Summary
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionoffers you almost unlimited freedom to do whatever you please whenever you want, but every single campaign starts out the same, regardless of your intentions. You make your character -who will most likely be the most hideous creature alive- have the Emperor open up a secret door in your jail cell, escape with him to the sewers, and then see him get killed by an assassin.
Emperor Uriel Septim’s assassination then kicks off your grand quest -which most people proceed to ignore- but there have always been people curious about whether you can actually save him from his scripted doom. Usually, you talk to the Emperor to get his Amulet, and then you’re locked in place and can’t actually do anything until the assassin delivers the final blow, but one player has managed the impossible.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Fan Actually Manages To Save The Emperor
In a recent video by popular Oblivion YouTuber Bacon(thanks PC Gamer), they demonstrate that you can actually save the Emperor in a completely vanilla game, without the use of a single mod or add-on. All you need to do is make your way to the door that Bacon shows you in the video, run into the corner and save your game, then reload to clip through the door and fall under the map.
Get yourself back in bounds and you’ll be able to sneak up on the assassin. Funnily enough, Bacon talked to the Emperor’s would-be killer, who just acted as if the Emperor was already dead, in what is either delusion or extreme confidence in his own abilities. Take the assassin out, and you’ll have saved Emperor Uriel Septim, though the game unfortunately won’t recognize you’ve actually done it.
Baurus will still think the Emperor is dead, even though he’s standing right in front of him, and you can simply progress in the game as normal. However, if you take the Amulet of Kings to Jauffrey as you’re supposed to, the sewers will be locked with the Emperor still inside.
If you ensure you’ve got enough in your Illusion stat to cast the Command Humanoid spell, which you may get from the Mage’s Guild, you can head back into the sewers before delivering the Amulet of Kings to force the Emperor to follow you. He’ll then nip at your heels like a lost kid, and will stay put wherever you place him when the spell wears off. Mission accomplished.
