Knights of the Nine Oblivion: Why This DLC Actually Changed Bethesda Forever

You remember Pelinal Whitestrake. Or, at least, you remember the stories. He was the "Divine Crusader," a man who basically single-handedly tore through the Ayleid Empire with a holy rage that would make a Daedric Prince sweat. But by the time your character steps into the rain in Anvil at the start of the Knights of the Nine Oblivion expansion, Pelinal is nothing but a ghost and some scattered, dusty relics.

Released back in late 2006, this wasn't just another quest pack. It was Bethesda trying to fix a reputation problem.

Everyone remembers the "Horse Armor" disaster. It was the first real microtransaction meme. People were furious. Bethesda needed a win—something meaty, something lore-heavy, and something that felt like a "real" expansion rather than a $2.50 cosmetic. Knights of the Nine was that response. It wasn't as sprawling as the later Shivering Isles, but it did something much more important: it grounded the world of Cyrodiil in a way the base game's repetitive gates never quite managed.

The Prophet, the Pilgrimage, and the Grind

Most players find this DLC by accident. You hear a rumor about a "Prophet" yelling in the streets of Anvil. He’s standing across from the Chapel of Dibella, which has just been turned into a literal bloodbath by a sorcerer-king named Umaril the Unfeathered. It’s grisly. Honestly, for a game that often feels like a bright, high-fantasy painting, the opening of this questline is surprisingly dark.

The Prophet tells you that you aren't worthy. He’s right, probably. To even start the meat of the Knights of the Nine Oblivion storyline, you have to go on a pilgrimage to the Wayshrines of the Nine Divines.

This is where the game tests your patience.

You have to find one shrine for each of the nine gods. Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, Talos, and Zenithar. If you have a high Infamy score—maybe you spent too much time in the Dark Brotherhood or the Thieves Guild—this pilgrimage is your only path to redemption. It literally wipes your sins. It’s a mechanical reset disguised as a spiritual journey.

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But it’s also a bit of a slog. You’re wandering the wilderness, looking for small stone altars. There’s no quest marker for the individual shrines at first. You just have to explore. It’s one of the last times Oblivion truly feels like an old-school RPG where you have to look at a physical map (which came in the retail box!) to figure out where you’re going.

Meeting Pelinal

Once you've prayed enough, you get a vision. You're launched into the sky above the Imperial City. It’s a stunning technical trick for 2006 hardware. There, you meet the spirit of Pelinal Whitestrake. He’s tired. He’s been dead for thousands of years, and he tells you that Umaril has returned. Because Umaril is part-Daedra, his spirit escaped to the Waters of Oblivion when Pelinal "killed" him the first time.

Now, he's back, and you need Pelinal’s old gear—the Relics of the Crusader—to finish the job.

Tracking Down the Relics

The hunt for the armor is the best part of the DLC. Each piece is tucked away in a dungeon or guarded by a specific challenge that relates to the god who blessed it.

• The Cuirass: Hidden in the Priory of the Nine. You have to fight the ghosts of the former Knights to prove you’re the real deal.
• The Gauntlets: Located in the Chapel of Stendarr in Chorrol. They are incredibly heavy. You can't lift them unless you have a specific blessing or a high enough "worthiness."
• The Mace: You have to pass a trial of faith in Zenithar's realm.

What makes the Knights of the Nine Oblivion gear unique is the "relic" mechanic. If you commit a crime while wearing the armor, it falls off. Literally. You get a message saying you are no longer worthy, and the pieces unequip. You have to go back and do the whole pilgrimage again to get them back. It’s annoying, sure, but it’s one of the few times Oblivion actually forces you to roleplay a specific alignment. You can't be a holy knight and a common thief at the same time. The game actually holds you accountable.

Rebuilding the Priory

You aren't just a solo act. As you find the relics, people start hearing about you. NPCs begin to flock to the Priory of the Nine in the West Weald.

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This was a precursor to the "base building" or "faction management" we saw later in Skyrim and Fallout 4. You see the Priory go from a ruined, cobweb-filled mess to a bustling headquarters. You have a smith. You have squires. You have other knights who will actually follow you into the final battle. It feels like you’re actually rebuilding an order from the ground up, rather than just being the "chosen one" who does everything alone.

One of the more interesting characters is Sir Berich Vlindrel. His story is a tragedy about how the relics can corrupt someone if they aren't pure of heart. He turned into a wraith, and you have to hunt down his sword to cleanse his soul. It adds a layer of cautionary lore—Pelinal wasn't a "good" man in the modern sense; he was a genocidal engine of war. Trying to follow in his footsteps is dangerous.

The Final Showdown with Umaril

The ending is a two-stage boss fight that was genuinely innovative for its time. First, you storm Umaril’s stronghold, Garlas Malatar, with your knights. It’s a chaotic mess of swords and spells. Then, you fight Umaril in the physical world.

But that’s not enough.

Because he’s a spirit, you have to use the "Blessing of Talos" to follow his soul into the spiritual plane. You literally jump out of your body to fight him in the clouds above Cyrodiil. If you win, you fall back to earth, landing in the Priory basement as a living legend. It’s a high-stakes, cinematic finale that the main quest of Oblivion—which mostly involved watching Martin Turn into a giant golden dragon—sometimes lacked in terms of personal player agency.

Why It Still Matters in 2026

If you play Knights of the Nine Oblivion today, you’ll notice the cracks. The voice acting is limited (standard for Oblivion), and the "pilgrimage" is basically a glorified walking simulator.

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However, the lore it introduced is foundational. This DLC gave us the most concrete information we have on Pelinal Whitestrake, a character who has become a cult favorite in the Elder Scrolls community. It also fleshed out the "Eight Divines vs. Nine Divines" conflict, specifically emphasizing why Talos is so important. This exact conflict became the entire political backbone of Skyrim five years later. Without this DLC, the Thalmor’s hatred of Talos wouldn't have had nearly as much weight.

It also proved that players wanted narrative-driven content. It moved the needle away from the "Horse Armor" model and toward the "Expansion Pass" model that dominated the next two decades of gaming.

Quick Tips for a Modern Playthrough

If you’re booting up Oblivion on a modern PC or via backward compatibility, here is the "expert" way to handle this content:

1. Do it early, but not too early. The relics are leveled. If you get them at level 5, they’ll have lower stats than if you get them at level 25. However, there is a "Relic Stand" in the Priory. If you place the armor on the stand and take it back off, it scales to your current level. This is a lifesaver.
2. The Boots are the best item. The Boots of the Crusader give you the "Woodman's Benevolence" spell, which makes woodland creatures (bears, wolves, etc.) leave you alone. It makes exploring the map 100% less annoying.
3. Watch your Infamy. If you're doing the Dark Brotherhood, finish it before you start the Knights of the Nine. Using the pilgrimage to clear a massive bounty is a pro move.
4. The Sword is bugged (sometimes). In some versions of the game, if you drop the Sword of the Crusader, it might clip through the floor. Keep it in your inventory or on the designated rack.

Knights of the Nine Oblivion isn't perfect. It’s a product of its time—a mix of brilliant lore and 2006-era jank. But as a piece of gaming history, it’s the moment Bethesda realized that the "world" of their games was just as important as the "mechanics." It turned a generic "chosen one" story into a deep dive into the bloody, complicated religious history of Tamriel.

Actionable Next Steps:

• Check your version: Ensure you have the Oblivion Game of the Year Edition or the "Deluxe" version on Steam/GOG; the base game does not include this DLC.
• Locate the Prophet: Travel to Anvil and look for the gray-haired man shouting near the burned-out Chapel of Dibella to trigger the "Pilgrimage" quest.
• Clear your schedule: The pilgrimage takes about 45-60 minutes of real-world travel time if you don't have all the fast-travel points unlocked.
• Manage your Infamy: If the Prophet refuses to speak to you, check your character stats—any Infamy score above 0 requires the completion of the pilgrimage to proceed.