Oblivion's goblin problem is actually genius level design

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

the leveled list goblins in Oblivion are so much worse than Skyrim's and I think that's intentional. like, you're level 5 fighting a goblin with iron armor and a club, fine. you're level 28 and that same goblin is wearing daedric and has a spell that one-shots you from across the room. it's absurd.

but here's the thing - it actually forces you to engage with the world differently than Skyrim does. you can't just wander into any ruin at any level and expect to brute force your way through. you actually have to think about where you're going, what you're prepared for, what your build can handle. Skyrim let you waltz into Blackreach at level 12 and still have a shot. Oblivion would laugh at you.

it's terrible game design in one sense but it makes the world feel genuinely dangerous in a way Skyrim never quite manages. there's actual consequence to picking a fight with the wrong group of bandits or exploring the wrong cave. you can't just reload and try again with a better strategy because you're already committed to the dungeon.

am I alone in thinking this is actually better than Skyrim's approach of scaling everything to keep you comfortable?

 

[EbonyWarrior]

Nah I get what you're saying, but I think you're giving Oblivion's leveling a bit too much credit. The problem isn't that it's "dangerous" - it's that it's unpredictable in a way that punishes exploration rather than rewarding it. There's a difference between "this area is legitimately hard" and "you walked into a goblin cave and now you're fighting something that shouldn't exist at your level."

Skyrim's scaling isn't perfect either - it definitely goes too far in the other direction, and you lose that sense of progression where an old enemy actually feels weak. But at least when you die in Skyrim, it's because you made a tactical mistake, not because the game decided this particular bandit chief gets Daedric armor and spell absorption at level 15.

Morrowind actually nailed this better than both of them, imo. Dungeons had set encounters, so you could genuinely get in over your head, but it wasn't random. You could scout ahead, talk to NPCs, and actually figure out what you were getting into. Oblivion just rolled dice and hoped for the best.

That said, you're right that Skyrim can feel too safe sometimes. There's mods that help with that if you're on PC, though I know that's not the point you're making.