Things Oblivion Remastered Does Better Than Nearly Every…

Summary

Oblivion Remastered highlights the potential of Cyrodill's world with immersive atmosphere and rich worldbuilding.
Exploration rewards in caves and portals offer valuable loot and visually appealing environments.
The spell crafting system in Oblivion allows for unique character customization, adding depth and personality.

Many people who grew up with Skyrim as their introduction to the world of The Elder Scrolls have found it challenging to go back and enjoy previous titles. They've gone from the most streamlined and graphically enhanced title to games with graphics that, while revolutionary at the time, have certainly not aged with grace. There are plenty of people who were already singing Oblivion's praises, but if there is one thing this remaster has done, it's help show people just how much potential Bethesda's articulation of Cyrodill truly has.

Oblivion Remastered: Attribute Tier List

Even though there are only 8 attributes in Oblivion Remastered, each affects you differently. Here’s a tier list that ranks all of them.

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By Artur Novichenko

Is it a shame that the more interesting, Roman-inspired Cyrodill that was hinted at in Morrowind seems to have faded away? Yes. Is the Realm of Oblivion, which has so many unique and interesting pocket-realms, reduced to the most vanilla understanding of Hell one could think of? Also, yes. But with the remaster, now more than ever, taking this game at face value for what it is, rather than what it could be, reveals one of the best open-world experiences money can buy. Open-world players are spoiled for choice when it comes to great games, but in more ways than one, Oblivion has nearly all of them all beat.

8 Atmosphere

Oblivion Remastered Shows Cyrodill In Its Best Light

There are very few open world games where players can walk into an inn, and find it bursting with life, each unique NPC having a conversation, sitting by the fire or at the bar, discussing current events with guards or tavern keeps. The system for radiant conversations has been picked apart by many - and yet, even within other Elder Scrolls games, this is a feature that hasn't truly been seen anywhere else.

The ambient sounds and occasional music, the conversing NPCs, the lived-in feeling of every town and small settlement; it all comes together to make an atmospheric game that very few other titles have managed to match.

7 Exploration Rewards

There Is Always Something To Gain In Caves And Portals

Oblivion's glossy remaster hasn't done much to fix the often labyrinthine design of caves and dungeons in this game - but they're certainly pretty to look at now, and there's no hyperbole here when I say that helps tremendously. If there's one thing that does make the caves and dungeons - and to a lesser extent Oblivion towers (they're much more straightforward, at least) worthy of exploration, it's that players can usually find loot that makes the navigation worthwhile.

It's not in every open-world game that players can find a pair of "Gorf gro Dingul's Finest Green Linens" as a piece of randomly generated loot with waterwalking, fortify personality, and a 3600 gold price tag to sell to merchants.

6 Magic

The Spell Crafting System Is Iconic

Morrowind and Oblivion have had some of the best spell-crafting systems in any game, period. While Oblivion is mildly streamlined compared to Morrowind, there is plenty of customization still that puts this title leagues in front of the competition.

Players can add a level of depth and personality to any of their characters based on what spells they use. A cunning thief might have a unique illusion spell to help remain undetected, while a magic-focused class can summon a torrent of destructive elements with little more than a thought.

5 Character Customization

A Level Of Personality Few Games Can Match

Few things really encompass the 'best of both worlds' like the character creation system in Oblivion Remastered. Whether players want the Hero of Kvatch to be shockingly handsome, lovingly homely, or the result of Picasso and Dalí having a really sad baby together, the character creation system has options for all of the above.

Players were worried the new remaster would remove the charmingly obtuse character creation system, and with it the opportunities to create manmade horrors beyond our collective comprehension, but the new system has the capacity for startlingly good-looking heroes or utter abominations - whatever the player desires.

best ring and amulet enchantments in oblivion remastered

Oblivion Remastered: Best Enchantments for Jewelry

If players want to get the very best out of their jewelry in Oblivion Remastered, then they are going to need to know which enchantments to use.

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By Jake Fillery

4 Replayability

Many Factors Work Into Making Multiple Playthroughs Viable

Factoring in the caveat that roleplayers, who only take on quests that would best suit the character they're trying to create, will find this more applicable than others, it still needs to be said that Oblivion Remastered is a joyously replayable experience. The world is so vibrant and dense, and so full of things to discover, that playing through several different characters will still be enjoyable.

The variety of potential builds, many open ended quests, the different dispositions NPCs have based on character race and preferred skills, there's so much that encourages multiple playthroughs in this game.

3 Side Quests

A Plethora Of Interesting Questlines

And speaking of those side quests, there are a myriad of them in Oblivion Remastered, and each one of them brings something fascinating to the table. From ambiguous and multi-faceted quests like 'Two Sides of the Coin', to daring epics that will take players far and wide as they search for S'jirra's jumbo potatoes, there's a level of immersion to every quest that makes the world feel that much more alive.

Side quests are one of those things where Oblivion certainly has stiff competition, but each quest has a level of humour, depth, and authenticity to it that helps this title stand out from the rest for all the right reasons.

2 Graphics

Staggering Graphical Fidelity

It's no hyperbole to say that Oblivion Remastered is a beautiful game. It is jaw-droppingly pretty, and the graphics, beyond being flashy, do a great job helping to set the scene for wherever the player is.

A well-kept shop in the Imperial market district looks different to a run-down inn on the side of the road. An old fort and a cave will be in similar states of disrepair, but with lighting and textures that bring them both to life in different ways.

1 Worldbuilding And Lore

An Incredible Amount Of Detail In Peoples And Cultures

There's so much lore and worldbuilding in Oblivion, players will find it easy to utterly immerse themselves in a world with its own history, distinct cultures, and unique perspectives. 'Distinct cultures' doesn't just refer to, say, Argonians and Nords, but the individual cultural distinctions within these races.

The Colovians and the Nibenese are both Imperial, and yet they have vastly different perspectives and lifestyles. Daedra worshipers are all reviled by the priests of the Nine Divines, but many daedric quests have players protecting these worshipers, who can even have noble intentions, occasionally.

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