The open-world nature of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered allows players to shape their quest across Cyrodiil however they please. While in general, this type of game design lends itself to a world of roleplaying opportunities, Oblivion Remastered players can end up shooting themselves in the foot if they tackle certain quests before others. This is especially true when it comes to the DLC quests included with Oblivion Remastered, such as the Shivering Isles and the Knights of the Nine. Oblivion Remastered not only offers players a visual overhaul of the original 2006 release, but also includes both major DLC expansions to make it the definitive way to experience Bethesda’s classic RPG. However, players may not want to jump into these DLCs right away, since doing so can unintentionally make certain parts of the game harder. And for Oblivion Remastered’s Knights of the Nine questline in particular, finishing the entirety of a couple of factions’ quests before diving in should take priority.

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One Oblivion Remastered Quest Should Always Be Done Before Starting the Shivering Isles

Before Oblivion Remastered players dive into the Shivering Isles DLC, there’s one base game quest that is an unofficial prerequisite.

Oblivion Remastered Players Shouldn’t Start Knights of the Nine Before Finishing the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild

Oblivion Remastered’s Knights of the Nine DLC Quest Comes with Some Strings Attached

It might be tempting to start the Knights of the Nine questline in Oblivion Remastered early in the game, since players will likely start hearing about an attack on the chapel in Anvil after visiting their first major town. Despite the Pilgrimage quest enticing them to venture toward Anvil after hearing about this attack, players are better holding off until they’ve completed two major faction questlines. The Knights of the Nine questline involves undergoing a long journey across Cyrodiil to find and pray at the Wayshrines of all Nine Divines in order to earn their favor and start their quest to find the Relics of the Crusader:

Arkay

Mara

Dibella

Akatosh

Talos

Julianos

Kynareth

Zenithar

Stendarr

Although the map of Wayshrines Oblivion Remastered players receive from the Prophet only lists the locations of one for each Divine, there are others that players can come across throughout Cyrodiil that count toward progressing the quest.

After players pray at all nine Wayshrines, they can access the Priory of the Nine and begin their search for the relics. The Crusader’s armor is very powerful and can easily carry players through most of Oblivion Remastered’s main quest. However, it comes with the stipulation that players must maintain an infamy level of 1 or less, or else the Nine Divines will deem the player unworthy to wield the Relics of the Crusader. This means that players cannot murder or steal if they wish to continue using the Crusader’s gear.
The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild Questlines Can Undo a Lot of Hard Work

Oblivion Remastered’s Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild questlines are all about murdering and stealing, respectively, making them a poor follow-up for the Nine Divines’ chosen Crusader to pursue after proving themselves worthy to wield the relics. Committing murder for the Dark Brotherhood or stealing for the Thieves Guild can result in players being unable to equip the Crusader’s gear without recommitting to the Nine Divines and undertaking the pilgrimage to pray at their Wayshrines once again. To save Oblivion Remastered players from a major headache, it’s best to finish some of the more nefarious quests like those for the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild before embarking on their pilgrimage for the Nine Divines so they can confidently use the Relics of the Crusader while still completing two of Oblivion Remastered’s major faction questlines. Although players will still need to be careful to avoid murdering or stealing outside the faction quests that require them to do so, it’s better to avoid being locked out of specific content for fear of losing access to some powerful gear and prioritize doing the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild questlines sooner rather than later.

Oblivion Remastered will warn players who attempt Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild quests after gaining the Relics of the Crusader that continuing the questline will result in the loss of favor with the Nine Divines, which they should heed if they don’t want to revisit the Wayshrines.