Tempted to buy the complete oblivion game, on Xbox so no mods.

Do you people recommend this, especially after playing skyrim? Also are the 'shivering isles' and 'knights of the nine' the only DLC?

How do people think the combat system compares? I'm keen to try features like spell making.

Should you play it? Yes, absolutely! Oblivion is an extremely fun, highly addicting game that can keep you happily occupied for years.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Official_Plug-ins of all the official DLC.

Combat in the two games feels very similar to me. In Oblivion you have only four perks and you cannot pick which perks you want or choose when to recieve them. There is no dual-wielding spells or weapons. There are no finishers. Other than that I frankly don't see a whole lot of difference.

I haven't played a mage in either game so I'll let someone else talk about that.

Welcome to Cyrodiil! Once we arrive most of us never want to leave.

I would also recommend it, though if Skyrim was your first TES Oblivion might feel 'harder'. The levelling system means sometimes you get weaker in Oblivion rather than stronger as you level up, since enemies level with you and your skills might be lacking in some areas. Instead of there being perk trees there are attributes, and this might take some getting used to. Overall though I think it is much easier to roleplay with this system.
Also, in Oblivion armor deteriorates over time and will need to be repaired. This might be a bit of a shock after Skyrim where you never have to repair things.


I've played mages in both, and there are some key differences but neither game's system is 'bad', just different. In Skyrim it tends to be easier to hit your target, say with a fire spell, because the fire just streams out of your hands. In Oblivion your fire spell will come out as a ball, heading towards your target, and not a constant stream of fire. There's also "touch" spells but I don't want to make it too complicated for you right now.

The amazing thing about Oblivion is the sheer number of spells there are, and get this- you can make your own! This means you can combine different effects and make some incredible spells. The make-your-own-spells feature was removed from Skyrim, perhaps because it could be abused too much, but the spells you make are still dependent upon your skills. In Skyrim you have destruction, restoration etc. and this is the same in Oblivion.

I've had to reign myself in loads here, I could talk about the differences between the games all day, and I don't want to spoil too much for you! Basically I think you should get Oblivion, you'll definitely enjoy it. The landscape is much more diverse than Skyrim, I have to say- there's snowy mountains, lush forests, a seaside/port town, open plains.... and I'm rambling again.

I welcome you to Cyrodiil, and hope that you'll share your adventures with us if you decide to play the game!

Been playing since 2007, also on 360, so yeah, it's that awesome. And yes, being a mage in Oblivion is that awesome. My current mage uses a staff for blocking and NO weapons. Custom spells all day long. And he goes bear tumbling for fun... long story.

I don't have Skyrim yet. I am waiting for the GOTY. The current debacle on the support/problems forums was a turnoff to me buying it right away, like I wanted to. Damn it. DAMN IT. So.... if yer on 360, what was your experience?

There is more than just a mage though. I don't know how it is in Skyrim, but the sky is the limit when creating characters. That is what has kept me here for so long. I don't do the MQ anymore, just live here.... peacefully, with occasional bursts of extreme violence.

You'll have fun. Don't look at the Wiki. Just ask here in General Forum. DON'T LOOK AT THE WIKI. It will kill your experience. Good luck.

I'd highly recommend it, it's a brilliant game in it's own right. There's more smaller DLC for xbox that is available on the marketplace like castles for your character, spell tomes and.......... Horse armour.

Definitely! Its what I did, and I enjoy Oblivion almost as much as Skyrim now.
It's a big change, but it's still incredibly fun. Don't expect Oblivion to be the same as Skyrim - treat it like its it's own game.

I found Oblivion first and absolutely love it. I waited a long year in the Skyrim forums until release and played it for hundreds of hours and months after release day. I never want to tire of any game so I'm playing Oblivion again now...and still loving it...then I'll head back to Skyrim. There are differences in play and I can see what has been improved in Skyrim and what I miss from Oblivion but both games should be different so that's fine. If you want to explore the potion creation in Oblivion, just keep making potions. That's how the skill will level up so you can learn the rest of the properties...tasting something won't do that. I have no doubt you'll have fun and it helps to pick up more of the lore too.

Added: Then there's Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas and all the DLC for all the games...you'll be exploring worlds forever.

You should definitely buy Oblivion. I first found out about TES after playing Fallout 3 (a great game as well), and from the first moment I played Oblivion I just loved it.
Oblivion has some sort of magic in it, that no other game has. It feels much warmer and more inviting than Skyrim. I've recently started my 15th (!) playthrough in Oblivion (without mods this time), but its still a fun game, even after so many times I've played and "finished" it (you ca't actually finish an Elder Scrolls game...).
The same goes for Morrowind.

Yeah it's a really good game too. lacks in graphical quality but that's not really that bad. you should buy it.

The same haha.

Oblivion was my 1st TES, 1st Beth game and it's excellent. The game does have some flaws but if you can overlook them, it's an incredible game just like Skyrim.

I think one of the biggest difference between magic use in Oblivion and Skyrim is that in Oblivion you do not program a spell to one of your hands. Instead you can have one spell prepared, and rather then pressing one of the mouse buttons (attack) to use it, you press a spell casting button on the keyboard. This makes spellcasting much easier in Oblivion, because you can have your sword in one hand and shield in the other, and still cast your spell. Where in Skyrim you have to take either the sword or shield out of at least one hand, and then put the spell in that hand. Basically, Oblivion gives you instant spell-casting.

The other big difference in Oblivion is that once you know a magic effect (like Fire Damage for example), you can create new spells using that effect. You can also combine multiple effects into a single spell. For example, you might make a spell that does Fire, Frost, and Shock damage. Or one that does Fire Damage and Weakness to Fire and Weakness to Magic (which becomes incredibly deadly on the second hit and later hits). The only caveat is that you can only craft spells from special spellmaking altars in the Arcane University, and in one of the DLCs.

With oblivion my first real tes game, it has wayyyy more content and ways to play as skyrim. Treat it like its own game and I will be blown away by the story and omg the guilds! U actually jave ranks and feel like u are actually working in the guild as ur skills and get promoted and such and actually have to work to be promoted. Also unlike skyrim, u dont start out as a jack of all trades meaning u cant just master the guilds by not even having to sneak or know spells, theres actually requirements in stats and such for promotions. If ur grandmaster in amges guild, u have to be good in some kinda class of spells. U will definetly like the storys and quests, they are awesome.

Also a word of advice, if u get oblivion and learn the mechanics of the game and comfortable and love the stories, then afterwards after u beat it, give morrowind a try. Another great tes game in its own right. Ull enjoy both games if ur looking for a great rpg game, if ur looking for action type games, then u maybe disappointed.