Oblivion Remused: Main Quest Rarely Finished, Data Shows

A month after release, only a small percentage of players have finished the main quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. For a game like this, though, that's hardly surprising — many fans say they're just too occupied with other activities.

I count myself among those fans! I've been playing and loving Oblivion Remastered since its surprise launch on April 22. After escaping the sewers and delivering the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre at Weynon Priory, I've done almost everything except follow the main story. I've joined the Fighters Guild, traveled across Cyrodiil, and completed numerous side missions. I even attempted to break through the map boundaries, just like one player managed to do.

Why? The side quests in Oblivion are incredibly enjoyable (no spoilers here), but I'm also intentionally delaying the main quest — and challenging sections like Kvatch — while trying to limit my leveling progress for now.

So, I've chosen to simply enjoy Oblivion until I eventually feel ready to tackle the main storyline. But then again, is there really a "right" way to play a Bethesda game like this? That's what makes them so great. You have the freedom to play exactly how you want, and the game just works.

It appears many other players are taking the same approach. "I'm BUSY doing OTHER THINGS, like searching for SLAUGHTERFISH in Lake Rumare," the brilliantly named Reddit user MrCrispyFriedChicken commented on the completion statistics for Oblivion Remastered's main quest.

"I've already put in 160 hours, and Kvatch is still waiting for me," added Roffear. "I'm one of those weird players who actually enjoys the Oblivion gates, so I make sure to find and close all 60 gates in my world before finishing the main story," shared Ellert0. "44 hours and a full in-game year later, and I still haven't even visited Weynon Priory," said PlayaHatinIG-88. "Those poor Kvatch city guards never stood a chance."

At the time of writing, a mere 2.97% of players had completed Oblivion Remastered's main quest on Xbox, with a slightly higher 4.4% on Steam. Why the difference? I suspect it's because Xbox figures include Game Pass users, many of whom might have tried the game briefly before moving on. Steam players, on the other hand, have all purchased the game directly.

Even so, it's still a low completion rate for Oblivion Remastered, which has already attracted over 4 million players. But the truth is, most video games have surprisingly low campaign completion rates, whether it's a massive 100-hour open-world RPG like Oblivion Remastered or a short five-hour story like Call of Duty. In fact, many games see a significant drop-off in players after the first hour or once they finish the tutorial. That's just the unpredictable nature of gamers.

For Oblivion Remastered, the numbers might be further skewed because it's a remaster of a beloved classic that many players already finished years ago. If you completed Oblivion's main story two decades ago, you might be less motivated to do it again now, preferring instead to admire the updated visuals and improvements. Or, as one player demonstrated, you might spend seven hours carefully arranging books to create the perfect domino chain reaction.

Thaddeus122 mentioned they were nearly 100 hours in and hadn't even finished three of the main quests. They had, however, completed the Arena and the Mages Guild. And the rest of their time? "Leveling up, earning money for houses, closing all the Oblivion gates, the Nirnroot quest, and lots of smaller tasks. To be honest, I also avoid fast traveling entirely."

Have You Completed the Main Questline in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered?

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