Oblivion

The Ultimate Oblivion Guide for New and Returning Players

Table of Contents

Every Oblivion guide worth reading starts with one truth: this game rewards patience and punishes button-mashing. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion launched in 2006, yet it still draws thousands of new players each year. Whether someone boots it up for the first time or returns after a decade-long break, the experience can feel overwhelming. The open world stretches across Cyrodiil with hundreds of quests, dozens of dungeons, and a leveling system that confuses even veteran RPG fans.

This Oblivion guide breaks down everything players need to succeed. From character creation mistakes to avoid, to combat strategies that actually work, to hidden quests most players miss entirely, it’s all here. No fluff. Just practical advice that makes the game more fun.

Key Takeaways

This Oblivion guide recommends choosing major skills you won’t use constantly to avoid the infamous leveling problem where enemies scale faster than your character.
Don’t rush the main quest—Oblivion gates scale with player level, so completing them earlier means easier enemies and faster progression.
The guild questlines (Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Mages Guild) represent the best content in Oblivion and offer unique rewards like spell-making altars and the Skeleton Key.
Train Endurance-linked skills early since health gains are calculated based on your Endurance at each level-up.
Master overlooked mechanics like soul gem enchanting, alchemy for income, and sneak attacks (4x melee damage) to gain a significant advantage throughout the game.

Getting Started With Character Creation

Character creation in Oblivion determines far more than appearance. The race, birthsign, and class selections shape how the entire game plays out. Many players rush through this screen and regret it thirty hours later.

Race matters for starting stats and special abilities. Bretons get magic resistance. Redguards excel at combat with their Adrenaline Rush power. High Elves gain bonus magicka but take extra damage from magic. For a first playthrough, Imperials or Bretons offer solid, forgiving builds.

The class system trips up most newcomers. Oblivion uses major skills to calculate level-ups. Here’s the catch: leveling major skills too quickly without training minor skills leads to weak attribute gains. This Oblivion guide recommends choosing major skills the player won’t use constantly. Want to play a sword-wielding warrior? Consider making Blade a minor skill instead. It sounds backward, but it prevents the infamous “leveling problem” where enemies scale faster than the character.

Birthsigns provide permanent bonuses. The Atronach grants 150 bonus magicka and 50% spell absorption but prevents natural magicka regeneration. The Thief adds luck, agility, and speed. For beginners, The Lady birthsign offers +10 to Willpower and Endurance, a safe, effective choice.

Spend time on this screen. A well-built character makes Oblivion significantly more enjoyable.

Understanding the Main Quest and Storyline

The main quest begins in the Imperial City sewers. Emperor Uriel Septim dies. The player must find his illegitimate heir, Martin, and stop the Oblivion Crisis from destroying Cyrodiil. Daedric gates open across the land, spewing demons into the mortal world.

This Oblivion guide suggests a specific approach: don’t rush the main quest. The Oblivion gates that appear throughout Cyrodiil scale with player level. At low levels, they contain weak enemies and basic loot. At higher levels, the same gates feature tougher foes and better rewards.

The main storyline takes roughly 15-20 hours to complete. Key moments include infiltrating the Mythic Dawn cult, defending Bruma from a massive siege, and the final confrontation at the Imperial City. Martin Septim serves as both quest-giver and companion during several missions.

Players can ignore the main quest entirely after escaping the sewers. The world stays open. Oblivion gates won’t spawn until specific story triggers occur. Some players prefer clearing guilds and side content before touching the main storyline.

One tip: complete the main quest before reaching level 20. The final dungeons become tedious at higher levels due to enemy scaling.

Essential Tips for Combat and Leveling

Combat in Oblivion feels dated by modern standards, but smart tactics make fights manageable. Blocking reduces damage significantly. Timing a block just before impact staggers enemies, creating openings for counterattacks.

Magic users should invest in Destruction and Restoration schools. Custom spells allow creative combinations, a weakness-to-fire spell followed by a fireball deals massive damage. Conjuration summons provide excellent distractions during tough fights.

This Oblivion guide emphasizes efficient leveling. The game uses a “+5 attribute” system. Training skills tied to a specific attribute (Strength, Intelligence, etc.) determines bonus points at level-up. Training 10 points in Strength-based skills grants +5 Strength when leveling. Most players aim for +5 bonuses in two or three attributes per level.

Practical leveling advice:

Train Endurance-linked skills early. Health gains are retroactive based on Endurance at each level.
Use trainers for stubborn skills. Each level allows five paid training sessions.
Sleep regularly to trigger level-ups. Oblivion won’t force rest.

Enemy scaling means everything levels with the player. A bandit at level 1 wears fur armor. The same bandit at level 20 wears glass armor. This system keeps combat challenging but punishes unfocused builds.

Exploring the Best Side Quests and Guilds

The guild questlines represent Oblivion’s best content. The Dark Brotherhood offers assassination contracts with clever objectives. One mission requires killing a target using a mounted deer head. Another traps the player in a house with other assassins.

The Thieves Guild focuses on stealth and burglary. The final heist involves stealing an Elder Scroll from the Imperial Palace. It’s one of the most satisfying conclusions in the game.

The Fighters Guild and Mages Guild provide solid questlines with useful rewards. Completing the Mages Guild grants access to spell-making and enchanting altars. The Fighters Guild offers steady gold income through contracts.

This Oblivion guide highlights several standalone quests worth seeking:

Whodunit: A murder mystery party where the player eliminates guests one by one.
A Brush with Death: Enter a painted world to rescue an artist trapped inside his own creation.
Lifting the Vale: Involves a ghost ship and underwater exploration.
Paranoia: Help a delusional man in Skingrad, or exploit his fears.

Daedric shrine quests reward unique artifacts. Azura’s Star provides a reusable soul gem. The Skeleton Key from Nocturnal grants unbreakable lockpicks. These items remain useful throughout the entire game.

Must-Know Game Mechanics and Secrets

Several mechanics in Oblivion remain poorly explained. Understanding them transforms the experience.

Soul gems power enchantments. Capture souls using Soul Trap spells or enchanted weapons. Grand souls from powerful creatures create the strongest enchantments. Empty grand soul gems sell for around 500 gold: filled ones fetch thousands.

Alchemy generates massive income. Collect ingredients everywhere. Even simple potions like Restore Fatigue sell well. High-value potions include Damage Health (using Nightshade and Human Heart) and Fortify Intelligence.

The Speechcraft minigame confuses many players. Watch the NPC’s expression during each wedge of the persuasion wheel. Rotate to land high values on expressions they like and low values on expressions they dislike.

Hidden mechanics worth knowing: