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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion cover
Developers
Bethesda Game Studios
Publishers
Bethesda Softworks
2K Games
Engines
Gamebryo (TES Engine)
Release dates
Windows March 20, 2006
Reception
Metacritic 94
IGDB 94
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, DLC, Expansion pack, Subscription gaming service
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person, Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres ARPG, Open world
Art styles Realistic
Themes Fantasy
Series The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on HowLongToBeat
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on IGDB
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion guide on StrategyWiki
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on MobyGames
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on Wikipedia
The Elder Scrolls: Arena 1994
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall 1996
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire 1997
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard 1998
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 2002
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 2006
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 2011
The Elder Scrolls Online 2014
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition 2016
The Elder Scrolls: Legends 2017
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR 2018
The Elder Scrolls: Blades TBA
The Elder Scrolls VI TBA

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a singleplayer first-person and third-person ARPG and open world game in the The Elder Scrolls series.

General information

Tweak Guide
Oblivion Nexus - a large modding community
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
SecuROM 7 DRM on the Shivering Isles expansion.
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Game of the Year Edition.
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Game of the Year Deluxe Edition.
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Game of the Year Deluxe Edition.
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Game of the Year Deluxe Edition.
Windows
Microsoft Store
DRM-free after installation through Microsoft Store client (notes may include more details)
Xbox Game Pass for PC
DRM-free after being copied to any other folder and launched directly from executable (Oblivion.exe or OblivionLauncher.exe)
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Game of the Year and Game of the Year Deluxe editions. Both include Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine expansions. Game of the Year Deluxe includes all DLCs.
Windows
Bethesda.net (unavailable)
Bethesda.net Launcher
Game of the Year edition
Windows

Version differences

The Game of the Year Edition Deluxe includes all DLCs but smaller ones are only playable in English.
The Elder Scrolls Anthology includes both a retail version and a single Steam key that unlocks Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim along with all expansions and DLC.[1][2]
The GameStop PC Downloads/Impulse version is not compatible with some mods.[3] This version is no longer sold.

Monetization

Type Notes
Expansion pack The expansions include new missions and items.
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service Available via Xbox Game Pass for PC.

DLC and expansion packs

DLCs are no longer sold separately; the Game of the Year Edition Deluxe and retail Anthology include all content.
Name Notes
Shivering Isles
Windows
Knights of the Nine Retail version includes all DLCs except Shivering Isles and Fighter's Stronghold
Windows
Fighter's Stronghold Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Horse Armor Pack Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Mehrunes' Razor Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Orrery Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Spell Tomes Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Thieves Den Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Vile Lair Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows
Wizard's Tower Sold digitally in Game of the Year Edition Deluxe
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

The current official patch is patch 1.2.0416 (Digital versions are already patched).
To check what version you have check the bottom left corner of the main menu.

Unofficial Patches

Correct thousands of errors in the game, as well as providing slight tweaks to improve the gameplay experience.

General

EngineBugFixes & Blue's Engine Fixes

Fixes multiple bugs, including CTD-inducing ones, in Oblivion game engine.
Requires Oblivion Script Extender.

Oblivion Display Tweaks

Reduces stuttering, fixes FPS and FOV related issues and adds Borderless Windowed mode.
Requires Oblivion Script Extender.

4gb Ram Patcher

Improves stability on systems with at least 3GB RAM by allowing the application to use more than 2GB RAM. Particularly useful when using mods.
Not necessary for the GOG.com version.[4]

BethINI

BethINI (pronounced "Bethany") is an attempt to restore decency to the INI configuration files for games created by Bethesda, while optimizing your game settings for optimal graphical fidelity and performance.

Miscellaneous

Skip intro videos

Use BethINI[5]
Modify game configuration files[6]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Oblivion.ini.
  3. Find the SMainMenuMovieIntro=Oblivion iv logo.bik line and remove everything after =.
  4. Find the SIntroSequence=bethesda softworks HD720p.bik,2k games.bik,game studios.bik,Oblivion Legal.bik line and remove everything after =.
  5. Save the file.
Modify video files[7]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Data\Video.
  2. Delete or rename the following files:
2k games.bik
bethesda softworks HD720p.bik
game studios.bik
Oblivion iv logo.bik
Oblivion Legal.bik

Skip launcher

Use SLEA - Skip Launcher and ENBAuto

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Oblivion\
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/22330/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Oblivion\Saves\
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/22330/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Stores up to 953.67 MB of game saves online (maximum 1000 files).
Xbox Cloud

Video

Video settings.
Video settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Use Oblivion Display Tweaks.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
It can be forced from the AMD or NVIDIA control panel. See below for examples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
MSAA, up to 8 samples. Cannot be activated through the launcher at the same time as HDR, instead enable anti-aliasing through graphics control panel.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS
Physics issues above 60FPS, use Oblivion Display Tweaks to fix.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
Rendered image uses SDR color space. In-game HDR option refers only to HDR Rendering.

Anisotropic Filter

By default, Oblivion does not come with an option to activate Anisotropic Filtering, but you can force it from the AMD Catalyst Control Center or from the NVIDIA Control Panel. The performance hit is substantial on some low-end computers.

Field of view (FOV)

Use FOV Modifier
This is permanent and does not cause issues in the game.
This mod requires the Oblivion Script Extender to work.
  1. Install the FOV Modifier.
  2. As soon as you start up your game with FOV Modifier installed, either load up a savegame or start a new game, the FOV will automatically set to 90. You can change it by typing into the console Set CustomFOV to # and replace # with the desired FOV. FOVs only from 60 to 120 are accepted.
Use Oblivion Display Tweaks and change setting in Oblivion.ini
Installing this mod fixes all issues related to changing the FOV settings in Oblivion.ini.
This mod requires the Oblivion Script Extender to work.
  1. Install Oblivion Display Tweaks.
  2. Open %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Oblivion\Oblivion.ini
  3. Change fDefaultFOV=75.0000 to the desired value. Suggested values can be found in the table below.
Use console commands
This setting isn't permanent, but doesn't cause the problems of the previous fix.
  1. Open the console (~).
  2. Enter the console command FOV XX (where XX is the desired value) and press Enter.

This table works with the assumption that the default 75° is optimal for screens with the 5:4 aspect ratio.

Aspect Ratio FOV Value
4:3 79.9000
16:9 105.3000
15:9 99.0000
16:10 95.2000

Input

Input settings.
Input settings.

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
The F1 (Statistics), F2 (Inventory), F3 (Magic) and F4 (Data) keys cannot be remapped.
Mouse acceleration
Present in menus. No acceleration in-game.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller support mostly works when using Northern UI mod at NexusMods
Controller remapping
Very limited.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio settings.
Audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Voices, effects, footsteps and music.
Surround sound
Up to 7.1 output[8]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
Use Reverb Support for Oblivion
Royalty free audio
May require DirectSound3D restoration software to restore proper audio functionality on Windows Vista and later.

Localizations

Digital versions of The Game of the Year Edition Deluxe are only playable in English.
Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Fan translation by plural groups(see this), books are not translated.
Unstable, average translation quality, because there are translated by different groups.
French
German
Italian
Polish
Retail version only. For digital GOTY and GOTY Deluxe versions download this.
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation - for the base game and DLCs: download (Nexus Mods)
Russian
Retail only, Knights of the Nine isn't dubbed. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish
Official translation for version that hasn't one: download (from Clan Dlan Archives).
Improved Fan translations by Clan Dlan: Oblivion (Main game), Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine; also TES Construction Set for Mods, download.

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
Use Oblivion - 3D Vision Fix for better 3D support.
vorpX
G3D, DirectVR
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game. It can be found here.

The game crashes upon exiting to desktop

Use Oblivion Display Tweaks
Use Fast Exit

The settings reset every time the game is restarted

Often happens because the game's process is being shut down prematurely, such as through crashes.
Use Oblivion Display Tweaks
Use Fast Exit

Missing Assets

This is a common problem with installing mods. It is often caused by a mod's assets being overwritten by the game's own BSA archives on anything other than a retail disc install, such as digital, since the BSAs will be timestamped by the date the game is installed, not when they were last modified. This can be fixed by doing one of the options below.
Install SkyBSA
This is recommended over the BSA redirection method below since it fixes other issues with BSAs besides getting the game to recognize them.
Missing BSA redirection
  1. Open the Oblivion Mod Manager.
  2. Click on Utilities.
  3. Click on Archive Invalidation.
  4. Now tick BSA Redirection and click on Update Now.
  5. When the process is done, close the Oblivion Mod Manager and launch Oblivion.

Frozen Animations

After 200 hours of playtime with a character, game animations and effects may freeze. Commonly referred to as the "Abomb" bug.
Use EngineBugFixes[9]
This will permanently fix the issue for any save since it fixes it at the engine level (Version 1.6 and above).
Use Oblivion Animation Fixer
Use Wrye Bash

Intermittent Black Screens During Play

This is related to Nvidia Graphics cards 8800 or later.
Use Wrye Bash
  1. Turn off "Self Shadows" option.
  2. Use "Bloom" instead of "HDR" option.
  3. Build a Bashed Patch with Wrye Bash and enable the Nvidia Fog Fix in its options.
Turn off "Shadows" option

Volume keys on keyboard don't work in-game

Edit Configuration File[10]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Oblivion.ini.
  3. Change bBackground Keyboard=0 to 1.
  4. Save the file.

Greyed out options in the launcher

Add/Fix path in Windows registry[11]
  1. Open regedit.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion.
    Create the key if it does not exist.
  3. Create a new string value named Installed Path, if it doesn't exist already.
  4. Set its contents to <path-to-game> with a trailing backslash (e.g. C:\GOG Games\Oblivion\).

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c Oblivion Display Tweaks can make use of 9Ex.
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.7.3

Modifications

Oblivion mods can be found at Oblivion Nexus.

See Essential improvements for modifications that fix bugs and improve performance.

Recommended mods

Through the Valleys - Vanilla Plus Modding Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date Oblivion modding guide by PushTheWinButton that focuses on setting up a vanilla-friendly modded game that is also stable.

Mod managers

Mod managers simplify mod installation, among various additional features and are optional.
  • Oblivion Mod Manager - Oblivion Mod Manager is an easy-to-use mod manager, good for beginners. It allows modders to pack their mods into OBMM-specific .omod archives for easy installation, as well as making it easy for users to tweak options.
  • Wrye Bash - Powerful mod manager. Requires a bit of a learning curve compared to OBMM but still relatively easy to use. Mods can be packed into Bash-specific BAIN archives for easy installation and tweaking options for users. Used to create a Bashed Patch to resolve conflicts between mods and merging records into a single .esp file.
  • Mod Organizer - Powerful and easy to use mod manager with mod virtualization that allows the installation folder to remain clean.
Using Mod Organizer for Oblivion requires some extra tweaking to get the game to recognize some mods installed through it, specifically OBSE and OBSE plugins. See this guide for details. (Works for both OBSE and xOBSE)

User interface

  • DarNified UI - Tweaks the enlarged Xbox-optimized UI to better fit PC. The HUD and fonts are smaller, and items are easier to find in the inventory.
  • MajorJim's UI Updated - Updated version of MajorJim's classic UI replacement. Fixes many issues contained in the original mod. Use if preferring something closer to the vanilla layout than DarNified.

Script Extender Plugins

The following mods require Oblivion Script Extender.
  • LINK - Adds the ability to configure mods in-game, through a configuration menu, making configuring mods faster and more user friendly.
  • Fast Exit - Prevents the game from crashing upon exit and saves the .INI file before exiting the game so settings do not reset to their initial values upon restarting the game. Also included in Oblivion Display Tweaks.
  • SkyBSA - Forces Oblivion to handle BSAs and loose files the same way that Skyrim does.
  • NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash - Implements structured exception handling and sanity checking to reduce frequency of game crashes. Created for Fallout New Vegas, but also works on Oblivion.
  • OBL Mod Limit Fix - Fixes the Oblivion mod limit bug, allowing the maximum of 255 plugins to be loaded.
  • Better Saves - Replaces the buggy vanilla auto save and quick save features with two small scripts.

Utilities

  • Oblivion Script Extender (xOBSE) - Community maintained up-to-date fork of Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE). Extends the script capabilities of vanilla Oblivion, allowing modders to better take advantage of the engine. Many mods require this utility, and installation instructions are included in a README, when you download it. When running through Steam, OBSE requires use of the Steam Overlay. If the Steam Overlay doesn't appear in game, try running Steam in administrator mode.
  • Load Order Optimisation Tool (LOOT) - Plugin load order optimiser for TES IV: Oblivion and other games. Provides thousands of plugin-specific messages, including usage notes, Bash Tag suggestions, requirements, incompatibilities, bug warnings and installation mistake notifications. Supports the sorting of plugins ghosted by the Wrye Bash utility, is highly customisable, has been translated into multiple languages, and is simple to use.
  • TES4Edit - Can clean .ESP files from "dirty edits" which are essentially errors made by original mod authors that can cause incompatibilities and prevent other .ESP's features from working.

Console Commands

A complete list of console commands can be found here.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 2000
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
System memory (RAM) 512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4.6 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon 9500
Nvidia GeForce FX 5700
128 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Sound (audio device) DirectX 8.1a compatible


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/22330/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (22330) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References