The Guides ◆ Oblivion Remastered ◆ Shivering Isles
Shivering Isles — Main Quest & Ending Guide
How to reach New Sheoth, the Mania/Dementia court split, the full main questline in order, the one real branching choice, and what actually happens at the end.
Included with Oblivion Remastered from launch · No level requirement to start
How to Start It
Roughly 24 in-game hours after you start playing, a message points you toward rumors of a strange island in Niben Bay, east of Bravil. There you'll find a monolithic three-faced statue with a glowing rift — this starts the quest A Door in Niben Bay.
Step through and you'll meet Haskill, Sheogorath's chamberlain, in an antechamber. Accept his offer to become the Prince's "champion" and you're dropped into The Fringe — a testing zone you have to cross before reaching New Sheoth proper (quest: Through the Fringe of Madness).
The Mania / Dementia Split
New Sheoth is split into two districts joined by the Sacellum Arden-Sul, whose flame indicates which side currently holds favor:
| District | Ruler | Guards |
|---|---|---|
| Bliss (Mania) | Thadon, Duke of Mania | Golden Saints |
| Crucible (Dementia) | Syl, Duchess of Dementia | Dark Seducers |
You'll end up joining both courts early in the main quest (see below) — the real choice between them comes later, not at first contact.
Main Questline — Full Order
| # | Quest | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Door in Niben Bay | Find the gate, meet Haskill |
| 2 | Through the Fringe of Madness | Cross the Fringe into New Sheoth |
| 3 | A Better Mousetrap | At Xedilian, activate the Resonator of Judgment using focus crystals from Grummite Shamans |
| 4 | Baiting the Trap | Decide the fate of trapped adventurers at Xedilian; reward is Dawnfang/Duskfang |
| 5 | Understanding Madness | Meet Thadon and Syl, join both courts, learn Summon Haskill |
| 6 | The Cold Flame of Agnon | Pick a side at Cylarne to relight the Great Torch; get faction-specific raiment |
| 7 | Ritual of Accession | The real branch point — see below |
| 8 | Retaking The Fringe | Defend against the Forces of Order — the Greymarch begins |
| 9 | Rebuilding the Gatekeeper | Recover and reassemble the Gatekeeper's parts |
| 10 | The Helpless Army | Rescue Golden Saints/Dark Seducers |
| 11 | Symbols of Office | Gather the Branch of the Tree of Shades and the Eye of Ciirta to forge the Staff of Sheogorath; reward includes Shadowrend |
| 12 | The Roots of Madness | Cleanse the Pools of Madness |
| 13 | The End of Order | Deactivate 2 Obelisks of Order, then fight Jyggalag one-on-one |
| 14 | The Prince of Madness | The ending — see below |
The Real Choice: Ritual of Accession
Quest 7 is where you actually pick a side, and it's permanent for that playthrough:
- Mania route: dose Duke Thadon with Greenmote until he dies, then bring his blood to the altar.
- Dementia route: kill Duchess Syl and bring her heart to the altar instead.
Whichever you choose, you become Duke or Duchess of that court and receive the Ring of Lordship. This locks you out of the other court's rank for that playthrough — there's no way to hold both titles at once.
The Ending: There's Only One
A common misconception is that the finale offers a choice between becoming the new Sheogorath or restoring Jyggalag as a separate outcome. In the base game, it doesn't — there's a single ending. After you defeat Jyggalag one-on-one in The End of Order (he wields a large claymore, uses shock/frost/health-drain attacks, and resists magic and paralysis — the Staff of Sheogorath from quest 11 disables his regeneration), his ghostly head appears in The Prince of Madness, explains the Greymarch cycle, and appoints you as the new Sheogorath before departing into Oblivion.
As the new Sheogorath you receive the Sword of Jyggalag, Sheogorath's regalia and powers (Manipulate Weather, Sheogorath's Protection), Golden Saint or Dark Seducer escorts, leveled gold from Isles settlements, and every Obelisk of Order deactivates — ending the Order invasions for good.
Standout Loot & Side Content
- Dawnfang/Duskfang — the unique Akaviri sword from Baiting the Trap. Deals fire damage as Dawnfang by day, frost damage as Duskfang by night, and self-repairs and recharges every day-night cycle. Kill 12+ enemies within any 12-hour window and your next transformation upgrades it to the Superior version, adding life-steal and Magicka absorption.
- Shadowrend — obtained alongside the Staff of Sheogorath in Symbols of Office.
- The Wabbajack — Sheogorath's iconic random-transformation staff. Technically a base-game Daedric artifact quest rather than part of the Shivering Isles main quest, but the expansion changes Sheogorath's dialogue and personality once installed, and Haskill takes over speaking for him after Symbols of Office — worth grabbing while you're in the Isles regardless.
- Notable side quests: Everything In Its Place, Ghosts of Vitharn, The Great Divide, Taxonomy of Obsession, and To Help A Hero, plus separate Bliss (Mania) and Crucible (Dementia) faction questlines for further court advancement.