What’s the one extra bit of spice OG Oblivion’s main story needed to take it to the next level? An invincible terminator relentlessly hunting you and Sean Bean across Cyrodiil in an effort to massacre you both before you can save the world, you say?
Wait, you didn’t say that? Well, too bad, an Oblivion Remastered modder has already made it happen, and it sounds so intense I’m a bit scared to try it out for myself.
When I wrote about NaiadGirl enhancing Oblivion Remastered’s goblin wars the other day, I didn’t think I’d end up writing about another of their mods so soon – but then I stumbled across their latest work. It’s called ‘Martin Septim and the Terminator Gambit‘, and the description certainly delivers on the hype that name stirs up.
I’ll let the modder set the scene. “On the cusp of defeat, Mehrunes Dagon has reached his iron claws backwards in time during the final hours of the Oblivion Crisis,” they explain, “He has sent back an invincible enemy to end Martin Septim’s life: a Terminator.
“There is nowhere to truly hide from this machine-man. It will hunt you to the ends of the world for a chance to end the Septims’ reign forever. You are the final bulwark against the Terrors of Oblivion.” Phwoar. Hell of premise.
This relentless level 70 pursuer, bedecked in Dwarven armour, will start hunting you down the moment you – poor Martin’s saviour – exit the Imperial City’s sewers, beginning its hunt from Kvatch’s Oblivion Gate. It’s invincible until you successfully complete the main quest, meaning that until that point, it’ll be right behind you ever step of the way, and all you can do is run away.
If you can manage to get all the way to the end and CLOSE SHUT THE JAWS OF OBLIVION, only then will the terminator become mortal, giving you a chance to finally deal with it if you’ve got the gear, skills, or sheer confidence required to take on a foe that – I repeat – is level 70. If you can pull off that miracle, NaiadGirl’s teased that you’ll be “rewarded greatly”.
Now, it probably won’t surprise you to note that its creator says this mod’s more aimed at challenge runs than it is general playthroughs, and there are a couple of extra things to bear in mind with it. The terminator can’t follow you into Oblivion Gates themselves, so you’ll be safest in what’s canonically about the most dangerous place an Oblivion playthrough takes you.
If you want a less risky ride, there’s the optional plugin for letting Martin keep his essential status, so it’s only your character’s life on the line, though the modder insists: “no matter what you do, people will die”.
Their advice for surviving? Well, they do point out that “this is still Oblivion; You can cheese anything in this game.” Words to live by, be sure to recite them if you decide to grab its requirements – Oblivion Remastered’s UE4SS and UE4SS TesSyncMapInjector – to give it a try.
Also, make sure to check out the rest of our ongoing Oblivion Remastered mod coverage, which includes an interview with the modder who managed to make the first ever tweak to its world just one day after release.
