Go for a tour of the new expansion pack for Oblivion.
The dedication of Bethesda Softworks to downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™ has been impressive, but nothing can quite prepare players for The Shivering Isles expansion, now available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace.
Down the rabbit hole you go.
The Shivering Isles is no mere content pack though. This is not a single dungeon to explore, or even a new series of quests, but a full expansion pack, featuring more than thirty new hours of quests, worlds, dungeons, cities, and equipment.
A Mad New World A strange phenomenon has cropped up on a tiny island just off the tranquil coastal town of Bavril. An enormous stone statue—displaying three carved faces, contorted in various horrifying expressions—has sprouted from thin air. Within the gaping maw of the central face is a glowing doorway: A gateway to the disturbed realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness.
Travelers who have ventured inside have been spotted days later, stumbling from the gate, blathering incoherently and striking out against anyone that approaches them. What awaits within the portal are the Shivering Isles, the two islands named Mania and Dementia, ruled by a Daedric prince with a desperate quest and riches not seen in all of Tamriel.
Such is the setup for The Shivering Isles, the Oblivion expansion that extends well beyond the continent of Cyrodiil. The Daedric prince Sheogorath needs a champion to stave off the invasion of Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order, who opposes Sheogorath's world of spontaneously demented machinations.
Sampling a new sword.
Getting Started There's been some confusion on how to get started with TheShivering Isles once it has been downloaded. If you don't see a note right away when you start Oblivion, don't worry. When you load your game, hit the back button then choose to wait for twenty-four hours (it may take up to forty-eight), and you should see a quest note explaining where to go.
The Quests Sheer volume aside, The Shivering Isles takes steps to draw you deeper into each quest, putting you in new, unique situations. Early on in your service to Sheogorath, you must explore a dungeon used by the prince to weed out weak heroes by killing them or driving them mad. Standing above a series of chambers, you select the fate of a party of adventurers, and you will witness their demise for yourself.
A New World For Oblivion veterans, the most important question is, of course, what's new? The answer is everything.
A World Separated: The continent of The Shivering Isles is not tacked on to Cyrodiil, but is entirely separate, massive in size (almost a quarter of the size of Cyrodiil), and perhaps even more densely populated than Cyrodiil itself.
A World Divided: The vast lands of The Shivering Isles are impressive enough, but they are split into two distinct halves: Mania and Dementia. Depending on which gate you enter, you will find unique landscapes, creatures, and characters that reflect the nature of the islands.
A World of Equipment: Nearly every single non-generic item, say an iron longsword, is specific to The Shivering Isles, and often better than what you might find in Cyrodiil. From swords and shields, armor and rings, there are dozens and dozens of new items. You can also track down blacksmiths to craft armor sets and weapons out of the Amber and Madness ore found throughout the continent.
A World of Story: Sheogorath's plot to thwart Jyggalag may take center stage, but there is a whole new world of side quests as well. Whether you're finding a cure for Sickly Bernice's terminal disease, executing the last wish of a suicidal villager, or assisting an addle-minded inventor, you'll find caves, encampments, and whole dungeons separate from the main quest, waiting to be explored.
A World of Spells: Like the armor and weapons, the spells available in The Shivering Isles offer new and powerful abilities, combining different effects, like fire and cold damage, adding fresh strategy to your arsenal of skills.
A World of Alchemy: Whether it's rot scales, worm's head cap, withering moon, grummite eggs, black tar, flame stalks, or any number of other unique materials, The Shivering Isles offers new alchemy ingredients exclusive to the expansion.
A World of Achievements: In your service to Sheogorath and his unbalanced schemes, you can uncover another 200 Gamerscore points. The Shivering Isles marks The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as the first game on Xbox 360™ to offer more than 1,000 achievement points.
New critters at every turn.
The Shivering Isles is a landmark event for both Oblivion fans and for Xbox LIVE Marketplace, proving that full-blown expansions not only belong on Xbox LIVE, but can thrive there, hopefully paving the way for future game titles to see a game's release as simply a new beginning. For Oblivion fans, a romp through The Shivering Isles provides a refreshing, often humorous (Sheogorath is insane after all) and always entertaining Elder Scrolls experience.
