17 years later, Starfield resurrects Oblivion's premier weapon store

Starfield brings back a beloved store from 17 years ago in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

That store would be 'The Best Defense,' originally found in Oblivion's Imperial City. All the way back in 2006, the armor store was an absolutely integral location in Oblivion, since it offered both light and heavy armor vendors, as well as trainers who could hone your skills in both light armor and as an armorer.

Starfield quietly resurrects this beloved location. The first screenshot below shows Bethesda's spacefaring RPG has its own version of The Best Defense, which you can find in HopeTown, while the second screenshot shows the lovely store in Oblivion, tucked away in the marketplace district of the Imperial City.

'The Best Defense' store makes a comeback in Starfield, 17 years later. from r/Starfield

The Best Defense never appeared in any other Elder Scrolls games, and as far as I'm aware, never popped up in any of the Fallout games either. Maybe Starfield's iteration of the store is owned by the great-great-great-great-great-grandchild of the original store's owners in Oblivion.

Another great thing about The Best Defense, back in the day, was that if one vendor ran out of gold, you could just go sell your wares to the other brother a few feet away. I seem to remember the brothers, one specializing in light armor and the other in heavy armor, were always trying to win the player over to using their type of armor. 

The Best Defense isn't even the only Oblivion throwback in Starfield's HopeTown. Remember the iconic Imperial Guards in The Elder Scrolls 4? Well their voice actor, Wes Johnson, plays none other than Ron Hope in Starfield, and you can immediately hear the same voice that yelled "Stop! You've violated the law!" somewhere in there.

Check out our Starfield Mantis secret outpost guide for a full walkthrough on how to become the Mantis yourself.