Oblivion start-up script

Oblivion still seems to be one of the main reasons people keep coming here. Ok. I’ve played this game more than once. Let’s go with a bit of starting advice for a new character.

A starting consideration is, what kind of character do you like to play? I’m fond of mages, myself, but the game is rigged against them. It’s hard to develop a good mage. I just happen to find it rewarding. You might prefer a fighter, which will level a lot faster with fewer problems. A sneaky thief will probably be easier, even.

What you will always, always want to do is to create a custom character type. The default characters are badly balanced, and make no particular sense. For a mage, think Alteration, Mysticism, Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration, Illusion… and any final skill that won’t level quickly, but might turn out to be useful. Stealth will be useful, but levels a bit too easily. You might prefer, say, Blade. There are times when even a hardcore mage will prefer a good sharp point in his hand.

For a thief, leveling is less of a concern, but stick to your core useful skills. Marksman, Light Armor, Blade, Acrobatics, Stealth, Security, and a few helpful extras– maybe Armorer and Mercantile.

A good fighter is going to level like crazy and, for once, you don’t need to work against that. Go with the natural options. Blade, Heavy Armor, Armorer, Block. Acrobatics and Athletics seem like naturals, but suit yourself. Marksman will be handy, to help boost your agility. You might run with an Orc, which is a natural fighter, and magic-resistant… or try something a little odd, like an Argonian, which is poison-proof, disease-resistant, and water-breathing.

All characters will benefit from strong Alchemy skills. Alchemy is unbelievably handy, especially at high levels. Great healing potions and cures, chameleon and invisibility for thieving, and vicious poisons– it works for everybody. Just do not make this one of your major skills. It’s too easy to level, which will skew the hell out of your character. Remember that everyone in the entire game levels when you do. The effects of that differs according to character type, with odd results– those wimpy little goblins will turn into the most amazingly nasty opponents, late in the game.

All characters will benefit from high Endurance. Mages want intellect and wisdom, thieves need agility and strength, and fighters need strength and agility. Focus on these attributes first. Build others if you turn out to have a good opportunity, or after you’ve finished maxing out the base attributes.

You can buy training in various skills to help improve your attributes, at up to five training sessions per character level. Endurance is readily improved by building up Block, Heavy Armor, or Armorer skills. You can get trainers for the latter two in the Imperial City.

Don’t buy training in skills that are part of your majors– you’ll hurry the leveling process, which is not usually a good idea. That will cause you to lose chances to build up your other skills before leveling.

This is serious nerdcore but– I recommend keeping a sheet of paper that tracks your current leveling progress. It will really help you understand which skills are moving fastest, which ones need help, and which attributes are going to be getting the best boosts when you level. You’ll be able to tweak your progress accordingly, by training in appropriate skills (either by buying training or exercising the skills) before you level.

Mark down “Str, Int, Wil, Agi, Spd, End, Per” and leave space for a top level. When you gain a point in Athletics, for example, you make a mark in the Spd row– Athletics is a Speed skill, as the game will remind you, if you check the stats list. If Athletics is one of your major skills, make a mark in the top row, which will let you know how close you are to gaining a character level. Ten improvements to your majors will gain you a character level. Ten or more improvements in an attribute, like Speed, will then give you five points to put into improving that attribute. Try to shoot for ten points in your most desirable attributes before leveling.

The game strongly hints that you should go right off to Jauffry with the king’s amulet. Don’t. Your first stop is the marketplace in the Imperial City, where you can sell your extra inventory to the fellow at The Copious Coinpurse (do schmooze him up first). If you’re a mage, stop at the discount spell shop and buy Ease Burden, then head off to Bruma and get an improved fireball spell from the alchemist at the mage’s guild.

Next stop, Vilverin. This is the Ayleid ruin northeast of the Imperial City, across the water from the sewer exit you just came from. It’s a pretty easy dungeon, at this point in the game, and contains quite a few treasures. Plunder it from top to bottom, sell the loot, and you’re off to a good start.

Hint: take the Ayleid statue directly to Umbacano in the Talos Plaza district of the Imperial City. You’ll get much more money for it that way.

You won’t want to follow up with Jauffry until you’re level five or so. By that time, you’ll be in decent shape to deal with the resulting challenges. Don’t wait too much longer, or it’ll start getting ugly. Some of the challenges ramp up at a surprising rate, and are better handled earlier in the game.