With the announcement ofElder Scrolls Online’snewest year-long adventure, Gates of Oblivion, comes many questions. Similar to how the Morrowind expansion brought Bethesda fans back to Morrowind without relivingthe events that took place inTES:Morrowind, the gates of Oblivion threaten to destroy Tamriel much like they did duringOblivion.
The desire for nostalgia and remakes of past classics is no stranger in the gaming community. Whether it be full remakes likeFinal Fantasy 7remake, remasters likeMass Effect: Legendary Edition, or just simple ports likeSuper Mario 3D All-Stars, players are always looking to relive gaming’s greatest feats. It’s no different forTheElder Scrollsseries. It’s been 14 years sinceOblivion’s original release and fans have been long hoping for a remake of one of the series' best installments.
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Rather than a remake, ZeniMax Online has announced the next chapter ofElder Scrolls Online, which takes players to the familiar hellish realms of Oblivion. Whether or not it comes as disappointing news to those hoping forElder Scrolls 6newsor anOblivionremake, it’s not what fans were expecting.
Oblivion’s Timeline and Setting vs. Gates of Oblivion
DuringOblivion, the hero must stop the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon from invading Tamriel by closing the Gates to Oblivion. ButObliviontakes place three years afterMorrowindin 3E 433, whereas the events ofElder Scrolls Onlinetake place 800 years prior. This means that this new catastrophe with the Planes of Oblivion happen long before the Crisis that fans are familiar with.
The primary antagonist ofESOis Molag Bal, another Daedric Prince. However, he rules over the realm of Coldharbour, which looks very different from Deadlands. The Deadlands explored inOblivionlook very similar to what’s shown in Gates of Oblivion’s trailer. Additionally, fans have pointed out the monstrous figure with his back to the screen is Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince that rules the Deadlands. This could mean a very similar questline toOblivion’s main campaign.
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Past Oblivion Quests in ESO
This isn’t the first timeOblivion will be introduced toElder Scrolls Online. The game features a small series of Oblivion Gates quests in which the hero must close three of these portals. However, unlike inOblivion, the sigil stones to close them were near the entrance and could be completed in a matter of minutes.
Some fans were disappointed by this, meaning that ZeniMax is likely looking to either change its design of the Oblivion Gates or draw inspiration fromOblivion. But based on what’sshown in the Gates of Oblivion trailer, it looks very similar toOblivion’s Plane of Deadlands.
One main way that these quests could differ is by introducing Oblivion-centered PvE quests. UnlikeOblivion,ESOis an MMORPG and has the advantage of utilizing player interaction for story and quests. Based on Bethesda’s statements about Gates of Oblivion’s “challenges, systems, and adventures,” PvE or PvP events seem highly likely.
Eveli Sharp-Arrow
The Bosmer with blonde hair seen in Gates of Oblivion’s teaser trailer is a character that’s already been introduced toESO. She’s Eveli Sharp-Arrow, easily able to distinguish by the gem on her forehead, her hair, and her nosering. She was previously seen as a small quest-giver inESO, but now, it looks like she may be summoning the Gates of Oblivion and perhaps even possessed. At the very least, the way these events are incited will likely be different from how the Crisis triggered inOblivion.
With only a cinematic trailer reveal, there’s not much yet to go on for the Gates of Oblivion expansion coming in 2021. Ultimately, this could be the familiar Oblivion Crisis all over again on a different timelinewithout bringing about a properOblivionremake, or it could be something completely different thanks to MMORPG mechanics.
Elder Scrolls Onlineis out for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
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