This is just a little article on how I play Oblivion. Little tricks and strategies that I use that may help someone else out there. Even though I play on PC most of this can be applied to console. I will update this once in awhile with new information as I find it. Enjoy!
IntroductionEdit
Everyone plays Oblivion differently. Some people like to use cheats and/or exploits, and others do not. This page used to be about nothing but how to exploit the game on the Xbox 360; how to master item duplicating, permanent enchantments, and every other exploit that I knew. Then I played Oblivion on the PC and it changed my life. Now, with the console and construction set, basically I could do anything I wanted. So I played for a while as a god character with god items and equipment and it was good. After all that I have learned many things and have decided to share some helpful tips that others might not be aware of.
That being said, this page is only for Oblivion, even though I'm writing this after the release of Skyrim. I was disappointed with Skyrim and still prefer oblivion and Fallout 3 over Skyrim. That is all I will say on that matter.
The way I play now is a sort of what the UESP might call "semi-natural". It is mostly legit play with minimal console command use. It will be further explained on this page so read on to learn something!
Also note my version of Oblivion appears to be 1.2.0416, NOT patched by the Unofficial Oblivion Patch.
Using Console CommandsEdit
Before I get into any deep gameplay aspects, I'm going to explain how I use the console. The console can be good for taking care of small game issues such as left over quest items that you can't drop. However, it can be very easy to abuse the console.
What I try to avoid with console commands
- Increasing ANY stats.
- Giving myself any items/weapons/gold.
- Unlocking locked doors.
- tgm abuse.
- tcl abuse.
Now there are a lot more console commands but these are the big ones. Increasing stats through console takes the fun away, as well as unlocking doors without using my own skill (personally I never even use the skeleton key and always give it to Martin for the "Blood of the Daedra" quest). As for weapons/armor/items/gold, what is the point of doing quests and getting rewarded these things if I can just reward myself for typing in the console?
TGM and TCL abuse are very, very bad things that completely take away the realism in Oblivion. To TGM all the time reduces the challenge of combat to 0, while to TCL all the time reduces the challenge (and FUN) of cave exploration to 0. Also, with TGM, armor does not take damage, so I can't raise my favorite skill, Armorer!
However, I do use TGM and TCL myself occasionally. More often TCL, if I get stuck such as between a rock and a hard place, or sometimes to scout ahead. In the Fighter's Guild quest "The Desolate Mine", I'll TCL through the locked door before delivering the fighter's weapons, then I'll take care of all the goblins except for one, then I tcl back through the door and give their weapons, after which they'll run off and kill the last goblin. This way, I'll get most of the experience for killing the goblins, and can do it at my own pace (raising sneak is a lot easier if there's not a group of warriors running around killing everything). Also ensures that none of them die the embarrassing death of being killed by goblins. Keep in mind that the only time I TCL here is through the door, as soon as I'm through I turn clipping right back on.
I also like to close every gate I see, as soon as I see it appear on my map I like to take care of it so I won't go crazy later in the game re-visiting found gates until I find one that I haven't closed. But considering there are 60 gates to close sometimes it can get a little repetitive. If I'm in the middle of something else and don't feel like being distracted by a gate, I'll enter it, TCL, then run straight to the sigil stone. I don't do this very often, I'd say maybe once out of every 10 or so gates found.
Similarly, if I'm annoyed or want to quickly get a quest or cave over with, I'll use TGM. I might also use it if I feel severely over-powered. I don't like to mess with the difficulty slider very often (I keep it a little bit above default). I try not to use it for too long, usually just until I'm cleared of a cave or quest, and I don't use this one very often either.
Of course there are also ways to use the console "positively". As previously stated, you can remove quest items that you can't drop after the quest is over. Also, using some commands may help if you're deep into some serious glitches or bugs (completequest for example). I am indifferent to use of the Spell making and Enchanting functions through console. I just put them in my custom house in-game and use it that way, just as free but with a little more hassle.
I'm also guilty of using the console to change stats. Just fame and infamy. It's unfair how infamy can be reset through gameplay but fame cannot. I like to remain a True Mortal.
And there are many more console commands to have fun with. My point here is that there is a time for commands, but they should not be abused. The game wasn't actually meant to be played while using ANY console commands. Keep that in mind and try to keep it minimal.
CombatEdit
General combat tips.
- Don’t Spaz! Something I've noticed when I watch other people play Oblivion (and even Skyrim) they get into a battle and it looks like they're having a seizure. Their character is looking all over the place swinging wildly and spinning like crazy. This is hard to watch. Especially for a game where there are so many battles to be had. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to get excited about a fight in this game, but you should still be able to control your character and fight properly. If you're just flailing around, you're not going to be able to fight efficiently. You should be able to fight multiple enemies at once, maneuvering and attacking quickly, while defending yourself and switching to magic when needed both offensively and defensively. You can do this better if you are calm and focused. If you take pride in your character, you should also take pride in their fighting style and don't make them look like a spaz!
- Know the Enemy and be Prepared! This one sounds like common sense, right? But there is more to it than just following it the way it sounds. Too many times I've rushed into battle unprepared only to die and lose several hours of gameplay. Know the enemies' patterns. What will they do when they first see you? If you stay long range? If you get in close? What are they weak against? Know the answers to these questions, then ask the same about yourself: What will you do when/if the see you? What will you do if they stay long range or if they get close? What are you weak against and how might they hurt you? Always have a plan. If they're weak against magic, perhaps a strong offensive with magic in lieu of any strong defense. Or if you know it's going to be a long, drawn out fight ready some curative magic and a good shield. This of course depends on how you play and what skills you prefer, but eventually you'll learn the enemies’ patterns if you study them and play long enough. (BTW I'd just like to say that I HATE conjurers! The summon a zombie, get back to a safe distance then smack you with destruction magic, and if you get too close to them they run like bitches, even if you run away from them and they come after you!!!)
6x Sneak Bonus with Arrows?!Edit
Not entirely sure if this is mentioned elsewhere on the UESP, although I'm sure it is. You can do 6x the damage with arrows instead of the normal 3x. First, hotkey your bow to any hotkey you wish. Equip it and make sure you are a decent distance away from your target (med-long to long) and make sure that they cannot see you. Now fire your arrow and immediately un-equip it by pressing its hotkey button (you might have to tap the hotkey button a few times or hold it down as there is a small amount of time after you fire that you will get the message that you can't change weapons while attacking. Just try it a few times to get the timing down). If you did it right, instead of 3x, it should say 6x sneak attack bonus.
Note 1: If you are a Novice in Sneak, bows normally only do 2x damage and will do 4x damage with this trick.
Note 2: You can also switch to a one-handed weapon instead of un-equipping your bow.
Note 3: When the arrow hits the target, experience gained will count towards your marksman skill, even though you are no longer holding the bow.
Note 4: You don't have to use hotkeys, you can fire your weapon, quickly bring up your Inventory menu in the Journal (make sure the arrow firing animation is over so you won't get the "can't change..." message), un-equip the bow or equip a one-handed weapon, then exit the journal all before the arrow hits. Hotkeying is much simpler IMO.
Legitimately Breaking the Level CapEdit
This one I know is mentioned on the UESP, probably where I got the idea. Basically just get in trouble with the law from time to time. Your major skills will go down but the experience towards leveling will stay the same. This one is pretty simple to understand so I don't think I'll need to explain it any further.
I will however say that going to jail for a little while is doubly advantageous. I read somewhere, most likely on the UESP that over time you will accumulate some assaults if you carry out some sneak attacks on human enemies (and I can confirm this). I forget what specifically this little problem was affecting, but basically it confuses the game by amassing all of these assaults that you're not getting a bounty for because they are not really crimes. Doing some time apparently clears this "cache" of assaults.
Note: From the Crime article: "you will not receive a bounty if no high responsibility NPCs observe it (for example, attacking a Necromancer in a cave before they attack you will not result in a bounty)." You will still however have an assault added to your journal.
Hope that wasn't too confusing.
LevelingEdit
There are already a ton of other tutorials and information on power leveling, so I will not go into everything here. When I play, for my major skills I pick a few of my favorite combat skills, and a few that I would use less frequently and that are harder to level up (such as restoration), and the somewhat passive skill athletics. This gives a somewhat steady rate of leveling up. I like to be around the level 7-21 range for a while, once you get too strong your character is pretty much a god, even without cheating.
There is one trick that I would like to share is how you can level multiple skills simultaneously. You will have to work out the timing yourself, but it's basically as follows:
- Conjure a monster.
- Adjust the difficulty slider to where you can kill your summon in 3 hits (they can be sneak attacks or not, doesn't matter).
- Repeat using different weapons.
- Repair your weapons after a while!
Seems pretty simple, but timing can make this an amazing little trick. For your summon, try to create a spell that will allow him to exist just long enough for you to get the three hits in. That will lower the magicka needed, and make it so that by the time you carry out the third hit, all the magicka lost will be replenished. If everything is timed out perfectly, you could stand there all day repeatedly summoning and raising skills.
Note 1: I use a three hit limit because after your third hit the enemy will turn on you and attack. Might be okay if you want to also raise your block and/or armor skills.
Note 2: You can also hit the enemy three times with destruction before they turn.
Permanent Bound Weapons and Armor!Edit
Another well-known glitch, this one I like quite a bit. I used it a lot when I played on 360, so maybe that's why I am more willing to use this. It's better than just consoling one for yourself though. Bound weapons weight nothing, and the bound sword has the highest base damage of most swords. If you don't know how to do this one, it's surprisingly simple: conjure up a bound weapon or armor, damage it, repair it, then drop it and wait until the timer runs out. Now you can pick it up again and it will never go away.
Note 1: You can conjure a bound weapon or armor in any way, cast from your spell list, use a scroll, or - probably the easiest way - find a rune stone. If you find a rune stone, you will not have to spend any gold on a scroll or a spell (and you can keep your spells list clean).
Note 2: You can damage bound bows and bound boots without entering combat. Simply firing the bow a few times will bring its health down. For the boots, a damaging jump or two should break them a little, just don't kill yourself!
Note 3: You CAN NOT drop the bound item until it has been damaged and repaired. When you enter a battle to damage the item, keep in mind that you have to repair and drop it before the timer runs out, and because you can't repair with enemies close by, you'll have to defeat the ones you've initiated battle with in the first place, or get far enough away from them. If you're getting them by rune stones, you can run to a nearby cave or look for a nearby enemy. Or you can get an enemy on your tail before even activating the rune stone.
Note 4: You will not be able to collect every type of bound weapon and armor just from rune stones. One stone gives either a bound mace or a bound sword depending on which base level you have raised higher, so it's advisable that you get these early on when it's easier to raise one higher than the other to meet your needs. Also, bound armor, although it all looks like heavy daedric, some of it is light. This can be a good thing however for leveling in both light and heavy at the same time. You will most likely end up replacing all of the armor and weapons with stronger equipment as you play, even more of a reason to go for this early on.
Unofficial Oblivion PatchEdit
I would stay far away from this if I were you. I've personally never used it, and I'm sure it fixes a lot of things, but I've been browsing the UESP before and reading about something, then at the bottom of the page a note that "This has been fixed by the Unofficial Oblivion Patch". Some of these things that say they've been "fixed" seem to not even be a bug at all; in fact some of these issues seem to have been intentional. So I'm sure it's a great project with lots of support and followers, but in my Oblivion experience, there isn't any problem that Bethesda hasn't already addressed that is so severe that you can't fix it yourself through the console.