Summary

  • Some fans are disappointed with the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary entrance in Oblivion Remastered.
  • Their complaints center on the new doorway lacking the creepy atmosphere of the original, in addition to retconning Night Mother's lore for seemingly no reason.

Some fans are disappointed with the Dark Brotherhood door design in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, and have recently banded together to voice their complaints on social media. The crux of the issue seems to be twofold, with fans sharing grievances about both the artistic merits and the lore implications of Oblivion Remastered's door.

The Dark Brotherhood questline is widely considered as one of Oblivion's most memorable segments. As such, some fans have naturally been scrutinizing the remaster's handling of it ever since the modernized version of the game was released on April 22.

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Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered Releases New Update

Bethesda launches the first new update for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which was shadow-dropped recently.

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These efforts have recently yielded some vocal criticism directed at the creative liberties that Virtuos took while designing Oblivion Remastered's Dark Brotherhood door. One such complaint began when Reddit user Alvaro-Elite argued that the new entrance to the Brotherhood’s sanctuary lacks atmosphere, mainly due to being brightly lit and no longer producing any sounds. "They've ruined what was probably one of the darkest and most terrifying areas ever in an Elder Scrolls game," the player said, noting that they're "very disappointed" with how this location turned out. The post amassed thousands of upvotes and reached the front page of the r/Oblivion subreddit within hours of going live in late April 2025, suggesting that many vocal fans agree with the sentiment.

Oblivion Remastered Seems To Retcon Night Mother Lore

Spoilers for Oblivion's Dark Brotherhood lore ahead.

Some fans have also argued that the new door's design is problematic beyond its impact on the overall atmosphere of the sanctuary entrance location. Specifically, the artwork engraved on it now shows seven figures instead of five—an odd choice given how the original game clearly spelled out that the Night Mother and Sithis had five children. This is known from in-game writings that describe their offspring being used in a ritual sacrifice to establish a permanent connection between the mortal word and the Void plane of The Elder Scrolls world.

Since no other references to seven children are found in the game, some fans are convinced this was merely an oversight rather than a deliberate attempt to retcon the series' lore. Bethesda and Virtuos are currently seeking player feedback on how to improve Oblivion Remastered, so anyone bothered with the new version of the Dark Brotherhood door is able to have their voice heard for the time being.

Looking at the bigger picture, these complaints are just minor frustrations rather than being reflective of the overall fan sentiment surrounding the game. Oblivion Remastered has already exceeded 4 million players as of April 26, thus immediately establishing itself as a massive commercial success.

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The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered Tag Page Cover Art
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Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
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Released
April 22, 2025
ESRB
Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Virtuos, Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
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The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered Press Image 1
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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Engine
Unreal Engine 5