So, the Oblivion Remaster finally happened. After years of blurry leaks and Microsoft court documents teasing us, Bethesda and Virtuos actually shadow-dropped the thing in April 2025. It’s been a wild ride. Most people jumped in for the nostalgia, wanting to see those potato faces updated with Unreal Engine 5 magic. But then they hit the "Tears of the Savior" quest.
Honestly? It's still the absolute worst.
Even with the 4K textures and the fancy new lighting that makes the Jerall Mountains look like a postcard, finding those tiny, translucent crystals in the snow is a nightmare. If you're currently standing in the middle of Frostfire Glade, losing your mind because you can only find four out of the five tears, you aren't alone. Half the player base is right there with you, staring at the ground like they lost a contact lens.
The Quest That Remastered Our Frustration
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, the "Tears of the Savior" quest starts exactly where you remember: the Leyawiin Mages Guild. S'drassa, a Khajiit with a very expensive hobby, wants you to find "Garridan’s Tears." These are the frozen remains of a hero who tried to save a forest from a literal god of destruction.
It sounds epic. It’s actually just a scavenger hunt for pixels.
The remaster didn't change the mechanics much, which is both a blessing and a curse. You still need Refined Frost Salts to even enter the hidden grove within Frostfire Glade. You can buy these from certain alchemy shops or just hunt down a Frost Atronach if you’re feeling spicy. Once you’re in the glade, the real "fun" begins. The area is constantly ticking down your health with frost damage, though the remaster has added a subtle blue vignette to your screen to let you know you're freezing to death.
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Where the Heck Are the Tears?
This is what everyone gets wrong. You expect a quest marker. You expect a glowing aura. Nope. Bethesda kept it old school. You have to find five tiny crystals scattered around the frozen figure of Garridan Melton in the center of the glade.
Here is exactly where they are—prose style, because a list wouldn't capture the chaos:
One of them is usually sitting right on a rock near the frozen statues. It's the easiest one to spot because it’s slightly elevated. Two more are generally tucked into the snow at the base of the central ice formation. Then there’s the one that everyone misses—it's often hidden under a fallen log or partially clipped into a patch of frozen grass. The fifth one? It’s usually a bit further out, near a tree or a small rock outcrop away from the main cluster.
In the 2025 remaster, the Unreal Engine 5 lighting actually makes this harder sometimes. The way the light bounces off the snow creates so much glare that the tears blend in perfectly. Pro tip: Switch to first-person mode. It’s the only way to keep your sanity.
Why People Are Quitting the Remaster
Alinea Analytics recently dropped a report that's kind of shocking. Apparently, over 50% of people who bought the remaster on PS5 played for less than 15 hours. A huge chunk of that drop-off happens right around the mid-game quests like this one.
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It’s the "nostalgia wall." You remember the game being amazing, but you forget that 2006 game design was occasionally meant to be punishing. Without mod support on consoles—a huge miss for this release—you can’t just install a "Glowier Quest Items" mod. You’re stuck with the raw, unfiltered experience.
The performance issues haven't helped either. Even though it looks gorgeous, the remaster has some weird micro-stuttering on PC when you’re in high-foliage areas like the Great Forest. In Frostfire Glade, the particle effects from the falling snow can tank your FPS if you aren't running at least a mid-range card from the last two years.
How to Beat "Tears of the Savior" Without Breaking Your Controller
If you want to actually finish this and get S'drassa's gold, you need a plan. Don't just run in there.
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- Bring the right potions: S'drassa will actually give you some "Phials of Frostward" if you talk to him after getting the salts. Use them. They sell for a lot, but they’re worth more as a way to stop your health bar from evaporating.
- Night Eye is your friend: If you have a spell or a potion for Night Eye, use it. It flattens the lighting and makes the blue crystals pop against the white snow.
- Telekinesis works: Believe it or not, you can use Telekinesis to "scan" the ground. If your reticle changes, you've found a tear.
- Don't use Fireballs: If you get into a fight with the Frost Guardian in the glade, do not use explosive spells. You will send the tears flying into the geometry, and they might never come back.
What’s Next for Cyrodiil?
While the official remaster is what most people are playing, the Skyblivion team is still chugging away. Their fan-made remake is slated for a 2026 release, and honestly? It might be the "fix" people are looking for. They're rebuilding the game in the Skyrim engine, which handles quest markers and item visibility a lot better than the old Oblivion backend.
But for now, the official remaster is the king of the hill. It’s got all the DLC—yes, even the Horse Armor—and the Shivering Isles looks absolutely mental with modern shaders.
If you’re stuck on "Tears of the Savior," take a breath. Walk away from the screen for a minute. When you go back, crouch down, look for that tiny shimmer in the snow, and remember: at least you aren't trying to do this on a 480p tube TV like we did in 2006.
To get through the rest of the Mages Guild questline, focus on leveling your Restoration early. The difficulty spikes in the later "Recommendation" quests can be brutal if your sustain is low. Once you've cleared the glade, head back to Leyawiin and grab your reward—it scales with your level, so if you're over level 20, you're looking at a very nice payday.