TheElder Scrollsis one of the largestRPGfranchises ever made. Comprised of five main games and many side games set in the universe, it has graced everything from DOS PCs to modern consoles. Its two most recent main entries,OblivionandSkyrim, are the entry points for manyElder Scrollsfans.
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Many regardOblivionas the best game forits great quests, while others argueSkyrimis the bestElder Scrollstitle with its satisfying combat. While in the same franchise, they offer completely new experiences that distinguish them from each other. Here are some reasons why one game is better than the other.
Updated June 24, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:BothSkyrim and Oblivionare considered by many to be some of the greatest video games ever made, and it’s easy to see why this is the case. Both titles feature amazing worlds, epic stories, fun exploration, and a wondrous sense of discovery that most games still find somewhat challenging to replicate to this day. Skyrim might be the more successful title of the lot, but there’s no denying that Oblivion has a unique charm that is hard to resist.
14Skyrim: Consistent Open-World Design
Most people considerOblivionto have more varied locales. However, that doesn’t mean thatSkyrimis a less interesting world to explore — if anything, it means that the world design ofSkyrimhad more thought put into it.
After all, the Nordic lands ofSkyrimwere clearly inspired by Scandinavian locales, and this shows in the amazing world of this game. From icy landscapes to dense jungles, there’s no denying that exploring the vast world ofSkyrimis an absolute blast.
13Oblivion: Memorable NPCs
Skyrimhad a bunch of memorable side characters, but the vast majority of them bled together and were hard to differentiate. This is whereOblivionsucceeds with great character writing and the hilarious application of their Radiant AI technology.
NPCs inOblivionare a blast to interact with, with their unintentionally funny dialogues and memorable character moments being pretty great. It’s one area thatSkyrimtried to improve but ended up making worse since a funny and broken system is still more enjoyable than an outright boring one.
12Skyrim: Graphical Fidelity
This is an obvious point whereSkyrimwould succeed, although mods do make these comparisons slightly redundant. However, the vast leap in technology fromObliviontoSkyrimcan’t be glossed over with just a few mods.
Skyrimmight be showing its age slightly, but multiple re-releases andsome amazing modding workhave helped this game remain relevant to this day. There are times when the striking visual design ofSkyrimmakes it look breathtakingly beautiful to this day.
11Oblivion: More Challenging Combat
Skyrim’s combat becomes trivial over time. The game has an inverted difficulty curve, which leads to most encounters becoming an absolute cakewalk barring a few notable exceptions.
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WhileOblivionalso features the same mechanic of the world leveling up with the player,it’s done so with great finesse. In fact, players who shamelessly exploit the leveling system might soon realize that the other enemies are absolutely pummeling them to the ground due to their high attack stats!
10Skyrim: Shouts
Bethesdatitles typically include a new mechanic or element that makes it noticeably different from their last game.Morrowindhad a fully 3D world,Oblivionhad Radiant AI, andSkyrimhas dragons.
A byproduct of including dragons is the inclusion of Shouts, special attacks that the player can use to gain benefits that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Beefy warriors can slow down time, thieves can breathe fire, and mages can push enemies out of their way. Shouts add a great additional layer toElder Scrollscombat that simultaneously fulfills a satisfying power fantasy. Are enemiessurrounding the Dragonborn? An Unrelenting Force Shout will disperse them in a comical fashion. Is combat getting too dicey? Summon a dragon.
Shouts allow both players and Bethesda to experiment with potent effects that change the course of combat, balanced by their long cooldowns. While it’s unlikely Shouts will return inThe Elder Scrolls VI, a system this versatile should return in the next installment with additional customization options. Being able to spec into a Shout-heavy playstyle would be a dream come true for some fans, even if the context of Shouting was changed entirely.
9Oblivion: Spell Crafting
Customization is a core part of RPGs that most players expect. Unfortunately,Skyrimremoved many features from past entries, includingOblivion. Armor slots were simplified once again, dialogue options were reduced once more, and mages couldn’t even craft their own spells.
For those unaware, all mainlineElder Scrollstitles beforeSkyrimallowed mages to craft their own spells,Oblivionincluded. Any character that completed the initiation quest for the Mages Guild could create their own spells and fine-tune their behavior, ranging from damage to how long the spell lasts. This allowed mage characters tofine-tune their playstylejust as a melee character does with their choice of weapon. Characters that harness magic are much more interesting inOblivionthan inSkyrim,mainly due to this mechanic.
8Skyrim: Dual-Wielding And Combat
Combat was arguably the weakest part of everyElder Scrollstitle untilSkyrimbrought many changes to the series.Oblivionmight have made combat skill-based, butSkyrimput much more emphasis on combat feedback.
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Dual-Wielding is a big reason whySkyrim’scombat feels so much better than past games. In essence, players can equip one-handed weapons or spells in either hand and use those items asynchronously, something that was impossible to do in past games excluding sword and shield builds. Spellcasters can shoot ice and fire simultaneously, or melee characters can use an axe and sword simultaneously. Melee characters got some much-needed variety while mages became even more versatile.
Besides Dual-Wielding, Bethesda also took some lessons fromFallout 3and focused on making combat feel visceral. Kill moves were added to give a satisfying conclusion to an intense combat encounter. Bows were also overhauled to feel much more impactful; arrows now burrow into a target’s body as they slump towards the ground. Mechanically,Skyrim’scombat is hardly better thanOblivions. In practice,Skyrim’scombat has a level of visual flair that makes it much more satisfying than in past installments.
7Oblivion: Varied Locations
SinceObliviontakes place in Cyrodiil, the center of Tamriel, it has a little bit of every major province within its borders. The snowy mountains of Skyrim to the swamps of Black Marsh are all part ofOblivionto some degree.
It might not be as detailed as Vvardenfell or Skyrim, butObliviondoes a good job of showing Cyrodiil as the heartland of Tamriel. Oblivion gates also did a good job of varying up swathes of the same biome, causing the sky to turn red while scorching the nearby landscape.
6Skyrim: Leveling
RPGs have handled experience points and leveling in different ways since their inception. Most titles copied pen and paper games such asDungeons & Dragonswith attribute points and a perk system reminiscent of feats.
It’s a system that works great in CRPGs, but it didn’t work inOblivion. Leveling up inOblivioninvolved leveling attributes that would govern skills, but it was the other way around. Optimal play involved investing in skills that players had no interest in. Acrobatics was the main culprit of this. ManyOblivionfans would wrap a rubber band around their thumbstick and walk into a wall for hours to level their skills up just so they could receive optimal attributes when they leveled up. Add to thatOblivion’sstrange scaling system, and players were left with a game that paradoxically made them weaker when leveling up.
Skyrimremoved attributes entirely and shifted the focus from earning attribute points to unlocking perks, something much more satisfying than exploitingOblivion’sprimary and secondary skill system. In theory, this removes much of the RPG framework that makes build diversity possible. In practice,Skyrim’sopen-ended system allowed players to naturally shift towards playstyles that they liked. Instead of swimming for four hours to gain a higher Agility Attribute, players would just use light armor and one-handed weapons to make their character stronger.
If stealth archery wasn’t so overpowered and other builds were just as satisfying to play, there’s a good likelihoodSkyrimwould have had the strongest build diversity in the franchise. As it stands,Skyrim’sleveling system is a great example of how, sometimes, less is more.
5Oblivion: DLC
The seventh generation of consoles brought with them a focus on downloadable content or DLC.Oblivionwas Bethesda’s first foray into making DLC, and it has some of the best and worst DLC out of any video game.
Players make fun of Horse Armor and player houses, but what Bethesda nailed was theShivering IslesDLC. This DLC is a miniatureElder Scrollsgame that takes dozens of hours to beat, taking place on Sheogorath’s plane of madness. Many consider it the best DLC ever released period, and it’s easy to see why after playing it. Bethesda systematically addressed every single issueOblivionhad while taking the game’s absurd elements to a whole new level. In comparison,Skyrim’sDLC can’t compare to the sheer scale of whatThe Shivering Islesprovided.
