attributes
Class Attribute_Race Base_Bonus_Bonus Value Major Skill Specialization Race Start Major Skill Specialization Race Start This character is a spellcaster with strong Destruction spells who can also survive long enough in melee to finish off enemies with the enchanted blades he'll create, the Bound Blades he'll summon, and the magic blades he finds in loot. Shifting to Blade gives him time to regenerate Magicka for his next spell attacks. It's a fun, active, risky mage play style. of 40 is pretty...
Defensive Combat
The first lesson that is taught to Imperial Battlemage Academy candidates is the vital importance of staying light on one's feet. Because armor limits the effectiveness of your magic, many practitioners of the arcane arts prefer to eschew armor in favor of lighter clothing. This keeps the mage mobile, allowing the spells to be as effective as possible. Unfortunately, this leaves the mage open to attack. For that reason, be sure to avoid direct confrontations with your enemies. While you may be...
CombatStealth WarriorAmbusher
Class Attributes Endurance, Agility Race Bonuses Adrenaline Rush, Resist Poison, Resist Disease Birthsign Thief 10 Agility, 10 Speed, Luck 10 This split-specialization design has inevitable weaknesses. The attributes are strong, but it will be a long time before the stealth skills reach their valuable Journeyman perks. The skirmisher has the Strength level to carry heavy armor at lower levels, but he'll need to switch to light armor as the weight of heavy armor outpaces his ability to raise his...
Pure Combat Warrior with Magic Support
Class Attributes Strength, Endurance Race Bonuses Berserk, Resist Magicka Birthsign Warrior 10 Strength, 10 Endurance A conservative and reliable design, this character is close to the warrior ideal. Although you shouldn't take both Blunt and Blade, the decent Blade start value makes Blade magic items you find useful for backup. Warriors get hurt a lot and can use Restoration a lot. Alchemy turns all those ingredients into potions you can sell, and making poisons is fun and useful. Berserk is a...
Birthsigns
The following table lists all the birthsigns and features in declining order of desirability. Notes give a quick thumbnail assessment of each birthsign's merits and limitations. Of course, a birthsign's desirability depends on how it fits your character concept, and sample matchups of races and birthsigns for certain familiar character concepts are given in the Model Characters section. The Mage and Apprentice birthsigns are at the top of the chart because maximum Magicka is the most difficult...
To Specialize or Not to Specialize That Is the Question
In previous Elder Scrolls games, the strongest character concepts often depended on two or more specialties. Battlemages and spellswords, for example, were spellcasters with strong melee skills nightblades were spellcasters with strong stealth skills and rogues were fighters with strong stealth skills. Oblivion's design adds greater system incentives for characters focused on combat, spellcasting, or stealth. Characters with multiple specialties may still be the most fun to play in Oblivion,...