Understanding Skills and Attributes

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion features a deep and interconnected system of Attributes and Skills that define your character's capabilities and progression. Mastering these systems is crucial for overcoming the myriad challenges Cyrodiil presents, from battling Daedra to navigating complex social encounters. This section will break down how these elements work, providing concrete examples and actionable advice to help you optimize your character build.

Attributes: The Foundation of Your Character

Oblivion features seven core Attributes, each representing a fundamental aspect of your character's physical and mental prowess. These Attributes range from 1 to 100 and directly influence your effectiveness in various actions. When you level up, you have the opportunity to increase certain Attributes, making them even more potent.

The Seven Attributes and Their Impact:

Strength (STR): Governs your melee damage and maximum carrying capacity. A higher Strength means you hit harder with swords, axes, and maces, and you can carry more loot before becoming over-encumbered. For example, a character with 60 Strength will deal significantly more damage with a Steel Longsword than a character with 30 Strength wielding the same weapon.
Intelligence (INT): Determines your Magicka pool and the effectiveness of your spells. More Intelligence means more Magicka to cast spells and a higher chance of successfully casting more powerful enchantments. A mage specializing in Destruction magic will find a high Intelligence essential for casting powerful fireballs and frost storms repeatedly.
Willpower (WIL): Affects your Magicka regeneration rate and your ability to resist Magicka. This is vital for spellcasters who need to recover Magicka quickly during combat and for anyone facing enemy mages who might try to drain their Magicka.
Agility (AGI): Influences your ability to use bows effectively, your proficiency with light armor, your chance to sneak past enemies undetected, and your ability to block attacks. A high Agility is paramount for archers and rogues, allowing for precise shots and silent takedowns.
Endurance (END): Dictates your Health points per level and your resistance to poison and disease. Every point of Endurance directly translates to more Health when you level up, making it crucial for survivability, especially in the later stages of the game.
Personality (PER): Affects your disposition with NPCs, influencing dialogue options and their willingness to help you. A higher Personality can make merchants offer better prices and guards more lenient.
Luck (LCK): A passive Attribute that influences all other aspects of your character to a lesser degree, including skill checks, item drop rates, and even critical hit chances. While not as directly impactful as other Attributes, it provides a subtle but consistent benefit.

Skills: Your Learned Proficiencies

Skills represent your character's learned abilities and are divided into two categories: Major Skills and Minor Skills. You begin with a set of skills determined by your chosen Race and Class, and these skills can be improved through use. Using a skill increases its rating, and when your Major Skills reach certain thresholds, your character gains a level. This is where the synergy between Attributes and Skills becomes apparent.

Major Skills and Leveling Up:

Your character level increases when the sum of the increases in your Major Skills reaches 10 points. For example, if your major skills are Blade, Destruction, and Sneak, and you increase Blade by 2 points, Destruction by 3 points, and Sneak by 5 points, you will gain a character level. Upon leveling up, you are presented with a choice to increase three Attributes. The maximum increase you can get for an Attribute is determined by how many of your Major Skills are governed by that Attribute. For instance, if you have 4 major skills that are influenced by Strength, you can potentially gain up to +5 Strength upon leveling up.

Skill Categories and Examples:

Skills are grouped into categories, which helps in understanding their general impact:

Combat Skills:

Blade: Proficiency with swords, daggers, and other bladed weapons. Essential for most melee builds.
Blunt: Proficiency with maces, hammers, and staves.
Hand to Hand: Unarmed combat.
Archery: Proficiency with bows and arrows. A high Archery skill allows for longer draw times, faster firing, and increased damage.
Block: Ability to block incoming attacks with a shield or weapon.
Armorer: Ability to repair weapons and armor.

Magic Skills:

Destruction: Wielding elemental damage spells like fire, frost, and shock. A character with 75 Destruction skill can cast powerful spells like "Greater Fireball" with a high success rate and minimal Magicka cost, capable of decimating groups of enemies.
Alteration: Spells that manipulate the environment, such as opening locks, increasing attributes, or creating magical shields.
Illusion: Spells that affect the minds of others, like calming, fear, or invisibility.
Mysticism: Spells for teleportation, spell absorption, and detecting life.
Restoration: Spells that heal, cure diseases, and fortify abilities. A Restoration skill of 50 allows you to cast "Greater Healing," restoring a significant portion of your health.
Conjuration: Spells that summon creatures or create magical weapons and armor.

Stealth Skills:

Sneak: Ability to move undetected by enemies. A high Sneak skill (e.g., 70+) allows you to approach enemies from behind and perform critical sneak attacks, often killing weaker foes in a single blow.
Lockpicking: Ability to open locked chests and doors.
Pickpocket: Ability to steal items from NPCs.
Speechcraft: Ability to persuade NPCs in dialogue.
Athletics: Governs your movement speed and stamina.
Acrobatics: Governs your jumping height and ability to perform rolling dodges.

Putting It All Together: A Practical Example

Let's consider a character focused on a stealthy archer build. Their Major Skills might include Archery, Sneak, Light Armor, Blade (for close encounters), and perhaps Alteration for utility spells. Their initial Attribute distribution would likely prioritize Agility and Endurance.

Early Game Strategy:

Focus on Sneak and Archery: During the early quests, such as the initial main questline leading to Bruma, prioritize using your bow from stealth. Enemies like bandits in the early dungeons (e.g., Kvatch Guard Barracks) can be easily dispatched with sneak attacks.
Invest in Agility: As you level up, aim to increase Agility. This will improve your bow damage, make you harder to detect, and increase your chance to hit with arrows.
Utilize Light Armor: Skills like Light Armor will help you survive if detected.
Example Encounter: The Goblins of Shiv
- Location: A small cave system accessible from the West Weald.
- Enemies: Numerous Goblins, some of which wield bows.
- Strategy: Find a vantage point outside the cave entrance. Use your bow to pick off Goblins one by one as they emerge. If you are detected, use your Sneak skill to break line of sight and re-enter stealth. If forced into melee, a quick draw of your Blade and a few well-placed strikes should suffice.
- Potential Loot: Goblin weaponry, hides, and potentially valuable gems or enchanted items.

By consistently using your chosen skills and strategically allocating Attribute increases, you will create a character that excels in their chosen playstyle, making your journey through Oblivion more manageable and rewarding.