Tips for n00bs

[mandangalow]

Hey i thought it would be cool for everyone to get together and share their secrets and stuff. I got one; just north of the Imperial city is the Roxy Inn you will visit this place on the master training for Heavy Armor. Any way there are a bunch of Bandits in there and they will have the best heavy armor and light armor according to your level and the fight vs flight is really high on the fight side and there are a bunch of imperial gaurds in there(odd bandits and imperial gaurds), so its like free armor... Please lets help the n00bs.l

[Vook]

Prolly http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Tips is a better place for that than the forum...

[Akela]

Yes, it's a good place for finding tips, but not for discussing them. I think it's a good idea to bring up the tips & tricks here in the forum and share experiences.

[mandangalow]

Well out of the 52 views in this post only two people bothered to respond, and out of the two people only one had a postitive comment. But hell im cool wit that, i mean i got to start somewhere right? Anyways i decided i would post as many tips as i could solo so here's some more.

I noticed that there is very little on one of the most unquie features of Oblivion; Black Soul Gems. Now these are one of the most effective things in the entire Oblivion world, i mean i'm sure that you can find plenty of people who would attack you and ask questions later which means you can fill them up for free (i mean without the imperial legion on you) All you need is a grand soul gem and some free time. Travel to Krvatch make sure the arrow (you) are over the actual H that spells on the map. Travel north you find a fort with a with slab of rock with red draps on it (keep in mind it is defened) wait till midnight, now the process only works if there is a purple light around the rock if not you came on the wrong day (you can just wait for 24 hours till you get the right day) put the grand soul gem(s) inside by ativating the tomb wit A of whatever it is on PC and cast Soul Trap Cast it for as many soul gem(s) you have inside. Open the thing and get your Black Soul Gems.

P.S. The rock thing is outside the fort DONT ENTER IT

P.S.S DONT USE THE GEMS AT THE ARCHANE UNIVERSITY YOU GET EXPELLED FOR USING BLACK SOUL GEMS. Download the spire thing, effetive!

[mandangalow]

Well hers a relly good thing everyone needs to know how to do ALCHEMY it is one of the eaistest skills to level up, but who has time to experiment and make effective Potion/Poisens so i got a few from a good site;

'Potions/Poisons to be made at Novice level
Just getting started can be confusing. So here are some recipes for useful potions you can make at Novice level.

Restore Magicka:
Flax Seeds, Steel Blue Entoloma

Restore Health:
Cairn Bolete Cap, Lady's Smock Mantle

Damage Health:
any two of Wisp Stalk Cap, Stinkhorn Cap, Nightshade or Spiddal Stick

Potions/Poisons to be made at Apprentice level
When you reach Apprentice level you can really start making worthwhile potions and poisons, some even with multiple effects. Here are some of the more useful ones.

Feather:
Flax Seeds, Venison OR Flax Seeds, Sacred Lotus Seeds (more common)

Cure Disease:
Mandrake Root, Elf Cup Cap

Cure Poison:
Ginseng, Redwort Flower (by Carmien)

Dispel:
Bergamot Seeds, Ectoplasm

Restore Health:
Lady's Smock Leaves, Aloe Vera Leaves

Night Eye:
Carrot, Viper's Bugloss Leaves

Detect Life:
Rat Meat, Bread Loaf

Water Breathing:
Onion, White Seed Pot

Silence:
Vampire Dust, Rice

Damage Speed:
Green Stain Cup Cap, Peony Seeds

Damage Health + Damage Magicka:
Harrada, Spiddal Stick

Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Silence:
Harrada, Spiddal Stick, Vampire Dust, Rice

Potions/Poisons to be made at Journeyman level
Journeyman level reveals three ingredient effects. Multiple effect combinations are more numerous, and some new potion and poison effects are no possible.

Water Walking:
Grapes, Tiger Lily Nectar, Stinkhorn Cap

Fortify Strength:
Arrowroot, Elf Cup Cap

Chameleon:
Radish, Bloodgrass

Invisibility:
Tinder Polypore, Wormwood Leaves

Reflect Damage:
Scamp Skin, Green Stain Cup

Fire Damage:
Fire Salts, Steeel Blue Entolima

Frost Damage:
Milk Thistle, Vampire Dust

Paralyze:
Clannfear Claws, Daedra Venin

Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Silence:
Harrada, Spiddal Stick, Rice

Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Damage Speed:
Harrada, Spiddal Stick, Peony Seeds, Pear

Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Fire Damage:
Harrada, Spiddal Stick, Steel Blue Entoloma

Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Fire Damage + Silence:
Harrada, Spiddal Stick, Blue Entoloma, Rice

Potions/Poisons to be made at Expert level
Expert level reveals all possible ingredient effects. Creating single effect potions/poisons should be easy by now, but here's one brand new potion and some combination poisons to try.

Fortify Speed (+ Damage Health):
Pear, Wisp Stalk Cap (yes, this is a potion and not a poison, since it contains positive effects)

Reflect Spell:
Glow Dust, Cinnabar Polypore Cap Yellow

Fire Damage + Shock Damage + Damage Health (common):
Spiddal Stick, Imp Gall, Ectoplasm, Fly Aminata Cap

Fire Damage + Shock Damage + Damage Health (uncommon):
Imp Gall, Ectoplasm, Fire Salts, Ogre's Teeth

Paralyze + Frost Damage:
Dryad's Saddle Polypore, Milk Thistle Seeds, Tennel Seeds

Paralyze + Frost Damage + Silence:
Harrada, Milk Thistle Seeds, Vampire Dust

Paralyze + Frost Damage + Damage Magicka + Silence:
Fennel Seeds, Harrada, Milk Thistle Seeds, Vampire Dust

Paralyze + Fire Damage + Damage Magicka + Damage Health:
Steel Blue Entoloma, Imp Gall, Harrada, Fennel Seeds

Paralyze + Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Damage Intelligence:
Fennel Seeds, Harrada, Wisp Stalk Cap

"Heavy Firestorm" | Damage Health + Fire Damage + Shock Damage + Burden:
Ectoplasm, Fly Aminata Cap, Spiddal Stick, Steel Blue Entoloma Cap (by Tyler H.)

"Silent Reckoning" | Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Damage Fatigue + Fire Damage + Silence:
Spiddle Stick, Imp Gall, Rat Meat, Motherwort Sprig (by Tyler H.)
Spiddle Stick, Imp Gall, Rat Meat, Mort Flesh

"Icestorm Fury" | Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Ice Damage + Silence + Paralyze:
Frost Salts, Milk Thistle Seeds, Harrada, Wormwood Leaves (by Tyler H.)
Frost Salts, Milk Thistle Seeds, Harrada, Scamp Skin
Vampire Dust, Milk Thistle Seeds, Harrada, Scamp Skin

"The Warriors Prayer" | Invisibility + Restore Magicka + Restore Fatigue + Restore Health:
Aloe Vera Leaves, Stinkhorn Cap, Blackberry, Fly Aminata Cap (by Galeth)

"Magebane" | Damage Intelligence + Damage Magicka + Paralyze + Damage Health + Damage Willpower:
Wispstalk Cap + Fennel Seeds + Harrada + Morning Glory Root Pulp (by Galeth)'

the list was provied by http://oblivion.melian.cc/?cmd=cmdOblivionPotions all credit for the potions and poisens are that persons

[CloudWalkerX]

r u sure you can't use black soul gems in arcane university? or have you been expelled personally?

that's weird because i've been using black soul gems to enchant items without any problem. now i only picked them up from dead necromancers and never created one myself, still i doubt there's any difference.

btw, there's a bug in the game that under certain condition it will create new soul gems for you even if you've got no more empty gems. it may be a bug in accessing the item list, because once started, it only stop after you drop/consume the triggering soul gem. i've seen it happened to both black soul gems and greater soul gems already.

[mandangalow]

i dont know about the bug and yes they will expell you if you make one and yes agin personal experience

[Vook]

All you need is a grand soul gem and some free time.

Yeah, you think so as long as you don't start playing with a gameplay ballancing mod

Sure I intend to play with black soulgems in current gameplay. But just today I got to finish the last of recommendations, and not much use for black soulgems without access to the University. These "new" maruders are goddamn hard and getting through Leyawinn Recommendation was a hell. The first time I tried (with the mod that is), I just had to meekly retreat and admit defeat - I managed to kill maybe 5, but by then I was out of potions. Now they still were tough (you carry 6 different weapons with you and halfway through the fight you start finding yourself short of weapons, the enemy constantly disarming you ) but I had more than enough poisons (including the priceless "silence" against battlemages!) and the skills and stats were better than before too. But okay, I got access to the AU. At last.

Now the other component. Soultrap. Currently my mysticism is at level 10. The easiest soultrap I can get is about 25 I think. Well, I'll have to train...
Grand Soulgems... Where do I find more of Grand Soulgems at lower levels?

The enchantments aren't free, but luckily alchemy ingredients outside Skingrad are. Got some 5000 gold from potions alone.

You need a decent item to be enchanted. I had some fur gauntlets with +15 marksman or so. Neat except every time I was in town, I had to have them repaired, from completely broken (0) condition. Sure they increased my marksman skill, but they were totally useless as an armour.

You need the spell you want on the enchantment. I'd like some "fortify skill"s, but there are none for sale. There are some given by one of the doomstones but I need to bump my fame a little bit more to use it. Oh well, joined the Fighters Guild to get more fame, hopefully will work.

For recharging, lots of smaller souls + Azura Star is better. For enchanting, you may cheat with rerandomizing the Sigil Stones for higher efficiency. But... Black Soulgems are more fun

[mandangalow]

well what are you an assassin? I had a pretty easy time handling Mauraders with nearly all of my charaters... You may have some editing to do. Anyway azuar's star is awsome, and the spire thing you can download is very effective as i said before. I've been meaning to do this but for you it may be very useful.

Dark Elf (Battlemage Warrior aka Samuari)

Sign
The Warrior

Attributes
Strength
Endurance

Skills
Heavy Armor
Blade
Block
Alteration
Mystyism
desturction
restoration

(What heavy Armor on a dark elf??? Yah just let the rats in the sewers hit you a bunch of times, i got to jounryman before i left. Also not to much on the mage side of things... but trust me early game play will mostly be determined by a sword not a spell take care of the mage stuff later.)

Hope this stuff is useful and just remember the signater

What level is your Dark Elf???

[Akela]

Great list of potions there. I have invested a lot of time and energy compiling an excel cross-ref of all ingredients and their effects and usually base my potion-brewing on that. However, if I want to make more complex potions where various effects are combined, a cookery-book like this helps a lot. *bookmarks*

Edit: What's so hot about Black Soul Gems anyway? I understand that they are interesting to a Necromancer for the sake of role play. Possibly they could be seen as a challenge to anyone simply because they are a bit hard to get and forbidden fruit at that. But do they provide more that the 1600 pts charge that a "normal" grand soul gives?

[Vook]

well what are you an assassin? I had a pretty easy time handling Mauraders with nearly all of my charaters...

Nope, I have Oscuro's Overhaul.
Now they all have like 500+ health each, 75+ Blade Skill, enough of Block and Heavy Armour so that your sword barely scratches them, most of them can (and will) heal, a combat style involving enough disarming power attacks to make you draw new weapons 4-5 times during the combat, as the previous one gets knocked off your hand... That all for a level 6 or so character
Luckily they are more cowardly so if two of them attack at once, release all you've got against one and he will flee, leaving you with a 1:1 chance against the other.
Simply put, skeleton heroes and guardians don't stand a chance against the "new" maruder.

For you, a maruder archer after archery duel. My bow: Fine Steel, Steel Arrows, Marksman almost 50. These guys are less than half the toughness of regular maruders and this one was getting hit by arrows only when my magicka was at zero. And under influence of some poison all the time.

(btw, my textures are broken.)

[mandangalow]

Thanks for the complements on the potions. As i said before their not mine but i know it will be useful here in the forums. And the thing about black soul gems is this; they capture Humaniod souls (which is a fancy way of saying any NPC inlcuding the Dedrea) and humaniod souls count as grand souls, so wouldn't you rather fight a bandit for his soul than a GLOOM WRAITH????? That question does not need answering. In fact the only bad part about black soul gems is the whole expelled for the mages guild thing, but (he said for the 5th time) the Spire thing on Xbox live of whatever you do on PC is REALLY EFFECTIVE. Perhaps you guys would download if i said all the fetures huh? Ok, it includes an Alter of Spellmaking and Enchanting, A summoning devise that summons all three types of Atronchs (frost, fire and shock) by offering three salts that come from the Atronch ie fire salts, void salts and frost salts. There is a garden that has every alchemetic indreadiant, including those grown on the plain of Oblivion, and an alchemetic table that increases you alchemy skill by 15 when you stand near it. It also has teleportaion to every mages guild and the Arcane Univeristy. Beyond that there is a look out tower that is useless, unless you you want to look at the amazing graphics via Mountains of the city of Bruma, ahhh beautiful. Anyway thats is but all in all its DAM effective.

[Akela]

Yeah, the Frostcrag Spire wizard's tower is awesome. I just checked it out.

[Vook]

the Spire thing on Xbox live of whatever you do on PC is REALLY EFFECTIVE.

Yes, I believe it is.
But on PC the console is even more so.
Bluntly put I consider the Wizards Tower mod a cheat. Enchanting and Spellmaking are HELLUVA powerful features, bordering on cheats. Getting them mostly free (not counting $1.69 ) is mostly a cheat...

(btw, FYI, I don't fast-travel either ) And can proudly state "Hours Waited" displays 0. (sleeping is fine. waiting - umm, too easy way to handle difficulties.)

[exterminizer!]

how is waiting cheap? it's just like resting used to be in morrowind except now you can only rest in beds and you can only wait when you're alone. Sure, it heals you, but so did resting in Morrowind. I think that aspect of the game is fine...

[Vook]

It's not a "hard cheat" but it's "softcore".

Look, there are people who decide they want to finish the game without a single infamy point.

People who play without using the compass and map. At all or at best only with the papre version (no markers, no "you are here" marker.)

People who don't use saves. If the character dies, start game from scratch. Save before switching the computer off, load the moment you switch it on, never more.

People with such dedication they won't kill any character in a game other than absolutely essential to progress (say, carries a key to door you -must- get through and can't be pickpocketed). They aim to save Tamriel with "Monsters killed: 0, NPC killed: 0". Playing style of "Pacifist" likely you would need to kill Camoran, because he's wearing the amulet and worn items can't be pickpocketed, but not anyone else.

Add to "pacifist" a "nudist", never wear any item of clothing other than absolutely enforced by the plot - no armour, amulets, rings. You need the bands in the Paradise. So you wear the bands for shortest duration possible, that's the allowance. Unless you figure out a way to bypass that section, say, jumping over invisible walls and going straight to the temple.

In refusing to use fast travel, waiting, (and at first attempted compass, but sorry, if a bandit carrier leaves camp and gets killed in the wilderness by an imp, look for the body, especially with all that grass. Or the guy directs you to the cave, southeast, while it's southwest... "we got compass, let's screw places directions"--Bethesda) I'm doing my little part of hardcore gameplay. Maybe next time I'll try harder.

I'm not saying you do wrong by using "wait". Try to imagine passing the game without "wait" if you decide for a challenge of never using any kind of magic if not necessary (no enchanted items, no potions, no spells). Simply, it's my decision about light "hardcore". If I'm to spend a night at inn, I buy a piece of cheese, bread, maybe a sweetcake, pear, leek, add to that a bottle of mead or ale and eat that all before going to sleep That's not required, but that's role-playing.

How often do you just stop to catch a breather while doing something hard, FOR A HOUR? 5 minutes, 15 minutes, okay. But one lunch break a day, that's it. Not 5 minutes of work (be that stacking bricks or slaying monsters) then a hour of rest, then again 5 minutes of work...

With monsters behind the next hill, what should be the chance that they will find you during that hour? That piece is not realistic. You shouldn't get a warning "can't rest, monsters near". Should give a free sneak-mode first strike on you to the monster, interrupting your rest. And if there's no monsters, you arrive at 4AM to a strange town and want to buy a spare for your car. And you see the shop is still closed. Will you just -stand there- for the next 5 hours, till 9 when they open the shop? Sleep in your car, or find an all-night bar, or drop in to a friend asking him to let you drop on his couch. Or at least take a walk in the suburbs under the stars. Not goddamn stand in a single place for 5 hours...

[mandangalow]

Look im glad that this topic has become a great place of discusion, but i must say that the intire point of this topic is to give tips and tricks to n00bs and masters alike. Vook, you have responded more than anyone, and im glad, but could you submitt a tip? I like the fact that we can discuss, but we should still focus on the topic TIPS FOR N00BS! Anyone else who has responded im glad you did, but just submitt a tip or two.

Thanks,
Mandangalow

[Vook]

'kay.
Small startup-walkthrough to get people started with the game
In the first fight in prison, search bodies. The dead Blade (I think her name was Renault) dropped a katana. Through the tutorial you will feel how great a weapon that is, but then before sewers you will lose it.

Right after emerging from the sewers swim to the ruin on the opposite shore. You should have just enough supplies from the tutorial to be able to handle the bandits there and gather some 12-15 Welkynd Stones. Keep one for mages guild quest, sell the rest - they get you a decent price that early in the game. Don't go beyond the first level of the ruin or you'll hit ghosts and skeletons, way tougher than bandits, and way less loot.

Head to the Arena, sign up for a fight. Chose garment that suits you (light or heavy). You may fight that one single fight, or you may just say goodbye, thanks for a nice cuirass. You won't get a better armour for the next 5-7 levels, unless you challenge Umbra (NOT easy) or break the siege of Kvatch (hell!).

Read Gray Fox Wanted poster on any wall in the city, persuade and then bribe a beggar to tell you how to join thieves guild, then follow through the first quest of the guild, to become a member. You get access to a fence in Bruma. The fact he has 800 gold won't matter for the next 10-15 levels, besides he's apprentice mercantile, meaning nobody will give you better prices for your wares in whole Bruma, stolen or not

Now head to Cheydinhall. Get the piece of main quest done at Weynon Priory, then ask around for "Assistance". You'll get decent supplies and a horse. You may do the easy mages guild quest, use your Welkynd Stone for a spell. (the spell is levelled, but always overpriced in terms of magicka, least so on levels 1-5, so most useful as result, better than "Flare".)

Start the quest in Cheydinhall castle and use the opportunity to steal anything not nailed to the walls You may finish the quest, or ignore it, the prize is pathetic anyway

Now go to Bruma, sell your stolen stuff to Ongar, visit the castle and steal the Akaviri stuff countess keeps there. Keep one katana, sell the rest to Ongar Do the easy Mages Guild recommendation quest for open easy lock spell, if you're poor at the lockpicking game this will help some.
Listen to rumors of a woman left without money, do the "two sides of the coin" quest. If the corrupt guard is too tough for you, just attract him inside Bruma and guards will take care of him. You get a full set of Chainmail from him, you got a better cuirass, but all the rest is about the best you can get now.

Back in Imperial City you may spend newly "earned" money on the magical Akaviri Katana for sale from one of the merchants, it's a really good weapon. (but keep the unenchanted one, keep limited magical charge for magical enemies, use the normal one for normal enemies).

I think it's about all the good stuff you can get by now, start nerfing and get access to Arcane University to spellmake some kickass spells

By now you should have:
2 Akaviri Katanas (one enchanted, one normal)
A full set of chainmail and a better cuirass
A horse
A decent amount of money for daily expenses
Some more less important stuff.

Still looking for good places to get a good bow early in the game...

[mandangalow]

A good bow can be aquired if you a decent conjuration skill. The one guy at the mystic emporium has a bound bow. Bound Bow is a dedric bow and is the best in the game. It expires after a sort time but with a good sneak skill you can get easy one shot deaths. Also i do agree that the ruins will be hard so you may want to level a bit. When you return about mid way through there is a room with a series of stones, when you push them an enemy will come out of the wall. If you have a ok sneak skill they will not be able to detect you. Simply keep walking against the wall with i think Q? on the pc take so time to watch Spong Bob Squre Pants and before you know it you can master sneak!

[mandangalow]

Everyone can benifit your this tip; If your to drunk to walk, drive.

[Vook]

Translation to Oblivion world: If you're under influence of "damage speed" or "damage strength" or such, ride the horse
Thanks for bound bow tip, definitely gonna... aw, drat, that's too tempting. Definitely gonna cheat and generate a permanent one with the "repair summoned" trick

and about ruins... Remember, this game is MUCH different from others in respect of "finishing" stuff. There's a lot of places where you just enter, mash enemies, leave - no reason, no quest, no rumors, just a random dungeon raid. But nobody ever forces you to kill them ALL. Sometimes just a few steps behind the gate there will be some ph4t l3wt on the floor. Or sometimes a whole level of ghosts and wraiths will result in one crate with calipers and rags. Peek in, try if you like it, grab a handful of goods, leave. You can turn back mostly at any time, so make use of it!

[mandangalow]

This is a huge time saver for anyone who like conjuration. You can make a spell that combines all of the bound armor and if you want wepons(you need acess to the Arcane Univeristy or Frostcrag Spire's alter of spell making). Unfurtunaly If you add a wepon you need 100 conjuration and even if you have that it crews up A LOT of magicka even if its only for a few seconds. At level 75 you can summon all the peices for 45 seconds for only 95 magicka. Hot key that and just wear a mages robe all the time. Anyway hope thats useful

[mandangalow]

Come on people dont let this post die! I will never be able to accept that. All tips any tips are apriciated! HELP ME PLEASE! *cries

Amulet of luck; i am a collecter... of sorts and i have seen a lot of fine jewerly that somehow... gets away from the owners body. The Amulet of Luck is asimple amulet that boosts you luck attribute by 9. Its a fine piece a jewerly and effective as well. There are two ways in which to approch the issue of 'aquiring' the artifact. 1. Simply vist Dralora Atherams house in the Imperial city and kill her. (guess she wasn't so lucky after all...) Or the other more suddle aproch is to kill her while she's sleeping, this will not attract the Imperial Legion.

[Vook]

Correction to my set of tips: What you get on the arena is a "reinment" = cuirass+greaves+boots+gauntlets all in one. No helmet. So as result it isn't quite as good as collecting the set from multiple pieces. Still pretty good on startup.

[Vook]

I just made an enchanted item at the uni. Using a black soul gem. Daedric gauntlets, enchanted with +10 strength CE, with black soul gem found in a daedric mission to wipe out necromancers (haven't made my own yet), trapping a random bandit.

Not expelled or anything. WTF was that about being expelled then?