ESRB Rating: Mature
Requires Oblivion to play

Like Morrowind, Oblivion is a mod friendly game. The developers upset many of the gamers by charging for official mods (official Morrowind mods were free). The mods are usually $2 or less but they are pretty fun and extend the game play a bit. Knights of the Nine is the most expensive downloadable mod to date. For $9.99 you get a new faction with several quests, new enemies, a new property, some nifty weapons, and armor equivalent to Daedric but not as evil looking. Knights of the Nine will definitely add a few more hours of game play. If you buy the retail version you will get every mod to date.

What’s the story?

Unlike the other mods, which literally drop a quest into your lap, you have to learn about this quest by talking to the prophet in Anvil or to any townspeople. The story begins in Anvil where the chapel was desecrated by an evil being seeking revenge. The prophet will explain the back-story of Umaril and tell you to pray at nine shrines to receive the vision and blessing of the gods. Umaril has been destroyed physically before; you must collect the relics and destroy him spiritually. Ultimately you have to collect the eight holy relics so you stand a chance against the evil Umaril. Each relic has a quest or a test to complete before you are worthy to collect it.

New Enemies

The chapels are being desecrated by Aurorans, which serve Umaril. Aurorans are about as tough as Daedra, so if your character is super strong like mine, they won’t pose that much of a threat. They will however attack in groups, and that hurts a bit. Besides collecting the relics, you will also have to save a few chapels from being attacked.

Graphics

The graphics are pretty much the same as there are no enhancements, just new character models. The new enemies have detailed armor and weaponry. The dungeons look pretty similar to the ones in the main game. The Knights of the Nine headquarters looks really nice and the vision sequences are well done too.

Sound

This mod uses the same background music I didn’t notice anything new in that area. The voice acting is superb and sounds just as good as the main game.

Stability/Bugs

This mod ran great and doesn’t interfere with anything else. The only glitch I came across was one conversation item didn’t have audio, just text.

Appropriateness

To begin the quest you have to pay homage to nine shrines that will purge your sins and deem you worthy to collect the relics. There are some out of body experiences, visions, and helping souls find eternal peace. As you can imagine there is some violence and you’ll be doing a lot of fighting in the physical and spiritual realms. Finally, there’s some blood in the desecrated chapels.

Conclusion

I picked up my retail copy on sale for $9.99 and it was a great bargain, given that I already paid for the other mods individually, I didn’t want to pay the full $19.99 retail price. Knights of the Nine will extend your game play though many of the quests are easy. Some of the quests needs to be completed before the others and there are many walkthroughs available online if you get stumped. Although this mod is fun it does make you give homage to gods and has many false spiritual teachings. This mod, like the game is intended for mature gamers.

Final Ratings

Game Play 18/20 Graphics 10/10 Sound 10/10 Stability 4/5 Controls 5/5 Appropriateness 34.5/50 Killing non-human realistic creatures -2.5 pts Puddle of Blood occurs when a character dies -1.5 pts Bodies do not disappear after death -1 pts Minor Swear Words are used once or twice -2 pts Borderline magic (hard to tell if occult) is used by player. -3.5 pts Game takes place in an environment that is filled with major occult references. -5 pts

Final Score 82%