Skill progression is the core mechanic that defines your character's growth and capabilities in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Every action you take, from swinging a sword to casting a spell or picking a lock, contributes to the improvement of specific skills. Understanding how this system works is vital for effectively leveling up your character and unlocking new abilities and perks. Mastering skill progression ensures you can tackle increasingly difficult challenges throughout Cyrodiil.
How Skills Improve
Your character's skills increase through repeated use. The more you perform an action associated with a skill, the more experience you gain in that skill. For example:
- Using a sword increases your Blade skill.
- Casting a Destruction spell increases your Destruction skill.
- Successfully picking a lock increases your Security skill.
- Sneaking past enemies increases your Sneak skill.
- Blocking attacks increases your Block skill.
Major vs. Minor Skills
When you create your character, you select seven major skills. These skills receive a +5 bonus at the start and level up faster than your minor skills. Leveling up a major skill contributes more sificantly to your overall character level. While it's beneficial to focus on your major skills for faster leveling, don't neglect your minor skills, as they are essential for a well-rounded character.
Character Leveling
Your character's overall level increases when the sum of your major skills has increased by 10 points. For instance, if you start with Blade at 25 and increase it to 35, that's 10 points towards your next character level. Once you've accumulated enough skill increases across your major skills, you'll receive a notification that you can now rest to level up. Resting after gaining enough experience allows you to increase your primary attributes.
Attribute Allocation Upon Leveling Up
This is arguably the most crucial aspect of Oblivion's progression system. When you choose to rest after leveling up, you are presented with a screen where you can increase your character's attributes. The number of attribute points you can gain for each attribute is influenced by how many times you've increased skills governed by that attribute since your last level-up. For example, if you've increased Blade, Blunt, and Hand to Hand (all governed by Strength) 5 times, and Destruction, Mysticism, and Alteration (governed by Intelligence) only 1 time each, you'll have a much larger bonus to Strength when you level up.
Maximizing Attribute Gains
To achieve the coveted +5 bonus to all attributes upon leveling up (a common goal for min-maxers), you need to strategically increase skills governed by the desired attributes. This often involves focusing on a mix of major and minor skills that fall under the attributes you want to boost. For example, to maximize Willpower gains, you'd focus on increasing skills like Mysticism, Destruction, and Restoration.
Skill Trainers
If you're struggling to level a particular skill or want to accelerate your progress, you can seek out Skill Trainers. These NPCs can be found in various cities and guilds and will train you in specific skills for a fee. Trainers can train you up to five levels per character level. This is an excellent way to boost skills that are difficult to use frequently or to ensure you get the necessary attribute bonuses.
The Importance of Practice
Don't be discouraged if your skills start low. Consistent practice is key. If you want to be a master swordsman, spend time fighting with swords. If you want to be a powerful mage, cast spells whenever you have the magicka. The more you engage with a skill, the better you'll become, and the more potent your character will grow.