The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Tips & Tricks
A beginner guide for new players and returning veterans covering birth sign selection, the skill-spam leveling system, early housing and exploration habits, lockpicking and persuasion minigames, and faction entry points. Aimed at players who want a strong start without feeling overwhelmed.
11 Tips · 4 categories
6 tipsProgression
Choose a Straightforward Birth Sign as a New Player
Birth signs provide permanent buffs that last your entire playthrough. Signs like the Steed, Warrior, or Thief offer reliable stat boosts with no drawbacks. Avoid signs with negative effects early on, such as the Apprentice, which doubles magic damage taken and puts you at a severe disadvantage against the many magic-casting enemies throughout the game.
Spam Skills Constantly to Level Them Quickly
Oblivion levels skills by using them, so the fastest way to progress is to use your chosen skills at every opportunity. Jump everywhere to raise Acrobatics, cast healing or summoning spells while traveling to build Restoration or Conjuration, and keep attacking or blocking in combat to push weapon and armor skills. Your magicka refills over time, so casting spells when nothing is happening costs nothing.
Complete the Alswell Inn Quest for Free Storage Early
Heading along the main road after the tutorial leads you to the Alswell Inn, where a short side quest involves curing the inn's invisible residents. Completing it earns you permanent free lodging and a safe chest for storing items. It is one of the earliest reliable storage solutions available before you have a player home.
Use Manual Lockpicking Instead of Auto-Attempting Early
Auto-attempting a lock requires a high enough lockpicking skill or it instantly breaks your pick. Early in the game, always use the manual minigame instead. Push each tumbler up slowly and feel for the point where the spring becomes sticky near the top, then lock it in place. Repeat for every tumbler and be careful not to mistme any of them or the lock resets and costs you another pick.
Get Caught Stealing to Join the Thieves Guild Early
Joining the Thieves Guild unlocks a fence who will buy stolen items for the rest of your playthrough. To trigger the invitation, steal something from any shop and let a guard catch you, then serve your sentence. After a short wait outside the prison, a contact will deliver a letter directing you to meet the guild at midnight. Following those instructions gets you full fence access immediately.
Join the Other Major Factions for Gear and Benefits
Each faction provides unique gear, trainers, and quest rewards worth starting early. Kill a non-essential NPC such as Olga in Bruma and sleep at an inn to receive a Dark Brotherhood invitation. Travel to Anvil and speak to the Fighter Guild NPC at the gate building to enlist, provided you have no active bounty. Visit any city's Mages Guild hall and ask to join to begin working toward Arcane University access.
3 tipsExploration
Walk the World Before Relying on Fast Travel
Oblivion lets you fast travel to major cities immediately after the tutorial, but doing so fills your map with undiscovered icons and triggers a flood of side quests before you know where anything is. Walking the roads first reveals hidden locations, makes the world feel coherent, and keeps your quest log manageable while you learn the layout.
Get a Free Armored Horse at Chestnut Handy Stables
Right after leaving the tutorial, head to Chestnut Handy Stables just outside the Imperial City. Speak to the orc working there, ask if she has anything useful, then request horse armor and a horse. Choosing any horse she offers gets you an old nag outfitted with steel armor at no cost, giving you a mount from the very start of the game.
Ask Every NPC About Rumors to Find Side Quests
Many side objectives in Oblivion cannot be activated until you hear about them through NPC dialogue. Selecting the rumor option whenever you talk to someone frequently leads to a new side quest that would otherwise go undiscovered. It takes only a few seconds per conversation and is the most reliable way to uncover content outside the main quest.
1 tipEconomy
Match NPC Reactions to Win the Persuasion Minigame
The persuasion wheel rotates clockwise through four options, each used once per session. Watch the NPC's facial expression and aim for maximum bars on options that make them happy, and minimum bars on options that upset them. High disposition unlocks better merchant prices, new quest dialogue, NPC combat support, and stops guards from arresting you at 91 disposition or above.
1 tipCombat
Farm the Imperial Arena for Gold and Combat Skill Levels
The Arena in the Imperial City lets you fight repeatedly for increasing gold rewards. Late-stage matches pay upward of 500 gold per win. Blocking, weapon, armor, and magic skills all level quickly through arena combat, making it one of the most efficient places to push combat-focused skills while earning steady income at the same time.
Verified: 2026-05-24 · All content is original with full credit to original creators.