Summary
- Skyrim's Dragonborn has a divine calling, while Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch is an ordinary individual.
- Dragonborn possesses unique supernatural abilities, unlike the Hero of Kvatch, who grows through ordinary skill progression.
- Oblivion emphasizes character growth through choice, while Skyrim focuses on prophecy and a fixed heroic archetype.
Despite the opportunity players have to shape their own character in each game, Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series has featured a few notable protagonists since the release of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind in 2002. Prior to Morrowind's release, the first two Elder Scrolls games put players in the shoes of anonymous protagonists who were designed to be blank slates for players to customize. After that came Morrowind, which introduced the series' first distinctive protagonist, the Nerevarine. After that, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and its successor, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, continued that trend with two brand-new protagonists, the Hero of Kvatch and the Dragonborn, respectively.
Given the recent rumors and leaks surrounding a potential remake of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, it's worth looking at how the original game's protagonist, the Hero of Kvatch, compares to the Dragonborn protagonist of what is largely considered the best Elder Scrolls game ever made, Skyrim. As it turns out, the two protagonists differ from one another in some rather drastic ways, from their identity and role in the world to their inherent skills, showcasing The Elder Scrolls' refusal to settle with static protagonist archetypes.
The Case For and Against Bethesda Switching to Unreal Engine 5
Switching to Unreal Engine 5 would be beneficial for Bethesda games in a lot of ways, but it would also have some notable downsides.
The Main Differences Between Skyrim's Dragonborn and Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch
Skyrim's Dragonborn and Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch Differ in Their Identity and Role
In a time when most fantasy stories feature a protagonist with some divine calling to save the world, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch remains distinguished as an ordinary individual with no predetermined destiny or unique, supernatural abilities. This is the most distinctive difference between Skyrim's Dragonborn and Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch, which ultimately comes down to each protagonist's identity and their roles in the world of The Elder Scrolls. In the end, this alone makes the two more different than they are similar, ensuring players' experiences with the two games are also unique.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblvion's Hero of Kvatch doesn't begin as a powerful force to be reckoned with and instead rises to greatness through their deeds. Skyrim's Dragonborn, on the other hand, is directly tied to the fate of the world as a predestined figure chosen by Akatosh to wield the Thu’um and combat Alduin, the World-Eater. Unlike Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch, whose mortality and ordinariness grant players more freedom to shape their character, the Dragonborn is directly tied to Skyrim's narrative, which is driven by prophecy and therefore follows a fixed heroic archetype — for the most part.
Skyrim's Dragonborn and Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch Differ in Their Abilities
As was previously intimated, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's Dragonborn and Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch also differ greatly in their abilities, given the opposite approaches each game takes to its hero. Being a prophesied and therefore predestined hero directly tied to the fate of the world, Skyrim's Dragonborn has unique supernatural abilities, as many high fantasy heroes have been known to possess. The Dragonborn's most defining ability allows them to absorb dragon souls and use Shouts — powerful abilities tied to the ancient language of the dragons.
This unique calling also empowers the Dragonborn to find and slay dragons, which enhances Skyrim's open-world exploration and combat.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblviion's Hero of Kvatch, on the other hand, is a normal individual and therefore possesses the same abilities that any other ordinary mortal character might. Rather than allowing players to utilize special abilities as the Hero of Kvatch, Oblivion lets them shape the protagonist through natural skill progression and according to the playstyle of their choice. Without a unique mechanic like Skyrim's Shouts, Oblivion's gameplay and the Hero of Kvatch are thereby focused more on the character's growth through choice and effort, rather than destiny.
All things considered, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's Hero of Kvatch and Skyrim's Dragonborn are both two vastly different protagonists, with the former being an ordinary individual who achieves greatness through experience and the latter being a divine hero who has been predestined for greatness. It's currently unclear what The Elder Scrolls 6's protagonist will be like, but perhaps Bethesda will take things back to Oblivion's square one and give players another character who is not destined to be a hero but becomes one willingly instead.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Creation Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
- Cross Save
- no
- Expansions
- Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium (Special Edition)
- File Size Xbox Series
- 29 GB (DECEMBER 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
