Oblivion Character Creation: Introduction
Oblivion’s character creation system is much more than just picking a pretty face; it’s the first step in forging your destiny within the sprawling province of Cyrodiil. Every choice you make, from your character’s race and class to their skills and birthsign, directly impacts your experience in the game. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the Oblivion character creation process, offering tips and strategies to help you craft a character perfectly suited to your playstyle and maximizes your enjoyment of this classic role-playing game. So, prepare to journey from the Imperial Prison to greatness!
The Races of Tamriel: Choosing Your Heritage
Before you even think about spells, swords, or sneaking through dungeons, you need to select your character’s race. The races of Tamriel each possess unique strengths, weaknesses, and starting skill bonuses that will influence your early game and beyond. Think of your chosen race as the foundation upon which you’ll build your character. Ignoring this step in Oblivion character creation is a recipe for a rough start.
Altmer (High Elf)
The Altmer are naturally gifted with magic. They possess a significant bonus to their magicka pool, making them powerful mages from the get-go. However, this magical prowess comes at a cost: they are particularly vulnerable to fire, frost, and shock damage. A skilled mage is a strong fighter in Oblivion, but consider this race weakness during Oblivion character creation.
Argonian
Hailing from the swamps of Black Marsh, Argonians are well-suited to survival. They possess the ability to breathe underwater, a valuable asset for exploring Cyrodiil’s many lakes and rivers. They also boast resistance to both disease and poison. While they don’t excel in any particular combat style, their natural resistances make them hardy and adaptable. Playing an argonian during Oblivion character creation is a strong pick for newer players.
Bosmer (Wood Elf)
The Bosmer are skilled archers and hunters. Their bonus to Archery makes them deadly from a distance. They also have a natural resistance to disease, making them less susceptible to sickness during your adventures. If you envision yourself as a stealthy ranger, the Bosmer are an excellent choice. Thinking about becoming a stealthy ranger during Oblivion character creation? Look no further than the Bosmer.
Breton
The Bretons are known for their natural affinity for magic and resistance to magical attacks. They possess a significant bonus to their magicka pool and a percentage-based resistance to all forms of magic, making them formidable opponents against mages and magical creatures. They are a versatile race, capable of excelling as mages, warriors, or a hybrid of both.
Dunmer (Dark Elf)
The Dunmer are a resilient and adaptable race. They are resistant to fire, a common element in Oblivion’s magic and environmental hazards. They also receive skill bonuses in several combat and stealth-related skills, making them versatile characters. Whether you want to be a powerful spellsword or a stealthy assassin, the Dunmer offer a solid foundation. Consider all these bonuses during the Oblivion character creation.
Imperial
The Imperials are known for their diplomacy and mercantile skills. They possess a Charm ability that can temporarily boost a target’s disposition towards you, making them adept at persuasion and negotiation. They also receive skill bonuses in several useful skills, such as Mercantile and Speechcraft. If you enjoy interacting with NPCs and influencing events through dialogue, the Imperial race may be your best pick during Oblivion character creation.
Khajiit
Hailing from Elsweyr, the Khajiit are agile and stealthy. They possess the Night Eye ability, allowing them to see clearly in the dark. They also receive skill bonuses in stealth-related skills, such as Sneak and Security, making them natural thieves and assassins.
Nord
The Nords are hardy warriors from Skyrim. They are resistant to frost damage, a common hazard in Cyrodiil’s northern regions. They also receive skill bonuses in combat-related skills, making them formidable melee fighters. The Nords’ Woad ability is also a great starting boost.
Orc
Orcs are strong and resilient warriors. Their Berserk ability allows them to temporarily boost their strength and damage resistance at the cost of reduced agility. This can be a lifesaver in tough battles.
Redguard
The Redguards are skilled swordsmen from Hammerfell. Their Adrenaline Rush ability allows them to temporarily boost their Strength, Agility, and Speed, making them deadly in close combat. They also receive skill bonuses in Blade and Athletics.
Crafting Your Destiny: Class Selection
Once you’ve chosen your race, the next step in Oblivion character creation is selecting your class. Your class determines your character’s primary skills and attributes, influencing how they develop and progress throughout the game. You have the option of choosing a pre-defined class or creating your own custom class.
Pre-defined classes offer a convenient starting point, each tailored to a specific playstyle. These include the Warrior, Mage, Thief, Assassin, Knight, and more. Each class has a set of favored skills and attributes, providing a solid foundation for your character’s development. However, they also offer less flexibility than custom classes.
Creating a custom class allows you to tailor your character to your exact specifications. You can choose your character’s favored skills and attributes, creating a build that perfectly suits your desired playstyle. This requires more planning and knowledge of the game’s mechanics but offers unparalleled customization.
Shaping Your Abilities: Attributes
Attributes are the core stats that govern your character’s abilities. Strength, Intelligence, Willpower, Agility, Speed, Endurance, Personality, and Luck each play a vital role in determining your character’s effectiveness in combat, magic, and social interactions.
Strength affects your carrying capacity and melee damage. Intelligence governs your magicka pool. Willpower impacts magicka regeneration and fatigue. Agility affects speed, acrobatics, and sneak ability. Speed directly impacts movement speed. Endurance influences health and fatigue. Personality affects how NPCs react to you. And finally, luck plays a smaller role across all skills.
Consider your desired playstyle when distributing your attribute points. A warrior might focus on Strength and Endurance, while a mage would prioritize Intelligence and Willpower. A thief might favor Agility and Speed. How you prioritize these traits during Oblivion character creation has lasting impacts on how your character progresses.
Mastering the Skills: Defining Your Expertise
Skills represent your character’s proficiency in various areas, from combat and magic to stealth and social interactions. Choosing your major skills is a critical decision, as it directly impacts how quickly your character levels up. Each time you increase any combination of your major skills by ten points, your character levels up, increasing their health, magicka, and fatigue, as well as providing you with an opportunity to increase your attributes.
Combat skills include Blade, Blunt, Hand to Hand, Armorer, Heavy Armor, Block, and Archery. Magic skills encompass Destruction, Restoration, Alteration, Illusion, Mysticism, Conjuration, and Alchemy. Stealth skills involve Sneak, Security, Acrobatics, Light Armor, Mercantile, and Speechcraft.
Consider how you want to play the game when choosing your major skills. A warrior would prioritize combat skills, while a mage would focus on magic skills. A thief would excel with stealth skills. Mix and match to create the perfect skillset during Oblivion character creation.
The Starry Sky’s Influence: Birthsigns
Your birthsign provides a unique passive ability or spell that can significantly impact your character’s development. Each sign grants a different benefit, ranging from increased attributes to unique powers.
The Warrior increases strength, The Mage increases intelligence, the Thief increases speed, The Lover increases personality, The Shadow grants invisibility, The Steed increased speed, The Apprentice raises magicka, The Atronach increases magicka further, The Lady raises endurance and personality, the Lord grants an abilty to heal, and The Ritual grants a strong healing spell and a weak reanimation spell.
Carefully consider the benefits of each birthsign and choose the one that best complements your character’s class and playstyle. Certain signs are almost essential picks depending on your role. All choices matter in Oblivion character creation.
Aesthetic Identity: Shaping Your Appearance
While gameplay is paramount, don’t underestimate the importance of creating a character you enjoy looking at. Oblivion offers a variety of customization options, allowing you to sculpt your character’s face, choose their hairstyle, and select their skin tone. Many players also use mods to enhance these customization options, allowing for even greater control over their character’s appearance.
Crafting Your Legend: Tips and Tricks
Consider carefully what your goals are when selecting major skills. Skills increase naturally as you use them. Try to avoid spreading yourself too thin; focus on a core set of skills that align with your desired playstyle. Also, while you don’t have to create the perfect character during Oblivion character creation, it certainly helps to start off strong.
Example Character Builds
Here are a few example character builds to inspire your own creations:
Stealth Archer
Bosmer, Custom Class (Archer), Agility and Intelligence, Sneak, Archery, Light Armor, Security, Alchemy, Illusion, Blade, The Shadow. A master of stealth and ranged combat, the Stealth Archer excels at eliminating enemies from the shadows.
Pure Mage
Altmer, Custom Class (Sorcerer), Intelligence and Willpower, Destruction, Mysticism, Alteration, Conjuration, Restoration, Alchemy, Illusion, The Apprentice. A powerful spellcaster, the Pure Mage relies on magic to overcome any obstacle.
Heavily Armored Warrior
Nord, Custom Class (Knight), Strength and Endurance, Blade, Heavy Armor, Block, Armorer, Athletics, Restoration, Speechcraft, The Lord. A formidable melee fighter, the Heavily Armored Warrior can withstand tremendous damage and deliver devastating blows.
Your Adventure Begins: Conclusion
Oblivion character creation is a critical step in your journey through Cyrodiil. By carefully considering your race, class, attributes, skills, birthsign, and appearance, you can create a character perfectly suited to your playstyle and maximize your enjoyment of the game. Experiment with different combinations, explore the vast world, and forge your own legend in the world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. What are some of your favorite Oblivion character creation builds? Share your thoughts and character ideas in the comments below! Your path to becoming the Hero of Kvatch starts now.
