Oblivion Content Guide
Updated April 30, 2007
At A Glance
- A look at available content downloads for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
No game has embraced downloadable content with more fervor than Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™. With dozens of hours of bonus content ranging from all new quests, bases of operation, weapons, armor, spells, ingredients, and even a whole new world in Shivering Isles, there's a lot to love about this game.
Let's take a look at each available downloadable content pack, so you'll know what you're getting when you choose to download these game elements.
Are you shivering yet?
A Brand New World—Shivering Isles
We begin with the Shivering Isles expansion pack. This is far more than a mere content download, Shivering Isles is a full-blown expansion pack—including up to thirty hours of new quests, dungeons, equipment, and most importantly, a world very different from Cyrodiil.
You can check out our Tour of the Shivering Isles for full details, but the short version is that a portal has opened in Cyrodiil. This portal leads to the Shivering Isles—the disturbed and manic domain of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness—and Sheogorath is beckoning would-be champions to prove their worth and help stave off the advancing, cataclysmic event known as Greymarch.
Shivering Isles is a must download for any fan of Oblivion. Its story and rich new world rival even the primary single-player campaign from the source game. As a bonus, Shivering Isles offers new achievements adding up to two hundred Gamerscore points.
A New Faction—The Knights of the Nine
Prior to Shivering Isles, the most comprehensive downloadable pack for Oblivion was the Knights of the Nine Quest. This multi-hour quest requires players to join a new faction and help restore the Knights of the Nine to their former glory. Join, get involved and slowly immerse yourself in a series of events with global implications. There are also startling new creatures and powerful items that help separate the Knights of the Nine from all other Oblivion quests.
The Ultimate Dungeon—Mehrune's Razor
Where the Knights of the Nine quest features an epic new story carrying you all across Cyrodiil, the Mehrune's Razor download appeals to the dungeon crawling crowd. Accurately billed as the largest, most densely packed dungeon available for Oblivion, Mehrune's Razor offers an enormous, well-crafted subterranean adventure. There are powerful new items (the assassin-based Morag Tong armor set comes to mind), and a fabulous one-of-a-kind item in the form of the artifact dagger, Mehrune's Razor. Though it's not quite the length of Knights of the Nine, this download offers several hours of entertainment for those who like to do their questing surrounded by dank stone walls.
Now THAT'S a razor.
InstaMagic—Spell Tomes
The Spell Tomes download is worth a look for any player wielding magic, but especially those beginning a new character. Once you've downloaded the Spell Tomes pack, these magical books will be dropped in locations all around the Oblivion world for you to uncover, and there's hundreds of them!
The tomes themselves offer not only brand new spells—Orum's Aquatic Escape, which combines Night-Eye, Invisibility, and Water-breathing for example—but also the ability to instantly understand and memorize spells for repeated use (they're not scrolls), so there's no need to visit a trainer.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has far outpaced
any other available Xbox 360 game when it
comes to downloadable content.
A Vampire's Retreat—The Vile Lair
This dark and brooding Vile Lair is a perfect base for those players who fancy themselves a bit of a villain and enjoy playing the vampire. The included "cattle-pen" ensures you have all the blood you care to drink and the Dark Minion creature will pillage the local coffers at your command. For those that grow tired of their vampiric ways, drink from the Font of Renewal and cure your affliction.
Arrr matey, that's a nice boat you have there.
The Money Making Cove—Thieves Den
The Thieves Den download is both a quest and a base of operations, and it's a lot of fun to boot. Put to rest the tortured soul of the pirate Captain Torradan Dugal and his undead crew, and take over the pirate cave and ship. Once you're the established captain, send your crew out on the high seas to plunder at will. Make sure to come back to pick up the loot. You'll also find a parcel of trainers and a vendor willing to part with lots of gold for rare items.
A Wizard's Home—Frostcrag Spire
The budding wizard and able alchemist will quickly in love with the benefits of Frostcrag Spire. Designed and built by a crazed wizard relative, this inherited fortress is designed especially for the magic-wielder.
Special enchanting and spellmaking altars allow you to forego Mages Guild membership and still upgrade your equipment and craft new spells. If you are a Guild member, the portals can take you to any Guild location. The Apparatus Table is a must-use item for those trained in alchemy; just standing next to it will increase your Alchemy ability. And don't forget the Atronach Altar to summon an Atronach to your side.
An Education in Artifacts—The Orrery
The Orrery was the first quest-based download for Oblivion, and it focuses on the discovery and eventual repair of the magical Imperial Orrery artifact. Travelers to the Arcane University may have noticed this defunct machine. Now, take on the quest to find the required items and repair the Orrery to find some worthwhile benefits. Visits to the Orrery endow you with long-lasting powers (similar to Cyrodiil's shrines). The powers granted depend on the current alignment of the stars.
Pretty Pony—The Horse Armor Pack
The first and infamous content download for Oblivion lives on, and if the urge to dress up your mount strikes you, the Horse Armor pack provides elven and steel armor for your trusted steed. This content download isn't just about looks though, as the armor does effectively protect your horse against attack.
In its short lifespan, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has far outpaced any other available Xbox 360™ game when it comes to downloadable content, and the good news is that there's certainly more to come.
Article by Ryan Treit
