Comparing The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Oblivion Fighters Guild

Sean Clark compares the Fighters Guild questlines in Skyrim and Oblivion.

As I continue to play through The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I am increasingly noticing how different it is than Skyrim. For example, Oblivion, like its predecessors, has an arena where you kill enemy combatants and climb your way up to be a champion. On the other hand, Skyrim does not have an arena, the first in the series to not have one in the game. While the arena is not a part of the Fighters Guild questline, they can go together as the Hero of Kvatch gains wealth while fighting. Here is a breakdown of both games’ Fighters Guild questlines, spoilers ahead.

In Skyrim, the Companions take the place of the Fighters Guild. Based in Jorrvaskr, a mead hall in Whiterun, the Dragonborn joins a band of fighters who fight for glory. After proving your strength in combat against two-handed instructor, Vilkas, the Dragonborn becomes a member. During a mission with his brother, Farkas, it is revealed the higher-level members are werewolves who can transform at will, an ability called beast blood. Eventually, the Dragonborn is bestowed beast blood and joins the inner circle.

Throughout the questline, the guild is at war with the Silver Hand, a bandit faction that specifically hunts werewolves. Even with the Dragonborn going on raids with the two brothers and Aela the Huntress, the Silver Hand kill Skjor (the one who initiated us into the inner circle) and later, invade Jorrvaskr. This results in the death of the leader, Kodlak Whitemane. Before his death, he sends us on a quest to slay the Glenmoril Witches, who put the curse of beast blood on the guild.

After the quest, the inner circle and the Dragonborn decide to honor Kodlak’s last request, to be cured of beast blood so his soul can travel to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife. They gather the shards of Wuuthrad and after re-forging the legendary axe wielded by Ysgramor (first king of Skyrim), they go to Ysgramor’s tomb and use the head of the witches to cure Kodlak’s beast blood. The Dragoborn then takes his place as the leader. Fun fact, in the main story when the Dragonborn goes to Sovngarde to kill Alduin, if Kodlak is cured, he will be seen wandering the plains of Sovngarde. In the optional side quests after completing the questline, Vilkas and Farkas desire to be cured, which will then result in the Dragonborn choosing to be cured himself or not (I always cure myself so I can sleep peacefully).

In Oblivion, the Fighters Guild consists of different guild halls across Cyrodiil. The Hero of Kvatch takes on various contracts, which can involve retrieving macguffins, accompanying people and rescuing missing people/parties. Throughout the missions, the Blackwood Company grows in power and becomes a legitimate rival to the guild.

As the Hero investigates under the direction of Modryn Oreyn, they soon realize the Blackwood Company is not only growing in numbers, but power and influence. Even a fledgling member, Maglir, leaves the Fighters Guild after botching multiple contracts to join the company. To take them down, Modryn tasks the Hero with infiltrating the Blackwood Company to gather intelligence. On a mission, the Hero is forced to drink Hist Sap, which causes the Hero to blackout and appear on a farm which is being plagued by “goblins.” The company and the Hero destroy the goblins without any resistance. However, when returning to the farm, the Hero sees corpses everywhere, zero goblins and a sole survivor crying over the slaughter.

It turns out the Hist Sap grants extra power and aggression on top of blacking out, causing everyone to see regular humans as enemies, which is why the Blackwood Company is so brutal in carrying out jobs. Their leader, Ri-Zakar, has access to the Hist Tree, which was brought from the Black Marsh illegally. Ultimately, the Hero storms the headquarters in Leyawiin, kills the leaders and destroys the tree once and for all before being confronted by Maglir for ruining his career and home. After defeating him, the Hero then becomes guild leader as Vilena Donton resigns from her role. As guild leader, the Hero can discuss with Modryn how to allocate resources and can earn income based on the success of the guild.

During my last two comparison articles, I blasted Skyrim while praising Oblivion’s Mages and Thieves Guild. This time, Skyrim will get the majority of the praise.

In Skyrim, the characters that the Dragonborn journey through the questline with are much more likable than Oblivion’s. Aela, Vilkas and Farkas are all great characters with distinguished personalities that shine throughout the questline along with growth. At the end of the adventure, I can confidently say that those three are some of the closest friends the Dragonborn will have throughout the game.

The leaders of Cyrodiil’s Fighters Guild treat you like lowly scum for most of the questline aside from Modryn (even then, he does the same thing early on) while the Companions mostly welcome you with honor. The Fighters Guild is so unlikable that while I had my suspicions of the Blackwood Company, there was a part of me that wondered if they were the better option. Fighters Guild members kept dying in random missions (later found out why) and it seemed the leadership was sorely lacking.

This is highlighted with the different guildmasters. Kodlak is a leader full of honor, purpose and regret. His desire for a cure gives him a strong motivation, which other questlines in the game lack. When Kodlak is tragically killed, it is a devastating blow, but it makes it even more satisfying if you see him in Sovngarde. On the other hand, Vilena Donton is unmemorable (I had to look up her name) as the Hero only interacts with her a few times.

In the Mages and Thieves Guild, the Hero works their way through the ranks to where the last quests are given by the leaders. The Fighters Guild is not like this as the last quests come from Modryn (who is exiled because Vilena’s son was killed under his leadership), who the Hero meets early on. When Vilena gives the Hero the rank of master and promptly resigns, the impact is lackluster as the Hero has had minimal interactions with her. In fact, when Modryn is exiled, we hear it from a leader in a different city.

To top it off, most of the Fighters Guild questlines are bland and uninteresting while with the Companions, I enjoyed hunting down Silver Hand with a partner and bonding with them. There is so much more character in the Companions, making that questline significantly better than Oblivion’s. As great as the twist with the Blackwood Company is, it’s difficult to get invested in the conflict before the slaughter at Water’s Edge due to how unlikable the Fighters Guild is and how mostly uninteresting the quests are. That is aside from helping a woman who harbors rats in her basement. Not to mention that the Blackwood Company investigation is only at the end of the questline, with it sprinkled here and there beforehand.

Aela and Vilkas become two of my closest companions in every Skyrim playthrough and Farkas is a likable brother-figure. They are leaps and bounds above every Fighters Guild character, making the Companions a much better questline than the Fighters Guild.

Now onto the main story of Oblivion!