The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine Tips - Relic Quest Guide

Knights of the Nine is a story expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Treat it as its own holy-knight questline inside Oblivion, not as the base game’s main story, Shivering Isles, the whole Game of the Year bundle, or a remaster-only Deluxe quest.

Content warning: This guide covers Mature-rated fantasy RPG content non-graphically, with advice focused on quests, relics, combat prep, and progression.

Beginner caveat: you can start this questline early, but it becomes smoother if your character can survive normal Oblivion dungeons, handle undead and armored enemies, and carry a few backup tools.

Essential Tips

1. Start in Anvil Instead of Waiting for a Pop-Up

Knights of the Nine begins through rumors and the Prophet, not an instant journal alert.

After the add-on is available in your version of Oblivion, ask NPCs about rumors or travel to Anvil and investigate the chapel area. The questline is closer to a faction hook than a loud DLC notification. If you wait for the game to announce it, you may think it failed to install when it is simply waiting for you to follow the Anvil lead.

2. Answer the Prophet With Humility

The first real gate is role-played as repentance, not bragging rights.

When the Prophet asks whether you are worthy, do not treat the conversation like a resume check. Choose a humble answer and ask how to find the relics. This sets up the Pilgrimage and points you toward the Nine Divines wayshrines. It also teaches the expansion’s main rule: spiritual standing matters as much as combat power.

3. Plan the Pilgrimage as a Route

You need one wayshrine for each Divine, not one exact shrine from the Prophet’s map.

The map is a starting aid, not the only legal path. Pick a clean loop through Cyrodiil, travel light, and mark off each Divine as you pray. If you have already visited some wayshrines with a clean record, check your quest log before retracing the whole province. The pilgrimage also clears Infamy, so it has value beyond unlocking the next quest.

4. Keep Infamy Under Control

The Crusader’s Relics reject a character whose Infamy gets too high.

This is the expansion’s most important mechanical rule. If you want to wear and use the relics without interruption, pause murder, theft-heavy faction work, and other Infamy-raising play while you are on this questline. If your Infamy rises too far, you can be forced back through the Pilgrimage before the relics work again. Save before morally messy side trips and keep a clean play window for the order’s storyline.

5. Decide Your Armor Identity Before the Relics Lock In

The Crusader armor can become light or heavy based on your armor skills.

Before you commit deeply, check whether your character is built around Light Armor or Heavy Armor. The relic set adapts to your higher armor skill when the armor type is determined, with heavy winning a tie. If you want a nimble build, avoid pushing Heavy Armor ahead at the wrong time. If you are a shielded knight, lean into the heavy path and plan your carry weight around it.

6. Use the Priory as Your Hub

The order’s base is more than a story location.

Once the Priory opens up, make it your staging ground. Check relics, blessings, companions, repairs, and supplies there. The relic stand matters because it can refresh the set and keep the gear relevant as you level. Return between major objectives instead of sprinting from dungeon to dungeon with broken equipment and a cluttered pack.

7. Respect Each Relic Test

Several quests punish ordinary dungeon instincts.

Not every relic is earned by charging forward. One test asks restraint around a guardian creature. Another is built around mercy. Another uses switches, statues, and clue reading. When a quest feels ceremonial, slow down before attacking, looting, or equipping the newest object.

8. Bring Tools for Undead, Aurorans, and Ayleid Ruins

The questline leans on dungeons and supernatural enemies.

Carry healing, repair tools, a reliable melee option, ranged or magic pressure, disease handling, and a way to fight enemies that resist normal habits. Silver, enchanted, or otherwise dependable weapons are worth having before ghost-heavy sections. Fragile builds should use scrolls, summons, shields, or defensive magic instead of trading hits straight up.

9. Treat Companions as Help, Not a Carry

Recruited knights can support the finale, but they do not replace preparation.

As the order reforms, allies may join your cause and eventually fight alongside you. Let them draw pressure and add damage, but do not build your whole plan around them staying alive or solving objectives. Keep your own healing and offense ready.

10. Watch for Fight-Specific Objectives

Some late encounters are won by noticing the room, not only the health bar.

When enemy pressure feels endless, scan the arena for a device, barrier, orb, switch, or pathing clue. Knights of the Nine uses several set-piece ideas, and the finale can punish players who tunnel on enemies while ignoring what keeps the fight going.

11. Save Before Major Moral or Relic Decisions

A few mistakes are annoying because they send you backward.

Make manual saves before the Prophet conversation, before relic trials, before equipping suspicious relics, before taking Infamy-heavy side jobs, and before the final assault. This expansion is cleaner when you can roll back a failed test, bad route, or accidental crime without repeating a long pilgrimage.

Start and Scope

Knights of the Nine is best approached after you leave the Imperial Prison Sewer and have enough confidence with Oblivion’s combat, travel, and inventory systems. There is no need to finish the base main quest first. The hook is local: follow Anvil rumors, speak to the Prophet, and investigate the chapel attack.

Keep your scope narrow. Game of the Year and Deluxe-style packages can include Shivering Isles and smaller official DLCs, and Oblivion Remastered has modern presentation and package differences. Those extras should not shape your Knights of the Nine plan. This questline is about the Pilgrimage, the Priory, the Crusader’s Relics, the Knights faction, and Umaril.

If you are playing a remastered or backward-compatible package, verify its UI, triggers, and quest behavior separately. This guide’s core habits target the original questline.

Relics, Infamy, and Prep

Prep Area	Practical Habit
Infamy	Keep it at 1 or less while using Crusader relics
Armor	Decide whether Light Armor or Heavy Armor fits your build
Weapons	Keep a dependable Blade or Blunt option repaired
Magic	Carry healing, defense, and utility even on melee builds
Travel	Plan a wayshrine loop instead of wandering randomly
Priory	Return between objectives to reset, store, and reorganize
Saves	Make manual saves before trials and final assault steps

The relics are both rewards and rules. If you treat them like ordinary loot, you can run into avoidable problems with Infamy, armor type, repair state, and quest-specific warnings.

Quest Challenge Habits

Read the environment before acting. If a quest asks for mercy, restraint, faith, or wisdom, assume the answer may be something other than maximum damage. The best clues are often in dialogue, shrine behavior, object placement, or the shape of a room.

During dungeon pushes, move like you would in base Oblivion: repair often, heal before opening doors, watch fatigue, and avoid getting surrounded. Knights of the Nine often ties combat to relic objectives, so a simple fight may be protecting a puzzle step or story trigger.

Before the final assault, clean your inventory and commit to your combat plan. Bring healing, repaired Crusader gear, and a manual save. When the fight escalates, look for the room objective before burning every resource on enemies that may not stop appearing until you interact with the set piece.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Waiting for an automatic quest pop-up - Go to Anvil and follow rumors or the chapel lead.

2. Bragging to the Prophet - Choose the humble path so the Pilgrimage can begin.

3. Following only the marked shrine map - Any wayshrine for each Divine can satisfy the pilgrimage.

4. Raising Infamy mid-questline - Crimes can make the relics unusable until you repeat the Pilgrimage.

5. Ignoring armor skill timing - Your relic armor path depends on Light Armor and Heavy Armor status.

6. Attacking every test creature - Some relic trials require restraint instead of aggression.

7. Equipping suspicious relics immediately - Read warnings and complete consecration steps first.

8. Skipping repairs between dungeons - Broken Crusader gear weakens the exact tools the questline rewards.

9. Letting companions block your plan - Use allies for support, but keep your own escape and healing ready.

10. Fighting endless enemies without checking the room - Late set pieces may require an objective action.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Scope	Play Knights of the Nine as its own Oblivion expansion questline
Start	Begin through Anvil rumors, the chapel, and the Prophet
Pilgrimage	Visit one wayshrine for each Divine and track your route
Infamy	Keep Infamy low so Crusader relics remain usable
Armor	Settle your Light or Heavy Armor identity before relic decisions
Trials	Read ceremonial tests before attacking or looting
Combat	Bring repaired gear, healing, and answers for undead and Aurorans
Finale	Watch for fight-specific objectives before spending resources