What is the best way to make a lot of money for a dark elf mage type character?

fighters guild?

Other?

Join the mages guild, and loot everything that is not nailed down...from all the novice mortar and pestles to the grand soulgems sitting in the display cases.

Ozy

Join the mages guild, and loot everything that is not nailed down...from all the novice mortar and pestles to the grand soulgems sitting in the display cases.

Ozy

So true. In Skingrad you can basically take anything and run accross the street and sell it at the Colovian Traders. I currently have the merchant's disposition at 80. He'll buy anything. Don't forget the books......


If you want there are a couple Mage's Guilds where you can swipe stuff from the next room and sell it right there in the guild shop.

I am right near the 100 hour mark in total and I get very long load screens, freezing at load screens(requiring reboot), dirty disc errors and delayed sounds at times. All mostly fixed by defragmenting but I have to do it more and more often now.


Just to avoid problems, I do it every time I restart. All seems well........

My son has 2 characters.. one with 47 hours and 25 on the other.
My Character has 90+ hours.
160+ hours of oblivion playtime and Loading times seem no different than the first hour played and I've never pressed A at startup. Only problem throughout has been the occasional loading freeze requiring a reboot.

So true. In Skingrad you can basically take anything and run accross the street and sell it at the Colovian Traders. I currently have the merchant's disposition at 80. He'll buy anything. Don't forget the books......


If you want there are a couple Mage's Guilds where you can swipe stuff from the next room and sell it right there in the guild shop.

Yup, in several of the guilds, I took the alchemy gear right off the shelves and sold it to the guy/girl standing there. There was one guild where it was "stealing" to take some of the stuff, so just make sure the icon isn't red.

Ozy

Question: If you train a major skill, does that contribute to the 10 points required to level?

Answer: Yes.

Well, I finished up the main quest over the weekend. I've logged about 80 hours into the game, so needless to say, I've also knocked out many side quests, miscellaneous dungeons, etc. I'm just under level 30 now. I've experienced the loading issues folks have talked about on here, but I've also found that they're resolved by clearing the cache on start-up. I've only had to do that a few times, and it's always been around downloading or removing demos, trailers, etc. Otherwise I've had about four lock-ups and no other real issues of note.

I'm trying to finish up the various guild quests now, starting with the Mages' guild. I'm saving the Dark Brotherhood quests for after I finish the Fighters' guild given their mutually exclusive views on murder!

I'll likely take a breather from the game long enough to play Far Cry Instincts Predator and/or Tomb Raider Legend, but Oblivion will definitely stay in my collection for the long haul.

I've noticed a strange bug in one of the Fighter's Guilds (Bravil I think). One of the members walks around the guild wearing nothing but underwear at all times. :eek:

I've noticed a strange bug in one of the Fighter's Guilds (Bravil I think). One of the members walks around the guild wearing nothing but underwear at all times. :eek:

Is it the same guy that keeps hitting on you? Or am I the only one creeped out by the fighters guild guy that keeps walking up to my male character commenting on how big his muscles are?

I have a question regarding stats...
I was in Fatback Cave (i think thats what it was called... south of imperial city) and i was fighting goblins... i noticed that my strength kepts going down... I looked in my stats and i noticed that the strength was green all other stats are black... all my armor is at 100%, and im still missing strength points... ive leveled up since then and have slept in an inn at least 2 times... but still low on points... is there any way to get them back?

I just acquired an Enchanted Robe of Chameleon. Its wonderful because I am a Master of Sneak. So I will not be heard if I run or walk while sneaking. Plus I am 30% Chameleon w/ Constant Effect with this robe.

The curse is it makes the game so easy. I just went through the Monk's monastery undected. I am able to sneak up on unsuspecting victims, get 6x damage and at this point taking out guys with Orcish or Ebony Curass with 2 blows.

I have a question regarding stats...
I was in Fatback Cave (i think thats what it was called... south of imperial city) and i was fighting goblins... i noticed that my strength kepts going down... I looked in my stats and i noticed that the strength was green all other stats are black... all my armor is at 100%, and im still missing strength points... ive leveled up since then and have slept in an inn at least 2 times... but still low on points... is there any way to get them back?

Visiting a cathedral in any of the towns and clicking on the altar in the middle should clear any ability drains you've been afflicted with. You can also find/buy/make a "restore strength" potion or spell.

Visiting a cathedral in any of the towns and clicking on the altar in the middle should clear any ability drains you've been afflicted with. You can also find/buy/make a "restore strength" potion or spell.

Easy enough!!
thanks alot!

Visiting a cathedral in any of the towns and clicking on the altar in the middle should clear any ability drains you've been afflicted with. You can also find/buy/make a "restore strength" potion or spell.
Does that cure diseases too?

Does that cure diseases too?

Yes. The center altar is great for removing poisons and diseases. It even gets rid of vampirism if you get there soon after contacting the disease.

But if I'm planning an extended excursion, I always carry 3 cure disease potions (minimum) as well as raw ingredients for brewing. You need 'cure disease' as opposed to 'resist disease' if you want to remove something you already contracted. (I usually have 3 cure poison potions too)

Thanks! I caught something nasty from a crab.

I hope my sins don't get in the way of a cure. Poor Dorian.

Yea I also always carry atleast 3 cure potions after my Vampire scare.

You can get a "Cure Disease" spell from someone in one of the churches.

The churches are also your only source for RESTORE (Attribute) spells. I used to always freak out when I encountered an enemy that "Damaged" an attribute like Tool54's Strength issue, and that left me gimped if I didn't have a restore potion for that attribute or until I could find a church/shrine. However, every church in Cyrodiil has an exclusive 1 or 2 of the 8 restore attribute spells. So just make sure you visit each church and find the spell-seller when they're selling. I've got all 8 spells in memory, so I don't have to worry about carrying scrolls or potions or returning to churches.

You just need to find one of the Restore [Attribute] spells and then create the rest at a spell-making altar. No need to go church to church trying to find the right people to talk to. Can be pain since they're not always available to talk to.

ONce you become a vampire, how do you go back to NOT being a vampire?

holy cow
Hit the 200 hour mark with my Dark Elf..
Maybe they called it Oblivion for a reason..

holy cow
Hit the 200 hour mark with my Dark Elf..
Maybe they called it Oblivion for a reason..
D*mn...I thought I was playing too much, and I'm at around 34 hours.

holy cow
Hit the 200 hour mark with my Dark Elf..
Maybe they called it Oblivion for a reason..

I'm about an hour short of that. I've used my tv more for oblivion in the last month than for anything else.

Anyone heard anything further about the upcoming patch for this title? That is, any sort of estimated delivery date or such? Would be nice to know when this is coming out, for those who want to play or purchase the game "post-patch".

ONce you become a vampire, how do you go back to NOT being a vampire?

Go talk with Raminus in the Arch Mage tower and he will have a yellow box that says vampire disease or something like that. Anyway he sends you to Skingrad to see the count, who then sends you south east of Leyawin to start the mission

ONce you become a vampire, how do you go back to NOT being a vampire?

I did the quest to get the vampire cure, but I've found that I like being a vampire because of the night-eye/detect life spell that comes with it. It makes all underground quests far easier.

Take a break and watch this awesome video.

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/3894

Anyone grab the new Thieves' Den quest? It's 150 points..........

oh wow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyHiIeBsc9E&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fadidat%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F

oh wow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyHiIeBsc9E&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fadidat%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F

Wow, good find. That probably took as long to set up as playing through the game would...

Fun with physics!

quick question. I just got this game and am inside the Oblivion gate. I am looking to close it, I got the simi key and opened the door...where to now?

You have to go to the top of the main tower and retrieve the Sigil Stone, then the gate closes.

Anyone grab the new Thieves' Den quest? It's 150 points..........


I did last night. A waste of 150 points for sure.

Just got a 360 and Oblivion and 99% of the time the fan or DVD drive is running loudly during game play, but occasionally it will stop. Is it normal for the fan/DVD to be going full blast the entire time? I have a hard drive on the 360 if that matters. Also, the game locked up after about 5 minutes of the fan/DVD drive stopping. Not sure if that is related.

For reference, when I played an older Xbox game (KOTORII) it does not make the ‘hovercraft’ noise during game play, but is rather silent, like during the dashboard mode.

The 360 is pretty dang loud, unfortunately thats just the way it is. I got pretty used to it after a while, and I just turn up the volume.

The 360 is pretty dang loud, unfortunately thats just the way it is. I got pretty used to it after a while, and I just turn up the volume.

Once the 5.1 surround kicks in I don't hear the fan at all.............

Agreed

Been playing this for a few hours now (6?). Got the main quest and on the way to talk to whoever about some heir to the throne I went into the house across the street instead and did that slaughterfish quest. Annoying for sure at level 1 with next to nothing but the clothes on my back!

Haven't touched the main quest. I must have playing morrowind for 500 hours and never got more than 6 quests into the main quest. Just never appeals to me that much. Gives me that feeling of "when all else fails, you can finish the game".

Since I was pretty much king of morrowind , oblivion was quick to pick up with regards to everything they kept the same. The new stuff is trickier. The lockpicking is kind of frustrating with no way to tell if a pin will drop quickly or slowly which means I break picks on everything above "average" because timing becomes impossible to predict as far as i can tell...

The disposition minigame is fun and quick to pickup. I find a 50/50 split of minigame and bribery tends to go a long way in opening up those tight-lipped NPC's.

Question though - if i bribe a shopkeeper enough, can i sell stolen goods? I'm overly burdened by a ridiculous amount of "yoinked" stuff with no easy way to pawn it off unless I go out of my way to find a thiev's guild fence.

I'm going to get into alchemy soon enough. Is glitching the potions still do-able ala morrowind? In morrowind i could create boost intellegence spells which in turn makes potions more powerful and last longer meaning new boost intellegence potions were stronger and more powerful... do that loop a few dozen times and you get into the territory of being able to create fortify health 50000 points for 5000 seconds type of stuff :) Yes it breaks the game and I rarely did it but it was neat that it was possible. Did they fix this?

geth the skeleton key and no need for lockpicks.

To the question about stolen goods, I don’t think you can ever sell them to legit shopkeepers, no matter the disposition, at least in my experience.

Also, for the potion/alchemy thing. I think the strength of the potion is strictly tied to the alchemy level and the level of the equipment. I am only around 56 or so in Alchemy, but the potion strength only goes up when my level goes up. My INT level never seems to make a difference. So if there was a ‘Fortify Alchemy’ spell or potion, then that might work, but I have not seen one.

geth the skeleton key and no need for lockpicks.


I bought 100 of them, from a vendor in the Imperial City, for 6 gold each. That will solve your problem as well...........

geth the skeleton key and no need for lockpicks.


how and where?

find the nocturnal shrine down past Bravil on the left hand side of the river. It's a deadric quest, quite fun actually.

has anyone here had any problems with the game having "dirty disc" errors whenever there is more than 2 enemies attacking you? i can't play the game for 5 minutes anymore and this is my second copy of the game.

has anyone here had any problems with the game having "dirty disc" errors whenever there is more than 2 enemies attacking you? i can't play the game for 5 minutes anymore and this is my second copy of the game.

Not me. But I did have LOTS of problems with the Ayelid ruins bug.

i finally just gave up on it. after 3 copies of the game, the dde problem never got any better. i just traded it in for a pre-order of dead rising today.

I went on a 5-6 hour Oblivion binge last night. It blows my mind that I have put in more than 70 hours now and am stille xcited to play this game. I have never spent this much time with the single player experience of a game. I finished the mage's guild questline and worked on the fighter's guild more.

I have to tell you this funny story though. In the mage's guild quest, you spend some time killing necromancers. I was playing with my son and he thought the necromancer's robe was really cool and wanted my character to wear it. So, I put it on in the city. No one ever comments on my clothes, armor or lack thereof. But this tome, I went to get my next task from the Arch Mage who had me fighting the necromancers. I was wearing my robe and he looked at me with a mad face and said, "What do you think you are doing wearing that hideous thing!? Take that off at once!" My son and I were both so surprised we burst out laughing and were still talking about it this morning.

I *heart* Oblivion.

Oh yes the Binges. Early in my Oblivion playing I would play for about 7 hours at a time. I then kind of got burned out around 70 hours of play time. I stopped playing for about a month and recently have started playing again. I can feel myself being sucked back in. I don't think my wife is going to appreciate it.

Reaper, thanks for the great story!

The depth of "scripting" in this game is just incredible, and clearly, those who choose to merely rush through the main quest probably only touch 5% of the content.

I'm looking for opportunities to ask "immortal" NPCs to "Follow Me", and so far I have Martin and Erthor doing just that. They are a great help! I'm hoping to accumulate more such "bodyguards", the situational results are often quite amusing.

I've pretty much beaten the game just like everyone should have by this point in time but it's still such a fun game I've found ways to occupy myself, like little quests i invented myself. For example, I'm busy trying to complete every set or armor there is, easier said than done considering I blew through the levels that included dwarven armor and such so I've got some, not all. I collect skulls as well, much easier done than said considering they're everywhere, but hey, i see one and i grab it. I collect the helms, swords, and souls of guards I've killed (black soul gems of course). I collect varla and welkynd stones (shiny things are always good). I've created several profiles for my character , for example, i may decide to be a ninja one day, i put on the beginging dark brotherhood armor and hood and a 2 handed akaviri sword and -bam- I'm a ninja (i've also got meidevil night (not hard to do) and pirate)

I also collect stone bricks. Now these are tricky to find as I'm level forty something, and have 4 of them. 2 are in the lighthouse in the waterfront, and 2 are in the bottom of the witches house that makes you the vampire cure. I'm always looking for more bricks, anyone know where some are? Keep an eye out for em.

Level 36
146 hours into the game
Still haven't started the Main Story Line.
I'll be playing this game for a while.

I'm stuck on Dagon Shrine. You can either join the Mythic Dawn cult and be stripped of your possessions, or fight your way through. I've found it impossible to fight my way through. The place is swimming with cult members.

When I join them and then take the book on the altar (and free the prisoner) theoretically I should be able to run and escape on the way out. I've found that pretty much impossible as well with people throwing spells at you every step of the way. And with no sorcery or healing potions, healing yourself won't work for very long, and you also have no weapons, aside from your own spells.

Unforunately I've waited too long to try this, and with my level 18 the bad guys are all pretty badass.

I joined them and ran like a crazy person. I lost my sense of direction, just kept running and dodging, and finally found a safer haven. What I can't remember is how I got all my stuff back. But I do remember being chased by hordes of bad guys, and getting killed at least once.

I found this part difficult too. Along with a couple other quest parts I couldnt complete this was the main one. The only way i saw around it was to fulfill my ultimate godlike oblivion goal : To have 100% Chamelon, which makes you impossible to see, stealing's a breeze, killing people in sneak attacks which can be used over and over again, anything. I found a 30% Chamelon glass cuirass in Boethia's quest, then got the Ring of Khajitti from some other daedric god which does 35% i think, and finally i finished with 2 peices of glass armor i enchanted myself, each 20%. I can now do anything. I'll admit ive had my armor like this ever since lvl like 23, im now 44 i think, but i didn't want to tell anyone about ( although, i found out myself at cheatcc.com i think).

WARNING!!!!! This completely ruined much of the gameplay. You know, "oh man i cant kill this guy. I KNOW 100% chameleon, that'll do it" and from there i blew through any quest i didnt feel like playing to its full extent. It is of course very handy. I use it when i weigh too much and want to wear my Gray Cowel without guards chasing me, but it does kill some gameplay. Do it if you want. But by this point, most things should not require it, i can blow through any oblivion gate now, completely visible and not lose much health.

After trying about 3 times the best way I found was to NOT give them your possessions and proceed to the alter room. Sneak to the right or left high areas that overlook the alter and stay hidden until the ritual is over. Wait a little longer and most of the followers will leave.

I found the left side to work best and I hid behind one of the pillars. Conjured something, took out my bow and picked off the worshippers as they came back into the alter room.

When I did this they only came in 2 at a time and I could dipatch them pretty easy. Hiding behind the pillar acted as a shield from their magic, whatever you conjure will keep them busy while you hit them from a distance. Pick up the book when it's safe.

Hope this helps.

For the mythic dawn, i found joining them and being stripped of your possessions. When you grab the book, you can then retrieve your possessions by killing the mythic dawn dude that took your stuff in the first place. You can do this by leaving and then coming back rearmed, or just hacking your way through.

I just picked this game up last week. How do I get into the Arcane University? I get the guy telling me to go talk to someone in the main halls. Where are these halls? My character is a Mage and I can't seem to go up to level 2. I've been stuck on Level 1 for some time now. I've completed 2 quests... the first one was in the marketplace where I had to kill someone and bring a dirty shovel back (I think it is called Unfair Competition). The second was after waking up on the undocked ship (it was docked before I went to sleep).

Thanks

You must sleep in a bed to level up.

I've slept many times.

How do I get into Arcane University? I get the guy telling me to go talk to someone in the main halls. Where are these halls?

Thanks

I'm pretty sure that you have to become an Apprentice in the Mage's Guild to gain access to the Arcane University. To become an Apprentice, you have to earn recommendations from the heads of all the cities' local Mage Guilds by travelling there, talking to the head of the local Guild Hall, and completing the little task/ quest they tell you to do.

Leveling up is achieved simply by playing the game. Oblivion does not use 'experience points' like most RPGs. In many RPGs you gain big lumps of 'experience' when you complete quests, but not in Oblivion. Rather, you build up each of your individual skills by using them. For example, you gain Marksman skill by shooting your bow; you gain Destruction Magic skill by casting Destruction spells; you gain Athleticism (or whatever it is) by jumping around. Only your Major Skills contribute to your leveling up. Building up your Major Skills will in turn build up the 'leveling up' meter seen at the bottom of one of the character information screens. Once you've acheived enough improvements of skill in you Major Skills, you will see a little circular arrow icon at the bottom of the screen, which indicates that you will level up the next time you sleep, even if you only sleep for one hour.

This website is a great place for information about Oblivion:

http://oblivion.gamewikis.org/wiki/Main_Page

After taking a break late Summer and Fall, I came back to the game and finished it up. I got 50/50 achievements.... :D

This was my first 1,000 point game as well. I was on my way in Call of Duty until I did a particularly hard level and then forgot to save it before I turned it off. I'll stop feeling the sting of that and pick it up again one day.

COD2 was my first 1000-pointer. The game was pretty impossible in some parts on Veteran difficulty level (the only way to score achievement points). To make matters worse, I turned off the "auto-aim down the scope" feature, because I never felt comfortable using the auto-aim feature for shooters - feels like I didn't "earn" the kill. They should have designed a co-op feature to play through Veteran a 'la GOW - that's how hard it was.

Sorry that this post was way off topic. I just take pride in my 1000/1000 in COD2 and had to share it with the world :-)

Thanks for the link Zeppo! Look like I have a lot of exploring to do. So far I've only ventured outside Imperial City to the area where the Quest to get 12 fish are.

I've slept many times.

How do I get into Arcane University? I get the guy telling me to go talk to someone in the main halls. Where are these halls?

ThanksThe general approach is:
1. Visit one of the mages guild halls and join it
2. The guild leader/head/master has a new conversation topic on recommendations. You will discover you need to visit the Mages Guild hall in each city and perform some task to get a recommendation.
3. Once you have all your recommendations, you can go to Arcane University and enroll as an apprentice. Then you keep doing tasks until you become head of the guild.

There isn't even much point (that I can remember) of visiting Arcane University until you have all your recommendations from the guild halls in the other cities.

If you visit my blog (blahblahblah.info), you can find a pdf of a game guide that should help.

Thanks for the link Zeppo! Look like I have a lot of exploring to do. So far I've only ventured outside Imperial City to the area where the Quest to get 12 fish are.

This game is massive beyond belief....you have MUCH more ahead of you! ;)

I just hooked up the 360 to a 7.1 surround sound system I just bought and threw in Oblivion to hear the title sequence. I almost cried, realizing I had once lived in a world that only played Oblivion audio in "simulated" stereo sound from the TV's speakers.

That immersive audio is absolutely beautiful.

I just hooked up the 360 to a 7.1 surround sound system I just bought and threw in Oblivion to hear the title sequence. I almost cried, realizing I had once lived in a world that only played Oblivion audio in "simulated" stereo sound from the TV's speakers.

That immersive audio is absolutely beautiful.

It is so awesome to be walking through a city and as you walk, the people talking slowly transitions from one speaker to the next, then to the one side, then behind you as you walk past them. Awesome sound in this game!

Thanks for the link Zeppo! Look like I have a lot of exploring to do. So far I've only ventured outside Imperial City to the area where the Quest to get 12 fish are.
If this is all you've done so far you need to relax and kick back and enjoy the game. You will likely end up putting in 80-150 hours to this game and there is plenty of time for questions on things that don't unravel themselves. I'm not trying to sound like a dick, it's just that this game gets somewhat "formulaic" feeling towards the end and you should bask in the fresh / unknown elements of the game while they are available.

I bought this game when I got my 360 last April. For whatever reason, I never got much further than out of the Imperial Sewers and exploring some countryside. Well, I started playing it again over the holiday break, and I cannot believe how much I've missed out on! This is one incredible game, the scope is so massive! I really appreciate how it is player-driven. I used to be a "follow the linear plotline from boss battle to boss battle" RPG fan, but I don't know that I can ever go back.

I am especially happy that the difficulty is adaptive, which allows players to really feel like they're getting into the meat of things, and not spending 50 hours solely leveling up so they don't get pummeled by the first big fight they undertake.

This has to be one of, if not the most immersive game I've ever played. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to get home and fire the 360 up and play some more! I'm level 9 right now, and I just know that I have so much more to go it isn't even funny.

I know this has been said a zillion times before, but I need to say it again. The depth and breadth of this game is so off-the-charts amazing, I really should be a no-brainer Game of the Year winner.

Here's the thing. I'm only about 20 or so hours into it. I refuse to start the main quest until I've played through all the guilds and done most of the side-quests so that I can truly appreciate everything the game has to offer. As it is, I've only played through the Arena so far - I'm still at the recruit levels in both the Mages and Fighters Guilds, haven't even found an ambassador to the Thieves Guild yet (don't tell me where it is!) and am avoiding the Dark Brotherhood for fear that they will ask me to murder someone I'll need later in the game (I'll do Dark Brotherhood after I eventually get through the main quest). So what I'm saying is, I've had 20 hours worth of gaming and haven't even cracked all the game has to offer! It is absolutely visualy stunning (standing in the fields looking at the Imperial City, or walking through a church) but so creative as well (I'm trapped in a painting or in someone's dream world? awesome!).

And here's what puts it over the edge for me. Gears of War was great and visually gorgeous, but I was done with the Hardcore level in 10 hours. I played through Insane in 13 hours, so technically I've played it for at least 23 hours, but going through on Insane was just to get the achievement points - it wasn't like it offered anything new. A game with a 13 hour single player story line simply falls short when considering most Oblivion players masquerade around for over 100 hours before completing the game. Talk about getting your money's worth.

Seriously, I'm floored.

May have been posted already.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3156290

i'm with batman on the gameplay. theres just so much that you can't get enough. there's one thing i wish it had that morrowind had: more places. there arent enough places with people in them, only a handful of settlements and cities exist. truthfully i really just want to rob them all, like i did in morrowind, but ive robbed all of oblivion, and i need more. i'm out of quests (except for the main quest but i dont want to beat that because it closes all the gates), and am trying to find ways to entertain myself. i started collecting skulls but then hit the jackpot in mehrunes razor (like 120 of them i think) and now im out of things to do. what i really liked in morrowind was the giant structure at the back of Ald-ruhn i think the city was. anyway the structure housed like 15 different huge mansions that i spent a good while robbing. hopefully an expansion where i get to do something for a long time will come out soon ( shivering isle sounds amazing)

I'm finishing up the few remaining quests I have and I came across a problem where a character I need to progress a quest was killed earlier in the game. I'm getting rid of Lex as a guard in Imperial City and I need to talk to a master forger, but after going to his house countless times day and night, he's never there where the green spot is. I recall a townsperson interfering in one of my fights with the local guards a while back and he got killed by a guard - I'm assuming it was the forger. His body has long since disappeared so I can't be 100% sure, but this guy just won't show up.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I don't have a save from before that fight, it happened a LONG time ago.

I'm finishing up the few remaining quests I have and I came across a problem where a character I need to progress a quest was killed earlier in the game. I'm getting rid of Lex as a guard in Imperial City and I need to talk to a master forger, but after going to his house countless times day and night, he's never there where the green spot is. I recall a townsperson interfering in one of my fights with the local guards a while back and he got killed by a guard - I'm assuming it was the forger. His body has long since disappeared so I can't be 100% sure, but this guy just won't show up.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I don't have a save from before that fight, it happened a LONG time ago.

Quest related, key individuals can never die, they just go unconscious. He may only be at that location at certains times, on certain days, of a certain month. I've had that before.

Quest related, key individuals can never die, they just go unconscious. He may only be at that location at certains times, on certain days, of a certain month. I've had that before.

Some characracter can't die but sometimes they do become unavailable if there is a glitch in their patrol patterns.
I had to abandon a character I was playing with because the character I needed to talk to to move the quest forward (two separate quests, actually) won't come out of the Orrery. The arrow points directly at the door 24x7 but I can't get in until I talk to her and she unlocks the Orrery. And she's not coming out.

And other quest-related characters *can* get killed.
The old man in Weye was killed before my eyes by a rogue conjurer before
I could stop the conjuror and before I got the fish quest in one game.

A friend of mine lost access to the Sanguine quest when the Countess was killed on the road to Chorrol. I had to save her butt once myself on that same road.

And in another game Herminia Cinna got whacked and half-buried (!!) at Sercen. Fortunately I'd finished the Last Ayleid king quest at that point...

There's a lot of quest-related characters and they're not all indestructible.

Some characracter can't die but sometimes they do become unavailable if there is a glitch in their patrol patterns.
I had to abandon a character I was playing with because the character I needed to talk to to move the quest forward (two separate quests, actually) won't come out of the Orrery. The arrow points directly at the door 24x7 but I can't get in until I talk to her and she unlocks the Orrery. And she's not coming out.

And other quest-related characters *can* get killed.
The old man in Weye was killed before my eyes by a rogue conjurer before
I could stop the conjuror and before I got the fish quest in one game.

A friend of mine lost access to the Sanguine quest when the Countess was killed on the road to Chorrol. I had to save her butt once myself on that same road.

And in another game Herminia Cinna got whacked and half-buried (!!) at Sercen. Fortunately I'd finished the Last Ayleid king quest at that point...

There's a lot of quest-related characters and they're not all indestructible.

Hmmm, always thought I read they can't be killed if they are part of a quest. Maybe that was main quest characters, side quests I guess don't matter. Bummer.

Even some of the main quest characters can die once you hit the big battle outside Bruma. Martin can buy the farm as readily as Baurus or any of the other Blades. Just aboout the only unkillable there is Ocato.
That's what makes it fun to play as a high-level character; you have to keep those guys alive.

Hmmm, always thought I read they can't be killed if they are part of a quest. Maybe that was main quest characters, side quests I guess don't matter. Bummer.

Exactly - unlike in Morrowind, Oblivion makes sure you can't break the game (by making main quest progression impossible). Minor/side quest people are another matter.

There's a side-quest when you first enter the arena in the capital city, where you have to go talk to somebody (I can't remember exactly, something about discovering who someone really is or who their parents were), but I killed that person in the course of another unrelated quest. When I did that a popup message appeared to say I could no longer continue the arena side-quest.

The gray prince's parentage is a side quest.
If you accept it but kill him in the arena before ending it...
Well, you can't talk to a corpse. ;-)

The Cheydinhal corruption quest is another one; if you get the Captain in jail he won't be available for the battle for Bruma; if he dies there you can't clean up corruption in Cheydinhal.

The price of freedom. :-)

One cool thing is when you are done talking to Martin and he wants you to go back to Imperial City, right before he engages the end battle. He follows you everywhere. Nothing like taking the King on some quests and dungeouns. He kicks some serious but. :) It was hilarous, I stopped in a store before going to sell my stuff and when I turned around the King was standing there waiting. "Yeah, what you looking at punk, I needed some more potions, you'll just have to wait. Now stand there like a good boy."

Anyone run into the problems with shivering isles FormID bug that was reported on the PC? Apparently Bethesda says it hasn't affected the 360 version, but some players are reporting problems.

I've put in 70 hours on SI, no problems whatsoever.

Get this - after replacing the Grey Fox and going to the new Thieves Guild building, I found what looks to be a note that explains that Lex is become the main guard for Anvil. This is essentially the note I needed to have forged to show to the Countess right? But I don't get the option to show it to her yet, and the forger still won't show up, he's gotta be dead. Ah well.

That funniest thing is that I guess when I first met Jauffre I must have done something bad to him, as he always gave me dirty looks throughout the whole game no matter what I did. When in the church at Bruma discussing plans for the big battle, as soon as the discussion was over, Juaffre goes nuts and starts attacking me (I guess that was the point where he was no longer cirtical to the story?). I had to put him down, but I don't believe anything else was affected.

You should have tried the, left trigger and A button, I think that asks them to yield.

You should have tried the, left trigger and A button, I think that asks them to yield.

Had to do that a many a time as I always seem to hit the people that are travelling with me when we get into battles, not to mention if your a spell caster.

in desolate mine, you have to give some fighters guild people weapons, and kill goblins. I've done that, but cant find Burz gro-Khash in the cave for my reward...is he outside the cave?

I believe he's in Cheydinhal in the Fighter's Guild building.

Wow, a bit off topic but after 100 hours or so, I finished the PC version..on a laptop! I took a break to get into Prey last month.

I finished a level 30 something MONK, what fun!

When I get back in town I'm going to check out the new addon's.

Has anyone tried the mouse adapter for the 360? I'm a total klutz trying to use the XBox controller, after 15 years of FPS on a PC.

XBOX 360 patch to version 1.2.1 is out.
Presumably to fix Shivering Isles bug.

XBOX 360 patch to version 1.2.1 is out.
Presumably to fix Shivering Isles bug.

Anyone have that site that lists all the changes in the new version.

Wow, a bit off topic but after 100 hours or so, I finished the PC version..on a laptop! I took a break to get into Prey last month.

I finished a level 30 something MONK, what fun!

When I get back in town I'm going to check out the new addon's.

Has anyone tried the mouse adapter for the 360? I'm a total klutz trying to use the XBox controller, after 15 years of FPS on a PC.

the mouse adapter has gotten widely mixed reviews. all the big sites say it's pretty good, but the individuals i've read who reviewed it said it was bad.

it doesn't work the same way as a mouse/kb on pc. there is still the slush box in the middle of the screen for the reticle. you have to move the reticle out of that box for your perspective to start to move. no way to fix that, that's coding in the game.

i'm in the same situation. just get into it for a while, and you'll pick it up. it's a different feel, but still pretty good. took me a few weeks.

it doesn't work the same way as a mouse/kb on pc. there is still the slush box in the middle of the screen for the reticle. you have to move the reticle out of that box for your perspective to start to move. no way to fix that, that's coding in the game.

Funny, in most games my reticle stays in the middle of the screen no matter what. :p


;)

I seem to be stuck for no good reason. I'm in the Thieves Guild quests and have achieved Shadowfoot. I finished "Taking Care of Lex" and my quest guide tells me to see S'krivva to see if she has something for me. She has nothing to say or offer, and my map arrow points me to Orrin in Castle Anvil. But he's got nothing to say either, and I have fenced over 1000 gold (including some items fenced to Orrin).

I seem to be stuck for no good reason. I'm in the Thieves Guild quests and have achieved Shadowfoot. I finished "Taking Care of Lex" and my quest guide tells me to see S'krivva to see if she has something for me. She has nothing to say or offer, and my map arrow points me to Orrin in Castle Anvil. But he's got nothing to say either, and I have fenced over 1000 gold (including some items fenced to Orrin).

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

"After finishing this quest, proceed directly to The Imperial City and wait (sleep) for the messenger from the Gray Fox. The A.I. of the messengers seeking you is buggy, and you may have trouble finding them later if you travel to other cities instead."

Basically you go to the the Imperial City and wait.

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

"After finishing this quest, proceed directly to The Imperial City and wait (sleep) for the messenger from the Gray Fox. The A.I. of the messengers seeking you is buggy, and you may have trouble finding them later if you travel to other cities instead."

Basically you go to the the Imperial City and wait.Thanks. I hope that works as I've traveled a lot since, including the complete Crusader quest.

I'm getting to the point where it seems like every quest is: find this person...talk to her...go to this cave...retrieve this item...repeat.

I have finished the arena and fighters guild missions, and am currently getting recommendations for the Mages. It looks like I'm going to be in for more fast traveling and cave digging.

Can anyone suggest any quests that break the monotomy? It is becomming a redundant chore...or is it that I am just realizing that this game isn't for me?

It was fun for the last 20 or so hours, but I was hoping the game would bring me new types of adventures at some point. I am ready to start eating my nirnroots, drink my collection of aged wines and murder entire villages soon.

I'm getting to the point where it seems like every quest is: find this person...talk to her...go to this cave...retrieve this item...repeat....Yup...know what you mean. I'm at the point I have so much money and goods I don't even bother opening chests, etc. anymore, unless I have reason to suspect it contains some unique magic item.

All I have is the last bits of the Thieves Guild to get all the accomplishment points for the game.

I'm undecided wether I want to spend the money for the Shivering Isles expansion.

I really enjoyed the Mehrunes Razor quest. It's only about $3.00, is engaging, and has some really cool magic stuff. Make sure you kill the guy in the jail for his magic garments.

I'm getting to the point where it seems like every quest is: find this person...talk to her...go to this cave...retrieve this item...repeat.

I have finished the arena and fighters guild missions, and am currently getting recommendations for the Mages. It looks like I'm going to be in for more fast traveling and cave digging.

Can anyone suggest any quests that break the monotomy? It is becomming a redundant chore...or is it that I am just realizing that this game isn't for me?

It was fun for the last 20 or so hours, but I was hoping the game would bring me new types of adventures at some point. I am ready to start eating my nirnroots, drink my collection of aged wines and murder entire villages soon.

Out of the four guild quest lines the two that you are working on are the most boring. I really enjoyed the Thieves guild quests and then once you get the grey cowl the game becomes pretty easy if you are into stealth. You can do the dark brotherhood quests with the grey cowl and not have to worry about getting caught for murder (remove cowl, block + A to guard = no jail) and you also won't gain infamy plus you can steal anything that you wish.

The game changed for me after a joined the mages guild and was able to enchant armor and weapons. A nice one hit kill soul trap dagger + chameleon armor + stealth changed the game dynamics.

I'm undecided wether I want to spend the money for the Shivering Isles expansion.

I really enjoyed the Mehrunes Razor quest. It's only about $3.00, is engaging, and has some really cool magic stuff. Make sure you... [/spoiler]

Shivering isles has a few different quest. Plus the creatures and environment are significantly different. The dungeons have a few new twists to them, too.

Knights of the nine is mostly built around puzzle oriented challenges.

As for the prisoner in the Mehrunes Razor quest, there are several ways to handle it. Releasing him and following him discretely will lead to an interesting outcome more often than not. (Just not always.)

Beyond the standard quests, though, there is room for your own quests if you're so inclined.

A couple of possibilities:

There is a set of Four High-end Magic Rings (Storm, Flame, Frost, Vitality) that offer 100% elemental protection.

If you're a high-level alchemist, you can try to get a full set of Master-level gear.
(You only need three--plus one expert-level aparatus--to make the best potions and poisons, but it is a major challenge to get all four.)

If you haven't finished the Main quest, you could try to get one of each of the Transcendant Sigil stones. (30 different types.)

If you haven't finished the thieves quest, you can try to find a way to finish the quest but keep the boots of Springheel Jak. Doable but hardly trivial.

On Knights of the nine, try to beat the big Bad without losing a single one of your Knights.

And, of course, you could try to build up your character to full perfection; 100 on everything, or try to play through as a completely different character with a completely different MO.

Remember, Oblivion is a sandbox; what you get from it is a function of what you put in. Its all a matter of what interests you.

If you have Shivering Isles you can go questing for Amber and Madness ore; it takes a lot to build a full set of armor and weapons, even more to get a full set of the *magical* versions.

I just picked up the GOTY edition.

One major problem is that there are frequent load screens, particularly in a city. It's highly annoying to have to see a load screen every time you enter a shop.

Is there a way to cut down on these loading screens, for example by fully installing the game on the 360 hard disk?

You may be able to shorten them with an HDD install, but not reduce their frequency.

I just picked up the GOTY edition.

One major problem is that there are frequent load screens, particularly in a city. It's highly annoying to have to see a load screen every time you enter a shop.

Is there a way to cut down on these loading screens, for example by fully installing the game on the 360 hard disk?

I got the GOTY edition as well. Installed it to the hard drive, but honestly haven't noticed any difference in load times. It feels exactly the same as running it off the disk. One thing it reduces is the optical drive noise, which is an issue for some people.

This game is freakin' amazing. I've put in 90 hours so far and still haven't gotten bored. The sidequests are all pretty enjoyable and have enough variation that you don't feel like you're just grinding through the game. Unlike Mass Effect, each dungeon may use similar game assets, but they're all arranged in a unique way.

I just finished the main questline last night and am starting the Shivering Isles now.

I would LOVE to see an ES5 on 360.

I have had the GOTY edidtion for ooooo about 8 months now, I started the game, escaped the tunnels, d/l the free content and havent played it since...I got too busy playing COD4 online. For the most part I play online 90% of my limited game time.

But now that I have fallout 3 and am enjoying it very much I have the itch to start on oblivion again...

My first impressions of Oblivion GOTY about 10 hours in:

Never played the original release, and so far have not had the freeze-ups/disc read errors mentioned in this thread. Presumably the patches are included.

Great depth and detail. That's been said many times and I agree.

I have mixed feelings about Fast Travel. It makes travel a lot easier, but being able to essentially warp/teleport (with some passage of time) with no risk seems overly powerful, especially to places you have never visited before. It's as if you can teleport to any city in the game from the very beginning.

The leveling system is novel, that is, using skillups instead of the traditional killing monsters for xp. But it leads to some rather odd scenarios; I have a spellcaster and discovered you can just level up in town spamming spells to get your skills up.

"I have mixed feelings about Fast Travel. It makes travel a lot easier, but being able to essentially warp/teleport (with some passage of time) with no risk seems overly powerful, especially to places you have never visited before. It's as if you can teleport to any city in the game from the very beginning.

The leveling system is novel, that is, using skillups instead of the traditional killing monsters for xp. But it leads to some rather odd scenarios; I have a spellcaster and discovered you can just level up in town spamming spells to get your skills up."

Two things: First, do yourself the favor of walking to any location when it is the first time you are going there. Afterward, use the fast travel. This is how they refined it to work in Fallout 3, and it plays a lot better that way.

Second, monster level scales with your level. You're level 7? All the monsters are level 7. You got to level 7 by jumping a lot to up your jumping skill? Jumping doesn't help much when you are trying to kill level 7 monsters with level 1 sword skills. :) On the flip side, you can manipulate the game's class system so that you gain power, but everything else stays low level. The second time I played through the game I beat the main storyline at level 2. :)

"

Two things: First, do yourself the favor of walking to any location when it is the first time you are going there. Afterward, use the fast travel. This is how they refined it to work in Fallout 3, and it plays a lot better that way.

:)



er did I miss something with the GOTY edition?
Fast travel in Obivion works exactly the way it does in Fallout 3, ie you have to initially travel to a location and discover it before you can subsequently fast travel to it.

er did I miss something with the GOTY edition?
Fast travel in Obivion works exactly the way it does in Fallout 3, ie you have to initially travel to a location and discover it before you can subsequently fast travel to it.

Not to the major cities, those can be accesses via fast travel in Oblivion at any time regardless of whether you have been there or not.

"Fast travel in Obivion works exactly the way it does in Fallout 3, ie you have to initially travel to a location and discover it before you can subsequently fast travel to it."

Nope. The major areas on Oblivion can be fast-traveled to from the moment you exit the sewers. This essentially means nothing in the main quest is more than 2 minutes away from a fast-travel location.

On the other hand, nothing can be fast-traveled to in Fallout, until you go there by yourself for the first time. This forces you to explore a bit, and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the landscape and stumble across all the little things that they added in.

Not to the major cities, those can be accesses via fast travel in Oblivion at any time regardless of whether you have been there or not.

Morrowind has a network of silt striders and sailboats that link cities and towns, serving the same purpose of getting you from city to city even if you've never been there before.
In Fallout, this lack of easy inter-town just highlights the isolation of the populations and the ignorance of your vault-exile.
In Oblivion, of course, your character is a native so he knows where the population centers are. :-)

I think the poster is more refering to the non-critical cities, towns, caves, forts or otherwise map marked items for quests that become solid once arrived upon. It should be plainly obvious that cities like Cheydenhal, Kavatch, Imperial City, etc. are immediately available.

Fallout 3 departs away from this formula primarily because the main protagonist is not a "native" and has lived in a vault their entire life, thus necessitating true exploration to uncover "safehouse cities" (Rivet City, Megaton, Rielly's Rangers compound, etc.) as well as just about everything else in the game outside of Vault 101.

I'm sure that you had to "long" travel to all locations in Oblivion before you could fast travel. I remember having to walk all the way to Kvatch for example. The occasional sign posts were very useful to keep you on the right path.

Are you sure that the GOTY version doesn't come with some "perk" add on that opens up all locations?

I'm sure that you had to "long" travel to all locations in Oblivion before you could fast travel. I remember having to walk all the way to Kvatch for example. The occasional sign posts were very useful to keep you on the right path.

Are you sure that the GOTY version doesn't come with some "perk" add on that opens up all locations?

GOTY just comes with several of the DLC packages on another disc so you can install them on your console. That's all. It's otherwise completely identical to the regular packaging of the game.

I'm sure that you had to "long" travel to all locations in Oblivion before you could fast travel. I remember having to walk all the way to Kvatch for example. The occasional sign posts were very useful to keep you on the right path.

Are you sure that the GOTY version doesn't come with some "perk" add on that opens up all locations?That's correct. With the original game, you have to travel to any location before you can fast travel, including the cities.

"That's correct."

No. It isn't.

"That's correct."

No. It isn't.


Oh pardon me I forget I was in one of the games forums where discussion can turn into an argument at the drop of hat.

I may be mistaken but I'm sure I remember not being to fast travel in Oblivion until you had visited a location at least once ( exactly the same as Fallout 3). Who knows maybe I turned it off as an option , maybe I am just mistaken : although I did play Oblivion for a year.

Lets try not to have an argument.

As stated previously, cities can be fast-traveled to right away without prior discovery. You have to walk to minor sites such as dungeons before fast-traveling.

How do you use the Soul Trap spell to charge a soul stone? It says you can't equip a stone when I try to select it. When I used the spell on an enemy, nothing happened to my stones.

You guys make me want to blow the dust off and pop it back in! Last i recall, I had just acquired a castle, and I was trying to transfer all my jewels, booze and prized possesions from my cabin to the castle!

I recently started up another game. I didn't attempt to fast travel to any cities, but I'm pretty sure you can (with the exception of Kavtch - due to "spoiler")



How do you use the Soul Trap spell to charge a soul stone? It says you can't equip a stone when I try to select it. When I used the spell on an enemy, nothing happened to my stones.no need to equip. the Soul Trap last a given amount of time, in which you must kill the enemy/congeration before that time is up. if you have a stone, that is empty and of a level of the creature, it will fill it. there should be a notice on the screen of success/failure.

How do you use the Soul Trap spell to charge a soul stone?
1- make sure you have a suitable stone in inventory (don't want to waste a high-grade stone on a low-grade target)
2- cast soul trap spell on target, which has a finite duration
3- kill target while purple glow remains

I generally enchanted a sword with a 2 second soultrap and one second lightning damage. Called it Stormbringer with no apologies to Mr Moorcock. :)

Thanks for the tips. Is there a listing somewhere of what grade stone matches what targets? Also, if you have more than one empty stone, how do you select which stone gets charged?

Thanks for the tips. Is there a listing somewhere of what grade stone matches what targets? Also, if you have more than one empty stone, how do you select which stone gets charged?this should help (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion)

and more specific to your question (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Souls)

Morrowind has a network of silt striders and sailboats that link cities and towns, serving the same purpose of getting you from city to city even if you've never been there before.
In Fallout, this lack of easy inter-town just highlights the isolation of the populations and the ignorance of your vault-exile.
In Oblivion, of course, your character is a native so he knows where the population centers are. :-)

Oh yeah, I've spent probably millions of gold riding Silt Striders.:D I've spent more time on TES3 than any other game ever, over 500 hrs easy.

One good thing about the economic downturn is that it's forcing me to go back into my library and play games I barely touched the first time around or games I never even opened. One of these was Oblivion, which I started back up about a week ago. My last save on the game was at the 10 hour mark dated 4/10/07. Needless to say, I started all over again with a new character (Redguard born under the sign of Shadow). I'm 7 hours in and thoroughly enjoying the game. I'm at level 3 and have done little so far save close the first Oblivion gate at Kavatch.

I am NOT playing the GOTY version, but the original version of the game I bought back in 2006. You can indeed fast travel to any city initally without first walking there. I fast traveled to Waynon Priory before ever walking there.

I'm about to start enter the Thieves Guild and am doing side quests rather than progressing down the main story line. I look forward to playing this for the next couple of months. It's even better because it feels like a game I got for free simply because its been sitting on my shelf the last 2.5 years.

Three things you might want to try in Oblivion:
- get the Wizard's Tower DLC. Really worth it, especially if you don't want to join the mages guild.
- don't neglect the obelisks; they can "teach you" things that, when combined with the Wizard's tower...
- consider starting the main quest and go through it to the point when the gates start opening; I did that and let it run until the game ran out of places to open the gates. :-)

There are few games this side of Morrowind that offer a better return on your money than Oblivion.

Evan, a nice way of doing side quests is with a helper. Progess the main quest until you meet up with Martin and tell him to follow you. Ignore all his suggestions about helping him, just take him into harm's way and his peaceful demeanor disappears.

You can do the same thing with the long lost brothers - don't take them back to the family estate, just make them tag along. One of them will bitch and moan, but they and Martin are immortal, so the worst case is they get knocked down for a while.

Okay, now you guys have me thinking of firing up Oblivion with a guest account and starting from scratch again...

[QUOTE=fjtorres;15871304]
- consider starting the main quest and go through it to the point when the gates start opening; I did that and let it run until the game ran out of places to open the gates. :-)

+1

I need to give this game another chance. I didn't really care for it when it came out, but I didn't play it long enough to form an opinion. I'm normally a huge JRPG fan and never really cared for the American RPGs...That is until I started playing Fallout 3 and realized it's the coolest freaking game ever. I hear so much about it being "Oblivion with guns" it makes me wanna play Oblivion next.

Oblivion is "Fallout 3 with Magic" with the bonus of being set in a really beautiful world.

Make sure you go exploring in the high country!!

You will find the user interface to look entirely different, but be remarkably familiar.

Oblivion is "Fallout 3 with Magic" with the bonus of being set in a really beautiful world.

Make sure you go exploring in the high country!!

You will find the user interface to look entirely different, but be remarkably familiar.

Two major differences:
1- waaayy less gore
2- skills aren't boosted by earning generic skill points but rather through use.

The more you use a specific skill the better you get at it. If you want to be a great sneak-thief, you are simply going to have to sneak a lot.

And yes, the high-country has lots of gorgeous views and deadly threats. Just save regularly, you *can* get stuck in crevices.

Very good points about gore and experience.

Getting stuck in crevices is a risk. Just like Fallout 3, if it happens in the outdoors, you can "fast travel" out of the predicament, but if you are inside a building, cave, grotto etc, you better have a recent save.

SPOILER FOLLOWS - Sneaking experience requires that someone be near enough to be able to (not) detect you, but not that they be bad guys - they can be friendlies
END SPOILER

I need to give this game another chance. I didn't really care for it when it came out, but I didn't play it long enough to form an opinion. I'm normally a huge JRPG fan and never really cared for the American RPGs...That is until I started playing Fallout 3 and realized it's the coolest freaking game ever. I hear so much about it being "Oblivion with guns" it makes me wanna play Oblivion next.

Pick up Morrowind Game of the Year for PC, too. It was great, of course the graphics aren't quite as sharp being an older title.

Pick up Morrowind Game of the Year for PC, too. It was great, of course the graphics aren't quite as sharp being an older title.

The XBOX version of Morrowind is backwards compatible and readily available (used) for under $10. The entertainment value of a game that can soak up 300+ hours at that price is simply absurd...

Guys, Oblivion DLC is on sale this week!

http://bethblog.com/index.php/2009/04/01/oblivion-360-dlc-on-sale-most-of-it-anyway/

Everything is 50% off! Well, except Horse Armor. That is 100% more, at $5. :)

Time to complete my DLC collection! :D

I played this game for 10 hours in 2007 and put it down for whatever reason always intending to return. I did so this year in mid-February and have put in 48 hours so far. I'm very early into both the Mages and Fighter's Guild Quests, have just joined the Dark Brotherhood and have completed the Thieves Guild questline. I am a brawler in the arena. I have saved Kavatch in the main story line and closed the first gate, but that's it.

I have to imagine that I have at least another 50-75 hours to go to do everything and if I were to buy Shivering Isles or Knights of the Nine (I already have Mehrunes Razor but haven't done that quest yet) I would have another 50 hours or more tacked onto that.

Is it possible to play just one game for a majority of 2009? I only get about 5-7 hours a week to game so to finish this game could take me another 3 months or so, easy.

I have saved Kavatch in the main story line and closed the first gate, but that's it.


Is it possible to play just one game for a majority of 2009? I only get about 5-7 hours a week to game so to finish this game could take me another 3 months or so, easy.

I found the game really hots up after Kvatch. Mainly because its when you first get some feeling for the big conflict you've been dragged into , also its quite tough if your character is fairly early on in the game ( I remember cowering in the rubble from imps with nothing but a crap bow and a dwindling supply of arrows).

Its good advice to stick to the main quest until you've closed the gate at Kvatch and then branch out into the other side quests when the main one gets a bit boring or you want to build up your character.

It took me about a year to complete Oblivion ( although I did a lot of side quests) I reckon it took me maybe 300-400 hours but I quite like to explore and mess about.

I'm currently working my way towards the end of Fallout 3 which I've been doing since Christmas 2008.

Then I have GTAIV to finish ( about 30% complete).

Then I have Far Cry 2.

Then I have Dead Space.

Then I have Halo Wars.

Too many games not enough time; been years since I could honestly say that.

I just started this game this past weekend. So far it feels a lot deeper than Fallout 3.
Took me a while before I realized I had to rest to level up, rested for 4 times and went from level 2 to 6. Still don't know if I'm strong enough to finish the Oblivion gate quest so I'm doing a buncha side quests at the moment. As far as leveling up the skills like acrobatics, sneak etc. all you have to do is continually use it? Seems like I can just stand there and jump for hours and max it out? Also, whats the point of persuading? And how exactly do you do it?

<snip> ... rested for 4 times and went from level 2 to 6. ... <snip>
Be aware that after you level up, you have an opportunity to receive a limited amount of training. If you level up twice or more in a row, you lose training opportunities.

So before choosing to level up, make sure you use up your "training budget". Every time.

Be aware that after you level up, you have an opportunity to receive a limited amount of training. If you level up twice or more in a row, you lose training opportunities.

So before choosing to level up, make sure you use up your "training budget". Every time.

What is that?

As far as leveling up the skills like acrobatics, sneak etc. all you have to do is continually use it? Seems like I can just stand there and jump for hours and max it out?

Walk don't run, and jump as often as you can. Sneak when near any "friendlies". If you want to travel from A to B, and there is a guard on a horse, slip in behind and sneak just far enough back that he can't see you. The view is not great but it gets results.

What is that?

Seek out someone who will train you in specific skills (for a fee). The guilds are a good source, but not the only source. Talk to everyone, and some will offer training. Expect to have to travel to find these people. When you find them, take notes. You may want to go back for more!

If you get desperate, there is always http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Training but be warned, here there are SPOILERS!

I found the game really hots up after Kvatch. Mainly because its when you first get some feeling for the big conflict you've been dragged into , also its quite tough if your character is fairly early on in the game ( I remember cowering in the rubble from imps with nothing but a crap bow and a dwindling supply of arrows).

Its good advice to stick to the main quest until you've closed the gate at Kvatch and then branch out into the other side quests when the main one gets a bit boring or you want to build up your character.

It took me about a year to complete Oblivion ( although I did a lot of side quests) I reckon it took me maybe 300-400 hours but I quite like to explore and mess about.

I'm currently working my way towards the end of Fallout 3 which I've been doing since Christmas 2008.
Then I have GTAIV to finish ( about 30% complete).
Then I have Far Cry 2.
Then I have Dead Space.
Then I have Halo Wars.
Too many games not enough time; been years since I could honestly say that.

I can relate 100% to this entire post!

I just started this game this past weekend. So far it feels a lot deeper than Fallout 3.
Took me a while before I realized I had to rest to level up, rested for 4 times and went from level 2 to 6. Still don't know if I'm strong enough to finish the Oblivion gate quest so I'm doing a buncha side quests at the moment. As far as leveling up the skills like acrobatics, sneak etc. all you have to do is continually use it? Seems like I can just stand there and jump for hours and max it out? Also, whats the point of persuading? And how exactly do you do it?

The point of persuading is so that you can open up other dialog options or get better prices for selling or buying goods with characters that like you more. In some cases, you cannot finish a side quest without persuading. Here is how you do it.

There are four "wedges"...two are fairly neutral (very slightly positive and very slightly negative). One is very positive and one is very negative....concentrate on those latter two. Always try to get the full wedge in the one where the character is smiling and try to get the zero wedge in the one where the character is frowning. Keep doing this until the game tells you that the character's disposition is maxed.

For some characters, depending on race and class, speechcraft is a major skill required for leveling up.

I still don't get the persuasion mini-game...

I still don't get the persuasion mini-game...

There's a great youtube video explaining it. Try to search for it.

Can someone explain the efficient way of leveling up? I know there a certain ways to max get +5 instead of +2/+3 to the attributes but I'm not entirely sure how to go about doing that. I'm at level 8 and my character is still incredibly weak.

Can someone explain the efficient way of leveling up?
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Efficient_Leveling

Not-quite-a-cheat: If you get the Wizard's tower, the first floor rotunda is a great way to level up by exercising running and sneak on the cheap; just attach a couple of rubber bands to the controller, set your character running or sneaking in a circle (the latter requires you to conjure up an atronach) and go read a book for a few hours. ;)

Also, the curse of Ever-scamp is very good for exercising weapon skills.
Or, if you have 100+ chameleon, find a handy goblin shaman; don't kill it, just do constant low-level damage with the weapon on choice. It will heal itself perpetually and won't attack you. A few minutes of throwing cheap arrows will do wonders for your archery skill.

Careful with the master trainers; a couple of them can and *will* get themselves killed at higher levels if you're not careful in their neighborhood.

Hi, my name is Johnathan and im also an obivion addict.

there is so much to do in this game that it becomes overwhelming sometimes, but thats a good thing. its all about what i want to do today. Im already planning another character for my second run through.

anyway... i have to jot this down cause it was major fun. when i did the umbra quest what a hard fight it was. she totally disarmed me! i ended up running back to her village being chased by the mad-woman herself. after running in circles for around 5 minutes the villagers were finally able to put her out of her misery. I was so punked by a girl! Anyway since i lost my best weapon at that time i had to start the game over at a previos save and kill her again. The second time through was a little easier as i didnt get disarmed.

What an awesome game. its never the same twice. even if you start over from a previous save. hope i didnt bore anyone. :)

I'm glad someone bumped this.

I'm now 110 hours into the game. I'm at the battle of Bruma on the main story line and have beaten all side quests in the game except for the Dark Brotherhood storyline.

I'm a level 90 archer and I want master training to level 100. I've spoken to both advanced trainers, and neither will give me the referral to the master trainer. Even when I click on the training option, the screen tells me I've maxed out my abilities and those trainers can't train me any further (I know that already). I've also talked to the master trainer but she won't discuss training me at all, and now I can't even find her at her little Troll Cave outside Anvil. Any help would be appreciated, but at this point, I'll probably reach level 100 on my own through sheer repetition.

hope this helps Evan. :)
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Trainers

I'm at about 100 hours into the game, around level 40 I think. I finished the main quest and am starting Shivering Isles but at this point I'm getting kinda bored of the game. I think my character is too strong, I have 100% reflect and really don't have to do anything except hold up my shield and block until the enemy dies.

hope this helps Evan. :)
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Trainers

Thanks Johnathan, but I've been checking the Wiki all along. It tells me WHO I need to seek out and where they are located, but it doesn't really give me a sense for what I need to do to engage the referral. With a marksman's vest on and a couple other magical attributes, I'm virtually at 100 anyway (96 currently), even without the advanced training. It's just frustrating because I've wasted at least 1-2 hours seeking out the trainers to no avail.

I'm at about 100 hours into the game, around level 40 I think. I finished the main quest and am starting Shivering Isles but at this point I'm getting kinda bored of the game. I think my character is too strong, I have 100% reflect and really don't have to do anything except hold up my shield and block until the enemy dies.

Why not play the rest without a shield?

Why not play the rest without a shield?

I'll probably switch to bow and arrow, yea good idea.

I'll probably switch to bow and arrow, yea good idea.

That's too easy. You'll be picking off enemies at a distance while sneaking around. Go the blunt force trauma route with a two-handed mace or axe or go hand-to-hand. Either option is significantly more challenging and time-consuming.

That's too easy. You'll be picking off enemies at a distance while sneaking around. Go the blunt force trauma route with a two-handed mace or axe or go hand-to-hand. Either option is significantly more challenging and time-consuming.

Question, why would anyone want to go hand to hand? Are there specific gloves that you can wear that would significantly increase the damage? Just doesn't make much sense for anyone to make a hand to hand character when weapons are so readily available.

Good day all, just bumped...am having a problem leveling up. I have just closed the gate at Kvatch, joined the Blades and am on the way back to Imperial City, continuing the quest. I am still a level 1 character. Am I missing something? I have gone through some of the guides and I know that in order to level up, I have to focus on my major skills( I am a warrior type), which I have been doing.
This game is fast becoming the ONLY game I play these days(good thing!!:D), but I am wondering if I am missing out on anything with a more powerful character. Thanks, JoeB

You need to sleep to level up. ;)

Double post :)

I know there hasn't been much activity on this thread. I am now in the Arena and am looking to hang around here for a while(make some money as I had to pay my way out of jail:D...didn't want to spend the time trying to escape). My question is should I go on the quest for the Grey Prince in order to learn his fighting style/moves? Is it worth it? I might do it anyways as I love the open-endedness of this game. Thanks, JoeB

I don't remember all the specifics about that. It's been years since I last played Oblivion. I do remember following that quest and found it to be the most interested part of the Arena, aside from the battles, that is. :) Give it a try.

Ok, will do. Thanks Scott. I am going in for a few more arena fights and then it's of on this quest:). This game really takes side questing to new levels. Dang!!:D

i know its been a while.

I have run into a slight problem or glitch. I have completed Knights of the nine. i am now working on the greatest heist in the theifs guild where you have to sit down and the monk brings you the elder scroll. well i was able to sit down. no monk brought me a scroll and i wasnt able to stand back up. So basically i had to turn it off and will have to run through this part again starting from the sewers.

My question is... is it worth it? will i be able to complete this quest or is this a solid glitch that will keep happening? will i be able to complete the theifs guild quests?

Have you tried going back the previous save rather than going all the way back to the start?

Have you tried going back the previous save rather than going all the way back to the start?

its just the start of that one theifs guild quest and i dont have any saves before that one. gonna try it tonight or tommorrow night. i hope i will be able to finish the quest line for the thieves guild. if not ill do the theives guild and assassins guilds first next time and save the Knights of the nine quest for last.

i know its been a while.

I have run into a slight problem or glitch. I have completed Knights of the nine. i am now working on the greatest heist in the theifs guild where you have to sit down and the monk brings you the elder scroll. well i was able to sit down. no monk brought me a scroll and i wasnt able to stand back up. So basically i had to turn it off and will have to run through this part again starting from the sewers.

My question is... is it worth it? will i be able to complete this quest or is this a solid glitch that will keep happening? will i be able to complete the theifs guild quests?

Its been a long time since I did this quest line, so I cannot answer your question about why the scroll isn't there and why you cannot get up from seating. But I will say that it's totally worth it!!! Finishing the thieves guild quest line gives you the Grey Cowl. It's a mask that gives you a permanent boost to your sneak skill, a huge boost in feather (you can carry a ton more stuff when wearing it) and a permanent detect life spell. This mask is invaluable in dark caves to determine the location of baddies, even through walls. I play 80% of my game while wearing it, but don't wear it around guards as they will know you are the Grey Fox and arrest you.

From the official strategy guide...
"Inside the library, take a seat at the round table at the foot of the stairs. When you hear footsteps, a blind priest appears on the stairs and brings you the scroll. Pick it up from the table."

Has this priest appeared for you?

Ok i have to pick it up from the table. there was a priest beside me that i saw but didnt notice any scroll on the table. I will give it a try and keep an eye out for the scroll on the table this time. maybe i couldnt stand up cause i didnt take the scroll. Well Thank you very much for the time and help.

went through last night. All went well. got the scroll and was able to stand back up and leave. Thanks all for the help.

Im off to the assassins guild.

Picked up a level. AWESOME!!! took a 1 hour nap in game to do my stats then...

ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! im now a vampire! life sucks, ha ha.
the wife so laughed at me. "no more daytime for you!" she said and then laughed some more.

guess ill be doing another quest to get rid of this disease. Or should i close all the oblivion gates first?

I believe you can get rid of vampirism if you get to a church within three days and cleanse yourself at the fountain/altar. If you wait too long, the effects become permanent and you will have to seek out a mage (can't remember which one) who will set you on a path to get certain ingrediants necessary to lift the affliction.

How many days (in game time) have you been a vampire?

The quest to get your vampirism cured is a long one - a full evening of playtime as I recall - unless you use a guide of some sort.

Personally I got rid of it as soon as I could - I can't stand that night time only limitation.

PS- Finally got around to playing Shivering Isles a couple months ago, awesome fun.

I believe you can get rid of vampirism if you get to a church within three days and cleanse yourself at the fountain/altar. If you wait too long, the effects become permanent and you will have to seek out a mage (can't remember which one) who will set you on a path to get certain ingrediants necessary to lift the affliction.

How many days (in game time) have you been a vampire?

The quest to get your vampirism cured is a long one - a full evening of playtime as I recall - unless you use a guide of some sort.

Personally I got rid of it as soon as I could - I can't stand that night time only limitation.

PS- Finally got around to playing Shivering Isles a couple months ago, awesome fun.


well ive been to a temple and the alter cure didnt work so im a full fledged blood sucker. Im going to enjoy that quest for the cure at some point.

the positive:
1. im at a point in the game where money really holds no value so i dont need to buy or sell anything.
2. The bonuses will be a good thing as im going to close 30 more oblivion gates. Just got to watch out for those dang fire towers.
3. i have a live in maid at my skingrad house. (already violated her. ha ha)

the negative:
1. cant show my face anywhere.
2. traveling to the gates is going to get tricky and getting home is going to be even worse.
3. sun damage may put a damper on things. not sure if you can get sun damage in the oblivion gates.
4. those fire towers in the oblivion gates are going to be quite nasty.

anyone have any helpful ideas on how to close an oblivion gate and not get caught in the daylight on the return trip?

I have not done the shivering isles yet. i expect it to be fun though. How long did it take you to complete just shivering isles?

P.S. Im the Grey Fox and a Vampire... be scared... be very scared...

SI took me about 20 hours I believe.

The quest to get your vampirism cured is a long one - a full evening of playtime as I recall - unless you use a guide of some sort.

Personally I got rid of it as soon as I could - I can't stand that night time only limitation.

PS- Finally got around to playing Shivering Isles a couple months ago, awesome fun.
I can't stand running around at night so I'm really hoping to not get stuck with vampirism.

There's no night time limitation when you're a vampire. I've been one for most of the 60 or so hours I've played, and I'm in the daylight all the time.

You just have to feed on people that are asleep, so you have to occasionally pop into someone's house at night and feed, or you'll take damage in daylight if you've gone too long without feeding.

If you have the DLC, one of the DLC packs allows you to switch to or cure vampirism at will. So no need to do that quest unless you want to.

There's no night time limittion when you're a vampire. I've been one for most of the 60 or so hours I've played, and I'm in the daylight all the time.

You just have to feed on people that are asleep, so you have to occasionally pop into someone's house at night and feed, or you'll take damage in daylight if you've gone too long without feeding.

If you have the DLC, one of the DLC packs allows you to switch to or cure vampirism at will. So no need to do that quest unless you want to.

Which DLC is that? I'm currently about 5 hours into Shivering Isles. I plan to play Knights of the Nine after this. When that's done, I plan to play as a vampire on miscellanous side quests but haven't seen the DLC you speak of that offers an instant cure.

The Vile Lair

You must not of ever checked the marketplace for DLC if you've never seen it.

If you have the rerelease of Oblivion that came packaged with Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine, that's all you have. It didn't include the other DLC in case you were under the impression it did.

There are other expansions, including Mehrunes' Razor, The Fighter's Stronghold, The Orrery, The Thieves Den, and The Wizard's Tower. Also some useless add-ons that add spell books to dungeons that you can loot, and the infamous horse armor.

There's no night time limitation when you're a vampire. I've been one for most of the 60 or so hours I've played, and I'm in the daylight all the time.

i cant figure out a way to write this without it sounding harsh so i appologize first for my statement and please dont take it wrong. Anyway, i figure im a vampire so im going to play it as a vampire. It should add more to the game. Whats funny is i just got the "The Order of the Virtuous Blood" quest... so that means i either need to let the vampire go and kill the hunters or figure out a reason why i need to kill the vampires and let the others live.

You just have to feed on people that are asleep, so you have to occasionally pop into someone's house at night and feed, or you'll take damage in daylight if you've gone too long without feeding.
i might have to create a healing spell to counter the daylight thing. will see how that goes.

If you have the DLC, one of the DLC packs allows you to switch to or cure vampirism at will. So no need to do that quest unless you want to.
I am so going to have to get the DLC. I dont have any of it yet since i got the GOTY edition which came with shivering isles and kights of the nine.

I am so going to have to get the DLC. I dont have any of it yet since i got the GOTY edition which came with shivering isles and kights of the nine.

If you're playing as a Vamp, Vile Lair is a good add-in.
For most characters, the Wizard's Tower is also good.
The Fighter Stronghold is more amusing than useful but the Thieves Den has its uses, especially the special lock-picking trainer.
The oblivion DLC has one redeeming feature, even in the worst of cases: its cheap. :D

When I was a vampire I tried my best to not feed - so I wasn't able to go out much during the day. I suppose it's all about how much role-playing you actually want to do.

I've seen the Vile Lair, as I have perused the DLC marketplace for Oblivion, but with Mehrunes Razor being the exception, I haven't purchased any of it because I don't know if it's worth the price, even if it is cheap. Heck, I got Mehrunes Razor only because MS offered it up for free once back in 2007 I believe.

Anybody got a full fledged review of all the DLC the game has to offer, even the small stuff, or a link to such?

When I was a vampire I tried my best to not feed - so I wasn't able to go out much during the day. I suppose it's all about how much role-playing you actually want to do.

So far my experience has been pretty good. Its tough to plan out the events of the day and night. Having a good escape plan is really a must. It has made me explore more since ive gotten caught in the middle of no where and had to retreat into a cave and into a ruins. To claim them as mine i had to clear them out. It does add some more fun to the game for me. Ive also had to charm one guy so i could get a quest.

I still need to make it to Imperial city to try to create some spells to help with sun damage. Thats going to be a quest in itself.

My character is like level 38 so im not sure how effective the bonuses that i receive are. The extra strength is nice to haul more loot, and the speed increase is awesome. I havent noticed any other changes when it comes to fighting opponents as it still seems to take just as long to kill stuff.

On creating spells, namely feather spells, is pack-mule the highest it will go or can i make a spell to feather more?

On creating spells, namely feather spells, is pack-mule the highest it will go or can i make a spell to feather more?
You don't have to; remember, you can stack feather and strength spells, potions, and enchanted gear to let you move tons of stuff. Especially for fadt travel.

i cant figure out a way to write this without it sounding harsh so i appologize first for my statement and please dont take it wrong. Anyway, i figure im a vampire so im going to play it as a vampire. It should add more to the game. Whats funny is i just got the "The Order of the Virtuous Blood" quest... so that means i either need to let the vampire go and kill the hunters or figure out a reason why i need to kill the vampires and let the others live.


i might have to create a healing spell to counter the daylight thing. will see how that goes.


I am so going to have to get the DLC. I dont have any of it yet since i got the GOTY edition which came with shivering isles and kights of the nine.

I'm not sure what your going on about or why you think I'd care that you're placing an artificial limitation on how you play Oblivion (Why would I care?).

The entire point of my post was to correct statements being spread as fact that you couldn't be outside in the daylight when your character is a vampire. No offense, but I could care less how you decide to play.

The reality is that your character can freely travel outside in the daylight when it has vampirism. There is no nightime only limitation to playing as a vampire in Oblivion, the only limitation is you need to feed every 24 hours or so or your character will take damage when exposed to direct sunlight.

I haven't played Knights of the Nine yet myself - I'm tempted to pick that one up and play through it. The two separate game files I have both went different ways - I felt like doing Dark Brotherhood's full quest line was something I'd rather not have hanging over my main character.

I just got this game from Games on Demand, I can't believe I never played it! Lots of fun so far.

"I can't believe I never played it!"

I remember the moment that you first step out of the sewer being a pretty significant "wow!" moment.

I remember, after closing the first Oblivion gate, just sitting back and thinking 'I dont know if this game can be topped!' In the realm of rpg games, I have never seen anything on this level. I remember playing D&D when I was in highschool, Oblivion just brings me right back.:D I really hope they continue the Elder Scrolls series.

The first time setting foot inside an Oblivion gate was a pretty big wow moment for me. The general atmosphere in the gates was always a little creepy, though not scary or frightening. Just very creepy. Another good wow moment has always been taking a moment to stop and enjoy the scenery while traveling by foot. Seeing the Ivory Tower in the distance from the Golden Road amidst the autumn colored trees is pretty f'n cool to me.

I just finished the siege of Kvatch(still early days yet!) and was also on a quest for the Fighter's Guild. Well, I decided to get some much needed rest, and before I fell asleep, I was visited by someone from the Dark Brotherhood. I decided to accapt his quest. I find myself going off in all these different directions the deeper I go.

How has everyone else gone through Oblivion? Have you accepted any and all quests that came your way? Or did you go through completing only one quest at a time? I felt like if I didn't accept the Dark Brotherhood, I wouldn't know when he would next show up. Any thoughts? JoeB

While the game is a thing of beauty it can get repetitive, especially the Oblivion Gates. Those are just a variation on a theme and after awhile it's easy to run through with swords a blazing, gathering up as much crap as you can carry and grabbing (and saving and reloading if necessary) the Sigil Stone you want to enchant your weapons/armor.

I just wished there was more variety to them. Still an awesome game though and nothing to get hung up over.

How has everyone else gone through Oblivion? Have you accepted any and all quests that came your way? Or did you go through completing only one quest at a time? I felt like if I didn't accept the Dark Brotherhood, I wouldn't know when he would next show up. Any thoughts? JoeB

That's the beauty of Oblivion, you can have multiple quests at the same time and handle the one you want when you want to. I can't tell you how many times I got sidetracked here and there helping some random person or taking on a minor quest. :) Enjoy - you can turn a blind eye on the main quest without any issues.

-JR

I just finished the siege of Kvatch(still early days yet!) and was also on a quest for the Fighter's Guild. Well, I decided to get some much needed rest, and before I fell asleep, I was visited by someone from the Dark Brotherhood. I decided to accapt his quest. I find myself going off in all these different directions the deeper I go.

How has everyone else gone through Oblivion? Have you accepted any and all quests that came your way? Or did you go through completing only one quest at a time? I felt like if I didn't accept the Dark Brotherhood, I wouldn't know when he would next show up. Any thoughts? JoeB

The beautiful thing about Oblivion is that almost none of the quests have any sort of a time limit (with the exception of one fairly significant quest in the main storyline - you'll know it when you get to it). You can branch off from the main quest whenever you like and every NPC involved will patiently wait for you to trigger the next event. Likewise you can pick up and change sidequests on the fly without worry that the game will break in any way. You can even focus exclusively on the main quest and when that's finished, the world is left open to you to explore and take up the sidequests.

There is no right or wrong way to approach it, just do whatever feels right to you. But if you're looking for what other folks did, in my case, I tended to focus on the main quest first, taking on sidequests primarily to level my character up and acquire loot to make the main quest easier to finish (better weapons, armor, etc.). Then once I finished the main storyline, I joined the guilds and took on their quests in succession. After those were finished, I started up on the DLC quests.

What I did was create different characters for the different quest lines; Dark Brotherhood, Thieves, fighters, etc. The thief is a slimy little weasel type, the fighter a hulking barbarian, the assassin a serial killer psycho...
Different classes for rach.
For the main quest I did two characters; one male and one female, that I used for the dlc...
First time through, I waited to max out my character before getting into the main quest and then put the main quest on hold when the gates started opening. I wanted to make sure I'd face the highest level opposition. I kept it up until gates had spawned at every possible location and the game was clearly repeating itself. Then I finished the main quest and moved on to the dlc.
Of the dlc, the wizards tower and Shiverring isles are the best. knights of the nine a decent challenge. The others are nice but nothing special; the thieves' den has a good perk in the lockpick training chest when combined with the skeleton key.
One of these days I'll have to go back and give Oblivion and Morrowind another go through.

Hopefully Dragon Age will be at least half as good as oblivion.

Ive had 2 strange things happen and i was wondering if they were game glitches or not.
1. showed up in skingrad and about 10 or twelve guards all started running around and then they ran towards kvatch killing all of the stuff along the way. half way to kvatch i couldnt keep up with the guards any longer. has anyone experienced this? and does anyone have any clue to what happened?

2. showed up at an oblivion gate and there were like 10 xzivley (spelling?) and three other deadra. there were also 5 or 6 guards fighting them. was this just some kind of spawning glitch or is it unique to a certain oblivion gate?

any ideas out there?

Ive had 2 strange things happen and i was wondering if they were game glitches or not.
1. showed up in skingrad and about 10 or twelve guards all started running around and then they ran towards kvatch killing all of the stuff along the way. half way to kvatch i couldnt keep up with the guards any longer. has anyone experienced this? and does anyone have any clue to what happened?

2. showed up at an oblivion gate and there were like 10 xzivley (spelling?) and three other deadra. there were also 5 or 6 guards fighting them. was this just some kind of spawning glitch or is it unique to a certain oblivion gate?

any ideas out there?

I have experienced that as well(the guards taking off like that, and not being able to keep up), and I think it's normal. I actually lost the guard I was supposed to follow, and had to find the guard house alone.

How far along the main quest are you? I keep getting sidetracked, but now am focusing more on the main quest now. Have closed only 1 Oblivion gate so far. I am just going to do one quest for the Fighter's guild and one for the Dark Brotherhood, and then I will try to focus... well maybe...;):D JoeB

You just ran into a random encounter. They're pretty cool sometimes and makes the world seem more alive since you're not the only one fighting every thing all the time. It makes sense that you would come upon something like that. I just wish there were random encounters with other fortune hunters trying to make their way through an Oblivion gate.

During the siege of Kvatch, I decided to grab a few things I might need for the road in the castle. When the siege was over, I ran into some Imperial guards who tried to arrest me, calling me a thief!!

I dispatched the first one for being so insolent, especially as I just saved their city;). When the second one accosted me in a village inn, he said there was a 3000 gold bounty on my head! Needless to say I dispatched him as well. It was after these events that I was visited by a member of the Dark Brotherhood. This game is ridonculous:D. I can see how you can lose your life for a few months. Very addictive, but that's a good thing, right?:)

How far along the main quest are you? I keep getting sidetracked, but now am focusing more on the main quest now. Have closed only 1 Oblivion gate so far. I am just going to do one quest for the Fighter's guild and one for the Dark Brotherhood, and then I will try to focus... well maybe...;):D JoeB

im pretty far along on the main quest. I really want to save it for last.

i think ive closed 43 oblivion gates. ive done all of the guild quests. Ive put in alot of time into this game and still have alot more to do. Ive got to find some more side quests but in the mean time im working on a quest to gather aliad statues. I know i have missed alot.

im pretty far along on the main quest. I really want to save it for last.

i think ive closed 43 oblivion gates. ive done all of the guild quests. Ive put in alot of time into this game and still have alot more to do. Ive got to find some more side quests but in the mean time im working on a quest to gather aliad statues. I know i have missed alot.

What are your impressions of the game so far? I haven't investested anywhere near the amount of time you have, and I am hooked.

****Potential Mild Spoilers--nothing story intensive, just action intensice***

I've been through nearly every inch of this game--and i believe the part you are referring to is the GIANT OBLIVION GATE that spawns about.....70% through the main campaign. Here's the thing. if there were only 5 or 6 guards fighting them, then you're in for a rough one--the way it works is, you're supposed to close a special oblivion gate outside each major city, (usually in quest form) and then speak with the leader of that city. For each of those oblivion gates that you close, there will be soldiers at that giant oblivion gate to help you fight the invasion. (you'll know you closed the right gate when people within the city thank you for closing the gate) my suggestion would be to close more of the special gates outside of these cities so you have more help, because once you destroy that first wave, MORE creatures will spawn...and after that wave is done, MORE will spawn--I promise.



Ive had 2 strange things happen and i was wondering if they were game glitches or not.
1. showed up in skingrad and about 10 or twelve guards all started running around and then they ran towards kvatch killing all of the stuff along the way. half way to kvatch i couldnt keep up with the guards any longer. has anyone experienced this? and does anyone have any clue to what happened?

2. showed up at an oblivion gate and there were like 10 xzivley (spelling?) and three other deadra. there were also 5 or 6 guards fighting them. was this just some kind of spawning glitch or is it unique to a certain oblivion gate?

any ideas out there?

What are your impressions of the game so far? I haven't investested anywhere near the amount of time you have, and I am hooked.
personnally i love the game. there are a couple of parts that could have been done better quest wise. there are also a couple of bugs to look out for but nothing that ruins the experience. i do wish there was more to do with the money later in the game so that money didnt become useless.

the game is complex enough without being over bearing. some of the stuff can get repetative. For instance, if you only run around closing oblivion gates one after the another then i can see losing interest in the game, so i try to keep mixing it up.

there are plenty of different things to fight but it seems some of the creatures dissapear when you reach a high enough level which is a shame.
I hate the goblins... i think they are the toughest thing to fight and the sound they make gives me the creeps LOL.

All in all its by far the best game i have played on my xbox. i feel its a game that will have alot of replayability and am looking forward to my second run through. I also think the most fun is had between the start of the game and when your character hits somewhere around 25th level.

Things i would have liked to see in the game. i do understand they are working within limited space and certain things propable wouldnt be able to be implemented, so the game is what it is but;
1. ambushes. i think it would be fun to be jumped by 5 or 6 things at once. being in a situation where you have to run away would be a good thing.
2. a house that advances with your level that eventually expands into a castle. having to pay for all of the expansions would create a reason to continue to make money and retrieve stuff at later levels.
3. Some more variety in monsters.
4. A pet would be a nice thing.
5 being able to store stuff on your mount to add for a reason to keep him around or alive. for myself i find no use for a horse ymmv.

****Potential Mild Spoilers--nothing story intensive, just action intensice***

I've been through nearly every inch of this game--and i believe the part you are referring to is the GIANT OBLIVION GATE that spawns about.....70% through the main campaign. Here's the thing. if there were only 5 or 6 guards fighting them, then you're in for a rough one--the way it works is, you're supposed to close a special oblivion gate outside each major city, (usually in quest form) and then speak with the leader of that city. For each of those oblivion gates that you close, there will be soldiers at that giant oblivion gate to help you fight the invasion. (you'll know you closed the right gate when people within the city thank you for closing the gate) my suggestion would be to close more of the special gates outside of these cities so you have more help, because once you destroy that first wave, MORE creatures will spawn...and after that wave is done, MORE will spawn--I promise.

im looking forward to getting to that main gate, it will be like a minature war. i hope the poor little xbox can keep up with the action. im planning to get as much help as i can.

I have not gotten that far yet. I didnt know the closing of the special gates were a quest, thanks for that info. ive just been closing each as i come to it. How many times will the regular gates themselves respawn and will they respawn in the same places?

Taking my time with this and it's growing on me (I played through and already beat Fallout 3 first). About 10 hours in and feel like I'm scratching the surface :)

Quick question, how do I join Fighters Guild? First town where I found it they said I need to go certain place to sign up?

Taking my time with this and it's growing on me (I played through and already beat Fallout 3 first). About 10 hours in and feel like I'm scratching the surface :)

Quick question, how do I join Fighters Guild? First town where I found it they said I need to go certain place to sign up?

To join the Fighters Guild speak to Guild Master Vilena Donton in Chorrol, Azzan in Anvil, or Burz Gro-Khash in Cheydinhal. You must have an infamy score of under 100 to join. Once you join, you'll immediately hold the rank of Associate.

That's the beauty of Oblivion, you can have multiple quests at the same time and handle the one you want when you want to. I can't tell you how many times I got sidetracked here and there helping some random person or taking on a minor quest. :) Enjoy - you can turn a blind eye on the main quest without any issues.

-JR

lol, no doubt... i have 180 hours, and i'm just barely the hero of kvatch.

lol, no doubt... i have 180 hours, and i'm just barely the hero of kvatch.


Hahaha, I'm in the same boat on my third playthrough. I'm doing EVERYTHING before even going to meet with Jauffre. Thought it would be fun to be at a very high level before starting the main quest. It's something I had not done with my previous playthroughs.

It's amazing to me that after putting in so much time into my first two playthroughs there's still such an appeal to this game. I mean, I think I could do the Thieves Guild over and over and never tire of it. Just an amazing game in all aspects.

Just checking out these last 2 pages to see what people were experiencing and saying, and man, I can't wait for Elder Scrolls V.

I have all the achievements, but I get tempted to go back and finish off side quests.

Just checking out these last 2 pages to see what people were experiencing and saying, and man, I can't wait for Elder Scrolls V.

I have all the achievements, but I get tempted to go back and finish off side quests.

I am curious about one thing. I am on my first playthrough, and am going as a Barbarian. My question is this. Does the type of character you choose, ie. Dark elf vs Imperial or Khajiit, influence the way the Guild quests play out? Or are they the same regardless of character? It would be great if they differed for each character. It would make the possibilities enormous, and the replay value huge.

It's amazing that a game that was released in March of 2006 (3.5 years ago!) still generates this level of discussion. Oblivion is one of my favorite games of all time and I've put just under 200 hours into the base game and all of the expansions. I really do hope that there are more Elder Scrolls single player games because Morrowind is another of my all-time faves. I'm waiting for Risen to come out hoping it'll scratch my itch for a Western-style fantasy sandbox RPG.

For what it's worth, I also found Two Worlds to be very fun. It's not anywhere close to as technically refined as Oblivion, but if you overlook some of the technical flaws and just play it, it comes across as a blend of Oblivion, Fable, and Diablo.

I am curious about one thing. I am on my first playthrough, and am going as a Barbarian. My question is this. Does the type of character you choose, ie. Dark elf vs Imperial or Khajiit, influence the way the Guild quests play out? Or are they the same regardless of character? It would be great if they differed for each character. It would make the possibilities enormous, and the replay value huge.

I have not finished my 1st play through but i am assuming that the guild quests wont change due to your character class or race. implementing something like that would have required alot more storage space and memory that they probably didnt have.

HDTVblues3
Just checking out these last 2 pages to see what people were experiencing and saying, and man, I can't wait for Elder Scrolls V.
I have all the achievements, but I get tempted to go back and finish off side quests.

you should really do the side quests. some of them are lots of fun. :)

I am curious about one thing. I am on my first playthrough, and am going as a Barbarian. My question is this. Does the type of character you choose, ie. Dark elf vs Imperial or Khajiit, influence the way the Guild quests play out? Or are they the same regardless of character? It would be great if they differed for each character. It would make the possibilities enormous, and the replay value huge.

There is sually some discrimination (nothing really noticeable even), but otherwise, most quests go unchanged.

It's amazing that a game that was released in March of 2006 (3.5 years ago!) still generates this level of discussion. Oblivion is one of my favorite games of all time and I've put just under 200 hours into the base game and all of the expansions. I really do hope that there are more Elder Scrolls single player games because Morrowind is another of my all-time faves. I'm waiting for Risen to come out hoping it'll scratch my itch for a Western-style fantasy sandbox RPG.

For what it's worth, I also found Two Worlds to be very fun. It's not anywhere close to as technically refined as Oblivion, but if you overlook some of the technical flaws and just play it, it comes across as a blend of Oblivion, Fable, and Diablo.

I really wish we had a larger number of Western-style RPG's. I'm interested in Risen, which I tried on PC demo on my bro's notebook (mine... :o :(), and I loved playing Gothic I & II (maybe III one day).

Two Worlds had me lmao when my younger bro tried it last year on X360.

I have not finished my 1st play through but i am assuming that the guild quests wont change due to your character class or race. implementing something like that would have required alot more storage space and memory that they probably didnt have.



you should really do the side quests. some of them are lots of fun. :)

Yeah. I think I will. But first, Fallout 3... then I'll eventually have to go back and finish F3's sidequests. Probably not though.

P.S. Couldn't get the stupid multi-quote to work. :mad: Maybe next time.

I bought this game a long time ago, but it didn't really do it for me. Now that I'm through with Fallout, this one may get another go. I really like RPG type games now.

I am curious about one thing. I am on my first playthrough, and am going as a Barbarian. My question is this. Does the type of character you choose, ie. Dark elf vs Imperial or Khajiit, influence the way the Guild quests play out? Or are they the same regardless of character? It would be great if they differed for each character. It would make the possibilities enormous, and the replay value huge.

Like HDTVblues says below, there is race discrimination, but other than that you won't see a huge change. It may make some quests a tad more difficult if you're trying to dig for information, and there are some slave rescue quests that may have more impact to you if you are actually playing as that enslaved race and have started to feel the discrimination, but overall it won't massively change your Oblivion experience.

My friend played through as a Khajiit, and he would definately get some odd statements from NPCs. Of course, the same goes if you're human - where you'll hear a whisper of "fressshhh prey approachesss... from time to time. :)

There is sually some discrimination (nothing really noticeable even), but otherwise, most quests go unchanged.

Played a long session last night(well, long for me these days!)...2.5hrs!! I just picked up Conan yesterday on the cheap at BB. It's a good romp and nice to change it up between Oblivion and Dead Space, which are my two main games right now.

Another question, I read somewhere that you can fast travel anywhere on the mao, but when I tried to do that I was only able to fast trave to places I had been to before. Is there some way I am able to fast travel to places I haven't visited before?

Another question, I read somewhere that you can fast travel anywhere on the mao, but when I tried to do that I was only able to fast trave to places I had been to before. Is there some way I am able to fast travel to places I haven't visited before?

Unfortunately no, you can only fast-travel to where you've visited. What you can do is fast travel to an area close to where you want to go, and then go on foot.

-JR

Another question, I read somewhere that you can fast travel anywhere on the mao, but when I tried to do that I was only able to fast trave to places I had been to before. Is there some way I am able to fast travel to places I haven't visited before?

Only the cities.

Another question, I read somewhere that you can fast travel anywhere on the mao, but when I tried to do that I was only able to fast trave to places I had been to before. Is there some way I am able to fast travel to places I haven't visited before?

IMO they made a good compromise. You should be forced to explore manually -err, pedally?- new areas. It enhances the wanderlust and adventuring that helps flesh out the world of Elder Scrolls. And think of all the amazing random adventures you'd miss out on by just skipping over all the unexplored areas. But Morrowind really took too much time traveling on foot, especially with NPCs sending you back and forth across the map just to finish one quest. And the terrible directions ("Go west." "Uhhh, how far and stuff?"). I think Oblivion's fast travel is a well balanced system.

IMO they made a good compromise. You should be forced to explore manually -err, pedally?- new areas. It enhances the wanderlust and adventuring that helps flesh out the world of Elder Scrolls. And think of all the amazing random adventures you'd miss out on by just skipping over all the unexplored areas. But Morrowind really took too much time traveling on foot, especially with NPCs sending you back and forth across the map just to finish one quest. And the terrible directions ("Go west." "Uhhh, how far and stuff?"). I think Oblivion's fast travel is a well balanced system.
Not once you picked up the Boots of Blinding Speed :). Then all you had to worry about were the stupid cliff racers that would follow you forever until you slowed down so a pack of them could attack you.

Not once you picked up the Boots of Blinding Speed :). Then all you had to worry about were the stupid cliff racers that would follow you forever until you slowed down so a pack of them could attack you.

Boots of blinding speed!?::) Now those would have come in handy before I got arrested!:D:D

Not once you picked up the Boots of Blinding Speed :). Then all you had to worry about were the stupid cliff racers that would follow you forever until you slowed down so a pack of them could attack you.

Stupid oblivion trick: I stacked a whole bunch of speed boost spells, enchanted gear, and potions and built up superspeedster mobility. Two problems: hard to control and I took major damage just bumping into stuff. I did manage to run across Cyrodill before the boost wore off. A second attempt using water walking went better following the river, the only slowdown was crossing cells. I'll have to retry with a disk-installed session.

Stupid Morrowind trick: Cliff Racers are extinct in my Morrowind game saves. I combined a flight ring with a lightning casting ring and I killed them. They swarmed me like mosquitoes! Wouldn't leave me alone. Later I added invisibility for stealth and the superfast flight scrolls for cross-continent flights. Nothing like going from Balmora to Azura's shrine in less than a minute.

I really wish they'd let you levitate in Oblivion...

Not once you picked up the Boots of Blinding Speed :). Then all you had to worry about were the stupid cliff racers that would follow you forever until you slowed down so a pack of them could attack you.

You know, I used those boots for the longest time and couldn't figure out why the game had become so dark. I was constantly adjusting my TV and NVidia settings (played it on PC), it drove me nuts. One day I finally realized that a side effect of those boots was a 20% or so drop in screen brightness. They were boots of literally blinding speed. :p

IMO they made a good compromise. You should be forced to explore manually -err, pedally?- new areas. It enhances the wanderlust and adventuring that helps flesh out the world of Elder Scrolls. And think of all the amazing random adventures you'd miss out on by just skipping over all the unexplored areas. But Morrowind really took too much time traveling on foot, especially with NPCs sending you back and forth across the map just to finish one quest. And the terrible directions ("Go west." "Uhhh, how far and stuff?"). I think Oblivion's fast travel is a well balanced system.

It's just that, sometimes when you decide to take on a new quest you have to do some backtracking to get to the new destination. I know you can backtrack quickly, and then travel normally to the new marker. I was just looking for an even quicker way...I was on a timeline, as my game sessions are a little restricted these days(darn kids hoggin' the set;):)).

I thought I'd played through Oblivion in every way possible..... until I decided to efficiently level. It's great fun building an ultimate character. So far I've been successfull, that is to say that I've gained two levels and gotten 6 +5 modifiers in the attributes that I set out to increase. I did overlevel a bit the first time, but I think I've found a way around doing that again.

I originally thought it might be laborious, but it really has turned out to be a lot of fun. Not to mention a whole different exp. with my all time favorite game. I recommend it to those that havn't tried it and are looking for new ways to play old games.