Introduction
So, you’re diving into the sprawling world of Cyrodiil in *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion*. You’ve created your character, stared blankly at the stats screen, and thought, “What does all of this *mean*?” You’re not alone. *Oblivion*’s stat system, while offering incredible depth and customization, can initially feel overwhelming. Understanding these stats is crucial to building a character that thrives and enjoys everything this epic RPG has to offer. Whether you’re a fresh-faced adventurer or a seasoned veteran looking for a refresher, this guide will thoroughly explain all the core stats in *Oblivion*. We’ll break down attributes, skills, derived stats, and how they influence your journey through Cyrodiil. Prepare yourself; knowledge is power, especially in *Oblivion*!
The Foundation: Core Attributes
Attributes are the bedrock of your character. They’re the fundamental building blocks that determine your character’s capabilities and potential. There are eight core attributes in *Oblivion*, and understanding each is paramount to crafting the character you envision.
Might and Muscle: Strength
Strength governs your character’s physical power. It directly affects your carry weight, meaning how much gear you can lug around without becoming encumbered. Furthermore, it influences the damage you inflict with melee weapons. A high Strength score allows you to carry more equipment, allowing you to gather resources, wear heavier armour without penalty or carry home the loot from your dungeon crawls. With low Strength, you will find yourself constantly burdened and forced to make difficult choices about what to carry or leave behind. Increasing your Strength involves actively using weapons or armor that rely on physical prowess, like swinging a greatsword or wearing plate armor.
Intellectual Prowess: Intelligence
Intelligence dictates your character’s magical aptitude. It directly determines the amount of Magicka, which fuels your spells. Higher intelligence also means that you can learn magic skills quicker than someone with lower intelligence. A character with high intelligence has a larger mana pool and can cast more spells. A low-intelligence character can be very frustrating to play as a mage, since mana is the bread and butter of a mage.
Resilience of Spirit: Willpower
Willpower represents your mental fortitude and spiritual resilience. It impacts your Magicka reserves alongside Intelligence and also influences your resistance to magical effects. A strong willpower helps you withstand hostile spells and maintain your focus in dire situations. Low willpower leaves you vulnerable to magical attacks and makes it difficult to concentrate while casting spells. Willpower can be increased by casting spells from the Restoration or Alteration schools of magic.
Grace and Finesse: Agility
Agility governs your character’s reflexes and dexterity. It improves your accuracy with bows and affects your ability to avoid enemy attacks. Characters with high Agility are more adept with ranged weapons and tend to dodge attacks. Characters with low agility might have trouble hitting the enemy with arrows, or will be more vulnerable to getting hit. Agility can be increased by using bows, or sneak attacks.
Swiftness and Celerity: Speed
Speed quite simply impacts how fast you move throughout the world. A character with high speed can quickly traverse Cyrodiil, outrun enemies, and gain an advantage in combat. A slower character might be easier to hit, since they move slower. To increase Speed, simply run around Cyrodiil. The more you move the faster you become.
Enduring Fortitude: Endurance
Endurance dictates your physical stamina and resilience. Crucially, it determines the amount of Health you gain each time you level up. This stat is arguably the most important attribute in the game for most character builds, because it directly contributes to your survivability. A high endurance will ensure a generous health pool for your character. Endurance can be increased by doing combat.
Charisma and Allure: Personality
Personality governs your character’s social interactions. It influences the disposition of NPCs, making them more receptive to your requests, bartering, or even more willing to give you quests. A charismatic character will find it easier to persuade others. A character with low personality may have trouble convincing others to aid them. Personality can be improved by casting illusion spells.
The Elusive Influence: Luck
Luck is a unique attribute that subtly influences all skills. The mechanics of luck can be hard to measure, but it provides a small boost to all of your skills. Many theorize the luck impacts loot drops. Luck is the most difficult stat to improve, since there are no skills directly tied to luck.
Mastering Skills
Skills are the specific talents and abilities your character possesses. They determine your effectiveness in various activities, from combat to spellcasting to crafting. Skills are governed by the core attributes, and improving your skills will, in turn, influence your attribute growth.
Might Makes Right: Combat Skills
The Combat skills are the arts of war.
Blades
Proficiency with swords, daggers, and other bladed weapons.
Blunt
Expertise in wielding hammers, maces, and other blunt instruments.
Hand to Hand
Mastery of unarmed combat.
Armorer
The ability to repair and maintain armor.
Block
Skill in using a shield or weapon to deflect attacks.
Heavy Armor
Skill in wielding heavier armor for the ultimate defense.
The Mystic Arts: Magic Skills
The Magical skills encompass all the forms of magic in Cyrodiil.
Alchemy
The ability to create potions and poisons.
Alteration
The art of manipulating the physical world.
Conjuration
Summoning creatures and items from Oblivion.
Destruction
Harnessing the elements to unleash devastating attacks.
Illusion
Manipulating the minds of others through deception.
Mysticism
Mastering the subtle forces of magic.
Restoration
Healing wounds and restoring vitality.
Hidden Talents: Stealth Skills
The Stealth skills are the mastery of shadow and darkness.
Acrobatics
Skill in performing acrobatic feats.
Athletics
Skill in running and swimming.
Light Armor
Skill in wearing lighter armor for agility.
Security
The ability to pick locks and disarm traps.
Sneak
The art of moving undetected.
Speechcraft
The ability to persuade and influence others through dialogue.
Each skill is tied to an attribute, and as you use the skill, it increases. For example, using blades will increase the Blades skill, which is tied to the Strength attribute. As your skill level increases you will unlock perks and benefits like doing more damage or being able to cast more powerful spells.
Beyond Attributes and Skills: Derived Stats
Derived stats are calculated based on your attributes and skills, providing essential information about your character’s overall capabilities.
Vitality: Health
Health is the most fundamental derived stat, representing your character’s current and maximum hit points. Your health will decrease as you take damage.
Magical Power: Magicka
Magicka is your pool of magical energy used to cast spells. The larger the mana pool the more spells you can cast before running out of mana.
Endurance: Fatigue
Fatigue determines your stamina, affecting your ability to perform physical actions. Running, jumping, blocking, and power attacking all use fatigue, and casting more powerful spells can drain your fatigue.
Encumbrance: Carry Weight
Your maximum carry weight limits the amount of gear you can carry. It’s determined by your Strength, with each point of Strength increasing the maximum weight you can carry. Exceeding your carry weight reduces your movement speed, and eventually makes you unable to move at all.
Reputation: Fame and Infamy
Fame and Infamy track your heroic and villainous deeds, respectively. These reputations can influence how NPCs react to you, opening new questlines or closing off others.
The Impact of Birthsigns and Races
Remember that your chosen race and birthsign play a significant role in your starting stats and skill bonuses. Some races are naturally better suited for certain roles. Some birthsigns have special abilities and give bonuses to stats and skills.
Leveling Up and Stat Optimization
To level up a main stat by five points, you must level up skills associated with that stat ten times between level ups. Optimizing this can be difficult and lead to players deliberately doing tasks that will raise their skills quicker than normally.
Tips and Tricks for Stat Mastery
Fortify Spells and Enchantments temporarily boost your stats, providing a significant advantage in challenging situations. Some quests offer permanent stat increases as rewards. Take advantage of training services offered by NPCs.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Don’t neglect Endurance, as it directly impacts your health. Many players underestimate the subtle but persistent influence of Luck.
Conclusion: Embrace the Depth
Understanding the stats in *Oblivion* is key to maximizing your enjoyment of this legendary RPG. Experiment with different builds and stat distributions, find what suits your playstyle, and delve into the depth that *Oblivion* offers. Your adventure awaits!
What are some of your favorite *Oblivion* builds, and what stat tips do you have for fellow players? Share your wisdom in the comments below!
