If you’ve spent any time in Cyrodiil, you know the frustration. You’ve just finished a bloody dungeon crawl, your inventory is bulging with Daedric loot, and suddenly you realize your Infamy has ticked up. Now you're locked out of the best armor in the game. That brings us to the Oblivion shrine of the crusader—or rather, the Shrines of the Nine Divines that define the Knights of the Nine DLC. Most players treat these stone altars as a chore. They're basically just GPS waypoints on a map, right? Wrong.
Honestly, the way people talk about the Pilgrimage in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion makes it sound like a walking simulator. It isn't. It’s a mechanical reset button that tells a deep story about the lore of the Aedra. If you’ve ever found yourself standing in the middle of the Great Forest wondering why the "Pray" prompt isn't working, you’ve likely fallen into one of the many traps Bethesda laid out in 2006.
The Oblivion shrine of the crusader isn't just one place; it's a network. To wear the Raiment of the Crusader, you have to be "pure." In game terms? Your Infamy must be zero. One stray accidental hit on a guard or a dark brotherhood contract and—poof—you’re a sinner. You get that annoying message: "You are no longer fit to wear the Crusader's Relics."
The Mechanics of the Pilgrimage (And Why It Breaks)
The first thing you need to understand is that the Prophet in Anvil isn't just a crazy old man. He is the gatekeeper to the entire DLC. When he tells you to go find the shrines, he's triggering a quest called "Pilgrimage." This requires you to visit one wayside shrine for each of the Nine Divines.
Here is where it gets weird.
Most players think they can just hit any nine shrines. Not true. You need the specific nine distinct deities: Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, Talos, and Zenithar. If you visit two shrines of Akatosh, it only counts as one. You’re basically wandering the wilderness looking for bird-bath-shaped rocks, and if you lose track, the game doesn't give you a handy checklist in the UI. You have to check your map markers or, better yet, just remember where you’ve been.
Wait, there's a bug you should know about.
If you have a high Infamy, the shrines are the only way to reset it to zero. But—and this is a big "but"—if you have the "Knights of the Nine" quest active and you complete the pilgrimage, your Infamy doesn't just lower. It is wiped. Totally gone. This is the only way in the entire game to truly "repent" for being the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood or the Gray Fox.
- Akatosh: Often found near the gold coast or southern niben.
- Arkay: Frequently tucked away in the Great Forest.
- Talos: These are usually the hardest to find because they are scattered in the mountains.
The actual "shrine of the crusader" refers to the entire collective experience. You aren't just visiting a rock; you're undergoing a spiritual reboot. If you've got a bounty, the shrines won't work. Pay your fine first. The gods don't take bribes, and they certainly don't like it when the Imperial Watch is breathing down your neck while you're trying to pray.
Finding the Shrines Without Losing Your Mind
If you're looking for a specific Oblivion shrine of the crusader to reset your stats, the easiest ones to find are usually right outside the city walls. But Bethesda was sneaky. They placed many of them in the absolute middle of nowhere.
Take the Shrine of Kynareth. It’s nestled in the Great Forest, west of the Imperial City. If you aren't looking at your compass, you'll walk right past it. The textures for these shrines are low-res compared to modern 2026 standards, obviously, so they blend into the grey-green soup of the Cyrodiil wilderness.
There's a specific map you get in the game—a literal paper map—that the Prophet gives you. It’s in your inventory under the "Misc" tab. Open it. Look at it. It shows the general locations of the shrines. It isn't a modern GPS. It’s a sketch. You have to use your eyes.
Actually, the funniest thing about the pilgrimage is the way it handles the "Blessing of the Nine." Once you hit that ninth shrine, you get a vision. You see Pelinal Whitestrake floating in the sky. He talks a lot. He’s the "Divine Crusader," a guy who basically committed genocide against the Elves back in the First Era. It’s a bit of a tonal shift from the peaceful "peace and love" vibes of the shrines themselves.
The Relics and Their Maintenance
Once you’ve finished the pilgrimage at the Oblivion shrine of the crusader, you get the map marker for the Priory of the Nine. This is where the real fun starts. You get the Cuirass, the Boots, the Gauntlets, the Greaves, the Shield, and the Helm.
But here is the catch.
These items are "leveled." If you find them at level 5, they are okay. If you find them at level 25, they are god-tier. However, unlike other leveled items in Oblivion, you can actually "upgrade" the Crusader's Relics. How? You put them back on the stand in the Priory. When you take them off again, they scale to your current level. This is a massive feature that most people totally overlook.
- Go to the Priory of the Nine.
- Click the mannequin/stand.
- Your gear is now repaired and leveled up.
It’s that simple. You don't need hammers. You don't need a high armorer skill. You just need the stand.
Why the Infamy Rule is a Pain
The game is strict. If you accidentally pick a lock in a shop or steal a loaf of bread and your Infamy hits 1, you can't wear the gear. It just falls off your body. Imagine being in the middle of a fight with a Daedra Lord and suddenly your armor un-equips because you forgot you had a 5 gold bounty for trespassing. It’s hilarious, but also incredibly annoying.
To fix this, you have to do the pilgrimage all over again. Yes, all nine shrines. Again.
This is why the Oblivion shrine of the crusader is both the most loved and most hated mechanic in the DLC. It forces a certain playstyle. You can't be a "gray" hero. You’re either a saint or you're a regular adventurer who can't wear the shiny white armor.
Secrets of the Shrines
There are some weird technical quirks with how these shrines interact with the game engine. For example, did you know that praying at a shrine also cures all diseases? It’s better than a potion. If you’ve got Porphyric Hemophilia (the vampire disease) and you catch it early, hitting a shrine of the crusader will wipe it out instantly.
Also, the shrines provide a temporary buff to your attributes.
- Julianos boosts your Intelligence.
- Stendarr boosts your Luck.
- Dibella boosts your Personality.
These aren't permanent, but if you're about to go into a tough barter session or a hard fight, stopping at a wayside shrine is actually a smart tactical move.
The most "famous" shrine is probably the one near the entrance to the Imperial City, just across the bridge. It’s a Shrine of Akatosh. Most players use this as their "home base" for a quick blessing before heading into the city to sell gear.
Navigating the Lore: Who was Pelinal?
You can't talk about the Oblivion shrine of the crusader without talking about Pelinal Whitestrake. The DLC basically centers on his ghost. He was an "ancestral spirit" who helped Alessia overthrow the Ayleids.
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The shrines are meant to honor the gods who gave him his power. But if you read the in-game books, like The Song of Pelinal, you realize he was a bit of a madman. He had "killing fits" where he would level entire landscapes. The shrines are almost like a leash. They keep the power of the Crusader in check. When you pray at them, you aren't just getting a buff; you're proving to the Divines that you aren't going to go on a rampaging "killing fit" like Pelinal did.
That’s the meta-reason why your Infamy has to stay at zero. The gods don't want another Pelinal. One was enough for the history books.
Actionable Tips for the Modern Player
If you are jumping back into Oblivion in 2026—maybe on a handheld or through a legacy launcher—the Knights of the Nine content is still some of the best writing in the game. To handle the pilgrimage effectively, do these three things:
- Mark Your Map: Use a third-party map or a pen and paper. The in-game map icons for shrines all look identical. You will forget which ones you've visited.
- The "Reset" Strategy: If you plan on doing the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild, do them FIRST. Then, do the Pilgrimage. This clears your massive Infamy score in one go, essentially "washing" your character's sins so you can play the hero for the rest of the game.
- Level 20+: Wait until you are at least level 20 to finish the quest. The stats on the Holy Sword and the Armor of the Crusader at high levels are some of the best in the game, rivaling even the best enchanted Daedric gear.
The Oblivion shrine of the crusader system is a relic of a time when games didn't hold your hand. It’s clunky, it’s frustrating, and it requires you to actually pay attention to the world. But that’s also why it’s so satisfying. When you finally stand in that Priory with the full set of gear, you feel like you earned it. You didn't just find it in a chest; you walked the length of the province to prove you were worthy.
Go find the Shrine of Stendarr first. It’s near the road to Skingrad. Start there. It’s a long walk, but the view of the sunset over the West Weald makes it worth the effort. Just don't punch any cows on the way, or you'll be starting the whole walk over again.