Skyrim vs. Oblivion: Which Is the Best Elder Scrolls Game? and combat?

Skyrim and Oblivion have identical review scores on Metacritic, and fans are nearly split on which game is the best in the Elder Scrolls series. Here, we put Skyrim vs. Oblivion and talk about details.

Skyrim vs. Oblivion: Which Is the Best Elder Scrolls

Oblivion and Skyrim tend to be the two Elder Scrolls games that often get called the best in the franchise.

According to Metacritic, reviews are completely split on which game is better. However, user reviews on the website ever so slightly favor Skyrim, with the PC version of Skyrim having an 8.3 user score compared to Oblivion’s 8.2 user score.

Given that there are about five years between the release of Oblivion and Skyrim, it’s reasonable to assume that there’s plenty of technical differences between the two games, even with both games being made on the same engine. Different features, leveling structures, graphics and settings make these two games in the same series incredibly different. These differences beg the question, which Elder Scrolls game is actually the better game in the series?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim is a tremendously massive RPG that has been released on nearly every system available, even the Amazon Echo. It’s an achievement of open-world RPGs, and many consider it to be the standard for the genre. However, compared to other Elder Scrolls titles, die-hard fans tend to give more praise to Oblivion and Morrowind. Fans tend to cite those two earlier entries as being more complex RPGs, which tend to be what people associate with the Elder Scrolls games.

Skyrim does cut down on many of the tabletop-like mechanics from previous Elder Scrolls games, such as certain skills and the character creation system. Instead of selecting a birth sign and class like players do in Oblivion, players instead create their character and select one of the standard Elder Scrolls races. It’s a much simpler creation method that gets players into the game quicker, though it does take away from the role-playing aspect of the series.

Another common complaint with Skyrim is that for as large as its world is, many of the game’s locations end up looking very similar. Skyrim is a much less colorful game than Oblivion, being mostly filled with greys and whites to match the setting’s cold nature. Some of the game’s questlines incentivize exploration, though the mechanical design of the Dwemer ruins can easily lose its charm after the fifth Dwemer ruin that looks just like all the others.

The tone of Skyrim is actually one of the game’s biggest strengths, as it’s easily able to immerse players in the Nordic culture and world. The game also benefits from repeated playthroughs, as players can experience far more of what Skyrim offers and pick up on the subtle details they may have missed before. While it may not be the best RPG, Skyrim does a great job creating a massive, living world for players to explore.

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Oblivion was a sort of send-off for the classic 3D era of Elder Scrolls games, as it was the last Elder Scrolls game to be developed on Bethesda’s Gamebryo Engine. Oblivion would also receive a ton of critical praise on release for the size of its open-world and the sheer amount of content hidden away. While this would late be one-upped by Skyrim, there’s no denying that Oblivion was an ambitious game. Of course, Oblivion’s ambition may have led to one of its bigger downsides.

Oblivion is a buggy game. While fans today may be used to Bethesda titles being full of issues on release, this wasn’t quite the norm back in 2006. While The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall wasn’t the most polished experience, Morrowind certainly took a step back in the right direction. Bethesda pushed the Gamebryo Engine to its limits, with lead to plenty of cracks in the game to show with tons of bugs muddling an otherwise amazing experience.

Despite arguably being the buggiest Elder Scrolls game, it’s incredibly easy to look past the technical shortcomings. Interactions between NPCs suffer due to the Radiant AI system, but fans still often remember these interactions as endearing. Despite the poor graphical quality, even for 2006, Oblivion’s environmental design is incredibly charming and fantastical, leading to the game having some of the best locations in the series.

Oblivion is a game that overcame its technical issues to deliver a classic RPG experience by having some amazingly diverse skills with tons of uses. Critics showered praise on the game, with many considering it to be revolutionary for open-world RPGs. With intriguing quests, a compelling main story, unique environments and the best expansion packs out of any other Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion may be the best RPG that Bethesda has ever made.

The Voice Acting Cast of Oblivion

The voice acting in The Elder Scrolls Oblivion is both a boon and a drawback for the game, as it’s phenomenally done but there’s an overall lack of diversity. However, while a player will usually be easily able to tell which characters were voiced by the same person (usually Wes Johnson, who famously voiced all Imperial males, Sheogorath, and others) there are a few standouts.

None other than Sir Patrick Stewart played the role of the Emperor for the introductory sequence, and Sean Bean played Martin Septim, the destined Emperor of Tamriel. The quality of their voice performances elevates the experience of the main quest of Oblivion. For as memed and repetitive as all other voices in the game are, one cannot deny how iconic “STOP! YOU VIOLATED THE LAW” has become in modern video gaming.

Variety of Vistas in Skyrim

When it comes to Skyrim vs Oblivion, One thing that the former definitely has over the latter is the variety of locations, terrain, and everything else that makes a landscape interesting to look at. The Reach looks completely different to The Rift, the buildings of Solitude are different from those in Falkreath, and looking out over Skyrim from the top of the Throat of the World reveals completely different vistas in any direction.

Oblivion is different. There’s no denying the classical beauty of the game’s landscapes and rendering – vibrancy goes a long way in making things look nice – but everywhere is green, hilly, forested, and generally lacking any kind of diversity. The view is practically the same from outside the Imperial City as it is looking out over Cyrodil from above Anvil. There are lots of mods that make the game more interesting to look at, but without these players have to get used to saturated green as far as the eye can see.

Combat, Except For Magic in Skyrim

First-time players will notice very quickly that the combat in Oblivion pales in comparison to Skyrim. It feels clunky, dated, and some enemies just take way too long to kill unless the player grinds to upgrade their skills. The combat in Skyrim is much more polished and feels a lot easier. It’d be great to have an Oblivion Remaster that polishes the combat to be slightly better.

Some builds in the game feel pretty weak, such as early game bows, and some weapons. The best thing to do early on is get acquainted with magic as it’s one of the best parts of Oblivion. However, Skyrim definitely takes the crown for having the best combat in an Elder Scrolls game at the moment.

Which One Is Better?

Skyrim and Oblivion have their own upsides and downsides. Oblivion may suffer immensely from the technical limitations of the Gamebyro Engine, but it still manages to feel much more charming than Skyrim’s drab environments. Skyrim may suffer from simplified mechanics, but there’s no denying that it’s the far more popular Elder Scrolls game in the public eye. Both games do their own thing right, but it’s hard to look past the fact that Skyrim is just the better game.

While Oblivion’s environments are certainly more memorable, there’s little denying the sense of wonder that a player gets from seeing Blackreach or the College of Winterhold for the first time. Skyrim’s streamlined gameplay means that players don’t get bogged down with tons of admin and can instead enjoy the game put in front of them. Oblivion is still a fantastic experience that fans of Skyrim and classic RPGs owe it to themselves to play, but there’s a reason Skyrim continues to receive ports to this day.

Is Elder Scrolls the same as Skyrim?

The biggest difference is that Elder Scrolls Online is an MMO and Skyrim is a single player RPG. In Skyrim, you can play without an internet connection. … On the other hand, Elder Scrolls Online (as the name hints) is an online game and will require an internet connection in order to start playing.

Is Skyrim free to play?

To play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam for free, you need to visit this game’s store page and press “Play Game” button. … You can also purchase the game in special promotional price.

Does Elder Scrolls 5 have a story?

Its main story focuses on the player’s character, the Dragonborn, on their quest to defeat Alduin the World-Eater, a dragon who is prophesied to destroy the world.

Is Skyrim the greatest game of all time?

At the top of the list, and indeed at the top of many critics’ and gamers’, is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s a purely nerdy choice, given that it’s a fantasy role-playing game set in a fantastical icy land complete with elves and dragons.