custom ] using ], Radiant A.I., ] Physics and ] technology
| alt = Against a plain face of aged and scratched marble, the title of the game is embossed in a metallic font. At the center of the frame, in the same style as the title, is an uneven runic trilith with a dot in its middle.
|released='''Windows, Xbox 360:'''<br> {{flagicon|USA}} ], ] <br /> {{flagicon|Europe}} ], ] <br> {{flagicon|Russia}} ], ] <br> '''PlayStation 3:'''<br>{{flagicon|USA}}] <br />
| caption =
| genre = ]
| developer = ]
| modes = ] First-Person & Third-Person view
| publisher = {{Unbulleted list|]|] {{small|(''Xbox 360, Windows'')}}|] {{small|(''PS3, Europe'')}} }}
| ratings = ]: 15<br>]:M<br>]: M<br>]: R13+<br>]: 16+<br>PEGI: 15+ (])
| producer = Ashley Cheng
| platforms = ], ], ]
| media = ], ] | designer = ]
| programmer = {{Unbulleted list|Guy Carver|Craig Walton}}
| version = 1.1.511 (], ])
| artist = Matthew Carofano
| requirements = '''] Edition:'''<br />], ]<br />512MB System RAM<br />2.0 GHz ] or equivalent processor<br /> Game Compatible 128MB ] compatible video card<br />8x DVD-ROM drive<br />4.6 GB free hard disk space<br />] compatible sound card<br />
| composer = ]

| series = '']''
| input = '''Windows:'''<br />Keyboard & Mouse or Joystick/Game Controller<br />Full Xbox 360 controller support on the Windows version is expected to be supported in one of the first patches available.<br /><br />'''Xbox 360:'''<br />Keyboard and mouse not supported. A single standard Xbox 360 Wired and Wireless controller is fully supported and configurable.
| engine = ]
| preceded by = ]
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|]|]|]}}
| released = {{Collapsible list|title={{Nobold|March 20, 2006}}|'''Windows''', '''Xbox 360'''{{Video game release|NA|March 20, 2006|AUS|March 23, 2006|EU|March 24, 2006}}'''''Game of the Year Edition'''''{{Video game release|NA|September 10, 2007|EU|September 21, 2007|AUS|September 28, 2007}}'''PlayStation 3'''{{Video game release|NA|March 20, 2007|AUS|April 26, 2007|EU|April 27, 2007}}'''''Game of the Year Edition'''''{{Video game release|NA|October 16, 2007|AUS|December 13, 2007|EU|December 14, 2007}}}}
| genre = ]
| modes = ]
}} }}
'''''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion''''' (commonly known as ''' 'Oblivion'''') is a ]-themed ] developed by ] for ] and ]. On ] ] it was announced as a ] launch title (before being delayed ), and a PSP version titled '']''.<ref name="PS3Announcement">
{{cite web|
|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3154065
|title=Oblivion Heads to PS3, PSP
|first=Matt
|last=Leone
|date=]
|accessdate=2006-09-27
|publisher=]
|work=News
}}</ref> It is the fourth installment of the '']'' series. The game was shipped ], ] in ], and ] in Europe. The retail release date was ]. By ], ''Oblivion'' had sold 1.7 million copies for both Windows and Xbox 360, making it the best-selling Xbox 360 title to date.<ref>{{cite web | first=Tor |last=Thorsen | date=] |work=GameSpot News |publisher=GameSpot | title=Oblivion enjoying epic sales | url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147359.html | accessdate=2006-09-24}}</ref>


'''''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion''''' is a 2006 ] developed by ], and co-published by ] and ]. It is the fourth installment in '']'' series, following 2002's '']'', and was released for ] and ] in 2006, followed by ] in 2007. Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil, the game's main story focuses on the ]'s efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion.
==Overview==
The development of ''Oblivion'' began in mid 2002 shortly after the release of '']'' and took roughly 4 years to make. The Windows version of the title is also playable on ] with ]'s ] (from version 5.2). In addition to the standard release, a "Collector's Edition" is available for both platforms which includes a 112-page Pocket Guide to the Empire, a Bonus DVD (including concept art, renders, and an approximately 45-minute long ] on the making of ''Oblivion''), and a ] replica (the currency of ], also known as a ''drake'', ''Septim'' or more simply, ''Gold'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bethsoft.com/newsletter/devdiary_1.24.06.html |publisher=] |title=Bethesda Softworks Newsletter | date=] |accessdate=2006-08-27 |first=Pete |last=Hines}}</ref>


The game continues the open-world tradition of its predecessors by allowing the player to travel anywhere in the ] at any time and to ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely. A perpetual objective for players is to improve their character's skills, which are numerical representations of certain abilities. Early in the game, seven skills are selected by the player as major skills for their character, with those remaining termed as minor skills.
It features the voices of ], ], ], and ].


] began in 2002, directly after the release of ''Morrowind'', opting for tighter pacing in gameplay and greater plot focus than in past titles. To design the graphics, Bethesda used an improved ] physics engine, ] lighting, ] tools that allowed developers to quickly create detailed terrains, and the ] system, which enabled ]s (NPCs) to make choices and engage in behaviors more complex than in past titles. The game features ] NPCs—a first for the series—and the music of composer ].
''Oblivion'' features a custom version of the ] ], a ] ] utilizing the ] physics engine, state-of-the-art graphics (using True ]) with realistic procedurally generated forests (created with the aid of ]), an improved ] system, and a more interactive ] system, along with many additional features not seen previously in the series. The player is meant to play in ] view, but can also play in a ] view found in many other action-adventure games.


Upon release, ''Oblivion'' was a critical and commercial success, winning a number of industry and publication awards. It was praised for its impressive graphics, expansive game world, and schedule-driven NPCs, and is considered ]. Following a number of smaller content releases, Bethesda released two expansion packs for the game—'']'' and '']''—which were bundled with ''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition'' in 2007, and later re-released as a fifth-anniversary edition in 2011. ''Oblivion'' was followed by '']'' in 2011.
The ] edition of the game also supports a new version of ] (TES:CS) that is available as a free download on Bethesda's website (the developers indicated that this allows for easier upgrading of the Construction Set; some have speculated it may be because of pending Havok licensing issues). The Construction Set allows for extensive expansion of the game and includes the entire basic world building tools used by the designers, giving users many of the same opportunities to create original game content as the designers.


==Gameplay==
As of ] ], when Bethesda released the first official patch, the current version of the game is 1.1.511.
{{see also|Gameplay of The Elder Scrolls series}}
''Oblivion'' is an ] ] (RPG) that incorporates ].<ref name="GS review"/> The player can follow side-quests, interact with NPCs, dispatch monsters, develop their character, and travel anywhere in the province of Cyrodiil at any time while playing the game, provided that the areas are not quest-specific and otherwise inaccessible when not questing.<ref name="GS review"/> The game never ends, and the player can continue playing after completing the main quest.<ref name="Main quest ending">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6147085/p-43.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game Guide |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=January 9, 2013 |last=Rorie |first=Matthew |page=43 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702092917/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough/1100-6147085/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The gameplay includes a fast-travel system, in which an icon appears on the game world map every time the player visits a new location. This excludes the game world's main cities which are already unlocked for fast travel from the start of the game. The player can arrive at the desired location instantaneously by selecting the icon on the map.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/25/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 24, 2006 |last=Onyett |first=Charles |access-date=January 15, 2013 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126171301/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/25/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref>


]
==General story==
Character development is a primary element of ''Oblivion''. At the beginning of the game, players select one of ten humanoid or ] races, each of which has different natural abilities, and customize their character's appearance.<ref name="GS review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-review/1900-6146657/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox&nbsp;360) |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=March 25, 2006 |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |access-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702084537/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-review/1900-6146657/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdn.steampowered.com/Manuals/22330/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Manual)|publisher=Bethesda Softworks|pages=16–17|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032435/http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22330/manuals/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf?t=1447351847|archive-date=January 9, 2016|access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref> A perpetual objective for players is to improve their character's skills, which are numerical representations of their ability in certain areas. Seven skills are selected early in the game as major skills, with the remainder termed minor.<ref name="GS review"/> The players ] each time they improve their major skills by a total of ten points; this provides the opportunity to improve their ].<ref name="Joynt">{{cite web |url=http://ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/775981p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (PS3) |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |first=Patrick |last=Joynt |date=March 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083835/http://ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/775981p1.html |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Attributes are more broad character qualities, such as speed and endurance, while skills are more specific, such as armorer or athletics. Afflictions such as disease and poison can reduce the player's attributes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdn.steampowered.com/Manuals/22330/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Manual)|publisher=Bethesda Softworks|pages=18–19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032435/http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22330/manuals/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf?t=1447351847|archive-date=January 9, 2016|access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Skills" /> When players reach 25, 50, 75, or 100 points in a single skill, they unlock new abilities related to the skill.<ref name="Skills">{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=5 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game Guide |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=January 29, 2013 |last=Rorie |first=Matthew |page=5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216024927/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=5 |archive-date=February 16, 2013 }}</ref>
After the mysterious murder of the Emperor, ] (voiced by ]), the throne of ] lies empty. With the Empire ready to crumble, the gates of ] are thrown open and ] being led by the Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, march upon the land of Tamriel - laying waste to everything in their path. To turn the tide of darkness, the player must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel. The main character has been imprisoned under unknown circumstances in the Imperial City, the capital of ] and the Empire. By chance, the cell is also an Imperial secret escape route to get out of the city in case of an emergency.


The game's 21&nbsp;skills fall evenly under the categories of combat, magic, and stealth, and many skills complement more than one area.<ref name="Skills"/><ref name="Manual Skills">{{cite web|url=http://cdn.steampowered.com/Manuals/22330/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Manual)|publisher=Bethesda Softworks|pages=20–25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032435/http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22330/manuals/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf?t=1447351847|archive-date=January 9, 2016|access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref> Combat skills are used primarily for battle and incorporate armor and heavy weapons like blades, axes, maces, and hammers.<ref name="Manual Skills"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=6 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game Guide |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=January 29, 2013 |last=Rorie |first=Matthew |page=6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216032433/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=6 |archive-date=February 16, 2013 }}</ref> Magic skills rely on the use of ] to alter the physical world, to affect the minds of others, to injure and debilitate enemies, to summon monsters to help fight, and to heal wounds.<ref name="Manual Skills"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=7 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game Guide |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=January 29, 2013 |last=Rorie |first=Matthew |page=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216024347/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=7 |archive-date=February 16, 2013 }}</ref> Stealth skills allow the player to crack locks, haggle for goods, use speech to manipulate people, and apply cunning in combat through the use of a bow or with a sneak attack.<ref name="Manual Skills"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=10 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game Guide |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=January 29, 2013 |last=Rorie |first=Matthew |page=10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216030217/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-walkthrough-6147085/?page=10 |archive-date=February 16, 2013 }}</ref> The spells, weapons, and other tools such that a player needs to employ and enhance these skills, such as ], can be purchased in shops, stolen from NPCs, or found as loot on the bodies of foes or in dungeons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/857879/page_28.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Guide & Walkthrough – PlayStation 3 (PS3) – IGN |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |page=28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504122134/http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/857879/page_28.html |archive-date=May 4, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{spoiler}}


''Oblivion'' can be played in either a ]- or ],<ref name="Joynt" /> except in the mobile phone version, in which the game can only be played in ].<ref name="Mobile version">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/03/the-elder-scrolls-oblivion |title=The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=May 3, 2006 |last=Buchanan |first=Levi |access-date=February 1, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724131738/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/03/the-elder-scrolls-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref> The player may change the level of difficulty at any time, thereby weakening opponents and increasing the chance of success for particular actions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/13/difficulty-systems-101 |title=Difficulty Systems 101 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=July 13, 2009 |last=O'Connor |first=James |access-date=January 29, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724005132/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/13/difficulty-systems-101 |url-status=live }}</ref> The screen constantly presents a ], which provides information about the character's health, magicka, and fatigue, all of which can be increased by leveling up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdn.steampowered.com/Manuals/22330/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Manual)|publisher=Bethesda Softworks|page=5|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032435/http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22330/manuals/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf?t=1447351847|archive-date=January 9, 2016|access-date=January 29, 2013}}</ref> Health can be restored by spells, potions, or resting; the loss of all health results in death.<ref name="Manual19">{{cite web|url=http://cdn.steampowered.com/Manuals/22330/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Manual)|publisher=Bethesda Softworks|page=19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032435/http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22330/manuals/obliv_goty_pc_man-v2.pdf?t=1447351847|archive-date=January 9, 2016|access-date=January 29, 2013}}</ref> Magicka enables and is depleted by the use of spells; it is rejuvenated naturally over time, but it can be restored similarly to health.<ref name="Manual19"/> Fatigue affects the character's effectiveness in combat and general efficiency, and can be alleviated by resting, potions, and spells.<ref name="Manual19"/>
Emperor Uriel Septim VII, the current reigning Emperor, arrives at the prison escorted by several bodyguards. It is revealed that assassins, later revealed to be a part of a Daedric cult known as the ], have killed Uriel's three sons and are now after him. Through conversation, Septim claims that he has seen the protagonist in his ]s and visions, and his Blades bodyguards lead him into the escape route. At this point the protagonist makes his way through the ]s after being cut off from the Emperor, where the main tutorial takes place, which teaches the basic game mechanics and collects information that eventually leads to the game suggesting which ] the player should choose at the end of the ].


Throughout the world are a variety of enemies, including standard fantasy monsters such as ]s and ]s, and animals such as bears and wolves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/oblivion-25-creatures-to-find-and-kill/|title=Oblivion – 25 creatures to find and kill|last=Hurley|first=Leon|date=July 23, 2007|work=]|publisher=Future Publishing|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911204435/http://www.gamesradar.com/oblivion-25-creatures-to-find-and-kill/|archive-date=September 11, 2017}}</ref> Enemies become stronger, and weapons and armor more effective as the player levels up. This game mechanic of level-scaling was incorporated to maintain a constant and moderate aspect of difficulty.<ref name="Escapist"/> However, level-scaling combined with the leveling system has received criticism, as it has the potential to unbalance the game; characters with major skills that increase on an involuntary basis, such as athletics or armor, can find that they level too quickly, making the enemies proportionately harder than intended.<ref name="Escapist">{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/op-ed/992-Oblivion-The-Dagobah-Cave |title=Oblivion: The Dagobah Cave |publisher=Alloy Digital |work=] |date=August 3, 2006 |last=Pitts |first=Russ |access-date=January 30, 2010 |archive-date=May 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518123237/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/op-ed/992-Oblivion-The-Dagobah-Cave |url-status=dead }}</ref>
At the end of the catacombs, the protagonist meets up with the guards and Septim again, and they are quickly overwhelmed by assassins, which results in
the player taking on the task of guarding the Emperor. A small-scale battle ensues, with the Blades, protagonist and Emperor trying to safely escape through the catacombs and sewers and the assassins trying to overwhelm the protagonist and Blades. This results in the Imperial entourage forced into a dead end. Here, the prisoner is left with the Emperor while the surviving Blades engage the enemy. While awaiting the result, Uriel entrusts the protagonist with the ], a special amulet that can only be worn by those of the Septim bloodline, and orders him to take it to a man named Jauffre. An assassin ambushes Uriel after this and kills him. After the assassin is defeated, there is only one surviving guard, Baurus, who quickly questions the protagonist. He explains that Jauffre is the Grandmaster of the Blades, and can be found at Weynon Priory, near the city of Chorrol. Soon after, the protagonist leaves the sewers and begins his journey in the land of ]; it is the player's choice whether they follow these orders or goes his or her own way.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Escape_From_Prison |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Escape From Prison |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref>


==Plot==
If the player chooses to continue the main storyline, and ventures to ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Deliver_the_Amulet |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Deliver the Amulet |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> it is revealed that the Emperor's death has allowed multiple gates to ] to open, and a Daedric invasion is to begin as a result. The only way to close down the gates permanently is to find someone of the Septim bloodline to retake the throne and re-light the Dragonfires in the Imperial City. Fortunately, it is also revealed that there is indeed still an heir to the Septim throne: an illegitimate son named ] (voiced by ]), who resides in Kvatch. The protagonist then must venture to the city and bring him to ]. However, the ] have Kvatch under siege and the protagonist has to venture into the Planes of Oblivion and close down the gate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Find_the_Heir |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Find the Heir |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Breaking_the_Siege_of_Kvatch |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Breaking the Siege of Kvatch |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref>
''Oblivion'' is set during the Third Era, six years after the events of '']'', although it is not a direct sequel to it or any other game.<ref name="GSPTQA">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?page=1&sid=6111720|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Q&A – Overview, Character Development, Fallout|date=October 28, 2004|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408172515/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-qanda-overview-character-development-fallout/1100-6111720/|archive-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref> The game is set in Cyrodiil—a province of Tamriel, the continent on which all the games in the series have so far taken place.<ref name="Plot"/>


The story begins with the player imprisoned in a cell for an unknown crime. Emperor Uriel Septim VII (]), accompanied by Imperial bodyguards known as the Blades, arrives in the prison, fleeing from assassins who have murdered the emperor's three sons and are now targeting him. The emperor and the Blades reveal that the player's jail cell contains a secret entrance to a part of the city's sewer that functions as an escape route. Pardoned by the emperor, the player follows the group into the sewer, where they come under attack by assassins. The Blades' captain is cut down during the fighting that ensues. Knowing he is destined to die by the hands of the assassins, Uriel Septim entrusts the player with the Amulet of Kings, worn by the Septim emperors of Tamriel, and orders the player to take it to a man named Jauffre (]), the grandmaster of the Blades, at Weynon Priory. Immediately afterward, one of the assassins kills the emperor. The player escapes the sewer and heads out into the open world of Cyrodiil.<ref name="Plot">{{cite book |year=2006 |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Official Game Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/elderscrollsivob00olaf |url-access=registration |pages= |publisher=Prima Games |isbn=978-0-7615-5276-5}}</ref>
Upon closing the gates, the player is praised as "The Hero of Kvatch" and becomes somewhat known throughout Cyrodiil. After clearing out the courtyard the protagonist arrives at the Kvatch chapel and, while receiving some slight skepticism, persuades a somewhat oddly trusting Martin to join him to travel to ]. Upon arriving, the player soon learns that ] is under siege by the ] and the Amulet of Kings has been stolen. Recovering from the attack, ] orders the protagonist to escort himself and Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple, the stronghold of the ] in the Jerall Mountains. Upon arriving, Martin is recognized as the ] Emperor and is given command of the Blades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Weynon_Priory_%28quest%29 |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Weynon Priory (quest) |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> After some planning, ] orders the player to rendezvous with Baurus, the sole surviving Blade from the beginning of the game, in the Imperial City to find the Shrine of Dagon, a Daedric cult lair that is believed to be the location where the Amulet was taken.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:The_Path_of_Dawn |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=The Path of Dawn |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref>


The lack of an heir for Uriel Septim has broken an old ]—the barrier to Oblivion: a dangerous realm that is in another dimension. Multiple gates to Oblivion open, and an invasion of Tamriel begins by magical creatures known as Daedra, killing and destroying anything in their path. Jauffre tells the player that the only way to close the gates permanently is to find someone of the royal bloodline to retake the throne and relight the Dragonfires—with the Amulet of Kings—in the Imperial City. However, there is an illegitimate son named Martin (]), who is a priest in the city of Kvatch. Upon arriving at Kvatch, the player finds that the Daedra have destroyed the city and very few survivors remain. A massive Oblivion Gate is obstructing the main city entrance, and the player must venture through the gate into the Deadlands—one of the planes of Oblivion—in order to close it from the inside and allow access to the city. After closing the gate, the player enters Kvatch and takes it back from the Daedra with the assistance of surviving guardsmen. Martin has survived, and the player persuades him to come to Weynon Priory.<ref name="Plot"/>
After some investigating and clever thinking by the player, the protagonist arrives at the Shrine of Dagon, infiltrating it or assaulting it depending on what the player chooses to do.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Dagon_Shrine |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Dagon Shrine |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> Either way, it is too late, as ] (voiced by ]), the leader of the ], escapes to his "Paradise" through a portal using a mystical book called the Mysterium Xarxes. The protagonist recovers this book and returns it to Martin, who deduces that the only way to recover the Amulet is to follow ], and create a portal to the paradise as well. As Martin begins to decipher the book, the protagonist must hunt down and kill a pair of spies in Bruma, and gather intelligence. The player finds orders from Ruma Camoran, stating that the cult knows where Martin is, and ordering them to begin opening gates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Spies |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Spies |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> (Incidentally, these orders also mention the player, warning the spies that he/she is "not to be trifled with." Accordingly, the player begins to be targeted by assassination attempts within the cities.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://til.gamingsource.net/obbooks/jearl_order.shtml |publisher=The Imperial Library |work=Oblivion Books |title=Jearl's Orders |first=Ruma |last=Camoran |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> A "collect-the-pieces" plot now begins, as the player must recover three key items that are necessary to recreate the portal. These include any Daedric artifact,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Blood_of_the_Daedra |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Blood of the Daedra |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> a Great Welkynd Stone,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Miscarcand_%28quest%29 |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Miscarand (quest) |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> and the "Blood of a Divine" (Which requires the player to recover the ancient armor of Tiber Septim, the first Emperor of the Third Era).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Blood_of_the_Divines |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Blood of the Divines |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> At this time, the player also has the option of securing reinforcement from the various cities of Cyrodiil.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Allies_for_Bruma |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Allies for Bruma |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> However, Cyrodiil's cities are all under threat themselves, and the player must close the gates menacing each city before the local Count can afford to help reinforce the Bruma garrison. After this quest is concluded, Martin reveals a final item that needs to be used in order to create the portal, a Great Sigil Stone used in a Great Gate to the Planes of Oblivion, similar to the one that devastated Kvatch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Great_Gate |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Great Gate |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref>


The player, now recognized as the Hero of Kvatch, returns to Weynon Priory with Martin, finding that it has come under attack by assassins and that the Amulet of Kings has been stolen. The player escorts Jauffre and Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple, the stronghold of the Blades. There, Martin is recognized as the emperor and is given command of the Blades. The player is optionally entered into their ranks and sets off in search of the amulet. After gathering information, the player learns that the group responsible for Uriel Septim's assassination and the theft of the amulet are the Mythic Dawn, a cult dedicated to the worshiping of Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction. The cult believes Dagon is the true creator of the world and wish for him to "cleanse" it of all impurities. Killing the emperor and thus removing the barriers to Oblivion was the first step in realizing this idea. The player attempts to infiltrate the secret meeting place of the cult in the hopes of retrieving the amulet. When the player does so, the cult's leader, Mankar Camoran (]), escapes through a portal, taking the amulet with him. The player takes the book that had opened the portal to Martin, who deduces a way to reopen the portal. The player seeks out three key artifacts necessary to recreate the portal: a Daedric artifact, The Blood of the Divines (in this case, the armor of the first Septim emperor serves as a substitute), and a Great Welkynd Stone. With all three retrieved, Martin reveals that a final ingredient is needed: a Great Sigil Stone from inside a Great Gate similar to the one that devastated Kvatch. Martin and Jauffre decide to allow the city of Bruma to be attacked by Daedra so that a Great Gate will be opened. Once it is, the player obtains the Stone and closes the Gate, also saving Bruma.<ref name="Plot"/>
Martin and Jauffre create a desperate plan that involves allowing Bruma to be attacked by the Daedra so that a Great Gate can be opened. The "Hero of Kvatch" then must venture into the gate and recover the Great Stone in a limited amount of time. Arriving on the battlefield of Bruma, Martin gives a moving speech before charging into battle against the Daedra. Many men are lost, but a Great Gate is finally opened. The protagonist rushes in and the stone is recovered, closing the gates outside Bruma. Martin then tells the protagonist to meet him in Cloud Ruler Temple when he is ready to venture into ]'s paradise.


Upon arriving at the Temple, a portal is created and the protagonist ventures through, arriving at a Utopian paradise resembling ]. After fighting through ]'s men, the protagonist finally confronts ] in his throne room. The player must defeat ] to recover the Amulet. After this is done, the Paradise collapses and the protagonist returns to Cloud Ruler Temple.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Paradise |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Paradise |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> The Amulet is returned to Martin, and the Blades travel to the Imperial City to re-light the Dragonfires, ending the Oblivion invasion. However, the ] begin a desperate assault of their own, and overrun the Imperial City. In a very difficult and heated battle, the protagonist and Martin fight their way to the Temple of the One, in the Imperial City Temple District, to find that a 200-foot tall beast is wreaking havoc in the city, revealed to be the ] ] himself. Martin fights his way into the Temple, and uses the Amulet of Kings to merge himself with the spirit of ], the Dragon-God of Time, becoming his Avatar. He defeats Dagon in a heated final confrontation. The Amulet of Kings is destroyed, Martin has disappeared, the gates of Oblivion are shut forever, and the throne of the Empire again lies empty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uesp.net/Oblivion:Temple_of_the_One |publisher=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages|work=Oblivion|title=Temple of the One |accessdate=2006-09-20}}</ref> A final monologue by Martin, however, describes this in an optimistic light, claiming that the future of Tamriel is now in the player's hand and that this is the beginning of the Fourth Era, possibly opening the doors for a sequel. A portal is created at Cloud Ruler Temple, and the player is sent through to Mankar Camoran's created realm of Paradise. After bypassing Daedra, Mythic Dawn members and obstacles, the player confronts Camoran and kills him. The player returns the Amulet of Kings to Martin, and they subsequently travel to the Imperial City with the Blades to relight the Dragonfires and end the Daedric invasion. They find the city under attack by Daedra and an enormous avatar of Mehrunes Dagon himself. The player and Martin fight their way to the Temple of the One. There, Martin laments that they are powerless against Dagon's avatar and explains that they can only defeat him one way. He bids farewell to the player and shatters the Amulet of Kings, merging himself with the spirit of Akatosh, the Dragon-God of Time, thus becoming Akatosh's avatar. After a battle, Akatosh casts Dagon back into Oblivion and lets out a mighty roar before turning to stone. Martin, whose soul was consumed by the amulet, enters the afterlife to join his forebears. In a telepathic monologue to the player, he sheds an optimistic light, explaining that while the Amulet of Kings is destroyed and the throne again lies empty, the gates of Oblivion are now shut forever, and the future of Tamriel now lies in the player's hands. The Empire's high chancellor sincerely thanks the player for their service during the crisis and proclaims them as the seventh Champion of Cyrodiil.<ref name="Plot"/>


==Development==
In addition to the main plot line, one can also join any number of ]s, clubs, cults, or clans in the game. There are several, including the ], ], ] (assassins guild), and the ]. See "Guilds" below for more details.
{{main|Development of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion}}{{See also|Development history of The Elder Scrolls series}}
The game was developed by the United States ] ]. ], who was ''Morrowind''{{'}}s lead designer, oversaw the development team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-19-oblivion-and-amalur-lead-designer-ken-rolston-heads-to-turbine |title=Oblivion and Amalur lead designer Ken Rolston heads to Turbine |work=] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=October 19, 2012 |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |access-date=February 21, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724155216/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-19-oblivion-and-amalur-lead-designer-ken-rolston-heads-to-turbine |url-status=live }}</ref> The PC and Xbox&nbsp;360 versions of the game were co-published by ] and ], while the PlayStation 3 version was co-published by ] in Europe alongside Bethesda.<ref name="COPUB">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6117825|title=Take-Two to copublish Elder Scrolls IV, Cthulhu|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|date=February 3, 2005|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121141243/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-to-copublish-elder-scrolls-iv-cthulhu/1100-6117825/|archive-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> Work on ''Oblivion'' began shortly after the release of ''Morrowind'' in 2002.<ref name="EIVPCNG">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6107156|title=Elder Scrolls IV coming to PC, next-gen|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|date=September 10, 2004|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828071834/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/elder-scrolls-iv-coming-to-pc-next-gen/1100-6107156/|archive-date=August 28, 2018}}</ref> By mid-September 2004, ''Oblivion'' had been officially announced, and its title revealed.<ref name="EIVPCNG"/><ref name="RUMORS">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/development-of-next-gen-elder-scrolls-under-way/1100-6100799/ |title=Development of next-gen Elder Scrolls under way? |last=Thorsen |first=Tor |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=June 16, 2004 |quote=Obviously, we like candidates who understand RPGs and are familiar with the games we've made in the past. |access-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702105524/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/development-of-next-gen-elder-scrolls-under-way/1100-6100799/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


During ''Oblivion''{{'}}s development, Bethesda concentrated on creating a system with a more realistic storyline, believable characters, and meaningful quests than had been done in the past. In comparison with previous titles in the series, the game features improved ] thanks to the use of Bethesda proprietary ] software,<ref name="ignoblans">{{cite web |url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/686/686663p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Answers – PC Feature at IGN |first=Charles |last=Onyett |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=February 8, 2006 |access-date=November 18, 2011 |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213003138/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/02/08/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-answers |url-status=live }}</ref> and enhanced physics facilitated by the ] ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2846199.htm |title=15 March 2010 The Elder Scrolls |publisher=ABC |work=] |date=March 15, 2010 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-date=December 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227061231/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2846199.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The graphics take advantage of advanced lighting and shader routines such as ] (HDR) and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2006/04/07/ati_oblivion_aa_hdr/1 |title=ATI delivers AA+HDR for Oblivion |publisher=Dennis Publishing |work=] |date=April 7, 2006 |last=Harris |first=Will |access-date=February 22, 2013 |archive-date=January 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032434/http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2006/04/07/ati_oblivion_aa_hdr/1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/11/23/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-2?page=3 |title=Bethesda shares details on the next chapter in the epic RPG series |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=November 22, 2004 |last=Butts |first=Steve |access-date=February 22, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724154540/https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/11/23/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-2?page=3 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TVG">{{cite web |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Q&A |url=http://www.totalvideogames.com/Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion/feature-7685.html |first=Derek |last=dela Fuente |work=TVG |publisher=TVG Media |date=July 20, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717090038/http://www.totalvideogames.com/Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion/feature-7685.html |archive-date=July 17, 2012 }}</ref> Bethesda developed and implemented procedural content creation tools in the building of ''Oblivion''{{'}}s terrain, leading to the expedited creation of landscapes that are more complex and realistic than in past titles.<ref name="RPGCRT"/>
==Gameplay style==
''Oblivion'' is an example of ] or "]" gameplay. The main quest may be delayed or ignored as the player explores a game world, consisting of approximately 17 square miles (according to Bethesda programmer Todd Howard), following side quests, interacting with ], and developing a character according to their taste. Many enemies, quests, and treasures are "leveled" or become increasingly difficult, as the player gains levels (this can lead to some problems, however; see the "Critical Reaction" section below).


], ] lighting and long draw distance, improvements made as part of a goal to create "cutting-edge graphics"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamezone.com/products/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/originals/the-graphical-advancements-of-skyrim-a-comparison-to-oblivion |title=The Graphical Advancements of Skyrim: A Comparison to Oblivion |work=GameZone |publisher=GameZone Online |date=October 26, 2011 |last=Liebl |first=Matt |access-date=February 11, 2013 |archive-date=January 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127051308/http://www.gamezone.com/products/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/originals/the-graphical-advancements-of-skyrim-a-comparison-to-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Most quests are fairly linear and independent from each other, with some players stating that the gameplay has been tailored for the ''casual gamer''. They state that the dual-development of ''Oblivion'' for the ] console probably weighed on this design decision. Others respond, however, by pointing out that many of these decisions stem from fan response to earlier ''Elder Scrolls'' games. In response to many players being unable to find quest objectives in '']'', ''Oblivion'' marks all locations on the player's map, showing them exactly where to go to continue the quest.
While designing ''Oblivion''{{'}}s landscape and architecture, developers worked from personal travel photographs, nature books, texture images, and reference photographs.<ref name="TVG"/> Procedural content generation tools used in production allowed for the creation of realistic environments at much faster rates than was the case with ''Morrowind''.<ref name="RPGCRT">{{cite web |url=http://www.rpgamer.com/games/elderscrolls/elder4/elder4interview.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Interview with Gavin Carter |work=RPGamer |publisher=CraveOnline Media |access-date=June 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207174858/http://www.rpgamer.com/games/elderscrolls/elder4/elder4interview.html |archive-date=February 7, 2012 }}</ref> Erosion algorithms incorporated in the landscape generation tools allowed for the creation of craggy terrain quickly and easily, replacing ''Morrowind''{{'}}s artificially smoothed-over terrain.<ref name="RPGCRT"/>


''Oblivion''{{'}}s ] is far greater than its predecessor's, extending player sightlines to the horizon and giving views of distant towns and mountain ranges.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.videogamer.com/ps3/the_elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion/review.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review for PS3 |publisher=Pro-G Media |work=VideoGamer.com |date=April 27, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034948/http://www.videogamer.com/ps3/the_elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion/review.html |archive-date=November 6, 2013 }}</ref> According to a Microsoft press release, ''Oblivion''{{'}}s game world is approximately 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in size.<ref name="sixteen">{{cite web |url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/theelderscrollsIVoblivion/20051110-fe.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223022131/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/theelderscrollsIVoblivion/20051110-fe.htm |archive-date=December 23, 2007 |first=Danny |last=Chihdo |publisher=] |work=] |title=Reinventing Oblivion |url-status=dead}}</ref> Wilderness quests, ruins, and dungeons were added to fill surplus space.<ref name="RPGCRT"/> Content in the dungeons is more densely packed than in dungeons in ''Morrowind'', with an increase in the frequency of creature encounters, quest-related NPCs, and puzzles.<ref name="RPGCRT"/> However, the populations represented in ''Oblivion'' do not match the "thousands upon thousands" described in previous in-game literature. The development team decided to set the NPC populations at a level that would play well, rather than one that would match game lore, since the presence of a large number of NPCs on screen would have caused the game to slow down.<ref name="GFID">{{cite web |url=http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=23 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |title=Fan interview December 2004 |date=December 8, 2004 |first=Abram |last=Wagenaar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083804/http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=23 |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Cast and crew==
;Cast


In response to the criticism that NPC behavior had been too simplistic in ''Morrowind'', Bethesda developed the Radiant AI system for ''Oblivion''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/theelderscrollsIVoblivion/20051208-radiantai.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621055703/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/theelderscrollsIVoblivion/20051208-radiantai.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2008 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Preview – Radiant A.I. |publisher=Microsoft |work=] |first=Bobby |last=Stein |url-status=dead}}</ref> NPCs were designed to make choices, rather than complete scripted routines, to achieve predetermined goals. The manner in which goals such as eating, sleeping, reading, and speaking to others are fulfilled is dependent upon the environment, the choices of other NPCs, and programmed personality values. For example, an NPC whose goal is to find food may eventually resort to stealing from others, if they are given the opportunity and if it is in their character.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/558955p4.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Preview |page=4 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |first=Allen |last=Rausch |date=October 22, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083818/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/558955p4.html |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> These development mechanics allowed Bethesda to create NPCs who could engage in complex activities.<ref name="ignoblans"/>
*] - Emperor Uriel Septim VII (voice)
*] - Martin Septim (voice)
*] - Mankar Camoran (voice)
*] - Nord and Orc Females (voice)
*] - Breton Males (voice)
*] - Imperial Males, Lucien Lachance, Dremora (voice)
*] - Redguard Males (voice)
*] - Elf Males (voice)
*] - Stunted scamp (voice)
*] - (voice)
*] - (voice)
*] - (voice)
*] - (voice)


===Audio===
;Crew
''Oblivion'' features the voices of ], ], ], ], with celebrity acquisition and voice production being handled by ].<ref>{{cite web |first=Wade |last=Steel |url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/654/654980p1.html |title=More of Oblivion's Voice Cast Revealed – PC News at IGN |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=September 30, 2005 |access-date=November 18, 2011 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702162314/https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/09/30/more-of-oblivions-voice-cast-revealed |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/details/?platform=pc |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Details and Credits for PC |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=February 21, 2013 |archive-date=September 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902094356/https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/details |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/91894-Hollywood-Voice-Actors-Show-Them-the-Money |title=Hollywood Voice Actors: Show Them the Money |publisher=Alloy Digital |work=] |date=May 22, 2009 |last=Chalk |first=Andy |access-date=February 21, 2013 |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116110235/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/91894-Hollywood-Voice-Actors-Show-Them-the-Money |url-status=dead }}</ref> The voice acting received mixed reviews in the gaming press. While many publications praised it as excellent,<ref name="gspot"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.videogamer.com/pc/the_elder_scrolls_iv/review-2.html |publisher=Pro-G Media |work=VideoGamer.com |date=April 18, 2006 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review |first=Greg |last=Vallentin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003020158/http://www.videogamer.com/pc/the_elder_scrolls_iv/review-2.html |archive-date=October 3, 2012 }}</ref> others found fault with its repetitiveness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/698/698405p5.html|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review – Another Take|last=McNamara|first=Tom|date=March 24, 2006|work=]|publisher=IGN Entertainment|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216074818/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/25/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion?page=5|archive-date=December 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/elder_scrolls_4_ |publisher=CraveOnline Media |date=March 30, 2006 |work=] |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Xbox360 |first=Duke |last=Ferris |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518140252/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/elder_scrolls_4_ |archive-date=May 18, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1142/The-Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion/p5/ |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 23, 2006 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox&nbsp;360) – Audio |page=5 |first=Matthew |last=Fisher |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704160630/http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1142/The-Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion/p5/ |archive-date=July 4, 2007 }}</ref> The issue has been blamed on the small number of voice actors and the blandness of the dialogue itself.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/18/oblivions-vocal-and-line-repetition/ |date=September 18, 2006 |publisher=AOL |work=] |title=Oblivion's vocal and line repetition |first=Alexander |last=Sliwinski |access-date=September 21, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011191625/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/18/oblivions-vocal-and-line-repetition/ |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lead designer Ken Rolston found the plan to fully voice the game "less flexible, less apt for user projection of his own tone, more constrained for branching, and more trouble for production and disk real estate" than ''Morrowind''{{'}}s partially recorded dialogue. Rolston tempered his criticism with the suggestion that voice acting "can be a powerful expressive tool" and can contribute significantly to the charm and ambiance of the game. He stated, "I prefer ''Morrowind''{{'}}s partially recorded dialogue, for many reasons. But I'm told that {{Sic|hide=y|fully|-}}voiced dialogue is what the kids want."<ref name="Varney">{{cite web|url=http://www.hardocp.com/article/2006/05/23/oblivions_ken_rolston_speaks/2|title=Oblivion's Ken Rolston Interview|last=Varney|first=Allen|date=May 23, 2006|work=HardOCP|publisher=KB Networks|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119012332/http://www.hardocp.com/article/2006/05/23/oblivions_ken_rolston_speaks/2|archive-date=January 19, 2017}}</ref>


''Oblivion''{{'}}s score was composed by series mainstay ], a video game composer whose past scores had earned him a ] (BAFTA) award in the "]" and two nominations for an ] (AIAS) award for "Original Music Composition".<ref name="Soule Oblivion">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/oblivion-to-feature-soundtrack-by-jeremy-soule-6136263 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411003944/http://www.gamespot.com/news/oblivion-to-feature-soundtrack-by-jeremy-soule-6136263 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |title=Oblivion to Feature Soundtrack by Jeremy Soule |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=October 21, 2005}}</ref><ref name="Soule to compose">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/jeremy-soule-to-compose-morrowind-music-2824023 |title=Jeremy Soule to compose Morrowind music |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=November 12, 2001 |last=Walker |first=Trey |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702162016/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/jeremy-soule-to-compose-morrowind-music/1100-2824023/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The official soundtrack to ''Oblivion'', featuring 26 tracks spanning 58 minutes, was released in March 2006, via Soule's digital distributor DirectSong.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/160063/oblivion-soundtrack |title=Oblivion Soundtrack |publisher=Gawker Media |work=] |date=March 13, 2006 |author=Brownlee |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509223442/http://kotaku.com/160063/oblivion-soundtrack |archive-date=May 9, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.directsong.com/index.php#/shop/product/OB101 |publisher=Artistry Entertainment |work=DirectSong |title=DirectSong – The World's Greatest Music |access-date=October 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106130150/https://www.directsong.com/index.php#/shop/product/OB101 |archive-date=November 6, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Soule had worked with Bethesda and ] during the creation of ''Morrowind'', and, in a press release announcing his return for ''Oblivion'', Soule repeated the words he had said during ''Morrowind''{{'}}s press release: "The stunning, epic quality of ''The Elder Scrolls'' series is particularly compatible with the grand, orchestral style of music I enjoy composing the most."<ref name="Soule Oblivion"/><ref name="Soule to compose"/> As in his compositions for ''Morrowind'', Soule chose to create a soft and minimalist score so as not to wear out users' ears.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=145 |title=Interview with composer Jeremy Soule at PLAY! San Jose |date=June 6, 2007 |publisher=Music4Games |work=] |first=Jayson |last=Napolitano |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620051533/http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=145 |archive-date=June 20, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Soule stated that while composing the music, he did not imagine any specific characters or events; rather, he wanted it "to comment on the human condition and the beauty of life." In a 2006 interview, he related that this desire came as a result of a car accident that occurred during his composition of the score. He said, "I ended up rolling in my car several times on an interstate while flying headlong into oncoming traffic ... I felt no fear ... I simply just acknowledged to myself that I've had a good life and I would soon have to say goodbye to all of it in a matter of seconds." Soule sustained only minor injuries, but commented that his feeling during the crash—"that life is indeed precious"—remained with him throughout the rest of the composition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firingsquad.com/features/jeremy_soule_interview/ |title=Jeremy Soule Interview & PLAY! |first=John |last=Callaham |date=May 22, 2006 |publisher=FS Media |work=FiringSquad |access-date=May 27, 2007 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724155119/http://www.firingsquad.com/features/jeremy_soule_interview/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*] - producer
*] - executive producer
*] - composer
*] - casting director


==Guilds== ===Remaster===
An internal ZeniMax presentation, dated to 2020 and released as part of the '']'' case in 2023, indicated that an "Oblivion Remaster" was earmarked for a release in the 2022 fiscal year, among other unannounced titles. The document was produced prior to ] in 2021, so it remains unclear whether the project is still in development.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Jay |title=Microsoft documents leak new Bethesda games, including an Oblivion remaster |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880132/microsoft-ftc-documents-leak-oblivion-fallout-3-remaster-doom-xbox |website=The Verge |date=19 September 2023 |access-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919101353/https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880132/microsoft-ftc-documents-leak-oblivion-fallout-3-remaster-doom-xbox |url-status=live }}</ref>
There are several guilds in ''The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion'', some more prominent in the plot than others.


==Marketing and release==
In the world of Tamriel, the major guilds function as trade unions that control and regulate a particular type of job or skill set. For game play purposes, each major guild serves as a basis for a significant plotline and the series of quests that accompany that plotline. When a player joins a guild, members of that guild will give the player assignments (quests) that allow him/her to earn money, rewards and/or promotion within the guild. In the Xbox 360 version of the game, ] are earned primarily via these major guild promotions (as well as via progress through the main storyline of the game). These guilds also provide members with training, equipment, accommodation, advice and recruitable allies.
''Oblivion''{{'}}s public debut occurred on May 18, 2005, at the ] (E3) in Los Angeles.<ref name="Announce">{{cite web |url=http://www.elderscrolls.com/news/press_051705.htm |title=Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games announce The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system |work=The Elder Scrolls |publisher=] |date=May 16, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519230431/http://www.elderscrolls.com/news/press_051705.htm |archive-date=May 19, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The version shown at E3 was substantially finished; most of the content was already in the game, lacking only the polish that the final months of development would bring.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6124431|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Q&A – Oblivion at E3 2005|date=May 17, 2005|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929094012/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6124431|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> Most viewers were impressed by ''Oblivion'''s showing, and the game won a number of "best of" awards from a variety of game journalists, among them ]'s "RPG Game of Show",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/618/618469p22.html |title=The Annual E3 Awards: 2005 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=May 24, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207094828/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/618/618469p22.html |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> '']''{{'}}s "Best Role-Playing Game",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6126660/p-16.html |title=E3 2005 Editors' Choice Awards: Best Role-Playing Game: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=May 31, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021234555/http://www.gamespot.com/features/6126660/p-16.html |archive-date=October 21, 2012}}</ref> '']''{{'}}s "Best PC RPG",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/619/619565p2.html |title=Best Role-Playing Game: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=May 31, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530095815/http://pc.ign.com/articles/619/619565p2.html |archive-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref> ''RPGFan''{{'}}s "Overall Game of E3 2005",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rpgfan.com/features/e3-2005/awards/index.html |title=Games of E3 2005 |work=RPGFan |date=May 23, 2005 |access-date=February 26, 2013 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725094655/http://www.rpgfan.com/features/e3-2005/awards/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the prestigious "Best Role Playing Game" in the 2005 E3 Game Critics Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=5654 |title=2005 E3 Game Critics Awards Winners Announced |work=] |publisher=UBM Tech |date=June 8, 2005 |first=David |last=Jenkins |access-date=February 26, 2013 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725124540/https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=5654 |url-status=live }}</ref> A near-final build of ''Oblivion'' was shown at Microsoft's ] press tent in January 2006, showcasing the game's exteriors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/05/ces-xbox-360-booth/ |title=CES: Xbox 360 booth |publisher=AOL |work=] |date=January 5, 2006 |first=James |last=Ransom-Wiley |access-date=February 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128024118/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/05/ces-xbox-360-booth/ |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/06/ces-oblivion-readies-for-march-release/ |title=CES: Oblivion readies for March release |publisher=AOL |work=] |date=January 6, 2006 |first=James |last=Ransom-Wiley |access-date=February 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129053813/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/06/ces-oblivion-readies-for-march-release/ |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the months prior to release, anticipation for the game ran high, with critics describing ''Oblivion'' as "the first next-gen game" only heightening attention. Pete Hines, vice president of public relations and marketing for Bethesda, said: "People were expecting the game to cure blindness and heal the sick."<ref name="SCRUP">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23597 |title=Scrolling Up |first=Ellie |last=Gibson |work=] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=March 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323223816/http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23597 |archive-date=March 23, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


2K Games had aimed for a late 2005 publication so that the game could be an ].<ref name="XLAUN">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?page=1&sid=6135223|title=Nine more games target 360 launch|last=Surette|first=Tim|date=October 6, 2005|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525035208/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?page=1&sid=6135223|archive-date=May 25, 2011}}</ref> The official release date for the PC and Xbox&nbsp;360 versions was originally November 22, 2005, but developmental delays pushed it back to March 20, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/elder-scrolls-iv-missing-xbox-360-launch-6136973 |title=Elder Scrolls IV missing Xbox 360 launch |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=October 31, 2005 |last=Thorsen |first=Tor |access-date=February 2, 2013 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818125415/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/elder-scrolls-iv-missing-xbox-360-launch/1100-6136973/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=35 |title=Oblivion: Release Date Dramas |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=Planet Elder Scrolls |date=December 10, 2005 |author=Valerias |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083817/http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=35 |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=February 2, 2013 |archive-date=October 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013154515/https://www.gamespot.com/games/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A mobile phone version of the game, developed by Superscape and published by Vir2L Studios, was released on May 2, 2006.<ref name="Mobile version"/> The PlayStation&nbsp;3 version of the game (ported by ]) was released on March 20, 2007, in North America<ref name="PS3NA">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13091 |title=Bethesda Confirms Oblivion PS3 Shipping |publisher=UBM Tech |work=] |date=March 19, 2007 |access-date=September 3, 2007 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812020418/https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13091 |url-status=live }}</ref> and on April 27, 2007, in Europe.<ref name="PS3EURO">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160219 |title=Oblivion misses Euro PS3 launch |first=Stuart |last=Bishop |date=March 19, 2007 |publisher=Future Publishing |work=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717183430/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160219 |archive-date=July 17, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6167680|title=Top titles to miss Euro PS3 launch|last=Boyes|first=Emma|date=March 20, 2007|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930082118/http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6167680|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> This version includes graphical improvements that had been made since the PC and Xbox&nbsp;360 release, and was subsequently praised for its enhanced visual appeal.<ref name="HANDSONHANDSOFF">{{cite web |url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/762/762108p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Hands-on |first=Jeff |last=Haynes |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment |date=February 6, 2007 |access-date=September 12, 2007 |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207221442/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/762/762108p1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="PS3INT">{{cite web |url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/738/738319p1.html |title=Oblivion: The PS3 Interview |first=Kathleen |last=Sanders |date=August 11, 2006 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |access-date=September 12, 2007 |archive-date=September 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929132538/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/10/11/oblivion-the-ps3-interview |url-status=dead }}</ref> A ] version of the game was also in development before being canceled.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/leaked-footage-shows-the-cancelled-elder-scrolls-obliv-1777057434 |title=Leaked Footage Shows The Cancelled Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Game For PSP |last=Schreier |first=Jason |publisher=Gawker Media |work=Kotaku |date=May 17, 2016 |access-date=May 17, 2016 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108220729/http://kotaku.com/leaked-footage-shows-the-cancelled-elder-scrolls-obliv-1777057434 |url-status=live }}</ref>
There are five major guilds that can be joined. If a player gains enough influence within a major guild, they can rise to the top and become the leader of that guild, which often grants very powerful equipment, abilities or influence within the game.


At the 2007 E3, the ''Game of the Year'' edition for ''Oblivion'' was announced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamefront.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year-edition-announced/ |title=E3 2007: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition Announced |publisher=Break Media |work=] |date=July 9, 2007 |author=Daniel |access-date=January 29, 2013 |archive-date=April 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426065727/http://www.gamefront.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year-edition-announced/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In North America and Europe, the game was released in September 2007, for the Xbox&nbsp;360 and PC,<ref name="XPCGOTY">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/obliviongoty/similar.html?mode=versions|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion&nbsp;– Game of the Year Edition (Xbox&nbsp;360) Release Summaries|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930040127/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/obliviongoty/similar.html?mode=versions|archive-date=September 30, 2007|access-date=October 18, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/obliviongoty/similar.html?mode=versions |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion&nbsp;– Game of the Year Edition (PC) Release Summaries |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=October 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604203501/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/obliviongoty/similar.html?mode=versions |archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> and in October 2007, for the PS3;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/obliviongoty/similar.html?mode=versions |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion&nbsp;– Game of the Year Edition (PS3) Release Summaries |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=October 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930013125/http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/obliviongoty/similar.html?mode=versions |archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> in Australia, it was released in September 2007, for the Xbox 360 and PC, and in December 2007, for the PS3.<ref name="XPCGOTY"/><ref name="PS3 GotY dates">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year/related/release/platform/ps3/|title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Game of the Year Edition Related Games|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604165445/http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year/related/release/platform/ps3/|archive-date=June 4, 2013|access-date=February 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="GOTY">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6173814|title=E3 07: Oblivion GOTY edition announced|last1=Boyes|first1=Emma|last2=Thorsen|first2=Tor|date=July 9, 2007|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204758/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6173814|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> It was also released on ] on June 16, 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://store.steampowered.com/news/2572 |title=News – Bethesda Brings More Games to Steam – Save 20% |work=] |publisher=Valve |date=June 16, 2009 |access-date=April 29, 2011 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112000546/https://store.steampowered.com/news/2572 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 5th-anniversary edition of ''Oblivion'' was announced and released in North America in July 2011 and in Europe two months later.<ref name="5thAnniversaryEdition">{{cite web|url=http://bethblog.com/index.php/2011/06/07/oblivion-5th-anniversary-edition-coming-to-north-america-on-july-12th|title=Bethesda Unveil Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition|date=June 7, 2011|work=]|publisher=ZeniMax Media|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127093859/http://www.bethblog.com/2011/06/07/oblivion-5th-anniversary-edition-coming-to-north-america-on-july-12th/|archive-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/20/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-5th-anniversary-edition-dated-for-europe/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition dated for Europe |work=] |publisher=Videogaming247 |date=September 20, 2011 |last=Nunneley |first=Stephany |access-date=March 1, 2013 |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930004555/https://www.vg247.com/2011/09/20/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-5th-anniversary-edition-dated-for-europe/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Xbox 360 and PC versions of '']'' and ''Oblivion'' double pack was announced for release in North America on April 3; however, it was not mentioned whether the bundled games include any of the downloadable content released for either game.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fallout 3 & Oblivion double pack drops April 3 |url=http://asia.gamespot.com/news/fallout-3-and-oblivion-double-pack-drops-april-3-6350639 |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=February 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223120338/http://asia.gamespot.com/news/fallout-3-and-oblivion-double-pack-drops-april-3-6350639 |archive-date=February 23, 2012}}</ref> ''Oblivion'' was also bundled with '']'' as a double pack on Xbox 360 and PC on July 7, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shippin' Out July 5-11: The Bigs 2, Tales of Monkey Island|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shippin-out-july-5-11-the-bigs-2-tales-of-monkey-island/1100-6212885/ |publisher=Matthew Peters |work=] |date=July 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019114251/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shippin-out-july-5-11-the-bigs-2-tales-of-monkey-island/1100-6212885/ |archive-date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>
The major guilds which the player character can join are as follows:
* ] (Mercenaries and paramilitaries; Imperially chartered)


===Rating change===
* ] (Criminal monopoly, smuggling, burglary; illegal organization)
On May 3, 2006, the ] (ESRB) in North America changed ''Oblivion''{{'}}s ] from T (Teen&nbsp;13+) to M (Mature&nbsp;17+), citing game content not considered in the ESRB review, i.e., "the presence in the PC version of the game of a locked-out art file that, if accessed by using an apparently unauthorized third party tool, allows the user to play the game with topless versions of female characters."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/41978/hot-coffee-strikes-again-oblivion |title=Hot Coffee Strikes Again, Oblivion Re-Rated (Updated) |publisher=] |date=May 3, 2006 |last=Remo |first=Chris |access-date=March 2, 2013 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725141006/https://www.shacknews.com/article/41978/hot-coffee-strikes-again-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TBTBTG">{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_101/561-The-Breasts-That-Broke-The-Game |title=The Breasts That Broke The Game |first=Michael |last=Zenke |date=June 12, 2007 |work=] |publisher=Alloy Digital |access-date=September 10, 2008 |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328013309/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_101/561-The-Breasts-That-Broke-The-Game |url-status=dead }}</ref> In response to the new content, the ESRB conducted a review of ''Oblivion'', showing to its reviewers the content originally submitted by Bethesda along with the newly disclosed content.<ref name="ESRBPRESS">{{cite web|url=http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/oblivion_release_5.3.06.pdf |title=ESRB Changes Rating for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from Teen to Mature |date=May 3, 2006 |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206215229/http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/oblivion_release_5.3.06.pdf |archive-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/oblivion_parent_advisory.5.3.06.pdf |title=ESRB Parent Advisory regarding rating change for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |date=May 3, 2006 |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206215218/http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/oblivion_parent_advisory.5.3.06.pdf |archive-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref>


The ESRB reported that Bethesda Softworks would promptly notify all retailers of the change, issue stickers for retailers and distributors to affix on the product, display the new rating in all following product shipments and marketing, and create a downloadable patch rendering the topless skin inaccessible.<ref name="ESRBPRESS"/> Bethesda complied with the request but disagreed with the ESRB's rationale.<ref name="BRESP">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2006/05/03/news_6148925.html?part=rss&tag=gs_&subj=6148925 |title=Bethesda responds to Oblivion rerating |date=May 3, 2006 |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=June 26, 2007 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930233143/http://www.gamespot.com/news/2006/05/03/news_6148925.html?part=rss&tag=gs_&subj=6148925 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some retailers began to check for ] before selling ''Oblivion'' as a result,<ref name="IEMA">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9160 |title=IEMA Reacts To Oblivion Mature Re-Rating |first=Simon |last=Carless |date=May 3, 2006 |publisher=UBM Tech |work=] |access-date=June 27, 2007 |archive-date=December 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227061321/https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9160 |url-status=live }}</ref> and one ] used the event to criticize the ESRB's inefficiency.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.edge-online.com/news/yee-berates-esrb-over-oblivion-re-rating/|title=Yee Berates ESRB Over Oblivion Re-Rating|date=May 5, 2006|magazine=]|publisher=Future Publishing|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412095549/http://www.edge-online.com/news/yee-berates-esrb-over-oblivion-re-rating/|archive-date=April 12, 2014}}</ref> Michael Zenke, editor of '']'' games, remarked on the change's ], which punished developers for content they did not produce.<ref name="TBTBTG2">{{cite journal |last=Zenke |first=Michael |date=June 12, 2007 |title=The Breasts That Broke The Game |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_101/561-The-Breasts-That-Broke-The-Game |url-status=live |journal=] |issue=101 |pages=19–21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101201555/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_101/561-The-Breasts-That-Broke-The-Game |archive-date=November 1, 2014 |access-date=June 26, 2007}}</ref>
* ] (Academy for the preservation and study of the esoteric arts, magic, alchemy, chemistry, humanities, sciences; Imperially chartered)


==Additional content==
* The ] (Assassins' guild and death cult, the traditional enemies of the ]; illegal organization)
{{further|Development of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion#Downloadable content|l1=Downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion}}
Starting in April 2006, Bethesda released small packages of additional ] (DLC) for the game from their website and over the ]. The first update came as a set of specialized armor for ''Oblivion''{{'}}s ridable horses; released on April 3, 2006.<ref name="HRSRMR">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?page=1&sid=6147013 |title=Oblivion horse armor now available |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=April 3, 2006 |first=Tim |last=Surette |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930095617/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?page=1&sid=6147013 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/bethesda-announces-new-oblivion-content |title=Bethesda announces new premium Oblivion content |first=Paul |last=Loughrey |work=] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=April 5, 2006 |access-date=January 30, 2010 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725153349/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/bethesda-announces-new-oblivion-content |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6147320 |title=Next Oblivion add-on priced |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=April 7, 2006 |first=Brendan |last=Sinclair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807113640/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6147320 |archive-date=August 7, 2007 }}</ref> Although gamers generally displayed enthusiasm for the concept of ]s for downloadable in-game content,<ref name="HRSRMR"/><ref name="BRTOI">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3149299 |title=Bethesda Responds To Oblivion Issues |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=April 4, 2006 |first=Patrick |last=Klepek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516152408/http://www.1up.com/news/bethesda-responds-oblivion-issues |archive-date=May 16, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> many expressed their dissatisfaction at the price they had to pay for the relatively minor horse-armor package on the Internet and elsewhere.<ref name="HRSRMR"/> Hines assured the press that Bethesda was not going to respond rashly to customer criticism.<ref name="BRTOI"/> New releases continued into late 2006, at lower prices with more substantial content,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6163580|title=Oblivion getting $2 evil add-on July 13|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|date=July 11, 2006|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929131201/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6163580|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6156923|title=New $1 Oblivion DL casts spells|last=Surette|first=Tim|date=August 31, 2006|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930012226/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6156923|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> leading to a better reception in the gaming press.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151636.html |title=Den of Xbox&nbsp;360 Oblivion thieves uncovered |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=May 22, 2006 |first=Tor |last=Thorsen |access-date=July 9, 2007 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702215656/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/den-of-xbox-360-oblivion-thieves-uncovered/1100-6151636/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6152158 |title=Next Oblivion add-on detailed |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=June 1, 2006 |first=Brendan |last=Sinclair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525035856/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6152158 |archive-date=May 25, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6152676|title=Oblivion Mehrunes' Razor add-on dated|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|date=June 13, 2006|work=]|publisher=CBS Interactive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060921163239/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6152676|archive-date=September 21, 2006}}</ref> Other small DLC packs include a set of houses themed after the game's factions, a new dungeon, and new spells that were absent in the initial release. ''Oblivion''{{'}}s final content pack was released on October 15, 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://au.gamespot.com/news/6235465.html |title=Bethesda preps last Oblivion download |date=October 11, 2007 |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |first=Brendan |last=Sinclair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106005919/http://au.gamespot.com/news/6235465.html |archive-date=January 6, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-the-fighters-str/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – The Fighter's Stronghold |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=February 23, 2013 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702084808/https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion---the-fighters-stronghold |url-status=live }}</ref>


'']'' is an official expansion for ''Oblivion'' released on November 21, 2006.<ref name="Knights release">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/news/ps3-oblivion-shelved-year |title=PS3 Oblivion Shelved Till Next Year |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment |date=November 9, 2006 |last=Smith |first=Luke |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026130438/http://www.1up.com/news/ps3-oblivion-shelved-year |archive-date=October 26, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Downloadable on the Xbox Live marketplace for the Xbox&nbsp;360 and available for retail purchase for PC users,<ref name="Knights release"/> the expansion content was included in the original version of the PlayStation&nbsp;3 release.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://au.ps3.ign.com/articles/738/738319p1.html |title=Oblivion: The PS3 Interview |first=Kathleen |last=Sanders |date=October 11, 2006 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |access-date=January 30, 2010 |archive-date=October 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003180306/http://au.ps3.ign.com/articles/738/738319p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The expansion was developed, published, and released by Bethesda Softworks.<ref>{{cite web |first=Charles |last=Onyett |url=http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/745/745729p1.html |title=Oblivion: Knights of the Nine Hands-On |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=November 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111062252/http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/745/745729p1.html |archive-date=January 11, 2012 }}</ref> The plot of ''Knights of the Nine'' centers on the rise of the sorcerer-king Umaril and the player's quest to defeat him with the aid of the lost crusader's relics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/faqs/2007/the-elder-scrolls-iv-knights-of-the-nine-walkthrough-knights-of-the-nine-801519 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine – Walkthrough – Knights of the Nine |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |access-date=February 23, 2013 |last=Russell |first=Brad |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725200011/https://www.ign.com/faqs/2007/the-elder-scrolls-iv-knights-of-the-nine-walkthrough-knights-of-the-nine-801519 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although it made little change to the basic mechanics of ''Oblivion'', it was judged by reviewers to be a brief but polished addition to the game's main plot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-knights-of-the-nine-review/1900-6162682/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine for PC Review |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |date=December 4, 2006 |access-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129202801/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-knights-of-the-nine-review/1900-6162682/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/93008.shtml |title=Review: The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine |magazine=]|publisher=IDG Entertainment |author=Newton |date=January 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111132800/http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/93008.shtml |archive-date=January 11, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_oblivionkotn_x360 |title=Review – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion&nbsp;– Knights of the Nine |work=] |publisher=Gamer Network |last=Purchese |first=Rob |date=November 27, 2006 |access-date=January 30, 2010 |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804114750/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_oblivionkotn_x360 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*In addition, the November issue of the '']'' confirmed that on the PS3 version of the game there will be an additional guild: The ] (Organization of "Holy Crusader" type knights; virtuous warriors; "Good-Guys" of the game.) It has since been revealed ] will be available as an add-on for both Windows and Xbox 360 versions.


'']'' was released on March 27, 2007, for Windows and Xbox&nbsp;360, and December 8, 2007, for PlayStation 3. The expansion offers more than 30 hours of new adventuring, and features new quests, voice acting, monsters, spells, armor, and expanded freeform gameplay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/objects/874/874117.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles — Xbox 360 |date=January 25, 2007|access-date=October 23, 2011 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215001355/http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/objects/874/874117.html |archive-date=February 15, 2009 }}</ref> It features a new land "that can watch change according to vital life-or-death decisions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=153278|title=Oblivion expansion: First concrete details|last=Bishop|first=Stuart|date=January 4, 2007|work=]|publisher=Future Publishing|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106023228/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=153278|archive-date=January 6, 2007}}</ref><ref name="ps3SI">{{cite web |title=Interview: Bethesda Softworks' Pete Hines |publisher=] |first=Chris |last=Remo |url=http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=236 |date=February 8, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802235638/http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=236 |archive-date=August 2, 2009 }}</ref> ''Shivering Isles'' takes place in the realm of madness ruled over by the Daedric prince Sheogorath. The player is tasked by Sheogorath with saving the realm from an approaching cataclysm known as the Greymarch.<ref name="GP">{{cite magazine |author=Newton |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/107898/elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-shivering-isles/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles |publisher=IDG Entertainment |magazine=] |date=April 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927210941/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/107898/elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-shivering-isles/ |archive-date=September 27, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-shivering-isles-2/?page=3 |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Shivering Isles |publisher=Future Publishing |work=] |date=February 6, 2007 |last=Porter |first=Will |access-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-date=January 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109032434/http://www.gamesradar.com/elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-shivering-isles-2/?page=3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
There is also the Arena (Gladiatorial combat with some religious significance; Imperially chartered), which may be considered a "Gladiator's Guild." It has all of the features of a major guild, except that it does not offer a significant plotline or a series of quests. Instead it offers a series of gladiatorial battles in the Imperial City's Arena against one, two, or three opponents, with a final battle for the rank of Arena Grand Champion.


==Reception==
In addition to the above guilds, there are several other religious or paramilitary organizations the player can join. Some of these are briefly related to individual quests within the main storyline.
{{Video game reviews
* ] (Spy network and bodyguards to the Emperor; Imperially chartered) &ndash; Rank: ''Knight Brother'' or ''Knight Sister'', depending on the character's gender
| MC = 94/100 (X360)<ref name="MC360">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360 |work=] |publisher=CBS Interactive |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) |access-date=February 11, 2010 |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129005913/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref><br />93/100 (PS3)<ref name="MCPS3">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3 |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PlayStation 3) |access-date=February 11, 2010 |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203054740/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref><br />94/100 (PC)<ref name="MCPC">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) |access-date=January 21, 2007 |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203115854/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ] &ndash; rank: ''Brother'' or ''Sister'', depending on the character's gender
| 1UP = A<ref>{{cite web |first=Patrick |last=Joynt |url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/elder-scrolls-iv_2 |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 30, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518122555/http://www.1up.com/reviews/elder-scrolls-iv_2 |archive-date=May 18, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="1uppc"/><ref>{{cite web |first=Joe |last=Rybicki |url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/elder-scrolls-iv |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518122525/http://www.1up.com/reviews/elder-scrolls-iv |archive-date=May 18, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ] &ndash; rank: ''Knight-Errant''
| Allgame = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web| url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=47508&tab=review| title = Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Review| author = Marriott, Scott Alan | publisher = ]| access-date =April 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114233822/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=47508&tab=review|archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref>
* Knights of the Thorn &ndash; rank: ''Honorary Knight''
| Fam = 38/40 (X360)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bethblog.com/2007/07/19/domo-arigato-famitsu/ |title=Domo Arigato, Famitsu |publisher=ZeniMax Media |work=] |date=July 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203012715/http://www.bethblog.com/2007/07/19/domo-arigato-famitsu/ |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Order of the Dragon &ndash; rank: ''Champion of Cyrodiil''
| GSpot = 9.6/10 (X360)<ref name="gspot360">{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/review.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox 360) |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=March 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123204313/http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/review.html |archive-date=January 23, 2013 }}</ref><br />9.5/10 (PS3)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-review/1900-6168010/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (PlayStation 3) |last=Mueller |first=Greg |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=February 11, 2010 |date=March 23, 2007 |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127093532/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-review/1900-6168010/ |url-status=live }}</ref><br />9.3/10 (PC)<ref name=gspot>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-review/1900-6146661/ |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (PC) |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |date=March 25, 2006 |access-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129234950/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-review/1900-6146661/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Mythic Dawn &ndash; ranks: ''Initiate''; ''Acolyte''
| GSpy = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |first=Justin |last=Speer |url=http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/698650p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220023239/http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/698650p1.html |archive-date=February 20, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Patrick |last=Joynt |url=http://uk.ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/775981p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083820/http://uk.ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/775981p1.html |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 7, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=gspy>{{cite web |url=http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/698423p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |last=Rausch |first=Allen |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083641/http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/698423p1.html |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The ] &ndash; ranks: ''Probationary Member''; ''Company Member''
| IGN = 9.3/10 (X360)<ref name="ign360">{{cite web |url=http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/698/698400p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox 360) |first=Charles |last=Onyett |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 24, 2006 |access-date=February 11, 2010 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224200404/http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/698/698400p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref><br />9.2/10 (PS3)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/775/775711p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (PlayStation 3) |first=Jeremy |last=Dunham |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 26, 2007 |access-date=January 7, 2012 |archive-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104033256/http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/775/775711p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref><br />9.3/10 (PC)<ref name=ign>{{cite web |url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/698/698405p1.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (PC) |last=Onyett |first=Charles |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |date=March 24, 2006 |access-date=February 12, 2007 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702084535/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/25/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion |url-status=live }}</ref>
Note, however, that both the Mythic Dawn and the Blackwood Company are merely infiltrated by the player on behalf of opposing groups. There is no option to genuinely serve either group.
| OXM = 9.5/10 (X360)<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/editors-choice-gallery/elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion?page=0%2C1 |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |first=Ryan |last=McCaffrey |publisher=Future plc |magazine=] |date=November 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029035711/http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/editors-choice-gallery/elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion?page=0%2C1 |archive-date=October 29, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| PCGUS = 95/100 (PC)<ref>{{cite journal |editor-first=Logan |editor-last=Decker |title=Oblivion |publisher=] |journal=PC Gamer US |date=May 2006 |page=80}}</ref>
]

]

]

] is visible.]]

==Playable races==
<!-- Do not add comparisons of the Oblivion playable races to real world racial groups: It is original research -->
''Oblivion'' has 10 playable races.

Four of the races are classical human archetypes:
*] - Descendants of humans, they also have Elven blood flowing through their veins and are thus not only predisposed toward healing and other magical arts, but also have a strong resistance to magical damage.
*] - The reigning race of ], they are predominantly influential and socialite, and are slightly predisposed towards physical combat and heavier types of armor.
*] - The Fair-haired, hardy folk of Skyrim origin, they are resistant to cold temperatures and are known for their unique, yet brutal style of combat.
*] - The dark-skinned human race of the sunken continent ], they are known for their swift, fatal blows.

Four types of Mer (Elves):
*] - Also known as ], the tall inhabitants of Sumerset Isle are the most skilled of all races in the magical arts, yet are themselves vulnerable to magic.
*] - Commonly known as ], the small and nimble inhabitants of ] are known for their skill with bows and arrows and predisposition towards thievery.
*] - Commonly known as ], the dark-skinned inhabitants of ] are not known for their skill in any particular art, but are equally adept at a variety of skills and are slightly predisposed towards the magical arts.
*] - Also known as ], the native denizens of the Wrothgarian and Dragontail Mountains, they are an offshoot of the Altmer known for being brutish in both strength and attitude.

Two beast races:
*] - The ] inhabitants of Elseweyr known for their agility and stealth, both of which make them well-suited for thievery.
*] - The ] inhabitants of ] are equally at home in both land and water, and are subsequently adept at fast traveling and surprise assaults.

The ], ], ], ] and ] races were not included because they do not associate in areas where the game takes place, due to exile, isolationism, banishment, or extinction. ], a race of humanoid ], is not a playable race. However, they appear in the game as hostile creatures counted as NPCs in terms of soul trapping.

==Skills==

''Oblivion'' features 21 skills, with seven allocated to each of ''Oblivion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s three primary character class types; those of combat, magic, and stealth. Additionally, each of the 8 character attributes governs three skills, except the luck attribute, which contributes a little to everything, but governs nothing.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
| '''Combat Arts''' || '''Magic Arts''' || '''Stealth Arts'''
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|-
| ] || ] || ]
|}

''Oblivion'' also introduces Mastery Levels. These are levels of proficiency that the player has reached with a given skill. The Mastery Levels are:

*Novice: 0-24
*Apprentice 25-49
*Journeyman: 50-74
*Expert 75-99
*Master: 100

Each level of mastery the player reaches in a given skill brings with it appropriate bonuses; For instance, when the player character become a master of the 'Heavy Armor' skill, the weight of the armor he/she wears no longer adds to the player character's encumbrance. In the Magic Arts, the mastery levels simply allow the player to learn, cast, and create spells of increasing power.

===Game technology===
====Radiant A.I.====

''Oblivion'' boasts a new ] system, fully developed in house by Bethesda, codenamed 'Radiant AI'. It aims to counter what was believed to be one of the major flaws of the previous installment ('']''): the lack of 'life' of the ] in the game. Radiant AI gives every NPC a set of 'needs' (such as hunger) that they will need to fulfill, thus attempting to create a more lifelike world.

Radiant AI works by giving NPCs a list of goals (only quests and interaction with the player character are scripted). They must decide how to achieve these goals by themselves based on their individual statistics. A hungry NPC might compare his current gold against his moral values to decide whether he will walk to a store and buy food, or just steal it; a skilled archer can choose to hunt his own deer.

According to interviews given by the developers, the following are examples of unexpected behavior discovered during early testing:

# One character was given a rake and the goal "rake leaves"; another was given a broom and the goal "sweep paths," and this worked smoothly. Then they swapped the items, so that the raker was given a broom and the sweeper was given the rake. In the end, one of them killed the other so he could get the proper item.
# In another test, a ] was given a task of protecting a ]. However, the Minotaur repeatedly tried to kill the unicorn because he was set to be an aggressive creature.
# In one Dark Brotherhood quest, the player can meet up with a shady merchant who sells ], an in-game ]. During testing, the NPC would be dead when the player got to him. The reason was that NPCs from the local skooma den were trying to get their fix, did not have any money, and so were killing the merchant to get it.
# While testing to confirm that the physics models for a magical item known as the "Skull of Corruption," which creates an evil copy of the character/monster it is used on, were working properly, a tester dropped the item on the ground. An NPC immediately picked it up and used it on the player character, creating a copy of him that proceeded to kill every NPC in sight.
# In one test, after a guard became hungry and left his post in search of food, the other guards followed to arrest him. The town people looted the town shops, due to lack of guards.

Bethesda worked to fix these issues, balancing an NPC's needs against his penchant for destruction so that the game world still functions in a usable fashion. In-game there are over 1,000 different NPCs, not including randomly spawned monsters and bandits. The result is that the AI in the release version is much ''reduced'', only featuring NPC schedules.

Bethesda released a set of preview videos (still available for download on their site), showing a demonstration of the Radiant AI system in action. It should be noted, however, that the events depicted in the video can not be repeated in the actual game.

====Middleware used in ''Oblivion''====
* ] 3D graphics engine from Emergent Game Technologies formerly: Numerical Design Limited (NDL)
* ] vegetation rendering from Interactive Data Visualization, Inc (IDV)
* ] physics engine from Havok Inc
* ] face generation from Singular Inversions Inc

;Gamebryo Engine
] developed the ] 3D graphics engine. Games using it include '']'', '']'', '']'' and ''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion''. In '']'' Gamebryo had shown severe reliability, performance and animation problems, and lacked special effects. It has been rebuilt for ''Oblivion'' with new features and special effects, and is more optimized than its predecessor is.

Gamebryo's run-time engine uses a ] ] with a hierarchical scene graph structure. Multiple ] and sorting techniques are used simultaneously to reduce ] usage by drawing only visible objects.

;SpeedTree
] is a programming package produced by Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV) that aims to produce high-quality virtual foliage in real time, suitable especially for video games but also aimed to a lesser extent at some other kinds of simulations. It has so far been licensed to a substantial number of video game developers, including developers of the ] series. Speed Tree is currently being used in several games, one of which is a MMO game WWII Online.

;Havok
The ], better known simply as ''Havok'', is a middleware physics engine (in this case Dynamical simulation) designed for computer and video games by allowing interaction between objects or other characters in real-time. By using collision detection Havok allows for more lifelike worlds and animations, such as ], that adds to the overall game by making these interactions appear natural. The Havok physics engine is used frequently in the video game design industry, including the ] gaming series and ].

;]
FaceGen is a parametric face modeling software that allows the user to create faces from one or more photographs, or at random. It is partially implemented in ''Oblivion'', having about 150 parameters for editing face, besides race, age and gender. It takes significantly more time to use, but gives the player more freedom in creating his character's appearance.

===Changes from previous games===

''Oblivion'' introduces numerous changes into the Elder Scrolls Franchise. Here is a partial listing.

====Combat====

* Arrows are now physically visible on the character model when they have struck them, and they can often be retrieved.
* Bows now make use of physics on arrow flight. The player can also zoom at higher levels and set off traps with arrows.
* The combat system has changed. The classical "Chop/Pierce/Slash" TES combat system was replaced by a simpler system similar to action-RPG hybrids such as '']'', with one button for attack and another for block. Blocking is no longer automatic, but player controlled.
* The combat system has been changed so that the player character's skills determine what happens when any particular action is performed, not whether or not something happens. So, the character blocks only when the block button is pressed, and when the sword physically strikes, it always registers as a hit. There is no “to hit roll”, no “swish” sound of a miss when the sword clearly hit its mark. Instead, skills are used to determine how much damage that attack does, or how much less damage characters take due to using the block action.
* Crossbows, throwing weapons, spears, and their respective skills have been removed. The only ranged weapons are bows. However, the bow and arrow flight physics have been refined to make up for the exclusion of the other weapons.
* Clothing and armor are now considered the same item type. Whereas in ''Morrowind'' the player character could wear a full set of clothes and then a full set of armor on top of it, or a set of armor covered by a robe, ''Oblivion'' only allows one item to be worn on each section of the body. Some armor covers more than one, or all, positions of the body. This may have been done for balance reasons, as previously players would wear a full set of enchanted clothing beneath a full set of enchanted armor.
* Fatigue does not drain from running, but plays a more vital role in combat tactics. Instead, running lowers the rate of fatigue regeneration.
* The player can now attempt to end a battle by talking to his opponent while holding block, and if the NPC has a positive enough disposition towards the player character, the battle will cease. This is usually the case with guildmates and other friendly characters, along with town guards, who will give the character the option of surrendering.
*As the player character progresses through the combat skills he learns new power attacks which vary from paralyzing the enemy to disarming him.

====Magicka====

* Enchanting items/weapons is now a benefit of membership in the Mages guild, and not a player skill. The Wizard’s Tower add-on by Bethesda allows non-Mages guild players this option, if they have a Soul Gem.
* Levitation spells have been removed. The reason levitation was removed according to the developers was that, unlike in ''Morrowind'', cities are located in separate cells from the rest of the world. Since the cities aren't fully rendered until the players enter them, it wouldn't look right if they were to fly over the walls. Levitation also was sometimes used as an exploit in previous games of the series, so it was removed to preserve game balance. However, by climbing on roof tops one can exit towns and see the unrendered world.
* Magicka (]) now regenerates over time, like fatigue, with no need for resting to achieve the effect, although resting will fully restore it.
* Spells may now be cast while holding a weapon and/or shield.
* All spells have a novice, apprentice, journeyman, expert, and master designations, requiring such skill levels in their corresponding magic school to cast them. The casting always succeeds as long as the player has sufficient Magicka, whereas in ''Morrowind'', player skill and spell difficulty determined the chance of success.

====NPCs====

* The Dark Brotherhood is the predominant assassins guild, rather than the ], the state sanctioned assassins guild which was joinable only in ].
* Merchants do not run out of money, instead, they have a limit to the maximum amount of money they can offer per transaction. Characters highly skilled in Mercantile have the option to invest 500 gold in a vendor, increasing the vendor's total amount of spending money by 500. The effect is permanent.
* Merchant’s primary inventory for sale is now hidden in inaccessible boxes that cannot be broken into. In ''Morrowind'', players could steal any merchant’s inventory, which would be in a locked chest nearby. This would permanently deplete a merchant’s goods. ''Oblivion'' now moves these chests to cell areas that cannot be accessed through normal game play.
* In ''Morrowind'', inventory sold to merchants was permanently retained in their inventory list. In ''Oblivion'', this was changed to after a pre-set amount of game days items sold to a merchant would no longer appear in his/her inventory.
* Every NPC includes full voice acting; however, entire races often have just two voice actors, one for male and one for female. For example: all male elf characters share a single voice actor and all female Nords and female Orcs are voiced by the same woman (], best known as the actress who played ] in the live-action TV series ]). Indeed, many plot-important characters - Jauffre and Baurus, for example - have the same voice actors as the rest of their character's race. The amount of dialogue text was drastically decreased to allow this, and makes the game seem less diverse.
* Nudity from both the player portrait and creatures has been removed and has yet to make a return from ''Daggerfall'', though the topless coding is retained. See the hidden content for more information.
* The speechcraft skill now employs a mini-game in order to affect the disposition of NPCs. Speechcraft techniques changed to joke, boast, admire, and coerce, all used simultaneously. Bribing now functions in a different way, always giving a set positive amount of disposition for a set amount of money. How much money it takes for each bribe is governed by the player’s current level, with each successive level getting more and more expensive. NPCs have a limit for disposition reached by speech but not bribing.
* The player can no longer kill NPCs important to major quests as they could in ''Morrowind''. Instead they fall unconscious, only to revive a matter of seconds later.

====Skills and levels====

* The skills list has been condensed into 21 skills. Players choose 7 major skills and the remaining 14 are classified as minor skills; increasing major skills is the only way to level up.
* After the fifth skill training session in any skill each level, the player must level up before training again. In ''Morrowind'', the player had unlimited training sessions available; however, skills were governed by attributes. Skills could not be raised above attributes. If a player had 60 sneak and 60 agility, she/he could not train sneak until she/he leveled up his/her agility. In ''Oblivion'', the training system is generally more restrictive, since, although skills can be raised above attributes, player only gets five training sessions per level, whether it is for a major or minor skill.
* Enemies, quest rewards, and items, including artifacts, level up with the player, and are tied to whatever level the player is on. Leveling made some appearance in ''Morrowind'', mostly for random encounters, but all armors and items were freely available, regardless of level. In ''Oblivion'', the player will not see glass, daedric, or ebony armor until the higher levels, but once the player reaches some level, these armors will become common even among bandits. All quest items are affected by this as well, and artifacts have different versions depending on when the player gets them. If a player gets a quest item as a reward at level four, it will be impossible for that player to upgrade the item to the more powerful versions that the player would get if s/he had waited a few levels to complete the quest. Multiple Windows-only mods for fixing that have been created.
* Lockpicking and persuasion minigames have been added to require more skill of the gamer. Persuading or lockpicking are no longer automatically resolved based on character's levels in those skills. Lockpicking now resembles in part '']'', though still having an option to automatically resolve the lockpicking minigame. There is also a daedric quest at Nocturnal Shrine (North of Leyawiin) that gives the player an unbreakable lockpick, thus making the security skill mostly pointless, as the player can just hit auto attempt repeatedly.
* The axe skill has been removed. Axe weapons may be governed by either the Blade or Blunt skill, depending on the axe. <!-- Please read the talk page before editing this one. -->
* The long blade and short blade skills have all been consolidated into a single Blade skill.
* The Medium armor skill has been removed; the actual armors which were previously considered medium-class have been moved to the heavy or light armor skills.
* The Unarmored skill has been removed.
*The Enchant Skill has been removed.

====Miscellaneous changes====

* Bodies have a ] effect, rather than being "glued" to a spot, as was the case in ''Morrowind''. This allows players to move corpses, although it is not required in any part of the game, you can also move items that are small and light weight to spring trip wire and other types of traps.
* Bethesda sells downloadable content via both ] and a standard internet connection for Windows users. Seven downloadable content addons are currently available for purchase, specifically the ''Armored Horses'', ''Orrery'', ''Wizard's Tower'', ''Thieves Den'', and recently released ''Mehrunes' Razor'', ''Vile Lair'' and ''Spell Tomes'' addons. The Bethesda team canceled plans for Holiday content. Future downloads will include the ''Mages Guild Inner Sanctum'' and the ''Knights of the Nine''.
* Clothing and armor models change according to the gender of the character, and the same item acts as trousers for a male and as a skirt for a female.
* Dungeons now include tricks and traps using the ] physics engine, such as falling spikes, gas traps, spiked maces, trip wires and trap doors.
* The player may "fast travel" to any location they have previously visited via the map, allowing the game to simulate the amount of game-world and real-world time it would take for the player to travel that distance. A compass is also available that directs players towards the target of a quest. All other forms of long-distance fast travel from previous TES games were omitted, including Mark and Recall spells, Almisivi Intervention, Divine Intervention, Propylon Indices, silt striders, Mage Guild teleportals, and boats. (Though there are one-way portals in between the Wizard's Tower (Downloadable content) and every mages guild in the game ) also there is a user-created mod to change it to a Morrowind-style transport system.
* The player can play as the Cathay-Raht breed of Khajiit, who are less beast-like and can wear boots, rather than the Suthay-Raht who were the playable breed in ''Morrowind''.
* Horse riding has returned, but Carriages have not. The game allows the player to purchase different breeds of horses, which can attack enemies, but only when the player is dismounted. Mounted combat isn't possible at all.
* Eight of the nine major cities have a house the player can buy and have for his/her own. The player character has the option of buying both decorative and utilitary furnishings in shops in the respective town, giving the player the option of keeping his belongings in a safe place (The sole exception is Kvatch-no house is available there because the city is destroyed).
* Interface Change: The inventory system has been changed to being menu based instead of icon based. The "Window" interface of the Windows ''Morrowind'' has been removed, and windows can no longer be resized or dragged. Hotkeys can be used to access menus, instead of clicking on icons.
* Repair hammers never fail to repair. The amount of equipment health they repair and how quickly the hammer breaks is dependent upon the player's armorer level. All weapons and armor have 100 health, but lighter weapons and armor degrade quicker. Higher-level armorers can repair items beyond 100% as well as repair magical items, however, characters with a lower armorer skill can't repair magical items.
* Casting almost any spell projects light that visibly reflects off of its surroundings, which can give away a sneaking character's position to NPCs.
* The player and NPCs can sit on benches and chairs.
* Pauldrons are no longer separate armor, but are rather included in the cuirass.
* There are no longer left and right gloves/gauntlets, as in ''Morrowind'', just gauntlets as a set.
* Weapons now appear on the character when sheathed. In ''Morrowind'', they would simply disappear.
* Enemies will also sometimes drop held weapons and shields when killed.
* Dwemer armor is now called Dwarven. <!-- They are not different races-see the talkpage for details !-->

===''Morrowind'' vs ''Oblivion'' vs ''Daggerfall'' size comparison===

The total above-ground area of ''Morrowind'' 's game world was roughly 10 square miles; however, the central landmass was only around 6 square miles and then surrounded by water and tiny islands; these figures do not include either of the expansions.{{fact}}

With ''Oblivion'', the aboveground areas are approximately 7 square miles, but with considerably less water coverage than the realm of Morrowind. This does not include cities, any underground areas/dungeons, or extra-dimensional areas. {{fact}}

The realm of ] is described in the game's lore as infinite; the player has the opportunity to explore a series of large, independent extra-dimensional terrain every time a portal is entered. The number of environments in ''Oblivion'' is very limited, given the immense number of portals present, as one of seven pre-made environments is randomly selected each time one of the 90 portals not related to the main quest is entered; portals related to the main quest all have ''Oblivion'' environments uniquely specific to each of them.

There have been no official size estimates for the playable sections of the realm of ]. Unofficially, however, they are generally the largest areas of the game, rivaling the entire City Isle in size, though some are considerably smaller.

Neither ''Morrowind'' nor ''Oblivion'' come close to the massive world as it existed in '']'', estimated as being roughly twice the size of ], with over 15,000 towns, cities, villages, and dungeons, and speculated to take over two weeks to travel from one end of the world to the other.{{fact}} Daggerfall's size is tremendous, especially considering that the game was made in the 1990s. However, in ''Daggerfall'' the towns were generally identical in appearance. Instead, ''Oblivion'' aims to bring more variety to the world, and not just massive size.

In addition there has been a noticable decline in the freedom given to characters and detail level of the game design from Morrowind to Oblivion. This is due to a heavy emphasis in Oblivion given to graphics and less emphasis given to gameplay.

{{POV-section}}
==Critical reaction==

Critical reaction to the English version of ''Oblivion'' has almost been entirely positive; '']'', ''PC Gamer US'', '']'', ''IGN'', ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', and '']'' have all awarded the game 9/10 or more, and praised the game for its immersiveness and scope. The television program '']'', citing similar reasons, awarded the game a rare 5/5. ''PC Gamer UK'' did, however, criticize the game's repetitive and occasionally absurd nature of conversations between NPCs, saying that it broke ]. ''OXM'' also said that the Xbox 360 version of the game suffered from occasional frame rate drops, though they were not as frequent as the Windows version, and also slightly longer loading times on a Core system which lacks a Hard-drive.

German and French Internet and print magazines, however, have generally scored the game lower due to the poor translation into their languages. {{fact}} Besides many spelling mistakes, spells and potions have been named wrongly (e.g. the starting healing spell is by default named 'Feuerball' in German and 'Boule de feu' in French, which both mean fireball), some texts have not been translated at all, and there are several references to the Xbox 360 controls in the Windows version's tutorial. Some quests therefore were not solvable. Additionally the gender of the player and NPCs sometimes was changed during the game: In the German version for example approx. 10% of all male main-characters were referred to as "sie" or "ihr" ("she" or "her"). The poor quality extends to the Spanish translation, which has 'Bola de Fuego' (again fireball) as the healing spell and the gender of characters is frequently mistaken. However, this fact has not been mentioned by Spanish videogame magazines, probably due to the fact that its predecessor ''Morrowind'' was not translated at all.{{fact}} The translation of the speech files has not suffered to a similar extent.

There have been complaints that the scaling system, used in Oblivion to ensure that all the player's foes remain equally challenging throughout the game, is excessively difficult by default, and makes the world non-sensible, with new creatures appearing out of nowhere. The system makes enemies weaker or stronger based on the player character's master "level". However, characters with the same "level" can have different skills. This means that players who focus on non-combat skills like Mercantile or Speechcraft will find it progressively harder to fight monsters as their own level increases, which is counter-intuitive. There has been response to the criticism; however, that common sense dictates that players who focus on non-combat skills would have a hard time anyway. This has spawned the creation of many game modifications to make certain areas inherently easy (or inherently difficult), or to completely eliminate the game's level-based auto-scaling system, making the game world more varied, unpredictable and realistic. Another solution, of course, is to simply reduce the difficulty setting in the options menu (but this will still keep all enemies at a similar level).

The voice acting received mixed reviews in the game press. While many publications characterize its voice-acting as "uniformly excellent and star-studded,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/698/698405p5.html |publisher=] |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review - Another Take |accessdate=2006-08-24 |first=Tom |last=McNamara |date=]}}</ref> "generally excellent,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/review.html |work=GameSpot PC Games |date=] |publisher=Gamespot |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review |accessdate=2006-08-24 |first=Greg |last=Kasavin}}</ref> and "solid,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pro-g.co.uk/pc/the_elder_scrolls_iv/review-2.html |publisher=Pro-G |date=] |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review |accessdate=2006-08-24 |first=Greg |last=Vallentin}}</ref> others find it to be a major flaw. Repetitiveness has been singled out as an issue in the game's voice acting, even where the general quality of the voice acting itself has been commended.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/elder_scrolls_4_ |publisher=] |date=] |work=XBOX 360 Reviews |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox360 |accessdate=2006-09-20 |first=Duke |last=Ferris}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1142/The-Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion/p5/ | publisher=] |date=] |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox 360) - Audio |pages=5 |accessdate=2006-09-20 |first=Matthew |last=Fisher}}</ref> The repetitiveness' cause has been attributed to both the small number of voice actors<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/18/oblivions-vocal-and-line-repetition/ |date=] |publisher=] |title=Oblivion's vocal and line repetition |accessdate=2006-09-20 |first=Alexander |last=Sliwinski}}</ref> and the bland written dialogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thegamechair.com/2006/09/17/bethesda-i-write-cheap/ |date=] |publisher=The Game Chair |title=Bethesda, I Write Cheap! |accessdate=2006-09-20 |author=Jake}}</ref>

== Re-rating ==
On ], ], ''Oblivion'' was re-rated from T (Teen) to M (Mature) by the ]. The ESRB said this was because of "more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as (with the Windows version of the game) the presence of a locked-out art file or 'skin' that, if accessed through a third-party modification, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters." The ESRB is adding a Nudity content descriptor to the Windows version of the game until it "can be remastered and the topless skin removed."<ref>
{{cite web
|first=Brendan
|last=Sinclair
|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6148897.html
|title=Oblivion rerated M for Mature
|publisher=GameSpot
|work=GameSpot News
|date=]
|accessdate=2006-09-24
}}</ref>

'''Response:'''
The rating of M would cause some stores such as ] to require a valid government ID to prove that the consumer is over 17. For most teenage players, who make up a large portion of the market, this restricted sales as it would typically require a parent to assist in purchasing. Due to the newer rating tags displaying mentions of "Torture", "Blood and Gore", "Use of Alcohol", some parents became more reluctant to allow the purchase. {{fact}}

The nudity in question was also present in Morrowind as a player mod. People who downloaded the mod could have nude NPC's in the game. In Oblivion, the file was already present in the early shippings of the game, yet required some advanced knowledge on how to access. Because the art file was already present, it was deemed part of the game by the ESRB, resulting in the rating modification. However the largest reason for debate over the issue is that accessing this Nude Mod requires third party software or downloads. One side of the argument against the rating change says that since you cannot use the skin as the game is packaged, it should not affect the game's rating.

The ESRB claims that Bethesda simply did not show the ESRB the worst that was in the game, and because they shipped out a game with a nude modification available, then nudity is in fact part of the game.

In Europe, ] took no such action as the game was believed to have an appropriate rating of 16+.

== Add-ons ==

''Oblivion'' has had many minor expansions since its release. The downloadable expansions add new quests to the game for a small fee on either the Windows or Xbox 360 version. It has been debated whether charging for these expansions was moving games in a bad direction because charging for these kind of expansions has not been done frequently in the past. The updates are as follows:
* '''Horse Armor Pack''': This was the first add-on introduced. It allowed for steel and Elven armor to be added to the player character's horse, increasing the horse’s defense.
* '''Orrery''': This add-on introduces an extra room in the Arcane University, the Mages Guild headquarters, to be unlocked after a small quest. The Orrery gives the player character new powers that boost one stat at the expense of another. The spell that is given is based on the phases of the moons in the game.
* '''Wizard's Tower''': Frostcrag Spire is a home that the player character inherits from a dead relative. The tower provides a place to rest, a garden to harvest ingredients from, an altar to enchant items, an altar for spell-making, and a desk that temporarily increases the player character's alchemical skill. Outside of the second floor of the tower are portals for instant one-way transport to all the mages guilds. The player character can also create frost, fire, and storm atronachs that will help with fighting.
* '''The Thieves Den''': This expansion introduces a haven for thieves. The player character acquires a personal gang of thieves to do his/her bidding, and can uncover a famous pirate ship and make it his/her own. There are also new trainers and upgrades in this expansion.
* '''Mehrunes' Razor''': It is the largest expansion of all those previously mentioned. Its quest revolves around Mehrunes' Razor, a daedric artifact that kills enemies instantly. A Telvanni arch-mage attempts to take this artifact for evil purposes and it's up to the player to stop him. This expansion is more expensive than the others, currently priced at $2.99.
* '''The Vile Lair''': This expansion introduces a haven for assassins or vampires. It includes several altars that have effects from curing Vampirism, to the exact same effects as a normal altar, among other things. As well as a prisoner who never wakes, who is meant for vampires to feed on, and a servant who you can order to "Kill in the name of Sithis."
* '''Spell Tomes''': Spell Tomes is the cheapest plugin to date. (costing $0.99) It simply adds rare books that grant the ability of learning powerful spells.
It should be noted that the add-on installers do not support ], and there appear to be no plan to support these features for the 64-bit edition of Windows XP. However, players who ] can still install the mods on 32-bit Windows XP and copy the files over to the Oblivion directory on their x64 partition. ] users can alternatively download or get the files directly and install them as they would any user-made plug-in to bypass the need for a an installer.

===Retail Expansion===
There was an Internet rumor in September 2006 that an expansion was being developed by Bethesda named "Knights of the White Stallion". However, Pete Hines of Bethesda Marketing denied such rumor.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/739/739797p1.html
|title=Pete Hines From Bethesda Says No Oblivion Expansion
|publisher=GamersReports
|work=GR News
|date=]
|author="DM"
|accessdate=2006-10-27
}}</ref> A month later, Bethesda announced the PS3 title as well as an expansion named ''''']''''' for Windows to be released on November 21, 2006 in retail box form.<ref name="knights9pc">{{cite web
|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/739/739797p1.html
|title=Oblivion's Knights of the Nine Coming to Windows, X360
|publisher=]
|date=]
|work=News
|first=Kathleen
|last=Sanders
|accessdate=2006-10-27
}}</ref>

* '''''Knights of the Nine''''' (November 21, 2006): This will be the first retail expansion for Oblivion. It will introduce a new guild faction with new quest series. Although the full storyline has not yet been revealed, it has been revealed that many questions regarding Ayleid ruins will be answered. The player will be sent searching for the holy armor and weapons of the Divine Crusader and to restore the guild to its former glory.<ref name="knights9pc" /> This expansion will include all add-ons previously released via the Internet for Windows and Xbox 360, thus allowing people without Internet connection or Xbox Live account to play those add-ons. As a bonus to the PS3 version of the game, this expansion or the content pertaining to "Knights of the Nine" will be part of the PS3 version of the game without the player having to purchase it separately.

Pete Hines, Bethesda's vice president of PR, has made it official that the PS3 version of Oblivion has been held back to Q1 2007. Quote Hines: "Oblivion PS3 is now a Q1 2007 title". Following what he said, Sony players anticipating the eventual release can only speculate that the issue hindering the game could be partly due to developer difficulties, or perhaps pause from Besthesda about not wanting to speed the title to the market straightaway. More word should arrive according to when it comes.

In a nutshell, this means that the retail PC version and forthcoming Xbox360 download for the new content will have this exclusively. Hopefuls from the Sony side will have to wait until sometime in mid-January or February.

==Hidden content: nudity, testing cells and easy money ==

''Oblivion'' contains hidden content unavailable during normal game play. Two game elements have been discovered within the game's code. The first is all female characters have topless textures. Bethesda, however, covered the topless textures with bras. The first patch released by Bethesda has removed these textures from the game.

The second hidden play area has been found in Skingrad beneath the house that is available for sale. Extensive testing cells, including a small town named Hawkhaven and rooms containing every weapon, item of clothing, book, monster and random household objects have been found in the game's programming. These were used by Bethesda programmers to test various aspects of the game and are not meant to be part of regular gameplay.

There are two ways to access this hidden area. The first is by console command, the second by a mod.<ref>
{{cite web
|author=mapacyrodiil
|publisher=The Elder Scrolls Source
|date=]
|title=Hidden Areas
|url=http://www.tessource.net/files/cache/4011.html
|accessdate=2006-09-24
}} }}
</ref> The mod places a trap door from the house's basement to the first of two rooms. It should be noted the mod only provides the access into the cells; the cells themselves were programmed entirely by Bethesda for development purposes.


''Oblivion'' received universal acclaim from critics, and became a commercial success.<ref name="MC360"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news290906oblivionps3 |title=Oblivion set for PS3 launch |publisher=Gamer Network |work=] |date=September 29, 2006 |last=Bramwell |first=Tom |access-date=March 2, 2013 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702105719/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news290906oblivionps3 |url-status=live }}</ref> The game had shipped 1.7&nbsp;million copies by April 10, 2006,<ref name="AWARDS">{{cite web |first=Tor |last=Thorsen |date=April 10, 2006 |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |title=Oblivion enjoying epic sales |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147359.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122648/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147359.html |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> sold over 3&nbsp;million copies by January 2007,<ref>{{cite web |last=Groen |first=Andrew |title=Gears Of War, Oblivion hit 3 Million Sold |url=http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Gears-Of-War-Oblivion-hit-3-Million-Sold-2439.html |work=Gaming Blend |publisher=Cinema Blend |date=January 19, 2007 |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702085028/https://www.cinemablend.com/games/Gears-Of-War-Oblivion-hit-3-Million-Sold-2439.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and over 3.5 million by November 2011.<ref name="2011 sales">{{cite web |url=http://www.industrygamers.com/news/skyrim-already-approaching-lifetime-sales-of-oblivion/ |title=Skyrim Already Approaching Lifetime Sales of Oblivion |publisher=IndustryGamers |date=December 9, 2011 |last=Brightman |first=James |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402003042/http://www.industrygamers.com/news/skyrim-already-approaching-lifetime-sales-of-oblivion/ |archive-date=April 2, 2012}}</ref> Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, a market research firm, estimates that the game has sold 9.5 million copies worldwide.<ref name="EEDAR">{{cite web |last1=Kollar |first1=Philip |title=Fallout 4 could be a bigger hit than Skyrim |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/11/10/9673936/elder-scrolls-bigger-than-fallout-sales-data-report |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=November 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113201845/http://www.polygon.com/2015/11/10/9673936/elder-scrolls-bigger-than-fallout-sales-data-report |archive-date=November 13, 2015 |date=November 10, 2015}}</ref> Reviewers praised the game for its impressive graphics, expansive game world, and schedule-driven NPCs. '']'' editor Kristan Reed stated that the game "successfully unites some of the best elements of RPG, adventure and action games and fuses them into a relentlessly immersive and intoxicating whole."<ref>{{cite web |first=Kristan |last=Reed |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_oblivion_x360 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review |publisher=Gamer Network |work=] |date=March 24, 2006 |access-date=November 1, 2011 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125011514/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_oblivion_x360 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''GameSpot''{{'}}s ] wrote that compared to ''Morrowind'', which was one of the best role-playing games he has seen in years, "''Oblivion'' is hands-down better, so much so that even those who'd normally have no interest in a role-playing game should find it hard to resist getting swept up in this big, beautiful, meticulously crafted world."<ref name="gspot360"/> '']''{{'}}s Jason D'Aprile stated, "All the games in this series have been known for their sheer vastness and freedom of choice, but the ''Elder Scrolls IV'' takes that concept and runs with it."<ref>{{cite web |first=Jason |last=D'Aprile |url=http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1108/The_Elder_Scrolls_IV.html |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review |work=] |publisher=G4 Media |date=April 24, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018172258/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1108/The_Elder_Scrolls_IV.html |archive-date=October 18, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
This content is accessible only on the Windows version, or on a ].


'']'' editors noted that the game is "heavily steeped in RPG tradition, however, its appeal stretches far beyond the hardcore RPG demographic thanks to its ease of play, boundless ambition and focused attention to detail."<ref>{{cite journal |date=May 2006 |issue=43 |title=Oblivion |journal=] |publisher=Imagine Publishing |page=112}}</ref> Scott Tobias of '']'' wrote that the game is "worth playing for the sense of discovery—each environment looks different from the last and requires a nuanced reaction—makes the action addictive."<ref>{{cite web |first=Scott |last=Tobias |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-1798209216 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=Onion |work=] |date=April 12, 2006 |access-date=August 8, 2011 |archive-date=May 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527161530/http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion,9113/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''GameZone'' staff commented on how one can spend a lot of the gameplay time by leveling up his or her character, doing various quests, and customizing the character before even starting the main quest.<ref>{{cite web |author=jkdmedia |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/the_elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion_360_review |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – 360 – Review |publisher=GameZone Online |work=GameZone |date=April 3, 2006 |access-date=November 17, 2011 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702113129/https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/the_elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion_360_review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''IGN'' editor Charles Onyett praised the game's storytelling and "easy to navigate menus".<ref name="ign360"/>
On the Xbox360, and the Windows version, you can mass duplicate items of your choosing. First, take out your bow, and press the attack button to fire, and hold it. Next, go to your equipment menu and unequip your arrows (it will say you can't and you will keep them equipped). Then, go to your items list, and select the item you want to copy, then choose the "Drop" option. Depending on the number of arrows you have, is how many of that item you will copy.


Despite the praise, Patrick Joynt of '']'' criticized the conversations between in-game NPCs and the player: "When an NPC greets you with a custom piece of dialogue (such as a guard's warning) and then reverts to the standard options (like a guard's cheerful directions just after that warning) it's more jarring than the canned dialogue by itself."<ref name="1uppc">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3149202&did=1 |title=Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) review |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |first=Patrick |last=Joynt |date=March 30, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317172232/http://www.1up.com/reviews/elder-scrolls-iv_3 |archive-date=March 17, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> '']''{{'}}s Duke Ferris noted that "the voices occasionally repeat" but was impressed that the developers managed to fit a lot of voiced dialog into the game, where most is "high-quality work".<ref>{{cite web |first=Duke |last=Ferris |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/elder-scrolls-4- |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124000153/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/elder-scrolls-4- |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |title=The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review for the Xbox360 |publisher=CraveOnline Media |work=] |date=March 30, 2006 }}</ref> GameSpy's Justin Speer criticized the "disruptive loading stutters while moving across the game world" and long loading times. Speer noted several miscellaneous bugs, such as unintended floating objects and unsynchronized lip-synching and speech.<ref name="gspy360">{{cite web |first=Justin |last=Speer |url=http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/698650p3.html |title=GameSpy: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Page 3 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |page=3 |date=March 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083659/http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/698650p3.html |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Onyett of ''IGN'' criticized the disjunction between enemies that scaled up according to the player's level and not their combat abilities or NPC allies, the loading times and the imprecision in the combat system, but stated that "none of those minor criticisms hold back ''Oblivion'' from being a thoroughly enjoyable, user-friendly, gorgeous experience with enough content to keep you returning time and time again."<ref name="ign360"/>
== Trivia ==
{{toomuchtrivia}}
*In the ''Making of Oblivion'' Documentary DVD (only found in the Collector's Edition), ] (executive producer) was given a list of actors to choose from to provide the voice for Mankar Camoran. He stated that the only actor he envisioned perfect for that role was ], best known for his role as ] in ].
*According to executive producer Todd Howard, ] reaction to the "embarrassingly long notes" supplied to him about the character Uriel Septim VII was (paraphrased): I got the notes on the character. Never in my life doing any role have I gotten such detailed notes, and I loved it! I am really intrigued, this sounds really cool, you guys have given this a lot of thought. I can't wait to do it! - ''found in the ''Making of Oblivion'' Documentary DVD''.
* Although the game has dozens of different kinds of food and drink, eating and drinking is not required. However, a third party modification exists that integrates the need to eat. Foods do have alchemical effects-most food restores fatigue, some restore health, and most alcoholic beverages increase strength or endurance while decreasing intelligence and willpower. Foods can also be integrated into potions-one of the earliest potions available to the player is Restore Fatigue, which can be made from many combinations of two food items.
* In one of the Dark Brotherhood quests, in which the hits have been lured to a manor under the premise of being able to keep a chest of gold if they can find it, the doorkeeper outside is a Nord named Fafnir. In ], ] was a dwarven shapeshifter who ] over a gold hoard, which he guarded thereafter in the form of a dragon. In the game, Fafnir is a member of the Brotherhood, who gives the character their final briefing, and supplies them with the key to the house, which is locked after entry to prevent the targets from escaping.


''Oblivion'' won a number of industry and publication awards. In 2006, the game was awarded the title "Game of the Year" at the G-Phoria Video Game Awards and at the Spike TV Video Game Awards.<ref name="G4">{{cite web|url=http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/628495/G-Phoria-Winners-Announced.html|title=G-Phoria Winners Announced|last=Johnson|first=Stephen|date=August 9, 2006|work=]|publisher=G4 Media|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922020032/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/628495/g-phoria-winners-announced/|archive-date=September 22, 2012}}</ref><ref name="SPKTV"/> At the 24th annual Golden Joystick Awards, ''Oblivion'' was awarded "PLAY.com Ultimate Game of the Year", "Xbox Game of the Year", and "ebuyer.com PC Game of the Year".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.videogamer.com/psp/the_elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion/news/oblivion_takes_home_the_shiniest_golden_joystick.html |title=Oblivion takes home the shiniest golden joystick |first=James |last=Orry |date=October 30, 2006 |publisher=Pro-G Media |work=VideoGamer.com |access-date=February 18, 2010 |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702084719/https://www.videogamer.com/news/oblivion_takes_home_the_shiniest_golden_joystick |url-status=live }}</ref> The game was titled the best role-playing game of 2006 by ''1UP.com'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3156878 |title=2006 1UP Awards Winners |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105203008/http://www.1up.com/news/1up-awards-winners |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> G4,<ref name=G4/> ''IGN'',<ref name="IGNRPG">{{cite web |url=http://au.bestof.ign.com/2006/overall/14.html |title=''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' – Best RPG – Best of 2006 |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |access-date=February 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307202818/http://au.bestof.ign.com/2006/overall/14.html |archive-date=March 7, 2012 }}</ref> ''GameSpy'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://goty.gamespy.com/2006/pc/index13.html |title=2006 Game of the Year – PC RPG of the Year – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |publisher=IGN Entertainment |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083803/http://goty.gamespy.com/2006/pc/index13.html |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''GameSpot'',<ref name="GamespotRPG">{{cite web |url=http://au.gamespot.com/special_features/bestof2006/genre/index.html?page=9 |title=20 Best & Worst of 2006 – Genre awards – Best Role-playing Game |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |access-date=March 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001124646/http://au.gamespot.com/special_features/bestof2006/genre/index.html?page=9 |archive-date=October 1, 2012}}</ref> ''GameRevolution'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/best_of_2006/8|title=Best of 2006 Awards – RPG|work=]|publisher=CraveOnline Media|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926140756/http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/best_of_2006/8|archive-date=September 26, 2012|access-date=February 17, 2010}}</ref> and '']''.<ref name="pcg2006">{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617172734/http://www.futureus-inc.com/archives/2007/02/the_13th_annual_1.php | url=http://www.futureus-inc.com/archives/2007/02/the_13th_annual_1.php | archive-date=June 17, 2007 | url-status=live | title=The 13th Annual ''PC Gamer'' Awards Reveals The Best Of The Best For 2006 | date=February 2, 2007 | location=South San Francisco, California | publisher=] | df=mdy-all }}</ref> The editors of '']'' presented ''Oblivion'' with their 2006 "Best Technology" and "Best Role-Playing Game" awards, and named it the second-best computer game of the year. They summarized it as "an unforgettable masterpiece".<ref name="cgm16th">{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=] | title=The Best (and Worst) of 2006; The 16th Annual ''Computer Games'' Awards |date=March 2007 | issue=195 | pages=46–51 }}</ref> In 2007, '']'' magazine rated ''Oblivion'' number one on their list of the top 100 games of all time.<ref>{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Francis |title=PC Gamer's Best 100 PC Games |publisher=Future Publishing |work=] |date=January 11, 2007 |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/154740/features/pc-gamers-best-100-pc-games/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208000114/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/154740/features/pc-gamers-best-100-pc-games/ |archive-date=February 8, 2011}}</ref> During the ], the ] awarded ''Oblivion'' with "]" and "Computer Game of the Year", along with receiving nominations for "]", and outstanding achievement in "]" (]), "]", "]", "]", and "]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2007&idGame=850 |title=D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details The Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion |publisher=] |website=interactive.org |access-date=6 November 2023 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106201627/https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2007&idGame=850 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to the awards won by the game itself, Patrick Stewart's voicework as Uriel Septim won a Spike TV award,<ref name="SPKTV">{{cite web|title=Oblivion nabs Spike TV top honors |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6162929 |first=Tim |last=Surette |date=December 9, 2006 |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325175137/http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6162929 |archive-date=March 25, 2007}}</ref> and the musical score by composer Jeremy Soule won the inaugural ] for "Best Original Score" through an international popular vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2006/|title=MTV Video Music Awards|work=]|publisher=Viacom International|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206064515/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2006/|archive-date=February 6, 2013|access-date=January 20, 2013}}</ref>
==Awards==
*] 2005 ]: Best Role Playing Game <ref>{{cite web| title = 2005 Winners | url = http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/2005wins.html |date=] | publisher=] | accessdate=2006-09-25 }}</ref>
*] 2006: Game of the Year
* 2006 Golden Joystick awards: Ultimate Game of the Year, Xbox game of the year and PC game of the year.
* 2006 MTV VMA for "Best Game Score"


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"><references/></div>


==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web|url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/765/765380p1.html|title=Sean Bean Gagging for Oblivion|first=Rob|last=Burman|publisher=IGN Entertainment|work=]|date=February 16, 2007|access-date=August 3, 2007|archive-date=May 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516022532/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/765/765380p1.html|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=12424|title=Bethesda Confirms Oblivion Expansion For Xbox Live Distribution|first=Simon|last=Carless|publisher=UBM Tech|work=]|date=January 18, 2007|access-date=August 3, 2007|archive-date=December 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227061342/https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=12424|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3148996|title=The Oblivion of Western RPGs: Is the PC RPG Dead?|first=Patrick|last=Joynt|date=March 29, 2006|publisher=IGN Entertainment|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012085746/http://www.1up.com/features/rpg-dead|archive-date=October 12, 2012|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/07/how-modders-saved-oblivion/|title=How modders saved Oblivion|publisher=AOL|work=]|date=October 7, 2006|first=Ross|last=Miller|access-date=July 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070718160016/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/07/how-modders-saved-oblivion/|archive-date=July 18, 2007|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/26/oblivion-producer-predicts-breakout-hit-in-japan/|title=Oblivion producer predicts breakout hit in Japan|publisher=AOL|work=]|date=July 26, 2007|first=Ross|last=Miller|access-date=August 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806101001/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/26/oblivion-producer-predicts-breakout-hit-in-japan/|archive-date=August 6, 2007|url-status=dead}}
{{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
* {{official website}}
<!-- Please do not add masses of links here, try to ONLY add database or information sites or official sites, not fan sites or unofficial 'communities' - please see the talk page. -->
* {{IMDb title|id=0462271}}
;Official Website
* - Official Home Page.

;Wikis
* - An Elder Scrolls and Oblivion Wiki.
* - Another Oblivion Wiki.
* - A mod wiki listings; does not host any mods itself but instead links to other sites.
<!-- Please do not add masses of links here, try to ONLY add database or information sites or official sites, not fan sites or unofficial 'communities' - please see the talk page. -->

<!-- ===Fan sites=== -->
<!-- It has been agreed upon by 4 different editors on the discussion page -->
<!-- that there will be no fan site listing on this page. -->
<!-- If you feel this is inappropriate, please protest on the discussion page. -->
<!-- Any fan site links added without discussion will be removed. -->
<!-- Mod sites are created by fans, thus are fan sites by definition. -->

{{ElderScrolls}}


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Latest revision as of 15:56, 21 November 2024

2006 video game

2006 video game
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Against a plain face of aged and scratched marble, the title of the game is embossed in a metallic font. At the center of the frame, in the same style as the title, is an uneven runic trilith with a dot in its middle.
Developer(s)Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Ashley Cheng
Designer(s)Ken Rolston
Programmer(s)
  • Guy Carver
  • Craig Walton
Artist(s)Matthew Carofano
Composer(s)Jeremy Soule
SeriesThe Elder Scrolls
EngineGamebryo
Platform(s)
Release March 20, 2006
  • Windows, Xbox 360
    • NA: March 20, 2006
    • AU: March 23, 2006
    • EU: March 24, 2006
    Game of the Year Edition
    • NA: September 10, 2007
    • EU: September 21, 2007
    • AU: September 28, 2007
    PlayStation 3
    • NA: March 20, 2007
    • AU: April 26, 2007
    • EU: April 27, 2007
    Game of the Year Edition
    • NA: October 16, 2007
    • AU: December 13, 2007
    • EU: December 14, 2007
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a 2006 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and co-published by Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games. It is the fourth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 2002's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2006, followed by PlayStation 3 in 2007. Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil, the game's main story focuses on the player character's efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion.

The game continues the open-world tradition of its predecessors by allowing the player to travel anywhere in the game world at any time and to ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely. A perpetual objective for players is to improve their character's skills, which are numerical representations of certain abilities. Early in the game, seven skills are selected by the player as major skills for their character, with those remaining termed as minor skills.

Development for Oblivion began in 2002, directly after the release of Morrowind, opting for tighter pacing in gameplay and greater plot focus than in past titles. To design the graphics, Bethesda used an improved Havok physics engine, high-dynamic-range lighting, procedural content generation tools that allowed developers to quickly create detailed terrains, and the Radiant AI system, which enabled non-player characters (NPCs) to make choices and engage in behaviors more complex than in past titles. The game features fully voiced NPCs—a first for the series—and the music of composer Jeremy Soule.

Upon release, Oblivion was a critical and commercial success, winning a number of industry and publication awards. It was praised for its impressive graphics, expansive game world, and schedule-driven NPCs, and is considered one of the greatest games ever made. Following a number of smaller content releases, Bethesda released two expansion packs for the game—Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles—which were bundled with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition in 2007, and later re-released as a fifth-anniversary edition in 2011. Oblivion was followed by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in 2011.

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of The Elder Scrolls series

Oblivion is an open world role-playing game (RPG) that incorporates open-ended gameplay. The player can follow side-quests, interact with NPCs, dispatch monsters, develop their character, and travel anywhere in the province of Cyrodiil at any time while playing the game, provided that the areas are not quest-specific and otherwise inaccessible when not questing. The game never ends, and the player can continue playing after completing the main quest. The gameplay includes a fast-travel system, in which an icon appears on the game world map every time the player visits a new location. This excludes the game world's main cities which are already unlocked for fast travel from the start of the game. The player can arrive at the desired location instantaneously by selecting the icon on the map.

A man standing next to a tabbed menu, in which the clothes he wears have been selected
The inventory interface, where the player garbs armor and equips their character

Character development is a primary element of Oblivion. At the beginning of the game, players select one of ten humanoid or anthropomorphic races, each of which has different natural abilities, and customize their character's appearance. A perpetual objective for players is to improve their character's skills, which are numerical representations of their ability in certain areas. Seven skills are selected early in the game as major skills, with the remainder termed minor. The players level up each time they improve their major skills by a total of ten points; this provides the opportunity to improve their attributes. Attributes are more broad character qualities, such as speed and endurance, while skills are more specific, such as armorer or athletics. Afflictions such as disease and poison can reduce the player's attributes. When players reach 25, 50, 75, or 100 points in a single skill, they unlock new abilities related to the skill.

The game's 21 skills fall evenly under the categories of combat, magic, and stealth, and many skills complement more than one area. Combat skills are used primarily for battle and incorporate armor and heavy weapons like blades, axes, maces, and hammers. Magic skills rely on the use of spells to alter the physical world, to affect the minds of others, to injure and debilitate enemies, to summon monsters to help fight, and to heal wounds. Stealth skills allow the player to crack locks, haggle for goods, use speech to manipulate people, and apply cunning in combat through the use of a bow or with a sneak attack. The spells, weapons, and other tools such that a player needs to employ and enhance these skills, such as lockpicks, can be purchased in shops, stolen from NPCs, or found as loot on the bodies of foes or in dungeons.

Oblivion can be played in either a first- or third-person view, except in the mobile phone version, in which the game can only be played in isometric projection. The player may change the level of difficulty at any time, thereby weakening opponents and increasing the chance of success for particular actions. The screen constantly presents a heads-up display, which provides information about the character's health, magicka, and fatigue, all of which can be increased by leveling up. Health can be restored by spells, potions, or resting; the loss of all health results in death. Magicka enables and is depleted by the use of spells; it is rejuvenated naturally over time, but it can be restored similarly to health. Fatigue affects the character's effectiveness in combat and general efficiency, and can be alleviated by resting, potions, and spells.

Throughout the world are a variety of enemies, including standard fantasy monsters such as imps and goblins, and animals such as bears and wolves. Enemies become stronger, and weapons and armor more effective as the player levels up. This game mechanic of level-scaling was incorporated to maintain a constant and moderate aspect of difficulty. However, level-scaling combined with the leveling system has received criticism, as it has the potential to unbalance the game; characters with major skills that increase on an involuntary basis, such as athletics or armor, can find that they level too quickly, making the enemies proportionately harder than intended.

Plot

Oblivion is set during the Third Era, six years after the events of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, although it is not a direct sequel to it or any other game. The game is set in Cyrodiil—a province of Tamriel, the continent on which all the games in the series have so far taken place.

The story begins with the player imprisoned in a cell for an unknown crime. Emperor Uriel Septim VII (Patrick Stewart), accompanied by Imperial bodyguards known as the Blades, arrives in the prison, fleeing from assassins who have murdered the emperor's three sons and are now targeting him. The emperor and the Blades reveal that the player's jail cell contains a secret entrance to a part of the city's sewer that functions as an escape route. Pardoned by the emperor, the player follows the group into the sewer, where they come under attack by assassins. The Blades' captain is cut down during the fighting that ensues. Knowing he is destined to die by the hands of the assassins, Uriel Septim entrusts the player with the Amulet of Kings, worn by the Septim emperors of Tamriel, and orders the player to take it to a man named Jauffre (Ralph Cosham), the grandmaster of the Blades, at Weynon Priory. Immediately afterward, one of the assassins kills the emperor. The player escapes the sewer and heads out into the open world of Cyrodiil.

The lack of an heir for Uriel Septim has broken an old covenant—the barrier to Oblivion: a dangerous realm that is in another dimension. Multiple gates to Oblivion open, and an invasion of Tamriel begins by magical creatures known as Daedra, killing and destroying anything in their path. Jauffre tells the player that the only way to close the gates permanently is to find someone of the royal bloodline to retake the throne and relight the Dragonfires—with the Amulet of Kings—in the Imperial City. However, there is an illegitimate son named Martin (Sean Bean), who is a priest in the city of Kvatch. Upon arriving at Kvatch, the player finds that the Daedra have destroyed the city and very few survivors remain. A massive Oblivion Gate is obstructing the main city entrance, and the player must venture through the gate into the Deadlands—one of the planes of Oblivion—in order to close it from the inside and allow access to the city. After closing the gate, the player enters Kvatch and takes it back from the Daedra with the assistance of surviving guardsmen. Martin has survived, and the player persuades him to come to Weynon Priory.

The player, now recognized as the Hero of Kvatch, returns to Weynon Priory with Martin, finding that it has come under attack by assassins and that the Amulet of Kings has been stolen. The player escorts Jauffre and Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple, the stronghold of the Blades. There, Martin is recognized as the emperor and is given command of the Blades. The player is optionally entered into their ranks and sets off in search of the amulet. After gathering information, the player learns that the group responsible for Uriel Septim's assassination and the theft of the amulet are the Mythic Dawn, a cult dedicated to the worshiping of Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction. The cult believes Dagon is the true creator of the world and wish for him to "cleanse" it of all impurities. Killing the emperor and thus removing the barriers to Oblivion was the first step in realizing this idea. The player attempts to infiltrate the secret meeting place of the cult in the hopes of retrieving the amulet. When the player does so, the cult's leader, Mankar Camoran (Terence Stamp), escapes through a portal, taking the amulet with him. The player takes the book that had opened the portal to Martin, who deduces a way to reopen the portal. The player seeks out three key artifacts necessary to recreate the portal: a Daedric artifact, The Blood of the Divines (in this case, the armor of the first Septim emperor serves as a substitute), and a Great Welkynd Stone. With all three retrieved, Martin reveals that a final ingredient is needed: a Great Sigil Stone from inside a Great Gate similar to the one that devastated Kvatch. Martin and Jauffre decide to allow the city of Bruma to be attacked by Daedra so that a Great Gate will be opened. Once it is, the player obtains the Stone and closes the Gate, also saving Bruma.

A portal is created at Cloud Ruler Temple, and the player is sent through to Mankar Camoran's created realm of Paradise. After bypassing Daedra, Mythic Dawn members and obstacles, the player confronts Camoran and kills him. The player returns the Amulet of Kings to Martin, and they subsequently travel to the Imperial City with the Blades to relight the Dragonfires and end the Daedric invasion. They find the city under attack by Daedra and an enormous avatar of Mehrunes Dagon himself. The player and Martin fight their way to the Temple of the One. There, Martin laments that they are powerless against Dagon's avatar and explains that they can only defeat him one way. He bids farewell to the player and shatters the Amulet of Kings, merging himself with the spirit of Akatosh, the Dragon-God of Time, thus becoming Akatosh's avatar. After a battle, Akatosh casts Dagon back into Oblivion and lets out a mighty roar before turning to stone. Martin, whose soul was consumed by the amulet, enters the afterlife to join his forebears. In a telepathic monologue to the player, he sheds an optimistic light, explaining that while the Amulet of Kings is destroyed and the throne again lies empty, the gates of Oblivion are now shut forever, and the future of Tamriel now lies in the player's hands. The Empire's high chancellor sincerely thanks the player for their service during the crisis and proclaims them as the seventh Champion of Cyrodiil.

Development

Main article: Development of The Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionSee also: Development history of The Elder Scrolls series

The game was developed by the United States software company Bethesda Game Studios. Ken Rolston, who was Morrowind's lead designer, oversaw the development team. The PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game were co-published by 2K Games and Bethesda Softworks, while the PlayStation 3 version was co-published by Ubisoft in Europe alongside Bethesda. Work on Oblivion began shortly after the release of Morrowind in 2002. By mid-September 2004, Oblivion had been officially announced, and its title revealed.

During Oblivion's development, Bethesda concentrated on creating a system with a more realistic storyline, believable characters, and meaningful quests than had been done in the past. In comparison with previous titles in the series, the game features improved artificial intelligence thanks to the use of Bethesda proprietary Radiant AI software, and enhanced physics facilitated by the Havok physics engine. The graphics take advantage of advanced lighting and shader routines such as high-dynamic-range rendering (HDR) and specular mapping. Bethesda developed and implemented procedural content creation tools in the building of Oblivion's terrain, leading to the expedited creation of landscapes that are more complex and realistic than in past titles.

The camera is stationed at far end of a long lake inlet, facing inwards. In the near foreground, the camera can see tall grass, some deciduous trees, the lake's rocky coast, and a flooded and decaying temple. A tall spire rises from the center of a walled city far in the distance, casting a clear reflection on the lake. The cliff-sides of the mountain range behind the city are indistinct, and fade into the dawn light. The highlights of the morning sky are blown, and tendrils of skylight feather objects in the foreground.
An in-game screenshot showing Oblivion's user interface, HDR lighting and long draw distance, improvements made as part of a goal to create "cutting-edge graphics"

While designing Oblivion's landscape and architecture, developers worked from personal travel photographs, nature books, texture images, and reference photographs. Procedural content generation tools used in production allowed for the creation of realistic environments at much faster rates than was the case with Morrowind. Erosion algorithms incorporated in the landscape generation tools allowed for the creation of craggy terrain quickly and easily, replacing Morrowind's artificially smoothed-over terrain.

Oblivion's view distance is far greater than its predecessor's, extending player sightlines to the horizon and giving views of distant towns and mountain ranges. According to a Microsoft press release, Oblivion's game world is approximately 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in size. Wilderness quests, ruins, and dungeons were added to fill surplus space. Content in the dungeons is more densely packed than in dungeons in Morrowind, with an increase in the frequency of creature encounters, quest-related NPCs, and puzzles. However, the populations represented in Oblivion do not match the "thousands upon thousands" described in previous in-game literature. The development team decided to set the NPC populations at a level that would play well, rather than one that would match game lore, since the presence of a large number of NPCs on screen would have caused the game to slow down.

In response to the criticism that NPC behavior had been too simplistic in Morrowind, Bethesda developed the Radiant AI system for Oblivion. NPCs were designed to make choices, rather than complete scripted routines, to achieve predetermined goals. The manner in which goals such as eating, sleeping, reading, and speaking to others are fulfilled is dependent upon the environment, the choices of other NPCs, and programmed personality values. For example, an NPC whose goal is to find food may eventually resort to stealing from others, if they are given the opportunity and if it is in their character. These development mechanics allowed Bethesda to create NPCs who could engage in complex activities.

Audio

Oblivion features the voices of Patrick Stewart, Lynda Carter, Sean Bean, Terence Stamp, with celebrity acquisition and voice production being handled by Blindlight. The voice acting received mixed reviews in the gaming press. While many publications praised it as excellent, others found fault with its repetitiveness. The issue has been blamed on the small number of voice actors and the blandness of the dialogue itself. Lead designer Ken Rolston found the plan to fully voice the game "less flexible, less apt for user projection of his own tone, more constrained for branching, and more trouble for production and disk real estate" than Morrowind's partially recorded dialogue. Rolston tempered his criticism with the suggestion that voice acting "can be a powerful expressive tool" and can contribute significantly to the charm and ambiance of the game. He stated, "I prefer Morrowind's partially recorded dialogue, for many reasons. But I'm told that fully-voiced dialogue is what the kids want."

Oblivion's score was composed by series mainstay Jeremy Soule, a video game composer whose past scores had earned him a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award in the "Game Music Category" and two nominations for an Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) award for "Original Music Composition". The official soundtrack to Oblivion, featuring 26 tracks spanning 58 minutes, was released in March 2006, via Soule's digital distributor DirectSong. Soule had worked with Bethesda and Todd Howard during the creation of Morrowind, and, in a press release announcing his return for Oblivion, Soule repeated the words he had said during Morrowind's press release: "The stunning, epic quality of The Elder Scrolls series is particularly compatible with the grand, orchestral style of music I enjoy composing the most." As in his compositions for Morrowind, Soule chose to create a soft and minimalist score so as not to wear out users' ears. Soule stated that while composing the music, he did not imagine any specific characters or events; rather, he wanted it "to comment on the human condition and the beauty of life." In a 2006 interview, he related that this desire came as a result of a car accident that occurred during his composition of the score. He said, "I ended up rolling in my car several times on an interstate while flying headlong into oncoming traffic ... I felt no fear ... I simply just acknowledged to myself that I've had a good life and I would soon have to say goodbye to all of it in a matter of seconds." Soule sustained only minor injuries, but commented that his feeling during the crash—"that life is indeed precious"—remained with him throughout the rest of the composition.

Remaster

An internal ZeniMax presentation, dated to 2020 and released as part of the FTC v. Microsoft case in 2023, indicated that an "Oblivion Remaster" was earmarked for a release in the 2022 fiscal year, among other unannounced titles. The document was produced prior to Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax in 2021, so it remains unclear whether the project is still in development.

Marketing and release

Oblivion's public debut occurred on May 18, 2005, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. The version shown at E3 was substantially finished; most of the content was already in the game, lacking only the polish that the final months of development would bring. Most viewers were impressed by Oblivion's showing, and the game won a number of "best of" awards from a variety of game journalists, among them GameSpy's "RPG Game of Show", GameSpot's "Best Role-Playing Game", IGN's "Best PC RPG", RPGFan's "Overall Game of E3 2005", and the prestigious "Best Role Playing Game" in the 2005 E3 Game Critics Awards. A near-final build of Oblivion was shown at Microsoft's Consumer Electronics Show press tent in January 2006, showcasing the game's exteriors. In the months prior to release, anticipation for the game ran high, with critics describing Oblivion as "the first next-gen game" only heightening attention. Pete Hines, vice president of public relations and marketing for Bethesda, said: "People were expecting the game to cure blindness and heal the sick."

2K Games had aimed for a late 2005 publication so that the game could be an Xbox 360 launch title. The official release date for the PC and Xbox 360 versions was originally November 22, 2005, but developmental delays pushed it back to March 20, 2006. A mobile phone version of the game, developed by Superscape and published by Vir2L Studios, was released on May 2, 2006. The PlayStation 3 version of the game (ported by 4J Studios) was released on March 20, 2007, in North America and on April 27, 2007, in Europe. This version includes graphical improvements that had been made since the PC and Xbox 360 release, and was subsequently praised for its enhanced visual appeal. A PlayStation Portable version of the game was also in development before being canceled.

At the 2007 E3, the Game of the Year edition for Oblivion was announced. In North America and Europe, the game was released in September 2007, for the Xbox 360 and PC, and in October 2007, for the PS3; in Australia, it was released in September 2007, for the Xbox 360 and PC, and in December 2007, for the PS3. It was also released on Steam on June 16, 2009. A 5th-anniversary edition of Oblivion was announced and released in North America in July 2011 and in Europe two months later. Xbox 360 and PC versions of Fallout 3 and Oblivion double pack was announced for release in North America on April 3; however, it was not mentioned whether the bundled games include any of the downloadable content released for either game. Oblivion was also bundled with BioShock as a double pack on Xbox 360 and PC on July 7, 2009.

Rating change

On May 3, 2006, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in North America changed Oblivion's rating from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+), citing game content not considered in the ESRB review, i.e., "the presence in the PC version of the game of a locked-out art file that, if accessed by using an apparently unauthorized third party tool, allows the user to play the game with topless versions of female characters." In response to the new content, the ESRB conducted a review of Oblivion, showing to its reviewers the content originally submitted by Bethesda along with the newly disclosed content.

The ESRB reported that Bethesda Softworks would promptly notify all retailers of the change, issue stickers for retailers and distributors to affix on the product, display the new rating in all following product shipments and marketing, and create a downloadable patch rendering the topless skin inaccessible. Bethesda complied with the request but disagreed with the ESRB's rationale. Some retailers began to check for ID before selling Oblivion as a result, and one California Assemblyman used the event to criticize the ESRB's inefficiency. Michael Zenke, editor of Slashdot games, remarked on the change's chilling effect, which punished developers for content they did not produce.

Additional content

Further information: Downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Starting in April 2006, Bethesda released small packages of additional downloadable content (DLC) for the game from their website and over the Xbox Live Marketplace. The first update came as a set of specialized armor for Oblivion's ridable horses; released on April 3, 2006. Although gamers generally displayed enthusiasm for the concept of micropayments for downloadable in-game content, many expressed their dissatisfaction at the price they had to pay for the relatively minor horse-armor package on the Internet and elsewhere. Hines assured the press that Bethesda was not going to respond rashly to customer criticism. New releases continued into late 2006, at lower prices with more substantial content, leading to a better reception in the gaming press. Other small DLC packs include a set of houses themed after the game's factions, a new dungeon, and new spells that were absent in the initial release. Oblivion's final content pack was released on October 15, 2007.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine is an official expansion for Oblivion released on November 21, 2006. Downloadable on the Xbox Live marketplace for the Xbox 360 and available for retail purchase for PC users, the expansion content was included in the original version of the PlayStation 3 release. The expansion was developed, published, and released by Bethesda Softworks. The plot of Knights of the Nine centers on the rise of the sorcerer-king Umaril and the player's quest to defeat him with the aid of the lost crusader's relics. Although it made little change to the basic mechanics of Oblivion, it was judged by reviewers to be a brief but polished addition to the game's main plot.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles was released on March 27, 2007, for Windows and Xbox 360, and December 8, 2007, for PlayStation 3. The expansion offers more than 30 hours of new adventuring, and features new quests, voice acting, monsters, spells, armor, and expanded freeform gameplay. It features a new land "that can watch change according to vital life-or-death decisions." Shivering Isles takes place in the realm of madness ruled over by the Daedric prince Sheogorath. The player is tasked by Sheogorath with saving the realm from an approaching cataclysm known as the Greymarch.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic94/100 (X360)
93/100 (PS3)
94/100 (PC)
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comA
AllGame
Famitsu38/40 (X360)
GameSpot9.6/10 (X360)
9.5/10 (PS3)
9.3/10 (PC)
GameSpy
IGN9.3/10 (X360)
9.2/10 (PS3)
9.3/10 (PC)
Official Xbox Magazine (US)9.5/10 (X360)
PC Gamer (US)95/100 (PC)

Oblivion received universal acclaim from critics, and became a commercial success. The game had shipped 1.7 million copies by April 10, 2006, sold over 3 million copies by January 2007, and over 3.5 million by November 2011. Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, a market research firm, estimates that the game has sold 9.5 million copies worldwide. Reviewers praised the game for its impressive graphics, expansive game world, and schedule-driven NPCs. Eurogamer editor Kristan Reed stated that the game "successfully unites some of the best elements of RPG, adventure and action games and fuses them into a relentlessly immersive and intoxicating whole." GameSpot's Greg Kasavin wrote that compared to Morrowind, which was one of the best role-playing games he has seen in years, "Oblivion is hands-down better, so much so that even those who'd normally have no interest in a role-playing game should find it hard to resist getting swept up in this big, beautiful, meticulously crafted world." X-Play's Jason D'Aprile stated, "All the games in this series have been known for their sheer vastness and freedom of choice, but the Elder Scrolls IV takes that concept and runs with it."

GamesTM editors noted that the game is "heavily steeped in RPG tradition, however, its appeal stretches far beyond the hardcore RPG demographic thanks to its ease of play, boundless ambition and focused attention to detail." Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club wrote that the game is "worth playing for the sense of discovery—each environment looks different from the last and requires a nuanced reaction—makes the action addictive." GameZone staff commented on how one can spend a lot of the gameplay time by leveling up his or her character, doing various quests, and customizing the character before even starting the main quest. IGN editor Charles Onyett praised the game's storytelling and "easy to navigate menus".

Despite the praise, Patrick Joynt of 1UP.com criticized the conversations between in-game NPCs and the player: "When an NPC greets you with a custom piece of dialogue (such as a guard's warning) and then reverts to the standard options (like a guard's cheerful directions just after that warning) it's more jarring than the canned dialogue by itself." GameRevolution's Duke Ferris noted that "the voices occasionally repeat" but was impressed that the developers managed to fit a lot of voiced dialog into the game, where most is "high-quality work". GameSpy's Justin Speer criticized the "disruptive loading stutters while moving across the game world" and long loading times. Speer noted several miscellaneous bugs, such as unintended floating objects and unsynchronized lip-synching and speech. Onyett of IGN criticized the disjunction between enemies that scaled up according to the player's level and not their combat abilities or NPC allies, the loading times and the imprecision in the combat system, but stated that "none of those minor criticisms hold back Oblivion from being a thoroughly enjoyable, user-friendly, gorgeous experience with enough content to keep you returning time and time again."

Oblivion won a number of industry and publication awards. In 2006, the game was awarded the title "Game of the Year" at the G-Phoria Video Game Awards and at the Spike TV Video Game Awards. At the 24th annual Golden Joystick Awards, Oblivion was awarded "PLAY.com Ultimate Game of the Year", "Xbox Game of the Year", and "ebuyer.com PC Game of the Year". The game was titled the best role-playing game of 2006 by 1UP.com, G4, IGN, GameSpy, GameSpot, GameRevolution, and PC Gamer US. The editors of Computer Games Magazine presented Oblivion with their 2006 "Best Technology" and "Best Role-Playing Game" awards, and named it the second-best computer game of the year. They summarized it as "an unforgettable masterpiece". In 2007, PC Gamer magazine rated Oblivion number one on their list of the top 100 games of all time. During the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Oblivion with "Role-Playing Game of the Year" and "Computer Game of the Year", along with receiving nominations for "Overall Game of the Year", and outstanding achievement in "Character Performance - Female" (Lynda Carter), "Game Design", "Gameplay Engineering", "Original Music Composition", and "Sound Design". In addition to the awards won by the game itself, Patrick Stewart's voicework as Uriel Septim won a Spike TV award, and the musical score by composer Jeremy Soule won the inaugural MTV Video Music Award for "Best Original Score" through an international popular vote.

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