Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

[Shoeberto]

I never enjoyed Oblivion quite as much as I did Fallout. Maybe some mods would change it for me, but it all just seemed too... repetitive, at times. This is after logging about 50 hours on a character, without coming anywhere close to even beating the main quest. I got really tired of dungeons where I had to meticulously prepare for even the most basic of encounters or risk being totally dominated.

Maybe someone can tell me if I'm doing it wrong. I don't even remember what my class was, now, but anymore I have almost no ambition to revisit Cyrodiil. On the other hand, I crave revisiting the DC Wasteland almost monthly. Someone should explain to me what I need to fix and then I'll start a new char!

Ah man. Load up a game, make a character and save it before you exit the sewer. Then tell me everything about your character and I will adjust him to make him awesome for your preferences.

I basically always do sneaky/subterfuge type chars in games like that. Being able to crit kill somebody and sneak back into the darkness is always a pleasure, as is being able to talk my way out of situations. I tried to focus my previous char on that, but it didn't pan out nearly as well as I had hoped (not like FO3, basically)

I guess what I'd really like is to be able to both sneak and kill monsters efficiently, without constantly having to backtrack to either chug potions or wait for my MP to recharge to use low-level heal spells. If y'all can offer advice on a good build to go with for that, I'd be much obliged.

[Quindiana Jones]

Righto. Well, first things first is to take into consideration Race, Gender and Birthsign. Gender does affect some things, but not so much that you'd care if you're not going for some uber character thing. Same goes for Race, to be honest. I usually go for Breton, because they have a massive resistance for magicka which is always useful. However, they suffer damages to useful stealth abilities like Agility as they are more magic based (though I never use mages in Oblivion). You could pick the Dark Elf (Dunmer) as they have a Speed boost and other effects that could be useful (+10 Blade, +5 Light Armour etc.). As well as this is the Bosmer, who has Agility bonuses and a Sneak bonus too. The best for stealth will always be the Khajiit however, as they are pretty much the stealth option - bonuses for all stealth skills, and some nifty Nighteye tricks and Scarey Bastard Face move which allows you to scare off people. So, if a sneak attack fails, you can roar at them and run away basically. Having said that, it still has little effect when the game gets started. Like I said, I'm usually a Breton yet I love stealth killing from a distance with my bow. Do bear in mind that Bretons start with a Agility and Speed penalty, which is pretty wank for a stealth character (though easily remedied by A) levelling up and B) investing in the Sneak skill).

The Thief would understandably be your main choice for Birthsign. To be honest, it's one of only a few Birthsigns worth a glance. Another is The Mage, which just gives you a big old boost to magicka. There are plenty of brilliant spells in Oblivion, and it's always useful to be able to have some spare magic at hand. Thieves will love the Chameleon and Invisibility spells most, but there are so many that work well.

The foundations mean very little to be honest. I'm usually a Breton with The Mage because it gives magnificent starting bonuses. I then customise the character to how I want to play the game after that with Skills.

As a stealthy character, you'll definitely want Sneak (assuming you want to level up well). As well as this, you want a combat one: Blade, Blunt or Hand-to-Hand. My general preference is Blade. They usually do better damage at a faster pace. Plus you can get some mean bastard daggers in this game which are just made for assassinations! If you like the ranged aspect of murder, then you'll want Marksman, although it's quite difficult to raise. Fun though, so it kinda evens out. Security is always an option, though after one level 14 quest, you're pretty much made for that so it's not necessarily a good option for levelling or for practicality. You'll want to pick Light Armour as a higher skill too. As a stealth type, you want to make as little noise as possible and heavy boots affects this. Although, to be honest, Sbeak takes care of this at....I think Expert level, possibly Journeyman. And no matter which you choose, by 100 both Heavy Armour and Light Armour weigh nothing and give you the same benefits. Though you'll probably not want to bother raising it that high! xD

So, we have Sneak, Marksman, Blade and Light Armour. There's your combat skills done. Next, simply to make the game a little easier and less frustrating, it's good to get some support skills. You could make Alchemy a major skill, as this would allow you quicker access to higher tier poisons but...well, waste of time really. Instead of Alchemy, you may want to choose Illusion as this is where all the Chameleon and Invisibility spells lie. As well as this, they have Calm and Demoralize effect spells to keep you alive in a rough situation. Bear in mind you can raise all these without them being major skills, which is actually what I usually do. Armorer is extremely useful. If you pick it as a major skill and repair your own stuff, then by the time you're far enough into the game to be getting some decent enchanted items, your Armorer should be about 50, meaning you will be able to repair them. Which is nice. Block is also highly beneficial for general purposes, though is significantly less useful if you don't use a shield.

Your Specialization will be Stealth. No point doing anything else.

So, for a pure Stealth character I would advise either Khajiit or Bosmer under the Birthsign of The Thief with a Specialization in Stealth. Their Major Skills would be Armorer, Blade, Block, Illusion, Light Armor, Marksman and Sneak. This will provide a pretty magnificent foundation for a Stealth character, and should cover a good handful of negatives to a pure Stealth character.

Though I will promote my style a little more, because it's awesome. xD

Breton under The Mage. 50% Resist Magicka and a permanent increase of your Magicka from the get go of 50 points. Sure, he seems like a mage build and has negative stealth stats (-10 Speed and Agility are a little poor, and the fact that he has basically no bonuses for Stealth skills is also a nuisance), but it's such a solid foundation that you can do anything with him. The Magicka increase is insanely useful and will certainly keep you alive or at least powered up for a little longer. I usually pick the same skills as I suggested with the Bosmer, as it gives you a good all-round character with a focus on stealth. You won't end up getting savaged to death, hopefully!

I had a little Google about, and I found this fella', which may be useful if you want to have a look at stat bonuses and the like before making any decisions.

The most important thing to consider really is that the game is supposed to be fun. No matter what gender, race, specialization, birthsign or skills you choose, you can always do whatever you want. Minor skills levels up pretty much as well as major skills, and it doesn't affect anything other than you level anyway. It's more about how you play the game itself than how you start it, though a good foundation is always useful.

If you have anything else to ask, feel free to PM me.

[Unbreakable Will]

^ Damn, if I have any Oblivion Q&A I'll be sure to talk to Quin from now on xD

[Shoeberto]

That... is far more than I would've expected! I might make a char based on your build, just to see how it goes xD Thanks for the tips!

[Iceglow]

Quin's wall of awesome

Quite agreed however you forget another brilliant class option.

Argonian Assassin (or as I call it a game breaker). The Argonians are a lizard race which have natural resistance to poison and disease they can also being amphibious breathe underwater meaning you can if attacked by surface creatures jump in to the nearest big lake and dive down, if they follow you can out wait or even swim up under them and stab them in their vunerable areas with a poison dagger.

Now, heres somethings to point out:

Argonians unfortunately have some weaknesses and strengths vary depending on the gender of the character. Males get a boost to their agility and speed at a cost to willpower, endurance and personality whereas females get a boost to intel whilst losing their endurance and personality. IMHO go with a male Argonian, endurance can be complimented with armour and the training of their alchemy skill to create healing potions as well as strong poisons. The idea here is literally, strike and then let your toxins do their work. Poison is more of a necessity than an optional advantage. Couple this with the penchant the Oblivion world has for lakes and flooded parts of dungeons hiding is easier than you'd think.

Blades and perhaps raise your marksman skill some for weaponry this is all you really need, get a nice bow and practice some shots using cheap ammo on deer and other creatures you find what are harmless to you. This will allow you to train freely. (well excluding the cost of broken arrows/bolts) but definitely when killing dangerous things utilize poison on your weapons, whether designed to slow them down or kill them poison will give you valuble time to flee, evade hits and get your digs in first.

The male Argonian character can seriously deal some damage if you're clever and utilize him properly, the biggest downside is that you cannot rest underwater even though it cannot kill you. Therefore to heal will require going on dry land if you do not wish to use your potions or any magicka you learn.

[Quindiana Jones]

I have the Wizard's Tower DLC (I think that's what it's called), so I often make my own weapons. For this reason, I never really bother with poisons. However, an epic Weakness to Poison Bow coupled with poisoned arrows could do some impressive damage. This may even kill a foe outright, though at the very least they're going to be significantly easier to defeat when you hit them in the face with your sword. I spent a shameful amount of my life figuring out the perfect weapons for my play style, but I can't for the life of me remember what they were.

Also, this thread makes me want to play Morrowind. Never done so before.

But seriously, if anybody does have any questions about...pretty much anything, I'll be happy to help. I'm a total fangirl and love talking about Oblivion haha.

[Shoeberto]

Well, my Breton Kickinbutt (custom class name, ofc) has already been far more fun than my previous Half-elf Suckadick or whatever he was. Good lookin' out, Quin.

[VexNet]

I was also one who started playing it long after it's release, initially I think I put it off for so long because I found the graphics really ugly looking, but after playing through fallout 3 and going out to get the oblivion/bioshock double pack I realised I had missed out on so much. I totally immersed myself into the world and the Many sidequests, really great stuff. Still playing through it now, loving it.

[ANGRYWOLF]

I have the Wizard's Tower DLC (I think that's what it's called), so I often make my own weapons. For this reason, I never really bother with poisons. However, an epic Weakness to Poison Bow coupled with poisoned arrows could do some impressive damage. This may even kill a foe outright, though at the very least they're going to be significantly easier to defeat when you hit them in the face with your sword. I spent a shameful amount of my life figuring out the perfect weapons for my play style, but I can't for the life of me remember what they were.

Also, this thread makes me want to play Morrowind. Never done so before.

But seriously, if anybody does have any questions about...pretty much anything, I'll be happy to help. I'm a total fangirl and love talking about Oblivion haha.

as well barely touched...

Oh well maybe I'll get to it after replaying Baldur's Gate 2....

[Unbreakable Will]

I do have one skill training option; anyone familiar with the Everscamp quest? It's 'Whom Gods Annoy' or something of the like. Kill those suckers til your fingers bleed for skill levels.

[Psychotic]

Hey Quin help me out here. I want to score with Else God-Hater because she is smurfin' FIIIIIIIIIINE so just any tips on that would be great. Thanks.

[Madame Adequate]

2007 February «

The above is require reading. Don't care if you've never played Oblivion or you don't like long internet things. So help me god you will read the entire smurfing thing and you'll be so pleased you did.

He even updated it recently, after like a 15 month hiatus!

Hey Quin help me out here. I want to score with Else God-Hater because she is smurfin' FIIIIIIIIIINE so just any tips on that would be great. Thanks.

Well, first, find out what she hates

[Quindiana Jones]

Just go up to her and be all "God damn, those Gods are freaking arseholes..." and then tell her all about your NotN adventures, missing out the helpful revival etc.. You'll be knee deep in blasphemous gash in no time.

[Unbreakable Will]

Just go up to her and be all "God damn, those Gods are freaking arseholes..." and then tell her all about your NotN adventures, missing out the helpful revival etc.. You'll be knee deep in blasphemous gash in no time.