The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remasteredis the complete package. Not only does it come with a massively enhanced version of the 2006 classic, but it also includes the original game’s two pieces of DLC, Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles.
Ever since it was released, Shivering Isles has been lauded as one ofBethesda’sbest pieces of additional content. Now that a whole new generation is playing through Oblivion Remastered, a debate has bubbled to the surface about whetherShivering Islesis the company’s best DLC of all time, with fans of theFalloutseries having their say.
Oblivion Fans Think Shivering Isles Is Bethesda’s Best DLC, Fallout Fans Disagree
Over on the Oblivionsubreddit, a newdebatehas garnered almost 200 comments within just five hours, and it looks set to take the community by storm.
Original posterWynn_dogqueried the subreddit as to whether Shivering Isles is the best DLC Bethesda has ever released, and they were met with a mixed response.
The top comment came fromNebty, who strongly agreed, saying, “100% yes. That first scene blew my mind. Bethesda is at its best when it leans into the weird s**t. See also Tranquility Lane inFallout 3.” Lopsided_You_3108 also agreed,adding, “I am extremely biased because I love Sheogorath, but outside of that, this whole expansion, top to bottom, is just beautiful and a perfect way to round out the experience. The quest lines, NPCs, locations, wildlife, fauna, and flora are all so different and really make it stand out from the rest of Oblivion and TES as a whole.”
Bethesda is at its best when it leans into the weird s**t.
Though, while many agreed that Shivering Isles was Bethesda’s best DLC, some had issues with it. “I loved the setting, but I hated the quest design. So many fetch quests and following people around,“saidFar_Detective2022.
This led to others chiming in with their preferred content packs. “For Elder Scrolls? Absolutely,“saidLimpAd5888, adding, “My personal favorite Bethesda (Obsidian, in this case) was either the Lonesome Road DLC or Dead Money DLC fromNew Vegas.” This comment led to many Fallout fans praising Obsidian’s work on the Vegas-set RPG.
Fallout 4’s Far Harbor was anotherpopular pick, as was Morrowind’s Tribunal DLC.
Is Oblivion’s Shivering Isles Really Bethesda’s Best DLC Ever?
Following discussions between Bethesda fans, we decided to analyze every major piece of DLC for Bethesda’s games (excluding Fallout 76). To no surprise, critics and gamers alike think that Shivering Isles is Bethesda’s best DLC.
UsingMetacritic data, we used the User Review and Critic Review scores to give us an average score for each DLC. You can check our findings below:
1
86
82
84
2
85
83.5
3
83
82.5
4
80
81.5
5
79
81
6
80.5
7
8
Oblivion - Knights of the Nine
70
75.5
9
76
73
74.5
10
11
75
67
71
12
63
77
13
64
14
15
65
66
16
69
62
65.5
17
60
18
59
19
54
56.5
20
49
55.5
21
43
51.5
22
50
38
44
23
33
As you can see, Shivering Isles takes the top spot by half a point, withMorrowind’sBloodmoon in second, and Skyrim: Dragonborn completing a top-three sweep forThe Elder Scrollsseries. Fallout: New Vegas' Old World Blues took fourth place, and Fallout 3’s Point Lookout and Broken Steel took fifth and sixth, respectively.
Fallout 4fans got the biggest bum deal, with three of the game’s DLC occupying the bottom three spots, making for a total of five of the bottom eight. Far Harbor was the highest-rated DLC from that game, but it still couldn’t even crack the top ten.
So, if you’re wondering whether The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles isBethesda’s best expansion, the numbers seem to suggest so.
