Finally picked this up for the PS3, after reading these forums and looking at various reviews of the game I'm kind of nervous/hesitant to actually get started. Not sure why tbh, never felt like this about any other game.

So any advice on my first steps in Tamriel ? Where to go? What to do?

I'm planning on being a hunter/gatherer, spending most of my time wandering the province collecting goodies and killing wildlife with my bow & arrow... Would there be any races that would suit that type of play style more than another?

Thanks in advance... I'll be heading out in a few hours (eek) :dance:

Bosmer (Wood Elves) are pretty handy for that. You get bonuses to speed and agility, light armor, marksman, alchemy, acrobatics and sneak... Basically all you need for a hunter/gatherer type of character.

I play as a Nord, as I primarily go in as a Warrior type, going in with heavy armour and a sword but have recently started using a bow and arrow.

IF you want to be heavily armoured hunter/gatherer go for a Nord, otherwise as said above, Wood Elves are the best Race for your style

Have fun. I hope you'll also try some of the secondary quests in the game, and the main quest.

You might run across two Imperial foresters shooting arrows at each other, near Bruma if I remember right, and can loot some gear from the first one to die. There are other ways to get gear before that, of course, but it's interesting to run across.

I recommend you go to Leyawiin and get the Knights of the White Stallion quest from the local Count . . . (spoiler possible) ...

If you are using a bow, use alchemy. Poisons, as you progress the skills, are awesome with the ranged weapon. I love shooting someone, have them run up to me and drop dead as the poison damage ticks along.

Great advice people, will take it all into account, looks like I'm going to be a Wood Elf, really looking forward to getting started now. I won't be doing any of the main quest line until I have progressed through a fair few levels, this I'm hoping will allow me the time needed to get used to the controls etc...

Thanks again.

The other piece of advice I'd offer is to not worry too much about being "perfect" on your first try. This is a complex, rich game, and there's a lot to learn.

You may have to try several different characters before you find one that really suits your playing style, since style tends to develop as you learn the game.

Enjoy!

The only thing I'd add is that if you're going to do the main quest, don't wait until you're high-level, since your opponents will scale to match your level and you may find it difficult to win the game. Neither would I try to finish the main quest at too low a level. Maybe try for level 10-15? It's been a while since I last played.

One of my last characters was a female Bosmer (woodelf) archer, and it was interesting to play that character rather than the standard warrior or mage. I think you'll really enjoy the game and its "sandbox" aspects.

My only advise is to play the game. Don′t ask us how to do it, where to go or what race to be. The best way for you to get a good experience is to allow yourself to play the game without outside influences.

Enjoy Oblivion :wavey:

Consult the guide in my signature for everything you want to know about character design.


If your looking for a very strong character this one is pretty much the catharsis of all my years building:

My Character:

Jacobin Montresu
Male
Breton
Atronach
Magic
Endurance, Strength
Alchemy, Armorer, Blade, Conjuration, Destruction, Heavy Armor, Illusion

Insanely strong.

Ok, so I went with Wood elf, loving it so far, enjoyed the 'tutorial' and the wow exiting the sewers scene, for some reason I then decided to head South East and the town of Bravil, took me an age and then I only managed to get as far as some place called 'Inn of the ill Omen ', really need a horse but I'm guessing they don't come cheap?

Tomorrow I shall continue my journey SE and explore the town of Bravil, it's also weird not having enemies show up as red ticks ala Fallout. eek, the music change freaks me out when an enemy is onto you.

:foodndrink: Have fun.Not knowing what you are getting your self in for is half the fun.
Also I like not having enemies showing up on my screen.It's more realistic this way.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the best RPG/freeroaming game ever.

As for a horse...the cheapest ones start at 500 dollars for a "Paint horse". Then it goes up to about 1000, 2000, 4000 and I believe there might be one for 4000+, not sure. The Paint horse will do the job for now though. You can make cash the best in this game by going into ruins and looting stuff.

Have fun, try everything and enjoy yourself!

A little bit of advice. I've played Oblivion two different ways: either I fast travelled almost everywhere, or I completely ignored fast travel and just walked (yes walked, not ran ) everywhere. I have to say, doing the latter made me enjoy the game so much more. You miss out on so many cool places and events by fast travelling. So if you happen to have a fair bit of patience, I highly recommend just ignoring the fast travel feature for the most part and just walking or running everywhere. It made the game so much more fun for me.

But of course, it's your game, so above all, just play it how you're most comfortable playing.



The black horse is the fastest one and goes for 5000 gold. If you want to save some septims, I'd advise against getting a paint horse right away since, being a Wood Elf, your speed will probably be so high pretty soon that you'll be able to move just as fast as the paint horse on your own. If you really want a horse, save up and get one that's a bit more expensive.

Running or walking to places increases the game enjoyment by a thousand fold -- you will literally discover scores of places in Oblivion if you travel the countryside as compared to fast travel. Please, I beg you to travel - even if you only do it once or twice, just to see the scenary in the afternoon, or in the early dawn as you trek through the wilds...it's truly magical.

As for horses; sorry I didn't realise the bit about you being a Wood Elf. Yeah, don't buy the Paint Horse. Worthless as fast elf. As a slow, heavy armoured warrior like my latest character, I went with the 4000 White Horse, which is fabulous, but yeah, Elves can run faster than a paint horse very quickly.

You can alawys "borrow" a horse from the stables when nobody is looking. :whistling: These borrowed horses will almost always try to return to back where you got them from the moment you dismount so they aren't ideal, but you can't beat the price. Just make sure nobody sees you do it because people get all grumpy about it and guards even more than most.

I don't really like horses that much myself. You have to dismount every time you want to fight and the monsters you encounter will often prefer to attack your horse instead of attacking you, so horses often get killed which can be frustrating, especially if you just spent all your savings on it.

Why not just explore for yourself? That's half the fun of any game.

The only two bits of advice I will give you is that if you are completely new to Elder Scrolls games you may want to turn down the difficulty slider to make things easier for yourself, as you level up the enemys will get stronger and sometimes you might not be able to fight them on equal terms. Secondly you need to be warned that the Imperial Guard are omnipresent, so watch out.... they're everywhere!!!!

Good to hear that you're enjoying the game so far. The second way to get a horse for free:

You may want to play "Morrowind" someday also, another world to explore.

There's always one isn't there? :rolleyes:


Thanks for the info guys, I won't be using Fast travel as I'm enjoying discovering new places and anyway the world is far too stunning to miss any of it using that option. Will also forget about buying a horse as others have said being a ood elf I don't really need one.

Quick question: Is it possible for me to raise my 'Marksman' skill by firing arrows at those straw targets? The reason I ask is there is one outside the Inn I am currently staying at?

Thanks again for the advice, looking forward to checking out Bravil tonight.

No. You only increase your skill when you hit live targets. The same applies to target spells, they only improve your magic skill if the spell hits a legitemate target.

Some good advice I read somewhere in the replies was not being concerned about being perfect. I was like you, standing on the edge of something new. Over 200 hours later I'm still playing.

I'm finally doing the SI quests...wait, no - I'm on my way to my new (and fully upgraded) home in Skingrad. Then I'm going to start moving some items from Anvil......make some money.......back to SI.

Have fun and enjoy!

Getting much more confident now with the Bow & Arrow now and I'm taking out most foes with one well placed arrow while in sneak. Ended up in Leyawiin tonight with the promise of becoming a night.... Very intriguing, have also arrived (finally) at level 2. Fantastic game (doesn't seem right calling this a game tbh) experience?

Got chased and attacked by a unicorn while travelling SE from Bravil, I couldn't do any damage to the unicorn, so I just had to run to the nearest building and hope it dissapeared, finally when I went back out the unicorn was still there and I rode it around the outskirts of Leyawiin, so it seems I own it as it now follows me everywhere.

Just be careful not to draw a weapon in front of it, or it will be back to attacking you again.

No, it is not. Only hits that effect a living target will raise your marksman skill.

EDIT: Oops. I missed that Dragatus already answered this. Sorry.