Oblivion...so like... where do I go??

[hipnotyq]

Hey, just bought Oblivion for my 360. I got through the cave and now I have no idea where I'm supposed to go or what to do. Right now I'm wandering around in this huge city... am I doing something wrong here? I've never played an Elder Scrolls game, usually I play RPG's that give you more direction (like NWN/Fallout) but everyone raves about Oblivion so I wanna play through it.

[MaxTheSilent]

You could do what I did and ignore the main quest for as long as possible. I wandered, levelled-up and quested for weeks until I was practically invincible. Then I finished the main quest in about 2 days.

But if you want specifics I recommend going a little south of the Prison Sewers and finding Wellspring Cave. Clear it out of any enemies then use that cave as your base of operations. If you're over-burdened or low on health you can just go here to dump off items and sleep to recharge.

The best (and most fun) way to level-up is to go through as many caves, mines and forts as you can find. Sneak around and build up your stealth.

[siraim]

They should have told you that you needed to return a necklace or a something or other to a priest NW of the main city. It should be in your quest journal.

The interface in oblivion was a little clunky but the quest journal usually functions.

[hipnotyq]

They should have told you that you needed to return a necklace or a something or other to a priest NW of the main city. It should be in your quest journal.

The interface in oblivion was a little clunky but the quest journal usually functions.

ah, thank you :)

[lovablerascal]

Follow the waypoints on the small map.. right? I havent played it in a couple months.. :p If I were you I'd just do some exploring. I'm envious of you since you still have such a huge world to explore.

[masherscf]

Go to this website for hints.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion

You need to pull up your active quests and select "Find the Heir."

You should get a pointer for Weyon Priory. You can selects the priory in the map and fast travel there. You should speak to Jaffre. Have fun.

You should level-up a bit at some point. Join an appropriate guild and such. Oblivion will get harder as you level up, so be careful how you do it.

[hipnotyq]

oh... the game's monsters level up with you?

[MaxTheSilent]

Of course, they do.

If you get good enough at sneaking and picking goblins off unseen you'll get invited to join the Dark Brotherhood guild, which is the best quest of the game.

Shame they couldn't release a DB expansion.

[volatile]

Hey guys, I'm a bit of a loser and don't have an Xbox 360. I really want this game for the PC, but I'm very wary of getting the PC version of games after Splinter Cell: Double Agent (I hear it's great on the 360, but I wouldn't know since it's impossible to get up and running well on a PC.) Is the PC version of Oblivion...functional? Like, does it work well, and is it glitchy at all? Because I really want this game, it looks like a lot of fun. But I don't want to waste money on a crappy port (and one that can't be returned, at that.)

Thanks, and sorry for the thread hijack.

[hipnotyq]

Hey guys, I'm a bit of a loser and don't have an Xbox 360. I really want this game for the PC, but I'm very wary of getting the PC version of games after Splinter Cell: Double Agent (I hear it's great on the 360, but I wouldn't know since it's impossible to get up and running well on a PC.) Is the PC version of Oblivion...functional? Like, does it work well, and is it glitchy at all? Because I really want this game, it looks like a lot of fun. But I don't want to waste money on a crappy port (and one that can't be returned, at that.)

Thanks, and sorry for the thread hijack.

yeah I've heard that the PC version of Oblivion is better than 360 (if your computer can handle it) plus you can download mods and stuff (so the guards don't automatically know when you've stolen something or killed someone when they're not around)

[MaxTheSilent]

Well while we're talking about OBLIVION, can someone tell exactly when and how to get out of the Shivering Isles?

Do you have to finish every damn quest before you can go back?

[gi_josh]

I'm definitely gonna have to pick this game up with my post christmas funds, I've too many good things about it for too long.

[lrsk]

I beat this game after about 80 hrs of play. I was a Nord Fighter I think. I am wondering if the game can really be beat by being a pure thief or something like that. What class etc did everyone use? And do you guys think that it is possible to stealth, sneak you way through they game?

[cyber34]

I think Vanilla Oblivion is Trash in the Long Run. I tried playing it and eventually there's just so many problems with the game.

After installing a few mods (Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul and like 20 other smaller ones, things like potions sorters, putting all your keys into a chain, ability to drop torches, really dark nights etc.) the game I found to be a hilariously good time. OOO adds in a few hundred items and tweaks so many things (fists are useful with it for example). There's no infinite scaling either, so guards won't always kick your ass. Here's the trailer for the mod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBKjLxVJKRg

[masherscf]

I beat this game after about 80 hrs of play. I was a Nord Fighter I think. I am wondering if the game can really be beat by being a pure thief or something like that. What class etc did everyone use? And do you guys think that it is possible to stealth, sneak you way through they game?

I've beat the game as a pure fighter, pure mage and pure thief. I've also played three other hybrid classes. Oblivion is not hard because th difficulty is pegged to the level. Indeed, since you have to sleep to level up, It's actually really easy to finish the game without ever rising above level 2. Your skill continue to improve, but because you never level-up the monsters stay wimpy. Once you master the art of leveling properly, you'll always be more powerful than the opponents.

The pure-mage is defiantly the most powerful class because of the spells and the access to the arcane university for enchanting. It's possible to make a 100% chameleon suite that makes the game actually trivial because none of the enemies ever see you.

My latest character was a custom class I called Mage-sniper. It's basically stealth class with illusion and alteration. With the ability to enchant weapons your can add shield enchantments to your light armour that makes it better than any Deadric heavy armour. With high sneak and chameleon charms like the ring of Khajeet, you can basically walk through the hardest levels.

My pure fighter ended up with 85 armor class, 75% reflect damage and 50% reflect spell damage. I stopped playing him because the character was so unchallanging that I didn't even have to fight back anymore. The enemies damaged themselves more than me.

The stealth classes and the Mage classes are just as powerful as the fighter class.

The wood-elf Thief class can become nearly unstoppable with the right enchantments. (skeleton key, ring of Khajeet, Cowl of Nocturnal)

The high-elf mage is a rocket launcher with legs.

Yes, I play this game way too much.

The game is really glitchy and there are a lot of exploits to make super characters.

Of course, they do.

If you get good enough at sneaking and picking goblins off unseen you'll get invited to join the Dark Brotherhood guild, which is the best quest of the game.

Shame they couldn't release a DB expansion.

In the XBOX 360 version, you have to murder an NPC. This is delicate since nearly every NPC is involved as a trainer, merchant or side quest player. It's possible to kill an ally during combat and get a murder charge that will initiate the DB missions. I liked the DB missions but they aren't very profitable and you don't enhance skills that you need to finish the other main quests. You also need pretty strong stealth skills or you'll never achieve the bonuses.

The fighters guild are the most profitable. The final theives' guild mission is one of the most elaborate and fun quests. The thieves' guild quests are nearly a game unto themselves.

[lrsk]

Alright! I might have to pick this game back up!

[masherscf]

Here's an interesting idea I read online. I've never tried it.

You make a custom class who's major skills are ones you never plan to use. This seems kind of stupid until you realize that you're character will level up very slowly. You only level-up by improving your major skills. The effect of this approach is a character who is really weak at the beginning, but gets stronger gradually. But, since your level up slowly, the monsters never get harder. The long-term effect is a fairly easy ride through the final stages. It's an exploit to be sure, but not without a certain challenge.

One thing about Oblivion. Once you've maxed out all your major skills or attributes, you stop leveling. That means the higher your major skills or attributes are to begin with, the weaker your character will max-out. The weaker your character is at the beginning the more powerful you will be when you max-out.

[volatile]

I just watched some gameplay footage, and usually I hate these kinds of games (not a huge MMO fan...watching my dad play Asheron's Call some years ago...blah.) but I'm very intrigued. It's probably a game I'll pick up. It seems to be pretty clear that both versions are fine so long as you have the hardware for the PC. Accurate?

Thanks for the input hipnotyq.

[masherscf]

Oblivion is like first-person, fantasy role playing, grand-theft-auto. No whores though.

[cyber34]

Here's an interesting idea I read online. I've never tried it.

You make a custom class who's major skills are ones you never plan to use. This seems kind of stupid until you realize that you're character will level up very slowly. You only level-up by improving your major skills. The effect of this approach is a character who is really weak at the beginning, but gets stronger gradually. But, since your level up slowly, the monsters never get harder. The long-term effect is a fairly easy ride through the final stages. It's an exploit to be sure, but not without a certain challenge.
That's actually a very common thing to do, why would anyone not do it? Especially in a max difficulty game.

Again I say OOO fixes so many problems, one being the scaling, nothing has infinite scaling, everything starts and stops at a certain point (the arena fights are 100% fixed for example, while goblins get weak pretty quickly).

I don't see how that's an exploit in the least, it's just making your char more powerful in the long run from tactically choosing your skills.

[deegraww]

Well while we're talking about OBLIVION, can someone tell exactly when and how to get out of the Shivering Isles?

Do you have to finish every damn quest before you can go back?

I actually downloaded this on my new x-box and lost my first Elder scrolls files so I had to start fresh. What I want to know is how do I get into shivering Isles?

[masherscf]

I don't see how that's an exploit in the least, it's just making your char more powerful in the long run from tactically choosing your skills.

Not an exploit. It's just not the way they intended.

Since I play the 360 version, I'm stuck with the house rules.

[hipnotyq]

update:
so wow, this is the first time i've actually played the game for more than an hour. I went through all the gladiator missions and became grand champion, I was indicted into the thieves guild but i haven't done any missions yet and I'm about half way through the dark brotherhood missions right now (just got turned into a vampire lol i figured what the hell)

[masherscf]

update:
so wow, this is the first time i've actually played the game for more than an hour. I went through all the gladiator missions and became grand champion, I was indicted into the thieves guild but i haven't done any missions yet and I'm about half way through the dark brotherhood missions right now (just got turned into a vampire lol i figured what the hell)

Being a Vampire seriously blows. Make sure to inquire about the quest for a cure ASAP. It's a long complected sub-quest. Alternatively, you can get the vile-lair expansion pack that makes being a vampire much easier. Plus, the 2000 spending limit guy isn't bad either.

After you started this thread, I started a new character. Just a Combat class with major skills of Blade, Heavy Armour, Block, Armourer, Athletics, Speech craft and Mercantile. Pretty much all you need for a simple hack and slasher.

I decided to ignore all the side quests and see how fast I could finish the main quest. However, I did close all the cities oblivion gates in order to collect the Sigil stones. Collecting Sigil stones is essential for non-mage characters.

I played on default difficultly and finished in 11 playing hours and 30 days in-game time elapsed. The character is now level 11.

The character also has zero infamy and has committed no murders. I think I'll download the "knights of the nine" expansion and use him to play those missions.

[-mog]

Of course, they do.

If you get good enough at sneaking and picking goblins off unseen you'll get invited to join the Dark Brotherhood guild, which is the best quest of the game.

Shame they couldn't release a DB expansion.

Yeah, although the easiest way is just to kill a civilian and then go to sleep in a tavern. The Dark Brotherhood will come and see you while you're asleep. I found the Thieves Guild was the hardest to find. I wasn't much into RPGs when I first started playing Oblivion, so it took me awhile to get into it. But once you get the hang of it, you'll love it. Just make sure you know how to quick travel... saves to much time.:)

[masherscf]

Yeah, although the easiest way is just to kill a civilian and then go to sleep in a tavern. The Dark Brotherhood will come and see you while you're asleep. I found the Thieves Guild was the hardest to find. I wasn't much into RPGs when I first started playing Oblivion, so it took me awhile to get into it. But once you get the hang of it, you'll love it. Just make sure you know how to quick travel... saves to much time.:)

You have to be careful about killing NPCs. If you want to finish 100% on a single character, you can close-off sides-quests that involve certain characters. Guilds have pretty stiff penalties for killing fellow members and if you kill a begger, they won't let you into the thieves guild.

The easiest thing to do is to "accidentally" kill one of the Kvatch soldiers during the breaking of the siege.

Joining the thieves guild is not hard. You just have to spend the night in jail. Also, one of the beggars from one of the town.. I forget which one will tell you how to join if she likes you enough.

Edit; Actually, I read up about it. Find a wated posert for the "Gray Fox" and read it. Then talk to people about the Grey Fox, especially beggers. The beggers are the eyes and ears of the TG,

[MrZ]

Oblivion is a technical marvel. Stunning graphics, fun combat. For some reason though Ive got a softer spot for Morrowind (the game that came before it)..graphics arent as good etc etc...but..

Its got more varied environments, and I just like the atmosphere and storyline better. Check it out if you like Oblivion, its worth the trip.

And it will run very well on older PC's and am pretty sure the Xbox1 Version works on the 360 as well.

[volatile]

I've gotta say, this game is pretty amazing. I haven't played a game like this since Diablo II, so I'm getting used to the whole RPG genre again and might just give WoW, a game I used to hate, a shot now. Though I have to say, sometimes I feel like I'm not playing this game right because it's just far too difficult (as in I need to exploit certain gameplay mechanics, like leading enemies long distance to more powerful allies, to get anywhere.)

Overall though, I highly recommend this. GOTY edition.

[masherscf]

Though I have to say, sometimes I feel like I'm not playing this game right because it's just far too difficult (as in I need to exploit certain gameplay mechanics, like leading enemies long distance to more powerful allies, to get anywhere.)

Dude, that's weak leveling. The monsters in Oblivion level-up with you. If you don't pay very close attention to raising all of your attributes and major skills at the same rate, the monsters will out-level you.

On the other hand, putting the game down because it's too hard is not reasonable. There is a slider to change the level of difficulty. If you find it a little rough going, move the slide down. If you think it's too easy, move the slide up.

Be warned, since your experience is proportional to the number of times you use a skill, your character will level-up slower on easier levels. For example, if it takes five times the number of sword swings to dispatch a goblin, that goblin will give you five times as much experience.

Also, always be doing something. If Athletics is a major skill, don;t buy a horse. If sneaking is a major skill, sneak everywhere. If you're a mage, create small effect spells to cast in yourself and always be casting them as you're walking around. If you have alchemy, go to the nearest farm or collect food from guilds or other places and make weak fatigue potions. You can often turn a profit buying every cheap ingredient in a potion store and making a shit-load of potions and selling them back.

There are non-quest related locations with randomly generated foes and treasure of each given type. Since these foes level-up with you, they will respawn with better equipment as you level-up. You can visit these places every few days and collect the loot, sell it or keep the best stuff.

For example, south of the imperial city is a long bridge going east to west. on the western side is a small Fort ruin called Fort Allessia (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Fort_Alessia) that is inhabited by marauders. If I have a fighter class, I visit here often for equipment upgrades and just to cash-in. I think of it as my own personal bank. Once you get up to level 15 or so, the marauders that appear there have some pretty expensive equipment. I usually can't haul it all away.

Also, when you first emerge from the sewers, there is a Ayleid ruin called Vilverin (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Vilverin). Vilverin is a great place to visit after the imperial city. It's pretty large and inhabited with relatively weak foes with lots of stuff. Once more, you can collect the Welkind and Varla stones and make some quick cash. There is also one of the Ayleid statues there and it's a good way to start that particular quest.

[volatile]

Thanks for the tips. I forgot about the difficulty slider...I might tone it down a bit. Yeah, I was afraid I wasn't really doing things correctly. Like I said, the last game I played of this sort came out, like, years ago, so I'm still getting used to this.

One question: My character right now is a mage, and I have to ask, is the only way to obtain new spells to buy them? I don't have too much of a problem if this is the case, but it doesn't...feel quite correct. There's a bunch of stuff about this game I don't quite understand. It's fantastically fun, but I'm definitely needing to learn some things.

Oh, and quitting because it's too hard? Haha, yeah right.

[joker2k3]

I just started playing again. Man is this game awesome. I can play for hours and not realize it. I had my tonsils removed so i have at least a week off work and oblivion will probably take the entire week. :)

[hipnotyq]

omg sooo true, i can't believe how much time i've already sinked into this game without realizing it... omg i can't stop tho, dark brotherhood missions are soooo much fun

edit: you know what? for the first time I'm actually excited for Fallout 3.... I mean if Bethesda just ends up making a glorified oblivion mod for it... I won't really mind... as long as its got the quality Oblivion has.

[masherscf]

One question: My character right now is a mage, and I have to ask, is the only way to obtain new spells to buy them? I don't have too much of a problem if this is the case, but it doesn't...feel quite correct. There's a bunch of stuff about this game I don't quite understand. It's fantastically fun, but I'm definitely needing to learn some things..

As a Mage, the first thing you want is to get into the Arcane University. This requires that your get the recommendation of all the Guild Hall leaders. These quests range from trivial to difficult. Once you are a member of the Arcane University, you can create your own spells and enchant items. However, you will not be able to create a spell or enchant an item with an effect that you arn't already capable of.

For example, if you want to create a powerful fireball spell, or a spell that combines fire and frost, you must already be able to cast a spell with those abilities.

Some spell abilities require you to be higher level. Spells that you know do not get more powerful as your skill in that discipline goes up. So, as you level-up, you'll need to either create or buy more powerful version in order to defeat the enemies. Spells become less costly to cast as your skills go up.

Mages are the most powerful character class, but destruction magic is very costly. Being clever about the use of magic is required. Using a hybrid Mage/fighter class is often the best idea for a super-character. You can complete both the fighter and the mage guild quests.

[gi_josh]

Damn Circuit City...I was gonna pick this game up yesterday because they had a sign up saying it was on sale for 22 bucks, but come to find out the sale ended the day before and the game was 29.99 again. I'm going to gamestop to pick this up later today, since I finally have enough free time to maybe make a dent in this game.

[volatile]

Thanks again. I found out about the whole mages guild thing recently and am working on getting into the arcane university. I sorta figured out by now that new spells don't just appear, and yeah, they're ****ing expensive. I also noticed that I'm acting more like a fighter than a mage, which is a little weird. I think I'm getting the hang of this game now, though.

[masherscf]

Thanks again. I found out about the whole mages guild thing recently and am working on getting into the arcane university. I sorta figured out by now that new spells don't just appear, and yeah, they're ****ing expensive. I also noticed that I'm acting more like a fighter than a mage, which is a little weird. I think I'm getting the hang of this game now, though.

You have to be careful. If you're using a lot of skills that arn't your major ones, you won't level-up as fast. That begin said, having a mage that is good with a blade is not a bad thing. However, a pure Mage is pretty fragile and shouldn't wear any armour and carrying around armour, sword or mace is encoumbering. Getting close enough to your foes to hit them with a blade is often fatel.

If you play the game right, money won't be a problem. By the time you can use higher-level spells, you'll be able to afford them. A mage should get some feather spells and only pick up item that have a high cost to weight ratio (at least 5). Also, pick a good merchant and always use the same one. Carrying around valuble items that are heavy as hell is pretty pointless. Merchants like repeat business and will reward you with a good disposition.

For a Mage, I would suggest dropping all equipment but your alchemy stuff, a staff, a dagger with an enchantment and some useful potions. Save as much space for loot as you can. Use your spells whenever you can because it will raise your level. Don't forget your alchemy.

[hipnotyq]

lol i love how i made my guy a warrior but i'm totally playing as an assassin/thief with all the sneaking/lockpicking/pickpocketing I do.... meh too late to start over

[volatile]

Wow, then I'm doing it wrong. I'm using all of the blade's equipment right now and am not exactly traveling light. I don't wanna start over now, but I might be too deep in a hole to correct things cuz I'm focusing far too much on physical combat. Trial and error though.

[themav]

Oblivion is one of those games, that will never lose its spot on my hard drive.. I go through phases of playing hardcore, and then taking a break playing something else for a while. Its also a perfect fall back game when my internet goes out. Oblivion would definitely be on my personal top 20 games of all time.

[lrsk]

Will the OOO mod work with the expansions as well?

[hipnotyq]

i think i finished the dark brotherhood missions... i became a speaker :)
one thing about this game that really bugs me... well two things

1. guards are psychic, they know what you do all the time unless you sneak and steal/kill PERFECTLY
2. some ppl in the game don't die... what the hell? When I'm hacking someone with a sword they don't go unconscious, they friggen DIE lol.... silly game devs

[az0madman]

i think i finished the dark brotherhood missions... i became a speaker :)
one thing about this game that really bugs me... well two things

1. guards are psychic, they know what you do all the time unless you sneak and steal/kill PERFECTLY
2. some ppl in the game don't die... what the hell? When I'm hacking someone with a sword they don't go unconscious, they friggen DIE lol.... silly game devs

Agreed with the guard thing, that's why I like the PC version better. There's a mod that makes it a little more realistic so that guards aren't on your ass all the time.

And be glad you can't kill those important characters! I'd hate to be stuck on a quest just because the person I was helping is dead.

I still need to get around to beating Shivering Isles. After the Knights expansion, I lost interest. Then again, I had been playing the game for months straight.

[masherscf]

As you may know, I got the Orange Box for Christmas. This means that I may take a break from Oblivion for awhile.

I just throught I would polish off my latest character. It's a custom character class I call "Valkyrie". It's basically a crusader with marksman skill replacing blunt weapons. I decided on a female nord character so the she would look good in the Golden Saint Armor.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/2155941840_a97f8e7136.jpg