Are you a Gandalf wannabe?
It’s often extremely tempting to battle your way through an RPG such as Oblivion without using any of the potions or magic, but what sort of fun would that be? Unlike some RPG’s, using magic throughout the game isn’t a chore.
If you’re a Gandalf wannabe and plan to use magic frequently, join the Mage’s guild where you’ll rise up the ranks by completing enchanting tasks.
If you had a good rummage around in the training section at the start of the game, you will have found a pestle and mortar, a necessity for any alchemist. This item allows you to mix together certain ingredients to create potions that can help you in a multitude of ways. Initially it seems complicated, but after half a dozen attempts you’ll be mixing and matching bizarre ingredients to create worthwhile spells. Amongst the potions you can make are health increasing stimulants, and strength and personality enhancers; there is a potion for every occasion. You can even mix potions which can be equipped to your weapons to create further damage to your enemies.
Click for larger imageSome ingredients have a question mark next to them, meaning that you won’t know their potential effect. Through making potions you’re alchemy skill will increase, thus unlocking these question marks and helping you to mix only the potions that you need.
Ingredients can be found everywhere you turn. One of the many great things about Oblivion is the extensive items that can be found in every Inn, house, courtyard, river bed, forest or Shrine. From picking flowers in the leafy woodland of The Great Forest, to stealing fruit of the plates of the guards in Chorrol, you’ll never be short - you can, of course, buy ingredients from the local Inn, but why bother when it’s free?
The consistency of the relevant items being in the relevant places is often put into question. For example, slay a wolf in the forest and you might find him carrying a piece of gold and a knife. It’s not very realistic, but then who am I to say that Wolves don’t carry knives, this is the magical World of Oblivion after all.
Magical spells and potions can be assigned as a hotkey, where a press of your RB button will activate the spell at any point. Alternatively you can drink a potion straight from your inventory or sell them to any of the numerous traders who inhabit the quaint towns throughout the Province.
By wearing magical clothes, armour and jewellery you'll further enhance these magical powers
Casting and making spells is not only a great a deal of fun and easy to implement, but it breaks up the monotony of combat.
Magic, fighting, sneaking and almost any skill can be enhanced through joining one of the guilds.
Click for larger imageThere are four guilds in Oblivion, the thief’s guild, assassin’s guild, mage’s guild and the fighting guild. Each of the guilds can be found in different towns throughout the magnificent Province of Cyroldil. You have total freedom as to whether you wish to join one guild or all of them. By joining all of them you will unlock more Xbox live achievements, and of course, unlock additional quests and be able to train in certain skill areas to enhance each of your skills.
If you’re feeling rather unattached whilst roaming around the, occasionally overwhelming countryside, the Guilds give you a sense of belonging and self-importance. You’ll want to rise up the ranks to become a master at your chosen craft.
Once you’ve joined a guild you’ll be given an item to help you on the way, such as a weapon or a spell, and you’ll be able to wander around the guild, sleep at the guild and pick up any items that may be lying around the place.
As well as guilds there are other options to join certain factions, such as the Dark Brotherhood, or the Emperor’s guards, the Blades. By being accepted to these brotherhoods you’ve signed a contract, meaning that you’ll need to remain loyal to these groups and complete any tasks they set. The first Dark Brotherhood task involves slaughtering an innocent man whilst they lie sleeping in their bed. Finish these tasks and you’ll soon rise up the ranks, and receive rewards for your efforts.
Let me also tell you about the Persuasion feature. You can approach any NPC and play a side-game, which, if played correctly, can increase your Speechcraft skill. Increasing this skill will enable you to gain more information from characters and become better at bartering with the traders.
In each round of Persuasion that you play you have four options to choose from, all of which are set in a quadrant filled with wedges of different sizes. By examing the NPC's facial expressions, you need to judge whether to Admire, Boast, Joke or Coerce with that person. If you key in the sequence in the correct manner you'll maximise that person's disposition and increase your speechcraft skills in the process.
It's pretty easy to master as you can have unlimted attemps. There isn't particularly any skill involved, you could randonly press the buttons in any order, do it enough times and you'll get there in the end. It's worth using this persuasion technique to get a close up view of the great animations of the wide range of characters you will meet.
