During the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, I love to immerse myself in a fictional universe. Besides movies and series that I missed throughout the year, I prefer to dedicate myself to a beloved game classic.
Once upon a time in 2010. My younger self fell in love with a game that has not lost its charm to this day. At least for me. I am talking about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. At that time, the game was already four years old but captivated me immediately. The main reason for this was the huge open world and the many possibilities to customize my character.
I often played as a Dark Elf in role-playing games, equipping him purposefully with sword and shield during my first playthrough, always keeping the fire spell on the quickslot button. Unlike its successor Skyrim, spells in Oblivion did not occupy either of the two hands. And so, I stumbled cluelessly into my first Elder Scrolls adventure. The sheer size of the world overwhelmed me just as much as it fascinated me. Almost every place I discovered from afar was reachable. For a fourteen-year-old gamer, that was a revelation at the time.
The dark world of Oblivion has also been part of The Elder Scrolls Online for some time now.
The story surrounding the appearance of diabolical Oblivion gates did not really captivate me back then. Instead of saving the game world Cyrodiil, I preferred to roam through the fields to the mushrooms. What I found there surprised me. Once, it was mere bandits lying in wait around a bend; another time, though, it was sinister employers alongside complex side quest lines.
Here you can see the trailer for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion:
To this day, I am fascinated by the side quests
Only during my replay did I realize that the side quests are the highlight for me. They are the reason I have restarted Oblivion numerous times since my first playthrough. To this day, the DVD-ROM disc rotates timely in my PC’s drive after Christmas.
Oblivion boasts a whole series of different side quest lines. There are, for example, the Mage’s Guild and the Fighter’s Guild, which you encounter while exploring the game world sooner or later. You can also easily find the Arena in the Imperial City. In it, I fought against other gladiators until I reached the top of the leaderboard.
Then there are certain other side quests. Once, I broke into a house, took some valuable items illicitly, and was caught by the imperial soldiers as I left the crime scene. “What a blunder,” I thought, and let myself be thrown into prison. When I came out again, I soon encountered an NPC. He handed me a message that led me to a nighttime meeting point. There, a strangely dressed man awaited me. He introduced himself as a member of the Thieves Guild and sent me on my first mission.
A similar situation occurred with the murderous Dark Brotherhood. This association of assassins approached me after my first murder in the game. Both the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood offer some of the best quests I have ever experienced in a role-playing game. They offer highly creative and varied missions and motivate me with rank-ups and regular quest rewards to keep going.
Every year, I return to Cyrodiil
I know most of the game’s quest lines inside and out. Still, I never tire of starting a new game after Christmas every year. When the intro begins, the music swells, and the narrator says the famous words, “These are the last days of the third era. And the last hours… of my life,” I get goosebumps. At the latest after the prologue, which classically leads me through dark basements and caves, I step outside into the open world and feel as if I have come home.
The landscapes, cities, and their inhabitants I know from my previous visits. Their stories have remained the same, while I have grown a year older again. The fact that nothing changes in the game is a comforting thought. In the time between the years, where sentimentality is not uncommon, Oblivion offers itself as a means of escape. So I wander around again, greet the familiar characters, and take care of their problems.
I won’t really plan the next playthrough either. I’ll just set off again, walk along the familiar paths once more, maybe take a break by the roadside, and enjoy the surprisingly well-aged graphics. I will probably not complete the main quest again. I have never done so. I don’t mind, as Oblivion offers enough better quests to keep me busy long past New Year’s.
By the way, I have also played the successor Skyrim extensively. However, the game never really captured me. Perhaps it was the virginal first impression that bonded me to the fourth part of the Elder Scrolls series. And perhaps that first impression was so strong, shaping, and enduring that I, without hesitation, return to Cyrodiil every year.
Have you played Oblivion? Or do you have another game that brings you joy over the holidays, like my colleagues waiting for food?
