THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION – THE FIGHTER’S STRONGHOLD RELEASED

Bethesda Softworks has released The Fighter’s Stronghold, the final downloadable content pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, for Windows and the Xbox 360, and for the period between October 15th and October 21st, gamers can download the pack free of charge.

“Fighter’s Stronghold – DLC6

Defeat the attacking marauders and become lord of Battlehorn Castle. Located in the Colovian Highlands west of Chorrol, this expansive castle will allow you to live the life of a noble warrior, with private quarters, grand dining hall, wine cellar, barracks, training room and more. And what castle would be complete without a few hidden passages and dark secrets?

• A fully detailed castle for you to explore
• Knights of the True Horn patrol the castle and do your bidding
  
• Secret treasure vault
• Upgrade the furnishings in every area of the castle
• Hire a vintner to create special wines to enhance your fighting abilities
• Hire a combat trainer to spar with
• Hire a taxidermist to craft lifelike trophies for your great hall
• Purchase an ancient Dwemer Forge that buffs your Armorer skill” – The Elder Scolls download page

The Fighter’s Stronghold is available to PC users through the game’s official store, while the Xbox 360 version can be obtained via the Xbox Live Marketplace. No information on what price the pack will carry after the 21st or whether or not the pack will be made available for the PlayStation 3 is currently available.

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Official site
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – The Fighters Stronghold – Product page

XBOX 360 OBLIVION: SHIVERING ISLES EXPANSION NOW AVAILABLE

The Xbox 360 version of Shivering Isles, the final expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, is now available for purchase in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The download will run you 2,400 Microsoft points ($30) and take up roughly 996mb of hard drive space. Of course, Xbox Live will be down today between 3am EST and 5pm EST, so you may have to wait a little bit longer to take the plunge.

Since we’ve now reached the apparent end of Oblivion’s product line, let’s take a quick look at just how much an Oblivion addict may have spent on the title, shall we?

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Collector’s Edition – $69.99 (+ tax)
• Horse Armor – 200 points ($2.50)
• Knights of the Nine (Expansion pack) – 800 points ($10)
• Mehrune’s Razor – 250 points ($3.15)
• The Orrery – 150 points ($1.88)
• Shivering Isles (Expansion pack) – 2400 points ($30)
• Spell Tomes – 80 points ($1)
• Wizard’s Tower – 150 points ($1.88)
• Thieves Den – 150 points ($1.88)
• The Vile Lair – 150 points ($1.88)

All together, we come out with 4,330 Microsoft points in add-ons, bringing the total here to $124.16 for the collector’s edition, and $114.16 for the standard edition (plus whatever applicable tax you paid on Oblivion). Whether or not that’s money well spent is completely up to you.

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Official site
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Shivering Isles – Official site

THE VILE LAIR NOW AVAILABLE FOR OBLIVION

As announced earlier, Bethesda has released the latest Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion content pack for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game. The pack, entitled The Vile Lair, is designed for characters on the darker end of the spectrum, most specifically those who choose to be infected by vampirism. As per the content descriptor;

“This underwater hideout provides your infamous character with safe haven. Those willingly inflicted (or shall we say graced?) with vampirism will find a means to feed, and if necessary, a means to cure their infliction. Hire evil minions, pray to the dark god Sithis, and a host of other functions await.

Features:

• A multilevel lair for murderous players to find refuge
  
• The Font of Renewal, where a player may purge himself of Vampirism
  
• The Shrine of Sithis where the infamous player may heal and be cured of disease
  
• A Dark Minion, who the player may employ to find gold in a most unseemly manner
  
• A ‘cattle pen’ for vampires to dine
  
• An indoor garden of venomous plants, including the notorious Chokeberry to feed to your enemy
  
• Various furnishing upgrades, including a study room and storage area ” – Official Elder Scrolls Download Store

The pack is available in the Xbox Live Marketplace at a cost of 150 points ($1.87) for Xbox 360 users and on PC via the Oblivion Download Store at a cost of $1.89. For more information on the pack and it’s story, head on over to the Oblivion Download Store and watch as the total cost of experiencing Oblivion continues to rise.

MORE OBLIVION CONTENT COMING JULY 13TH

The official Elder Scrolls download store has named, dated and described the next content add-on for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The Vile Lair seems to be geared towards the darker end of the spectrum, most specifically those who choose to be infected by vampirism. As per the content descriptor;

“This underwater hideout provides your infamous character with safe haven. Those willingly inflicted (or shall we say graced?) with vampirism will find a means to feed, and if necessary, a means to cure their infliction. Hire evil minions, pray to the dark god Sithis, and a host of other functions await.

Features:

• A multilevel lair for murderous players to find refuge
  
• The Font of Renewal, where a player may purge himself of Vampirism
  
• The Shrine of Sithis where the infamous player may heal and be cured of disease
  
• A Dark Minion, who the player may employ to find gold in a most unseemly manner
  
• A ‘cattle pen’ for vampires to dine
  
• An indoor garden of venomous plants, including the notorious Chokeberry to feed to your enemy
  
• Various furnishing upgrades, including a study room and storage area ” – Official Elder Scrolls Download Store

The content is scheduled to be released for the PC version of Oblivion on July 13th at a cost of $1.89. No information on price/release date for the 360 version of this content pack was available. For more information on the pack and it’s story, head on over to the Oblivion Download Store and give in to your darker side.

MODDER ADDS MULTIPLAYER MODE TO OBLIVION

I just read over at Joystiq that an enterprising modder known only as “the FERRET” has created a mod named MultiTES4 for the PC version of The Elder Scrolls IV that will allow for a (currently) very limited multiplayer experience;

“The current version (being only an alpha) is pretty limited in it’s capabilities. It supports only 2 people running around Cyrodiil. The other players in the game are represented as NPCs to each individual on their computer. The NPC will move and travel to match the players that are connected to the server.” -the FERRET

While there certainly aren’t a ton of features at this time, the mod has only been in the works for about a month and a half and has been a one man job, so the progress so far is still pretty impressive. As per the FAQ on the front page of the MultiTES4 homepage, the FERRET will shortly be adding a few people to the team in order to allow the mod to continue growing.

This is one I think every PC Oblivion owner should keep an eye on, as it could easily add a whole new dimension to the game once completed. Check out the MultiTES4 homepage here and marvel at the dedication of the PC community.

MEHRUNE’S RAZOR ADD-ON NOW AVAILABLE FOR OBLIVION

Bethesda has announced that the latest content add-on for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The content can be obtained via the Xbox Live Marketplace at a cost of 250 points ($3.13) for Xbox 360 users and via the Elder Scrolls Download Store at a cost of $2.99 for the PC. As per the content description;

“The lost Ayleid City Varsa Baalim has been unearthed by a rogue Telvanni arch-mage, in pursuit of a fearsome Daedric Artifact, Mehrunes Razor, which he believes will give him the power he needs to topple the Imperial reign – but what horrors lie in wait beneath the Valus mountains; and can you overcome them to claim Mehrunes Razor as your own?

Features:

• A fully-featured quest takes you deep into the fringes of the Niben.
  
• Earn the fearsome Mehrunes Razor, with the ability to kill foes instantly.
  
• 17 new magic items to discover!
  
• Conquer the largest dungeon in all Cyrodiil.
  
• Thwart a plot to overthrow Imperial rule in Tamriel.
  
• 12 new books, notes, and journals to help you unravel the mystery.
  
• Hidden treasures await! “ – Official Elder Scrolls IV Download Store

Unlike previous expansions, this one will require the most recent patch in order to be used, so be sure to download the patch before you pick up the pack just to make sure everything goes smoothly. Personally, I’ll hold off on this one until the reviews are in – too many of the Oblivion add-ons have been disappointments to just buy it sight unseen.

PC users can pick up the content pack here while Xbox 360 users can obtain the download via Xbox Live.

OBLIVION PATCHED

Bethesda has released a patch for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The patch covers a wide range of bug and exploit fixes as well as addressing several performance issues. Of more importance to some PC owners will be the options to tune the graphic settings even lower in some categories to improve performance on low end machines – I guess they took notes on the Oldblivion mod or something.

PC users can download the patch here, while Xbox 360 users will be prompted to download the patch the next time they play Oblivion while connected to Xbox Live. Those interested in the specifics can also check out the full list of changes for both versions here.

MORE CONTENT COMING FOR OBLIVION

The official Elder Scrolls IV Download Store has listed another add-on pack as “Coming Soon” for Oblivion. The pack, Mehrunes’ Razor, seems to be geared towards the melee oriented characters and centers around a quest to halt the overthrow of the empire and obtain an extremely powerful sword. From the content description;

“The lost Ayleid City Varsa Baalim has been unearthed by a rogue Telvanni arch-mage, in pursuit of a fearsome Daedric Artifact, Mehrunes Razor, which he believes will give him the power he needs to topple the Imperial reign – but what horrors lie in wait beneath the Valus mountains; and can you overcome them to claim Mehrunes Razor as your own?

Features:

• A fully-featured quest takes you deep into the fringes of the Niben.
  
• Earn the fearsome Mehrunes Razor, with the ability to kill foes instantly.
  
• 17 new magic items to discover!
  
• Conquer the largest dungeon in all Cyrodiil.
  
• Thwart a plot to overthrow Imperial rule in Tamriel.
  
• 12 new books, notes, and journals to help you unravel the mystery.
  
• Hidden treasures await! ” – Official Elder Scrolls IV Download Store

While the pack certainly sounds interesting, I’ll again hold off on my opinion until it’s actually out there and it’s value can be better judged. I will say that the concept of a sword with the ability to kill instantly sounds a bit “broken” to me. It’s a little early for the game to be going Monty Haul. One last thing to note is that the information page states the download will be $2.99, an increase from the previous content add-ons. Hopefully that’s more indicative of the quality and amount of content the download will provide and not just that Bethesda thinks that the previous content packs have sold well enough that they can justify a price increase out of pocket. Check out the full content description page here.

OBLIVION CONTENT: THIEVES DEN NOW AVAILABLE FOR 360 AND PC

Bethesda’s latest official add-on to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The add-on pack, “The Thieves Den”, contains adventures geared towards the more stealthy characters of Oblivion. As per Elder Scrolls Store;

““The Thieves Den provides you with everything you need to outfit your stealth-based character for missions. Rediscover the legendary Dunbarrow Cove and the ancient pirate ship The Red Sabre. Dunbarrow Cove not only provides a home base to operate out of, you can purchase new vendors, trainers, and even an upgrade to your sleeping quarters with the loot from your heists.” -Elder Scrolls Store

The content is available through the Xbox Live Marketplace at a cost of 150 points ($1.88) for Xbox 360 owners and in the Elder Scrolls Store for $1.89 for PC users. Is it a decent add-on or is it just another cheap gimmick to milk two dollars out of you? Only time will tell, but at least this time the mod comes with free pirates, and pirates are always welcome! Bring out the Grog! Click here to head over to the Oblivion Store for the full details on what the add-on pack contains.

MORE CONTENT COMING FOR ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION

An article over at Microsoft’s Xbox E3 site notes that there is another add-on in the works for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This add-on, entitled Thieves Den, adds a bit of high seas piracy to the game;

“In the downloadable mission, which will be released in two weeks, you battle for control of a massive cave, complete with a haunting pirate ship. Once you conquer the lair, it forever belongs to your character.

You can start a band of pirates. You can plunder. And you can decorate your captain’s chamber with furniture. “ – Ashley Cheng, Bethesda Developer

Now I know the last 3 downloads have been a bit of a disappointment, but Arrrr – there be pirates! Be clicking here to see the article over at Xbox.com mateys!

UPDATE TO THE OBLIVION SITUATION

So I decided to do some research myself as I felt that the statements by the ESRB and Bethesda seemed a bit vague and contradictory. From what I can determine, the “problem file” is the upper half of a female body that is fully detailed. Apparently the file itself has a clothing mesh on it, which is what the modders are removing, showing the fully detailed model underneath. That file is now being further modified to make it more visually appealing, which is probably what is leading to the statements about the file being completely created by modders. Keep in mind, this is all based on internet discussions of the mod(s), so take the whole bit for what it’s worth. From what I saw, if you want to use the “Bethesda created” topless model, all I can say is you’d have to be pretty ill to want to play with it – pretty it ain’t. Think grandma and you’re on the right track.

OBLIVION: WIZARD’S PORTAL ADD-ON NOW AVAILABLE FOR XBOX 360 AND PC

The third of the promised official add-ons for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The new content retails for $1.89 on PC from the Elder Scrolls store and 150 Marketplace Points ($1.88) in the Xbox Live Marketplace. While I love Oblivion, word on the last 2 add-on packs has been so negative that I’m not even considering buying this one until I hear a full review of the content. Here’s the description of the add-on as per Bethesda;

"Located high in the Jeral Mountains of Cyrodiil away from prying eyes, this add-on makes the Wizard’s Tower, Frostcrag Spire, become available. Packed with numerous useful enchantments, this structure will prove invaluable to magic-oriented characters.

Features:

-A fully detailed tower for you to explore.

-A breathtaking view of Cyrodiil from the highest point in the land.

-An indoor botanical garden with over 130 specimens… including Oblivion-native herbs.

-Summon Atronach Familiars that obey your commands.

-Instant teleports to every Mages Guild in Cyrodiil.

-New Spell and Recharge vendor in the Imperial City.

-Fully upgrade the furnishings in your lair to suit your needs.

-Upgrade to a fully functional Enchanting and Spellmaking station with no need to join the Mages Guild.

-Upgrade to a laboratory that buffs your Alchemy skill." – Offical Elder Scrolls Store

If you’re interested in picking it up, head on over to the Official Elder Scrolls Store or Xbox Live Marketplace and have at it.

OBLIVION: WIZARD’S PORTAL ADD-ON NOW AVAILABLE FOR XBOX 360 AND PC

The third of the promised official add-ons for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The new content retails for $1.89 on PC from the Elder Scrolls store and 150 Marketplace Points ($1.88) in the Xbox Live Marketplace. While I love Oblivion, word on the last 2 add-on packs has been so negative that I’m not even considering buying this one until I hear a full review of the content. Here’s the description of the add-on as per Bethesda;

"Located high in the Jeral Mountains of Cyrodiil away from prying eyes, this add-on makes the Wizard’s Tower, Frostcrag Spire, become available. Packed with numerous useful enchantments, this structure will prove invaluable to magic-oriented characters.

Features:

-A fully detailed tower for you to explore.

-A breathtaking view of Cyrodiil from the highest point in the land.

-An indoor botanical garden with over 130 specimens… including Oblivion-native herbs.

-Summon Atronach Familiars that obey your commands.

-Instant teleports to every Mages Guild in Cyrodiil.

-New Spell and Recharge vendor in the Imperial City.

-Fully upgrade the furnishings in your lair to suit your needs.

-Upgrade to a fully functional Enchanting and Spellmaking station with no need to join the Mages Guild.

-Upgrade to a laboratory that buffs your Alchemy skill." – Offical Elder Scrolls Store

If you’re interested in picking it up, head on over to the Official Elder Scrolls Store or Xbox Live Marketplace and have at it.

THE ORRERY NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE PC VERSION OF OBLIVION

We reported yesterday that the Orrery add-on was released for the Xbox 360 version of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Well, today the PC version of the mod was made available on the Official Oblivion Downloads page for the sum of $1.89. Details for the add-on are the same as the Xbox 360 version.

On a side note, the initial word coming in about this add-on is not all that positive. As I haven’t purchased it yet, I can’t personally confirm anything, but word on many forums is that the series of quests it imparts last about 10 minutes and simply award one new spell.

 

MORE OBLIVION CONTENT FOR XBOX 360

The Orrery is now available for download in the Xbox Live Marketplace for 150 points ($1.88) – No word on when the PC version of the Orrery will be released. Unlike the much maligned horse, this one seems to be worth the purchase price.

-“The Orrery allows you to help the Mages Guild of Cyrodiil repair the Imperial Orrery, an ancient dwarven machine with mystical properties. Bandits have stolen a shipment of parts destined for the Arcane University; if you can return them, the Orrery will function once more.

Features

* A new, full-featured quest, including dialogue, journals, and rewards
* Access to the Imperial Orrery in the Arcane University, an incredible mechanical marvel
* New powers available for your character based on the phases of the moons ” – Elder Scrolls Official Forums