Hello there,

I'm new to the forums, but not new to The Elder Scrolls series. My computer is somewhat aged, and cannot run Fallout 4 in any respectable way; so I've been saving up to get a new rig. In the meantime, I decided to go back and have another look at Oblivion, as my time with Skyrim is slowly winding down. I've played through the main Oblivion quest before, and also spent X amount of time with the game in general, so for this playthrough I want to focus on those areas I remember, but never got around to exploring. I figure I have about 1-2 months worth of casual play before I've marshalled enough funds for a new computer rig. So my time in Oblivion for this playthrough is effectively limited, and I would like to ask some questions about certain aspects, areas, possible quests etc... Any opinions or pointers would be most appreciated. But please, no big spoilers, if you don't mind.

- What's with the Count of Skingrad? I remember not being able to see him, and there was an Orc bulter who wouldn't sell me the player home property. I assume there's a quest line involved, but I couldn't get the ball rolling. Is it fame related? I bribed my way to a stone wall, if i remember.

- Similarly with the widow (?) of Anvil. I couldn't get anything from her... even after I must have done every quest associated with the place. Was I just not famous enough?

- I never really explored that Southern tail area beyond Bravil and down to Leyawiin, apart from a few quests that took me in that direction. I would like to have a decent wander around and hit upon some fun or interesting dungeons & caves. At this point, it wouldn't really be a spoiler for me to check out a map with every location marked, so if anyone has fond memories of a certain dungeon, or cave etc... that was fun or interesting, then a name drop would be most welcome.

- I always heard very good things about the Dark Brotherhood quest line, but never went in that direction because I was always roleplaying a particular morality. I guess now it doesn't matter so much, but still... is there any discernible backlash in the game world for doing the quest line?

- Finally, at what point in the main quest line do the Oblivion gates first start appearing in the gameworld? I assume it's after you finish the Kvatch quest? I wan't to be sure, because I can't be doing with that aspect of the gameworld this time around.

Any suggestions or pointers would be a great help to me.

Cheers,

Munin

Depending on how much information you want to have, you can check the UESP. www.uesp.net and check on the quests for whatever area you are interested in.

A few of those answers are "Fame/Infamy". Doing the Thieves or DB quest-lines gets you infamy, and that can make some other quests harder to start. Sometimes the game is just looking at Fame and ignoring Infamy, sometimes they get added together and sometimes it's the difference, depending on whether you're expected to be good, bad, or just generally making yourself noticed.

Fame/Infamy effects are often mitigated by doing quests in specific sequence, especially with KotN, where zero infamy is needed (but you can clear it).

Edit: and +1 on using the UESP Wiki for answers. You'll get facts, not opinions, and can more easily choose what you want to read.