There are many mysterious creatures inhabiting the world ofOblivion,but few are as powerful and sinister as Shadowmere, the possibly-demonic horse players can earn by aiding the Dark Brotherhood. Shadowmere is one of the game’s best horses, her notoriety even earning her a role in the follow-up gameSkyrim.But, as revealed in a tech demo shown off at Unreal Fest 2025,The Witcher 4features a mount that may giveOblivionand Shadowmere a run for their money: Ciri’s supernatural and beautifully animated steed, Kelpie.
Shadowmere Is Memorable As One Of Oblivion and Skyrim’sBest Steeds
Shadowmereis a black mare of ambiguous supernatural origin belonging to the assassin Lucien Lachance. InOblivion,players can gain access to Shadowmere by completing the quest “The Purification.” She quickly gained popularity with the fandom due to her unique appearance and excellent stats, being one of the game’s fastest horses, able to aid players in combat but unable to be permanently killed.
Her popularityearned Shadowmere a second appearance inSkyrim, although this Shadowmere may be a different creature because he is referred to as a stallion. His first appearance in the game is heralded by the announcement “Behold, Shadowmere,” and he possesses a variety of powers, including teleportation, health regeneration and the ability to dramatically appear from pools of pure black water. Shadowmere’s popularity has only increased due to the memorability of his first appearance and the fact that his health regeneration allows players to use him as an exploit to train combat skills.
The Witcher 4’sKelpie Is A Worthy Successor To Shadowmere
The tech demo ofThe Witcher 4introduced fans to Kelpie, Ciri’s faithful mount who accompanies her on her travels. Kelpie immediately brings to mind the originalOblivionversion of Shadowmere, being a pure black mare who is known for her speed and agility. In Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novels, Kelpie even possessed a teleportation ability similar to that of Shadowmere - her rider Ciri was able to summon her by rubbing a magical bracelet.
While Kelpie’s origins in theWitchernovel seriesare mysterious, it is unlikely that she is quite as sinister as Shadowmere, as she is generally a benevolent figure who aids Cirithroughout her journey. In particular, her speed and ability to jump extremely high allow Ciri to escape when she is being chased by bounty hunters determined to capture her and return her to her father, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis of Nilfgaard. However, what is almost certain is that, like Shadowmere, Kelpie is far more than simply an ordinary horse.
Supernatural or supernatural-adjacent horses in video games are nothing new. Link’s steed Epona appears throughout generations to aid different incarnations of her rider, whileRed Dead Redemption’s John Marston is capable of obtaining and ridingfour horses belonging to the horsemen of the apocalypse(at least in theUndead NightmareDLC). Kelpie is also far from the first unusual horse to appear in theWitcherfranchise - Geralt’s mount Roach became a meme among fans for her ability to appear on rooftops, ledges, and other bizarre locations.
The Witcher 4is probably a way out from release, with no official release date announced as of now. However, gamers who are interested in riding a powerful, mysterious black horse can spend time with Shadowmere in therecently released remaster ofOblivion, which debuted in mid-2025 and brings the iconic horse back. While it’s unlikely the two horses will ever meet or interact, the similarities between Kelpie and Shadowmere are unmistakable - perhaps the first appearance of Ciri’s steed inThe Witcher 4will be announced with a declaration of “Behold, Kelpie!”
