After the most recent leaks,The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s remaster finally feels real, with players able to attach something tangible to the project before it is reported to shadow drop later in the month. Curiously, the project is calledOblivion Remastered, not a remake, which is odd considering that the game is being remade from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. This seems like the definition of a remake, especially since there are going to be alleged changes to the base game, rather than being an exact remake with better visuals like with the Bluepoint Games' projects.
This is a double-edged sword, since fans of the original might be looking for the exact same experience with better graphics, while fans who haven’t triedOblivion,or couldn’t get into the original because of its age, will likely benefit from the modern changes.Combat and the dungeons are reported to have been changed from the original, which is likely the best for a modern audience, but Bethesda has the chance to makeElder Scrollslore more concrete with this project. It can help consolidate the retcons made to the lore bySkyrim.
The Oblivion Remaster Can Help Make Elder Scrolls Lore Consistent
It Will Depend On What Virtuos Has Been Told To Do
While published by Bethesda, theremaster is being developed by Virtuos, and it seems like the studio has been given free rein to modernize many aspects of the original game.Outsourcing the project is likely the reason it is being made in Unreal Engine 5, being quite different from many Bethesda projects, but it would be surprising if Bethesda is completely hands-off with the game. As anElder Scrollslore-lover, I hope that Bethesda has given Virtuos instructions to keep with the lore established bySkyrim, rather than using the originalOblivion’s version of the world.
The problem withElder Scrollslore is that it is equal parts interesting and confusing,suffering from an inconsistent continuity brought on by a mass of retcons every single time a new game is released. For instance, before the originalOblivion, Cyrodil was a massive jungle, yet in the game, it is more typically European, specifically drawing inspiration from Italy. Each game gives and takes away, but there have been many retcons sinceOblivionwithSkyrim, a title that has been out for almost fourteen years. For the sake of continuity, Virtuos should use this version of the lore.
Cyrodil has been the seat of two empires, the Alessian Empire and the current empire seen inOblivionandSkyrim.
While most people won’t care either way, since many don’t delve into the lore, more avid fans will, and the confusion brought on by going back to the originalOblivion’s version of the world is only going to be compounded. The main events ofOblivion’s story will be largely unaffected by sticking to the more modern interpretations of the lore, sinceSkyrimdoesn’t take place in Cyrodil, andit would be a nice way for Bethesda to neaten up the world ofThe Elder Scrolls. It would address a common complaint from lore-lovers who can’t find an ounce of consistency.
Bethesda Used Skyrim To Retcon Oblivion’s Lore
And Needs To Stick With This Version Of The Lore
Although the series has been around for a long time,Skyrimis the most popularElder Scrollsgame, and after thirteen years passing without a sequel, it’s also the most recent.Skyrim’s version of the lore is currently considered canon, although it did include fractures in reality called Dragon Breaks to lazily explain all the retcons. Some things in the originalOblivionare no longer considered canon or have elements messily tacked on bySkyrim, and if these are included in the remaster,Elder Scrollscanon will feel like a spaghetti junction, especially ifES6retcons everythingagain.
For one example, vampire lore is completely different in each game. Vampires don’t play a massive role inOblivioncompared toSkyrimand itsDawnguardDLC, and they were originally made by Vaermina, the Daedric Prince of Nightmares.Skyrimchanged the origin toMolag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Domination, with lore written around the first vampire Lamae, the first vampire, and a rather disturbing ritual mentioned by Serana. It’s these instances that need to be confirmed bytheOblivionremaster, rather than contradicted, especially for those who haven’t played the original before but loveSkyrim.
Molag Bal’s realm is Coldharbour, and this is where the souls of vampires go when they die.
Those who know of Molag Bal and his involvement with vampires are only going to be confused when Vaermina is mentioned. Technically,Vaermina still has a hand in making vampires in the lore, since it hasn’t been wiped away entirely, and can cure vampirism inMorrowind, but there is no origin story like with Molag Bal. Vaermina’s continued involvement with vampirism seems like a byproduct of retconning, and this is the type of confusion that Bethesda needs to avoid with futureElder Scrollsprojects. The entire world gets messier and messier with each project, but Bethesda can reverse this trend.
Virtuos Is Already Making Changes To Update Oblivion To Modern Standards
Changes To The Original Are Expected To Be Made
Another large retcon inSkyrimis the love Nords have for Talos. InOblivion,Raman, an NPC in the Great Chapel of Talos, states that the Nords of Skyrim don’t care for the man-turned-god, but punishing the worship of Talos causes the Civil War inSkyrim. There is a chance that perceptions changed over time, sinceSkyrimtakes place centuries afterOblivion, but lines like this could be altered or clarified to haveSkyrimandOblivionmake sense together. It isn’t as though Virtuos isn’t making a multitude of changes in the remaster anyway.
With modern graphics, gameplay, and improved dungeons allegedly part of the remaster, these smaller changes might get overlooked. If they aren’t, however, it could prove thatBethesda is finally listening to its most loyalElder Scrollsfans and giving the series some consistency. Someone who has only playedSkyrimis going to be very confused when they hear that the Nords don’t care for Talos in Bruma.Skyrimis going to make a lot less sense, and when an inevitable retcon happensagain withTheElder Scrolls 6, it’s going to get a lot messier.
All the lore-delving fans ofThe Elder Scrollsseries want is consistency, and while adding new lore to the games is fine, having that contradict established lore only makes things more puzzling.The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionis already a victim of retcons, and its remaster should stick to the current version of the lore that has been established for over thirteen years. Still, it’s likely thatThe Elder Scrollswill continue to lean on the Dragon Break plot device explaining away the inconsistencies, and retcons won’t be high priority compared to everything Virtuos has to do.
