Learning how to Oblivion can feel overwhelming at first. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion offers hundreds of hours of gameplay, countless quests, and a massive open world to explore. New players often struggle with character creation, combat mechanics, and the leveling system. This guide breaks down everything beginners need to know. Players will learn how to create effective characters, follow the main story, fight enemies, and build powerful heroes. Whether someone picks up Oblivion for the first time or returns after years away, these tips will help them get started on the right foot.
Key Takeaways
- Learning how to Oblivion starts with smart character creation—choose a race and birthsign that match your intended playstyle for smoother early gameplay.
- Avoid putting primary combat skills as major skills to prevent over-leveling before your character becomes strong enough to handle scaled enemies.
- Take your time exploring guild questlines like the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild before rushing the main quest—they offer better rewards and memorable experiences.
- Master combat by timing blocks just before enemy attacks to stagger opponents and create openings for powerful counterattacks.
- Save often and manually before dungeons, fights, or important choices to protect against quest-breaking bugs and bad decisions.
- Don’t stress about perfect “efficient leveling”—adjust the difficulty slider if needed and focus on enjoying the hundreds of hours of content Oblivion offers.
Getting Started With Character Creation
Character creation in Oblivion determines how the entire game plays out. Players choose from ten races, each with unique bonuses and abilities. High Elves excel at magic with bonus Magicka. Redguards and Orcs dominate in melee combat. Bretons resist magic damage well. Picking a race that matches the intended playstyle makes early gameplay much smoother.
After selecting a race, players must choose a birthsign. The Atronach sign grants 150 bonus Magicka but prevents natural Magicka regeneration. The Warrior sign adds strength and endurance. The Thief sign boosts agility, speed, and luck. Each birthsign permanently affects character stats, so this choice matters.
The class system defines which skills level up fastest. Players can pick a premade class or create a custom one. Custom classes let players select seven major skills. Here’s the catch, major skills level up faster, but they also control character level progression. Many experienced players intentionally avoid putting combat skills as majors. This prevents accidental over-leveling before the character becomes strong enough.
How to Oblivion effectively starts with understanding this system. A common beginner mistake involves choosing obvious major skills like Blade and Heavy Armor. The game’s leveling scales enemies to match the player’s level. Characters who level quickly without building stats properly end up weak compared to enemies. Smart players pick major skills they can control, like Alchemy or Mercantile.
Understanding the Main Questline
Oblivion’s main quest involves closing shut the gates to a demonic dimension. The story begins in the Imperial Prison, where Emperor Uriel Septim tasks the player with finding his heir. After escaping the sewers, players can pursue the main quest or ignore it entirely.
The main questline sends players across Cyrodiil to gather allies and close Oblivion gates. These gates spawn randomly throughout the world and release dangerous creatures. Closing gates requires entering the hellish landscape and removing a Sigil Stone from a central tower. Each Sigil Stone provides a random enchantment players can use on equipment.
Players don’t need to rush the main quest. In fact, waiting offers advantages. Guild questlines provide better equipment and training. The Fighters Guild and Mages Guild both offer lengthy storylines with excellent rewards. The Dark Brotherhood assassination quests rank among the best content in the game. The Thieves Guild storyline delivers memorable heists and characters.
How to Oblivion at your own pace means accepting that the main quest will wait. The game never forces urgency. Players can spend fifty hours exploring caves, joining guilds, and buying houses before touching the main story. This freedom defines the Elder Scrolls experience. Take time to enjoy the journey rather than rushing toward credits.
Essential Tips for Combat and Exploration
Combat in Oblivion uses real-time action mechanics. Players swing weapons, block attacks, and cast spells manually. Timing matters more than button mashing. Blocking just before an enemy attack staggers them, creating openings for counterattacks. Power attacks deal extra damage but leave players vulnerable.
Magic users should create custom spells at the Arcane University. The spellmaking system allows combining effects for powerful results. A spell that damages health and drains fatigue simultaneously can cripple enemies. Enchanting weapons with soul gems adds magical effects to physical attacks. This hybrid approach works well for many builds.
Exploration rewards curiosity. Oblivion contains over 200 dungeons, ruins, and caves. Many hide unique items, quests, or interesting stories. The world map reveals locations when players discover them. Fast travel between discovered locations saves time, but walking reveals hidden content.
How to Oblivion successfully requires managing inventory weight. Characters have carry limits based on Strength. Feather spells and potions temporarily increase capacity. Saddlebags on horses don’t exist in the base game, so players must return to storage frequently. Houses purchased in cities provide safe storage for extra items.
Save often and save manually. The autosave system doesn’t protect against bad decisions. Quicksave before entering dungeons, starting fights, or making important choices. Oblivion’s quest system sometimes breaks if players complete objectives out of order. Manual saves provide escape routes from these situations.
Leveling Up and Building Your Character
Oblivion’s leveling system confuses many new players. Characters level up after improving major skills ten times. Each level grants attribute bonuses based on which skills improved. The maximum bonus is +5 to an attribute, requiring ten skill increases in that attribute’s category.
Efficient leveling means planning skill increases. Strength governs Blade and Blunt skills. Intelligence covers Alchemy, Conjuration, and Mysticism. Endurance controls Armorer and Heavy Armor. Players who want +5 bonuses must track which skills they improve between levels.
This system creates the infamous “efficient leveling” problem. Perfectionist players might train skills in specific patterns to maximize every level. But, this approach turns gameplay into spreadsheet management. Casual players should ignore min-maxing unless they enjoy optimization puzzles.
How to Oblivion without stress involves accepting imperfect levels. The game remains beatable without perfect attribute gains. Players who find enemies too difficult can lower the difficulty slider in options. No shame exists in adjusting difficulty to match personal enjoyment.
Trainers throughout Cyrodiil offer paid skill increases. Each trainer provides up to five skill points per level. Master trainers require completing small quests before they train players. Finding and using trainers accelerates character growth significantly. The Fighters Guild and Mages Guild buildings house multiple trainers in convenient locations.
