Honestly, Bethesda shadow-dropping The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered in April 2025 was the best kind of chaos. It was total madness. Fitting, really, since we're talking about Sheogorath.
I’ve spent the last few weeks back in Cyrodiil. The Unreal Engine 5 face-lift makes the Imperial City look incredible, but I wasn't there for the scenery. I was looking for a very specific shrine in the middle of the Blackwood region. You know the one. Between Bravil and Leyawiin, tucked away from the road, where a bunch of NPCs are wandering around looking like they’ve completely lost the plot.
The Oblivion Remaster Sheogorath quest is still the weirdest thing in the game. It’s a classic. But in 2026, playing it through the lens of a "modern" remaster, you start to notice things that didn't click twenty years ago.
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Getting the Madness Started
You can't just walk up to the Prince of Madness and expect a chat. He’s picky.
First off, you need to be at least Level 2. If you're a fresh-faced prisoner who just crawled out of the sewers, go hit some mudcrabs or something. Once you're ready, you need the "trinity" of junk.
- A Lesser Soul Gem (any magic shop has these).
- A head of Lettuce.
- A ball of Yarn.
It’s such a bizarre shopping list. Most Daedric Princes want blood or souls; Sheogorath wants ingredients for a salad and a cat toy. Once you make the offering, you get that iconic voice. In the remaster, the audio has been cleaned up significantly, so his chaotic energy hits even harder.
He sends you south to a tiny khajiit settlement called Border Watch.
The K’Sharra Prophecy (Or How to Ruin a Tuesday)
Basically, the residents of Border Watch are terrified of a specific doomsday prophecy. There are three signs. Sheogorath wants you to fake the first two so he can personally handle the third.
You need to talk to Ri’Bassa. He’s the shaman, and he’s very anxious. If you bribe him or use a bit of charm, he’ll spill the details on the first two signs: a plague of vermin and the "Plague of Famine" where their livestock dies.
Part 1: The Rats
Go into the Border Watch Inn. There’s a display case with a very smelly cheese called Olroy Cheese. It’s guarded, but let’s be real—the Remaster’s improved AI still isn’t quite smart enough to stop a determined thief.
Grab the cheese. Go outside. There’s a cooking pot over an open flame in the center of town. Toss the cheese in.
Within seconds, the air fills with a "disgusting stench." In the original 2006 game, the rats just sort of appeared. In the 2025 remaster, the swarm effect is actually pretty gross. Dozens of rats flood the area. Ri’Bassa freaks out and starts throwing down rat poison to kill them.
Part 2: The Sheep
This is where people usually get stuck. After the rats die, you need to grab the Rat Poison Ri'Bassa dropped. If you can't find it on the ground, you can actually pickpocket it off him.
Head over to the sheep pen. You’ll see a feeding trough. Put the poison in there. Now, you wait.
I’ve seen some players on Reddit complaining that the quest doesn’t update immediately. Just wait a few hours in-game. The sheep will eventually keel over. It’s dark, sure, but this is Sheogorath we’re talking about.
The Best Ending in the Game
Once the sheep are gone, Sheogorath tells you to go to the center of the village. The sky turns a deep, bruised purple.
Then come the dogs.
Flaming dogs.
In the Remaster, seeing dozens of burning canine models falling from the UE5 sky is a sight to behold. It’s peak Elder Scrolls. The khajiit are losing their minds, the sky is screaming, and Sheogorath is having the time of his life.
Why the Order of Operations Matters
Here’s a tip for the hardcore lore fans: if you have the Shivering Isles expansion (which is included in the remaster), do not do this quest first.
If you finish the Shivering Isles main storyline and become the Prince of Madness yourself, the dialogue at the shrine changes completely. Instead of Sheogorath talking to you, his chamberlain Haskill speaks to the statue. He basically sighs and tells you how "sad" it is that you’re now praying to yourself.
It’s one of the best "meta" moments in gaming history.
The Reward: Wabbajack
You get the Wabbajack. It’s the ultimate wild card.
The staff turns any NPC or creature into something else. You could be fighting a terrifying Xivilai and suddenly—poof—it’s a goat. Or a chicken. Or a Lich that instantly kills you. It’s a gamble every time you pull the trigger.
What’s Next for Cyrodiil?
The official Oblivion Remaster Sheogorath quest is great for a nostalgia trip, but a lot of us are looking at Skyblivion.
That fan project has been in the works for a decade. It’s officially delayed to 2026, and while Bethesda’s remaster is a solid UE5 polish of the 2006 code, Skyblivion is a full remake in the Skyrim engine. It’s going to have different mechanics, better level scaling, and potentially a very different feel for these classic quests.
If you’re playing the Remaster right now, here is what you should do:
- Check your Level: Ensure you're Level 2 before heading to the shrine south of Bravil.
- Save Often: The Remaster is prettier, but it still has that Bethesda "charm" (bugs).
- Experiment with Wabbajack: Use it on a guard in the Imperial City. Just... save your game first.
The remaster might be a 1-to-1 port in a fancy engine, but the writing is what keeps it alive. Sheogorath hasn't lost his touch.
Go make it rain dogs.