Ok so here's the deal..I've had the game on 360 since launch, and although yes I have messed about with it a lot and played it here and there, I've never played it properly as such...this is something I want to do...badly...

Only thing is, I don't really have an understanding of how the game works with the leveling system and skills etc. Is there any guide out there or is there any way to easily explain it? Also whats a good setup for a newbie to play with in regards to first proper time? Taking into account I want to go through all the guilds, arena etc as well as the main quest. Thanks guys

Let's start you off with the UESP wiki site. It is kind of the bible we use here. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion

UESP has so much wonderful awesomesauce in it that is can take some time to learn how to fully glean everything from it, so spend plenty of time poking around there. Some would say just play the game and don't use a guide, but I am not one of those. I would study the game mechanics there, then draft what you think may be a reasonable character to suit your needs.

Because again, the site can be a little hard to navigate, you may want to start with this page: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:First_Time_Players

I think your best bet is to play some, then rebuild your character based on what you learn and what develops as your style. Most of us repeated that process many times before settling in to a style that suited us for this somewhat complex but wonderful game.

Thanks very much for the reply. I will do that I think, when you say re-build the char you mean start over right? Just making sure there is no way to change the char mid game haha. Thanks

Figgles, I'm going to echo Acadian here. Just play the game.You'll make plenty of mistakes, but that's why you have a first playthrough to "learn" the game. Then when you understand a bit better, you can get more and more complex in your roleplaying, or anything really.

Welcome to the forums, have yourself a http://www.mwmythicmods.com/fishystick.jpg

Ok yeah I think you're right, I'm at work now so sadly cannot play So I will take any spare time right now to read up, but yeah thanks for the help guys and thanks for the welcome, seems like i'll enjoy my stay here.

I generally restart from scratch because I find that my character tells me much and is intentionally exposed to a wide variety of things in the tutorial. There is one oportunity to redo your character at the end of the tutorial. Just as you click on the sewar grate to exit the game will give you the chance to redo anything about your character. Right at that point is a nice time to make a good save. Some folks, when restarting prefer to do so at that save. That way the tutorial is complete yet they can still completely change their character around. Whether you restart at the beginning or end of the tutorial is a matter of taste.

Once you leave the tutorial, the game will not again give you the oportunity to change the basics of your character. If on PC however and you have a good knowledge of the command console, you can remake your character at any point if you are careful.

Edit: Welcome to the forums! :icecream:

If I were you I would make a save at the end of the tutorial. That way if you screw up with the character you can go back to that save and make the necessary changes. I would also save after you got the face that you wanted just in case you screw up and want to start over but don't want to take the 20 or 30 minutes to get the face back to what you had it.

Best advice I can give is; don't over-think things. It's a pretty forgiving game, so on your first play through, just have fun with it.

Yeah i think thats one problem, I am over thinking it, I havent had much spare time recently due to my son being born, but would like something I can enjoy while him on my lap etc so chose this, I think i will take all your views into it, remake a character and just play through and have fun, there's no point in worrying if I'm doing enough damage etc if i'm having fun! haha Thanks again.

One other suggestion (which would make a "perfect" start less important) is this: It isn't necessary to complete all the quest lines with the same character.

A good Mages Guild character might not be the best choice for the Thieves Guild. It's hard to imagine the same person wanting to both save the empire (Main Quest) and be a murderer-for-hire (Dark Brotherhood). Also, several of these quest-lines are easiest if started at a low level. For those reasons, it might be a good idea to ignore some quest-lines on your first play-through, and pick them up on a subsequent character.

Yes, it's possible to do "everything" with one character, but it isn't necessary. It's up to you to decide how it best works for you.

Your welcome! Oh and congratulations on your son! It's so epic that the first game he'll see you playing would be such an awesome one! Remember, enjoy! :celebration:

glargg thats a good point too, i suppose it comes down to how much time I have to invest in the game .

and thank you Holy, I was thinking the same thing!

you are absolutely over thinking it. I know the game mechanics very well because I have made over 10 character these past 4 years. If you really fall in love with a character, and find that you screwed up his stats later but don't want to restart, the just lower the difficulty. There really is no reason not to. I prefer to keep the difficulty on normal myself, but that because it fits me well. It not too hard or too easy, its just right FOR ME. Besides once you have made a couple of characters you might even find that the game is not challenging enough and have to raise the difficulty. Have fun with the game.