TTTTT H H EEEEE EEEEE L DDD EEEEE RRRR T H H E E L D D E R R T H H E E L D D E R R T HHHHH EEE EEE L D D EEE RRRR T H H E E L D D E R R T H H E E L D D E R R T H H EEEEE EEEEE LLLLL DDD EEEEE R R SSS CCC RRRR OOO L L SSS IIIII V V S S C R R O O L L S S I V V S C R R O O L L S I V V SSS C RRRR O O L L SSS I V V S C R R O O L L S I V V S S C R R O O L L S S I V V SSS CCC R R OOO LLLLL LLLLL SSS IIIII V ====================================================== OOO BBBB L IIIII V V IIIII OOO N N O O B B L I V V I O O NN N O O B B L I V V I O O NN N O O BBBB L I V V I O O N N N O O B B L I V V I O O N NN O O B B L I V V I O O N NN OOO BBBB LLLLL IIIII V IIIII OOO N N <#########> <#######> ## ## ## @ ## ## @@@ ## ## @ ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # ## # ************************ *Game of the Year Edition* ************************ ****************************** The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition FAQ/Walkthrough For Xbox 360, PS3, PC Version 1.2 (4/23/08) Written by Brad Russell "TheGum" Email: lunatic_252000@yahoo.com Website: www.thechaosuniverse.com ****************************** Version 1.0 - main quest, guilds, Isles, and Knights completed; this guide is good for the GotY as well as the normal game and combinations of the other content. (1/4/08) Version 1.2 - added Vampire Cure, some more Undocument Quests, and author info (4/23/08) ***************** Table Of Contents ***************** Use Ctrl + F to quick find. You can type in quest name to get where you need to be faster. Section: Code: 1. A Brief Foreword 2. Controls CODE222 3. General Starter Tips TIPS333 4. Main Quest GATES44 5. Fighter's Guild RATS555 6. Mage's Guild GEMS666 7. Dark Brotherhood RUFIO77 8. Thieve's Guild FOX8888 9. Arena ROME999 10. City Quests CSI1010 11. Daedric Quests EVIL111 12. Everything Else ETC1212 Settlement Quests SET9876 Undocumented Quests XFIL9821 Training TRAI7654 Vampires / Vampire Cure VAMP1988 13. Knights of the Nine GHOST13 14. Shivering Isles CRAZY14 15. Cheats CHEAT15 16. Credits/Copyright ***************************************************************************** * 1. A Brief Foreword * ***************************************************************************** Perhaps one of the best games ever made. Looks great, sounds great, and smells like grapes! Really, there is nothing more to say. Almost perfect had all the versions not been plagued by glitches, some lethal, and that you can condemn yourself if you choose bad skills. And the downloadable content and the expansion only make more hours of pure fun. I hope they make more. This is my grand masterwork that I've been wanting to make for a long time, and it has taken a long time to compile. After all the spankin' new guides I made for the other hot new releases, I can only hope that this guide finds a wide audience once the game hits the bargain bin. I have made this a comprehensive Game of the Year edition since that's really the game this guide is meant for. The only things you don't get in the GOTY version are the downloadable trickets, like the horse armor and extra dungeons. You basically get Oblivion, Knights, and the Isles. Say goodbye to friends and family for about, oh, 300 hours, at least, TheGum. ***************************************************************************** * 2. Controls ( CODE222 ) * ***************************************************************************** +++++++++++ PC Controls +++++++++++ =============== Well, for the PC you can't go wrong with any kind of setup. Here is mine: Activate - E Journal - Tab Ready weapon - F Jump - Space Cast - Q Attack - Left Mouse Block - Right Mouse Grab - Z Sneak - C Third-Person - Middle Mouse Wait - T Pause - Esc Move - WASD Look - Mouse Hotkeys - 1: sword, 2: bow, 3: destruction spell, 4: heal spell, 5: summon, and then whatever else To make hotkeys, have your mouse over the item in your menu and then press the number. Caps Lock switches slow and fast moving. =============== +++++++++++++++++ XBOX 360 Controls +++++++++++++++++ =============== For all you without books and wanting quick reference for the Xbox 360: Activate - A Journal - B Ready weapon - X Jump - Y Cast - RB Attack - RT Block - LT Grab - LB Sneak - Click LS Third-Person - Click RS Wait - BACK Pause - START Move - LS Look - RS Hotkeys - Just whatever works for you =============== And I imagine the PS3 controls are the same as the 360, but it don't matter. ***************************************************************************** * 3. General Starter Tips ( TIPS333 ) * ***************************************************************************** Some advice for playing Oblivion in general, and some helpful tips for entering the additional stuff. ------------ Overall Tips *I like to have Armorer, Blade, Conjuration, Destruction, (your favorite) Armor, Marksman, and Sneak, all as my major skills. *Armorer because as you progress through the game you will pick up magic items, and until you reach 50 skill points for Armorer you will not be able to repair them on your own; you can just take them to a local smith, but the Isles tend to send you on long quests. *Blade, Heavy/Light Armor, and Marksman because all three are skills you need. *Conjuration and Destruction because those are tools you must take advantage of in this game. Conjuration gives you an extra buddy in every fight, and Destruction because you will always want magic as a weapon. *I am always partial to Sneak, mainly because it will often get you a free attack worth X3 the damage; and then you stand up and start fighting with your sword and whatever. Also, you can avoid some encounters and you need to sneak in some quests anyway. *You level up by furthering these (or whatever) major skills you choose. *Each time you level up, your health increase is relative to your Endurance stat. Basically, get your Endurance high early and the health will rise faster. *Intelligence and Willpower contribute to your Magicka, so increase those as well. *Breton is a good starter race, and The Lady is a solid starter birthsign; whatever you do as a new player, don't choose the Atronach! *It matters a little which gender you choose, but don't worry, it's okay if you want to watch a little girl run around fighting orcs, at least someone's years of fan fiction will come to life... *When taking on any of the numerous dungeons, you don't really want to explore the whole thing, there is little need to. You only need to get the quest done as quickly as possible and retreat. The rewards for all the time and fighting you spend will be small. Just finish quests as quickly as possible if you want to move onto more, and this game is pumped full of plenty of quests. *Make sure to repair your things with Repair Hammers often, and consider making it a habit after every decent battle. *Save often no matter what. The computer game glitches up a lot for me, and the only solution I've found is to save often and when a save doesn't load, I just keep going back in my saves until one works. Also, I find it best to save in four blocks for each game, and just overwrite the oldest ones first. If you run into the game freezing up a lot, start using about ten or so saves and save after you complete quests. *You can (by default) press the T (BACK) button to fast-forward time. *For you PC players out there, don't play for too long or you might run into crashes like I did. Learn to limit gameplay to avoid messups. *Pressing F5 after completing missions is a good habit, but be sure to save in normal slots as well. I don't think the 360 has a quicksave. *For lockpicking, I use the technique of tapping until a fast one goes up and then I try to get the next tap. So you will tap a tumbler until it goes up at lightning speed, and then you should have a better chance at hitting it right after that. This is because the game rarely does lightning speed twice in a row. Also, HARD locks are tougher than VERY HARD, for some odd reason. *Don't forget that you can hold down the attack button for a lunge attack, and eventually you can do more attacks. It's easy to forget, and you'll probably forget this too. *I hope you realize you can wear two rings, and only one necklace. *Please, for this guide and just for any player, please be sure to select the quest you're doing and set it as your active quest. You want the marker on your compass. *If you don't want to be a vampire, watch out for when you fight them and contract porphyric hemophilia, in which case you need to cure it with a potion or chapel visit. --------------- ------------------------ Knights of the Nine Tips *Just one, if you do this quest, you will either need your own armor set, or you should have a level 50 skill in Armorer so you can repair the items you get. If you are unable to repair magic stuff, then you should keep your own armor and weapons along with the Crusader equipment. ------------------------ -------------------- Shivering Isles Tips *It would be a good idea to save your game right before you step into the door, and then never overwrite it; just in case something happens with glitches and what not. *It may be best to work your character up to at least level ten or so before you take on the Isles. Run around the cities, take on the main quest, and then enter the door when you have the ability to repair your equipment and whatnot. There is no perfect level, and you can enter the Isles at level one, but it's all on you. *Whatever you do, do not enter the Isles with magic equipment and not have a 50 Armorer rating (so don't do the Knights of the Nine quest first). *Basically, I played the KotN quest and then went into the door, and it was not fun having to rely on the smiths to repair all my stuff. *If you play it safe and you ever run into Flawless Pearls along the way, keep them for one side quest. *Not much sense in stealing stuff in the Isles, unless you want to constantly leave and come back. Or, go ahead so long as you don't commit any crimes (crimes are when you get caught), or you don't mind the dead weight. *Don't forget to visit the magic shop of Crucible to get some stuff that you can't find anywhere else. Like some unique spells and some summons. *When you get Dawnfang/Duskfang, kill 12 creatures to power the thing up. ------------------------ ***************************************************************************** * 4. Main Quest ( GATES44 ) * ***************************************************************************** This is for the main quest only, on default difficulty settings. For all the quests, I will assume you have the quest selected as your active quest. Those arrows pointing you along makes my job possible. It's not my intention to spoil the game, and if I can I'll try to avoid it altogether, but I might slip up here and there. If you want to quick-find a quest, just type in the quest name. Sorry I couldn't make a nice table of contents like I did for the side-games. Let's start after you begin a new game and watch the opening intro scene. ======== Tutorial ======== Your first task is to pick what you look like. You're not choosing anything but the aesthetics at this point. Pick a nice name, race, eye color, hair, and age. The rest, such as shape of face, complexion, and whatever, should only be invested in if you think it will make your character look better. To be honest, if you like how the defaults look, then just go with that. Otherwise, you can get lost in the depth of the customization. The race and sex are somewhat important choices. Bretons are the vanilla race of the game. Pick them if this is your first time, or just read the description under each race if you want to get creative (it almost doesn't matter). And your sex will only slightly change around some of your attributes. Anyway, after you're done move to the front of your cell and listen to the other inmate taunt you. Move to the back of the cell when you see guards come to the door; just back up to the wall and wait. They will enter and you will enter a conversation with the emperor. Of course you will follow them, and they won't do anything if you do, so just walk behind the convoy. Your group will eventually get ambushed, but there's nothing you can do. After the carnage, the guards will tell you that you can't follow them, but you should quickly turn around and borrow the sword from the dead captain on the ground. Two rats will literally burst through the stone wall and attack. You can beat them with your fists, but just grab all the stuff from Renault's dead body and equip the katana. The rats only need two hits. Check the dead assassins' bodies for a single potion; you don't need the robes or hoods. Notice that little heart symbol at the bottom of your screen. Press your cast spell button and you will heal yourself. Now is a good time to get familiar with your menu. Bring it up and notice that there are four tabs at the bottom. You have a stat, item, spell, and journal menu to choose. Each menu will have a five lesser tabs to choose. I'll give you the rundown of each individual tab only once. Stat Menu --------- The first tab displays your stats. Notice that you have yet to choose your birthsign or class. The second one shows your attributes. The third tab is important once you select your class. This skills menu will determine how you level up throughout the game. The fourth tab will display your ranks within the various factions in the game, but that too is for later. The final tab in the stat menu gives you all the information you need about your time spent in Cyrodiil. The only number that you will ever really need is the Bounty number. Items Menu ---------- The first tab will have all your items. The second filters down to only your weapons. The third filters down to only your equipment. The fourth filters down to your potions and ingredients. The fifth tab has quite a bit: books, papers, keys, special items, gems, tools, and the junk you collect. There are also three numbers you need to note. Look at the feather, shield, and coin icons above the five tabs. The feather lets you know how much you can carry; that means the number on the left cannot be larger than the number on the right. The shield displays your defensive stat. And the coin, of course, is you money total. Spell Menu ---------- Tab one has all your spells. Tab two has just the offensive spells. Tab three has the altering spells. Tab four has the healing spells. But tab five is much different. This tab shows all the effects that you currently benefit/ suffer from. This final tab is good to know if you have contracted a disease. The spell effectiveness number depends on your outfit. If your clothes match then this percentage will be higher. Not a huge difference, but you do want it to be as high as possible. Journal Menu ------------ Tab one is a map of the immediate area and good for if you get twisted around by my directions. Tab two is a map of Cyrodiil and you'll use it alot so that you can fast travel to and fro. Tab three displays your active quest and if you have a place to go then usually the arrow on your compass will lead you there. Tab four contains your quests in waiting, and sometimes you'll have to leave quests here because some cannot be completed. The last tab will log all the quests you've finished. --------- Okay, with all that info you should be able to get along just fine. Now go through the rat hole and hunt down the last remaining rat; you could use your fireball spell (you can assign hotkeys too). After you get the rat, go around this dark room and search for all the items that you can grab from all the chests and barrels and whatnot (you only need a few torches, if any at all). Be sure to grab the key from the dead goblin. You can pick up every weapon in here: axe, club, or sword. However, it might be best to pick a single weapon-line to follow. Of course the sword is the favorite, in fact it's crazy to pick the others, but I'll let you decide. I will let you know that it's hard to be sufficient with more than one. You should pick up the leather armor, for now, from the skeleton. When you get some arrows you will be asked to pick up the bow, so do so. Equip the bow and the arrows and aim for the bucket over the well. After you fire an arrow be sure to try and track it down. Remember that you can recover most arrows that miss a target, but never go crazy trying to get EVERY lost arrow. After that, feel free to leave the training room. Be sure you did everything and equipped the armor. *NOTE: I do hope you realize that you'll always keep a bow with you, no matter what. Even if you rarely use it, you MUST keep a bow with you. I would even advise you to train it a good deal too.* In the next room there is a single rat that you are encouraged to kill by a fireball, so do so. In the nearby chest are more arrows and some armor. This iron armor and your leather armor are from two different sets, light and heavy. Please try not to mix the types or your magic will suffer. You kinda have to choose which one set to stick with and keep it, though, you can switch at anytime in the early going. ------- The light armor will not protect you as well, but it weighs less and you can move faster and your boots won't make as much noise. This is the choice armor for a sneaking character/sniper (sniper means bowman in this game). You won't be crazy fast, but you'll be able to avoid a few blows. Heavy armor will keep your health safer, but you will need to keep increasing your Strength attribute to manage the armor. If you just want to slug it out with enemies, and if you don't mind finding alternate ways to be stealthy, then heavy is the armor for you. I will let you know, heavy armor ends in a blood-red color armor class, while light armor will be a shiny green; in case color matters for you. I say ignore all heavy armor, but it's up to you. ------- Move down the path and you'll run into more rats and a zombie. Backpedal a bit and take out the rats that come for you, but one should try to attack the zombie around the corner. The undead will need about three fireballs to kill. Undead are sorta weak to fire, so remember that. Keep moving and you'll hit another room with three more rats; a perfect place to test out your bow from a distance on live targets. Get the chest before you go around the corner for another bright room with more rats (use fire). Look in the southeast wall for a chest in a broken section. There is a helmet and shield for your iron armor set, as well as a warhammer in the center pit area, but you don't need the other junk. More rats and small treasure as you move along. You'll eventually hit the door in a cave leading to the next area. *NOTE: You can check every corpse for items, but rats and such don't have much, but goblins will usually have lockpicks.* In the Natural Caverns, press the sneak button and move along the path so that you don't alert the goblin. Let the goblin stand in front of his five-star meal and then whack him in sneak mode so that you get a sneak attack bonus. Finish him off if you need, grab the stuff in the chest, and pick up the crap on the crate for Alchemy (something you will either love or hate, I hate it). Follow the path, sneak if you wish, and you'll run into another goblin, and if you look closely to the ground you will see a tripwrie that lets lose the spiky things on the ceiling. Move into the next room and quickly run to the logs sitting in a stack and touch them so that the goblins below get run over. In the final, big room there are four goblins. You can lead the first one back into the previous room to kill him. Then snipe kill the other two standard goblin. Save the witch for last, and you can kill the rats in the pen in the pit if you wish. Get a sniper arrow on the witch under the blue light and then enter a shootout. He will throw a fireball and then lightning bolt your way. If you just strafe left and right and then fire an arrow across the gap you will win, or you can just run up and beat him to death. Either way, check the chest near him for treasure, grab his staff, and then find a chest in the northern corner for your first repair hammer. Use it and then head to the exit door, and a chest near it. *NOTE: Sorry for such long blocky paragraphs. I just like to keep each area to one paragraph. Trust me, it's gets better as I start to trust that you can handle the basics on your own.* You're back on the right path. Move along the path, hop through the hole, and then stay on the ledge that overlooks the group. Watch the fight and then hop down, but please don't try to fight. Just wait for the emperor to call for you and go have a little chat. ------ You will now choose your birthsign. The Lady and The Thief are the the safest choices to make. The Mage is a good one if you have come to like your spells. Avoid the Atronach unless you've already played the game. If you went heavy armor then you probably need to go with the Warrior sign. I recommend that you go with the Lady for your first game. ------ Now you're part of the group; at last, acceptance! Follow them, look for a chest near a ledge in the next room, and then just hang back as the group moves along; there is little you can do to help, but you can try if you really want to. Some of the assassins carry potions, and watch for a chest in a crevice near the exit door. Keep following orders and enter the side room when told. Sit by the wall and look to the doorway and wait for Uriel to have a chat with you. All you can do from here is sit and watch, well you will eventually be tossed into the action, so be ready. Talk with Baurus after and you'll eventually get to choose the last bit of your character. ----- Ignore the pre-made classes; select the custom class button at the bottom. You can choose from three big combat styles: combat, magic, stealth. Combat and Magic are easy, but the Stealth option opens up more possibilities, but you can go whatever way you like. Next you get to pick two attributes. It's easy to know what each choice means for you; the descriptions are right there. I say go with Strength and Intel- ligence, but I'm not you. Finally, you get to pick seven major skills. These choices mean alot because you are choosing how you level up in the game. Choose bad and you will have essentially shot your big toe off; both of them! Armorer, Sneak, and one of the armor types are solid choices because you want all three of these to be boosted from the get-go. Then I say choose Marksman and whatever weapon type you like: Blade or Blunt (I say Blade). That leaves you two more slots open. I am partial to Conjuration for the extra buddy in all fights, and you gotta go with Destruction so that you can use your Magicka to help in fights, otherwise it's just wasted. Honestly, the rest of the choices are not worth it at all, and you can explore those on future games if you must. And then pick a cool name. May I suggest your favorite sports team, or perhaps your dog/cat? ------ Then you are sent to the sewers and your cool sword is taken - dang! Move through the passage, through the door, and enter the sewers. *NOTE: If you have the Knights of the Nine add-on, or if you bought the downloadable content, then you'll get the messages now that they're waiting for you, but save them for later.* Kill vermin and maybe a goblin as you move into the waterway room. Take the path on the right and go up the stairs as you follow the path to the light at the end of the tunnel. You get one last chance from the game to change anything you want to about your character. You can edit the details of your face if you like and then exit so that you can look at your character, and all before you leave. When you are finally satisfied with your look, name, and whatever, exit the sewer hole and enter the realm of Cyrodiil. ================= Now that we have got the basics out of the way and kinda sorta delved into the main quest, you are finally free to do whatever you like. As of now you have the quest to go take the amulet to Jauffre. However, you can do pretty much anything you want. However still, you should probably get the main quest out of the way first. Why not? ================== Deliver the Amulet ================== *NOTE: This quest began after the emperor's death, but we'll say it starts now.* Now, let me tell you a big tip that should be obvious, but it wasn't for me. If you have a place to get to, but it's very far away, you can fast travel. You fast travel by bringing up your big map of Cyrodiil, finding the location, clicking on the icon, and then zap; you get the towns by default, but you'll have to discover new locations if you want to fast travel to them. For quests you can bring up the active quest tab and click on the 'Map' button in the top right corner and your location will be put in front of you. So bring up your active quest called 'Deliver the Amulet', click on the map button, and then zap to Weynon Priory. You'll also notice that the red arrow on your compass is directly related to the active quest. As soon as you are to the priory, that red arrow points you to the Weynon House; so enter. Notice how that now the arrow turns green. That means that your goal is within the same area. You'll have a quick chat with Maborel, and then go up the stairs to Jauffre. He tells you some back info and fills you in on a bit of story; FYI, the choices in this conversation, and with many others, leads to the same outcome. When you have a list of topics to choose from, select the 'Assistance' topic and you get free stuff. Select the stuff that applies to your needs, replace what you need, be sure to get the bow equipment, drop the junk that you replaced, and then head outside. Zap to a place called Kvatch. ============= Find the Heir ============= You'll notice that Kvatch is the only place on the map where you could not fast travel directly to the city... *NOTE: You may at any time get a message about a door in Niban Bay if you have the Shivering Isles expansion. Just ignore for now.* As soon as you appear you get a shocking twist! Just for kicks, speak with an orc named Batul gra-Sharob. You can make it daytime by waiting, which is a button on whatever system you use, and you can wait until the clock is to the time you need. Anyway, speak with the orc and click the face icon at the bottom of her topics menu. The tutorial message gives you the rundown, but you have an unlimited amount of tries to get it right. The trick is to get the cursor over each of the four options and gauge the reaction on her face, and then the other part is to make sure you're right by seeing how that option will affect her disposition toward you (that number in the circle). The big trick is to find the two negative reactions and get that small wedge to go into those, no matter what. *NOTE: I know it sounds confusing, but you want the negative reactions to get the smallest piece of the pie, because you HAVE to go through them no matter what.* Anyway, through trial and error you should be able to get her disposition up to around 70 or so. Then exit and enter the trade icon (the hammer icon is to repair stuff). Click the 'Haggle' button and get it to around 30% or so; you can experiment and see how far you can really go, but each time she refuses you will lose some of her love for you, and you might have to go lower than 30. It's a simple concept: sell high, buy low. You want to get that Longsword (or whatever you need) and sell all your junk. I would sell the shortsword, goblin staff, and your jewels from your 'Misc' section of items (not the gems, if any). You want as many Repair Hammers as you can carry, and a bunch of arrows. You can even get some potions from a girl named Sigrid, but you don't NEED to. Now head up the winding path and you will notice the sky turn red and wicked- looking. At the top you meet the captain Matius. Tell him you wish to 'Help' and you will have another quest pop up. ============================ Breaking the Siege of Kvatch ============================ You can help with the Scamps nearby, but it doesn't matter. Pick their dead bodies, save, and enter the Oblivion Gate. As soon as you're in you will have to fight three Scamps, but you will have a friend to help (don't hit him too much if you can help it). Just dodge the fireballs and rush in for hits; you don't have to worry too much about dying right now, but you will later, just keep an eye on your health. Talk with Ilend once the dust settles (please try keep him alive before you get to talk). You will have a choice: let him leave, or let him stay with you. If he stays he will most definately die, because I'm not going out of my way to keep him alive. Best just save him for later and tell him to beat it. Keeping him around will be good for a few fights, but he will probably just get in the way. Heal yourself with your magic, check the corpses for loot, and repair your stuff (there is a claymore by the gate if you want it). Now go into sneak if you wish and proceed to the northwest. Get a free arrow into the Scamp up ahead and then stand and finish him off with fire, or more arrows. And if you kill him some other way, that is fine too. Continue sneaky, if that's your thing, and you'll find a Fleshy Pod with not much loot. Keep moving. You'll eventually hit a curve in the path with a few fleshy pods in the some poison weeds. There is a Scamp in the rocks up above, to the right. Kill him in a shootout and then go south. Kill another Scamp in an open field and then snipe the little claw-like thingies in the ground, those are traps. Head east, toward the big tower, kill another scamp, and enter the tower. *NOTE: There was about 20 times more things for you to do in the plane of Oblivion, but it would have basically been a waste of time with low reward. Just get the job done in these gates and get home ASAP.* In the Blood Feast you should snipe out the two Scamps and then enter the door on the Rending Halls from either the left or right door. Go up the ramp, snipe, fight, stay alive, and kill the two enemies. Then re-enter the second level of the Blood Feast. Go up this ramp and kill two more enemies. Take the door that leads back outside to the Plane of Oblivion. Cross the bridge and enter the lesser tower. Up a bit is a single Dremora with the the key you need. Kill him, take the key, and then talk with the man in the cage. Can't save him, so just return to the main tower. Use the key on the door called the 'Citadel Hall Door' so you can keep moving through the corridor. You'll run into one last Scamp near a spear trap. Kill it, run past the trap, and enter the door that leads back into the Feast. Take either ramp and fight with the enemy near a pad. Kill him or chase him away and then step on the pad to teleport up a bit. Loot the 'Punished' nearby and then go up another ramp. Kill some enemies or whatever and enter the Sigillum; you're in without fighting all the bad guys. In the final room you have some options. If you don't want to fight you can just run up the ramps and touch the spinning stone to be done with it. Or you kill the guards and collect the loot from the pods. If you get two mage-type Dremora then you should be able to snipe them in one hit. Anyway, there are some fountains if you really need them, but as soon as you touch the stone you will be done with this place. *NOTE: You love the Realm of Oblivion? Doesn't matter, you will return to very similar levels, and many of them later on.* Back in the real world, go talk with the captain and accept the proposal to save Kvatch (you really have no choice). This part is where saving Ilend will pay dividends. Follow the group into the city and start hacking away at the nearest enemy. If you just manage to kill two enemies then the battle should be won without loses; and if you get nothing but Scamps then you better win with ease. After, talk with Matius again and enter the chapel after you refresh yourself. There is a short conversation to listen to and then you should find a Brother Martin (certain LotR fans will recognize the voice). Tell him to come with you and the story moves along a bit. You update the 'Find the Heir' quest, but that's not why you brought Martin along. Now talk with Matius again and you will be asked to help save the king of Kvatch. ============================ The Battle for Castle Kvatch ============================ *NOTE: You actually don't have to do this, but I'm not giving you that choice.* Tell Matius you're ready and follow him and the gang yet again. With Martin on your side the enemies will be easy. But soon you're slaughterfest will stop at the bridge of the castle. Talk with Matius to learn that you have to find an alternate route inside. Now, you may notice that there is some skirmishing between your archers and some Dremora archers atop the castle walls. I'm not saying let one of your comrades die, but you sure can get some free loot if you do; and if you're like level one and still have the leather armor from the start, you can get miles ahead by looting a dead friend. Return to the church and give Berich the all clear to come along, and don't forget to grab each of the Imperial Watch in here too. Follow Berich under the chapel. *NOTE: Make sure Martin is behind you. If not then he is still outside, or stuck somewhere else, but you shouldn't need to backtrack far. But, if you don't need him, then don't worry. He will follow you if you fast travel somewhere, so no big deal.* Fight with the enemies down here and try not to hit your own teammates. Keep following Berich after you heal and recover. Outside is another chaotic battle, but so long as you don't hit your own guys you should be fine. Again, follow Berich after you recover. After two more Scamp fights Berich will stop in front of a manhole that leads to the castle passageway. Talk to him and then enter, hopefully with your group at full strength. Nothing in here. Just go down and up the sets of stairs and take the ladder. *NOTE: PC users should save before you go up the ladder. I ran into a major freezing problem because the next area had too much for my system to handle. After a few tries I got it to go through, just thought I'd warn you.* Go forward and turn the wheel to open the gates and let the blood tide flow. This is a major battle, but again, unless you really care for those NPC's you don't really have to chip in. Maybe corner a lone Scamp and count that as your contribution. Oh yes, you will lose some teammates, but it's no big. And, just maybe you want some of that legion armor. I'm just sayin'... Matius will talk with you and everyone will head for the castle after the fight and so should you. Again, another big battle in the throne room, and this is probably where you lose half of your team, but it doesn't help that everyone scatters. Just stay alive and help as best you can. Don't forget your potions when you're taking a beating. After the deed is done, go up the steps and through the door. Three enemies in this burning room, and then one covering the exit. You'll probably waste all the allies you have left, but it must be done. Don't forget that you can be an archer to chip away and the Scamps' health. However you do it, go through to the king's room. Sneak inside if you want. One enemy will be in the room, and if you can in without being seen then you should send a stealth arrow. Finish off the Scamp, most likely alone, and then inspect the king's body. Take the ring and whatever else you find and then make your way back to Matius. He awards you with an enchanted cuirass, but don't let that fool you; at this point in the game it is nothing more than a burden of sorts. Anyway, leave. ============= Weynon Priory ============= Now simply zip back to Weynon Priory with Martin in hand (and even if you kinda lost him at Kvatch, he will be at the priory, trust me). As soon as you drop in you will see Eronor run to you and have a little chat. Then the fighting starts. Martin is a sexy beast and he can and will take out everyone on his own. Piner will talk with you after the bloodshed. Then you are to find and locate Jauffre. ----- HOWEVER, now listen to me. I know that in this early stage of the game you are basically a weakling, but at the moment you have a sexy beast following you everywhere you go. Do you see where I'm going with this? There are a lot of missions, and I may not even be thinking big enough, but there are a lot of quests out in Cyrodiil right now that you can breeze through, if you wish. There is likely no end to how far Martin will follow you. I wouldn't try and dabble in the Knight of the Nine or the Shivering Isles, but other than the main quest, it might be possible to have Martin as your ally throughout the rest of the game. "The Killing Field" quest in Chorrol was the first quest that I used Martin on, and it's still the first I think of. "The Gravefinder's Repose" is another that is extremely easy with Martin. But again, I am more than sure Martin will help you on every side quest in the game. I would just limit his use to the town and settlement quests if you want to even go that far, but I say cut it off if you want to take on the guilds. And of course you only need him for the combat quests, so don't take him to EVERYTHING. I won't list off the best ones, but you can go through my side quest listings and decide for yourself. Again, this is only because you're weak. Once you hit level five or so, that's when you probably need to part ways. And if you really want to do this, just limit it to a handful of quests; no use spoiling the whole game's fun value. At the very least, do one quest just to say you did it. I say just do the two quests I mentioned and then get back on track, but it's up to you. ----- When you're ready to get back on track, enter the Weynon Priory chapel. There are a few Mythic Dawn in here, but nothing to worry about; and you'll just get in the way of your allies. And it doesn't hurt if Piner dies, you get a free sword (although you'll get all you want in a little bit). Follow Jauffre after the fight back into the house. *NOTE: It's funny if either Jauffre or Martin ends up killing Piner, on a couple of levels, but it's nothing you have to worry about.* You will find a secret room in Jauffre's side of the house. He tells you that the amulet is missing. Now go back outside and let Martin and Jauffre go to the stable for horses. Ask Jauffre about Assistance to learn that you get a free horse too. Jump on Prior Maborel's Paint Horse, pull up your map, and then zap the group to Cloud Ruler Temple. They will dismount and approach the gate, you do the same. There will be a bit of a scene and then the group will walk up the steps. There is a very rousing speech at the top (yeah right) and then Martin will talk with you. ================ The Path of Dawn ================ Soon after the introduction, talk with Jauffre and join the Blades. Then ask him about the Amulet of Kings to learn what to do next. You're told to return to the Imperial City and speak with Baurus. Yes, the same dude from the very first of the game. So go there. *NOTE: At this early point in the game, you are both broke and you can't fix enchanted items, and yet enchanted items will earn you lots of money. So unless you really want that Kvatch Cuirass, I say sell it and any other enchanted items, especially if you need the scratch.* *NOTE: If you are wanting to specialize in conjuration, now is the time to seek out the members of the Mage's Guild and purchase a summon spell. At this point you can probably only get the weak summons, but those are all you need.* Don't forget to stock up on supplies while you're in the city. Visit the Market District, duh, there will be lots of goods for sale. Baurus waits in the Luther Broad's pub in the Elven Gardens. Talk to the sneaky-sounding dude, sit in a seat near him, and then talk. Tell him you're ready. After he leaves, it might be best to go to the third-person camera and watch the other man get up to follow. When both are gone, you get up and follow down to the basement. The man will change into an enemy agent and attack Baurus, so help if you can. Talk with Baurus, search the dead guy's body for the book, and then talk to Baurus again to get sent off to the local university. Just walk outside the bar and zap across town to save you time. Oh, so this is what a real university looks like... Anyway, talk with Tar- Meena. You are given the second book and then told to find the other two. She says to check the local bookstore, so do it. And don't forget to actually look at the books so that you can gain the free skill points (no, you don't have to read them, just open them). Zap to the Market District and enter the First Edition. Talk with Phintias who reveals that the third volume is already sold and the buyer is coming by shortly. Now, there are two ways to obtain the book. Phintias tells you that Gwinas is on his way, so you can just wait. Or, if you can manage, just butter up Phintias through the disposition game and then I think you can buy the book. But, just waiting for Gwinas is the best and cheapest way to go. After Gwinas arrives and after his conversation with the store owner, stop Gwinas before he leaves the store. Ask him about the Mythic Dawn and then you have him cornered. After he spills the beans he will cough up the book for free. And then after you inquiry about the fourth book he will give up a note from the Mythic Dawn. With the note, return to Baurus. Tell him about the meeting and he agrees to tag along, or insists. Follow him to the sewer hole and enter. Follow him through the tunnels and help him stamp out the vermin along the way to the waterworks. More small fries. At the waterway you can separate from Baurus by leaving him atop a set of steps as you move ahead to take out the goblins. There are just about three goblins and you would only be taking them on by yourself to save Baurus' health. Go get him and then get to the next area. Follow him some more and to a door, but save before he gets a chance to talk with you. There are two options he will give you: attack from up top, or meet from down below. The lower option will let you get in the first hits on the agents. The higher option lets you take on the two thugs that will ambush you. The best option is to attack from on high, but if it doesn't work out for you, you might want to reload this save and try the other way. Save as you enter the next area, in a different slot than the other. After you enter from above you should sneak into view of the Mythic Dawn agent as he talks. If you watch the other path up here you will see two more coming your way. So strike first. Send an arrow to the agent below, and if you can, summon a monster onto the bridge up here to save you some grief. Quickly jump down and help Baurus take out the sponsor. Then you should engage the two others as Baurus finishes off the other guy. The key here is to take on the other guys before they can gang up on Baurus. If you don't care about Baurus, then it's very easy, but you want him to live for later. And no, the later part isn't even that important, but still (geez, if you really can't get through this without losing him, then go ahead). *NOTE: If you meet the sponsor, it is best that you attack him quickly and get rid of him in a hurry. Then go up and help out Baurus. Remember, every second is critical.* Grab the key, the book, and whatever else from the dead guys (you only need one key, and you don't even need one). I say exit the way you came in, since that path is devoid of enemies, and the other path is okay too, but you'll be in the sewers longer. Just pick up the stuff in the Mythic Dawn room and then turn around and go back the way you came to the surface (you entered through the Elven Garden district, FYI). Return to the university with all four books (remember to look at each). Give Tar-Meena the books and then move time ahead by one day. Talk to her again to learn she is close. Move time forward again and then talk to her once more to get the hidden message (and you don't actually have to write it down). Leave the school and zip to the Palace section of the city. You will find the Tomb of Prince Camarril in the outlying circle of the palace grounds, but it won't do anything until it is noon during the day. Move time to 12:00 PM and you will see the front of the tomb glowing red. Touch it to learn the location of the Mythic Dawn's hideout. Case closed. ============ Dagon Shrine ============ Stock up on supplies and then zap to the Black Waterside Stables outside of Cheydinhal. Don't forget to not have your feather numbers too high, so sell some stuff that you don't need before you set off into the wild. Jump on your steed and head north, fighting some bad guys and wildlife along the way. Don't forget to protect your horse on pain of death; you only have one and you'll be hard pressed to heal it. If you avoid the camp along the way you should only encounter a few animals near the cave's entrance. *NOTE: Save now and keep this save. If something doesn't go right in the dungeon you can always come back to this and try a new plan. I'll be honest, a summon will help big time for this quest.* Inside, you need to approach the Mythic Dawn man guarding the door; please don't attack him. Now, you CAN attack him and everyone else, it's possible to get through this quest leaving a trail of blood in your wake. BUT, if you are a weakling, you better play nice and go through to see the next guy. Give up your items and you'll be in a robe. Follow Harrow all the way to the shrine. You will end among a crowd of followers listening to Camoran. Watch and listen and soon he will disappear. Save your game now. You are told to approach Ruma Camoran (Mankar's daughter) and you are asked to slay a sacrifice. Say you will. Pick up the dagger by the book. Now save the game in another slot. Lots of options here. You can slay the poor lizard, but there is really no point. You might as well spare his life. Now the trick is to figure how you will kill Harrow to get your items back. The thing that I found was that Harrow would follow you in this shrine area. So you say you'll kill the lizard, then you pick up the dagger, then you go up the steps to a quiet spot, and then you kill Harrow with the help of a summon. You get all your items back and the rest of the gang shouldn't know. Eventually the group should start to file up the stairs and leave the area, so you just sneak to the side and let them go (they leave the way you entered). That should leave just two Mythic Dawn left in the room. Snipe Ruma, dodge their big magic attacks, and get in close to slash them to pieces. A summon and a few potions will help. When the place is clear you should release the prisoner on the altar. Then go pick up the Xarxes, and get out of the way of the collapsing statue. Your escape won't be through the way you came, so head for the Living Quarters. You might run into Jeelius, but you don't have to do anything about him except make sure he doesn't get killed. There will be lots of enemies in the tunnels and rooms, but none will be tough and all of them will fear for their lives. Be sure to check all the crates for good items; the crates, chests, and barrels in this area has better stuff than usual. Jeelius will cause you much grief in this place. He will run around for dear life and end up bringing all the enemies on his tail. Help him when you can. When you reach the food room there will be quite a fight, so focus on the guys in armor. When you get toward the exit you are not trying to get back into the antechamber; take the path near the true exit door for a quick chest near a bed, and then return to the Lake Arrius Caverns. *NOTE: If Jeelius dies, no sweat. I'm not even sure if it matters if he lives.* Items in this sleeping area, and an odd book on a crate (may as well pick it up). Turn the handle you're back where you started. Leave the cave and return to Cloud Ruler Temple. You will have a little chat with Jauffre on your way to Martin. You cough up the book and you get started on your next quest. ===== Spies ===== Talk with Jauffre concerning the spies in Bruma. Captain Steffan should be in the temple area so talk with him first. The runestone is nearby, so you can just make it by foot, or horse. *NOTE: Before you set off, notice the two people sparring on the patch of grass outside the temple. Just stand near them and watch for a bit. After about a minute or two of some clumsy fighting, you will get a message saying you gained two point to both Block and Blade. Easy.* Park your horse on solid ground away from the green stone and try to get into a good perch on top of the boulders nearby. Then move time to around 6:00 PM, and be sure you're in sneak mode. When you come to there will be a few bad guys near the stone. Search Jearl for some keys. And the other Mythic Dawn might not have been near the stone, but Saveri will be around. After you take out the trash, ride on into Bruma. *NOTE: You can use the runestone, but there's no reason.* Locate Burd, who might be in the castle. He tells you to search Jearls' home in town. Look at the feet of the table in the house to find the hatch that leads to the basement. Some items down here, but all you need is the rolled up note on the table called Jearl's Orders. Take it, and then you need to get back to the temple. You can go through the caves down here; there will only be one rat in your way, two more out of the way, but no loot to speak of at all. Just going back out through the house is faster, and then zap to the temple. The only good thing about going through the cave is that you get another location on your Cyrodiil map. At the temple, report back to Jauffre with the note. Then back to Martin. =================== Blood of the Daedra =================== Speak to Martin about all the topics. He refers you to a book called Modern Heretics. Read it to get the marker for a Daedric Shrine. Now, the thought is that you'll go to the shrine, get the artifact, bring it back, and then cough it up. But, Azura's gift is something you want to keep. It's one of the good ones given by the lords of the plane of Oblivion. Refer to my Daedric Quests section to get a better feel for how to tackle this part of the quest. So long as you are at level two, you can instead go for a different item and one that you won't really want to keep. The Sheogorath quest is the best one, and despite how much you might like Wabbajack, it's not really worth keeping (you'll just end up stashing it somewhere). So go to that quest in my guide and come back once you have it or another item that you don't want. *NOTE: A tiny reason not to do Sheogorath's quest is if you have the Shivering Isles expansion. If so, then you MIGHT want to save it for later.* Now that you have Wabbajack or some other item, bring it to Martin. You will lose it, forever, but it must be done. ========== Bruma Gate ========== You didn't think you'd be gone from the realm of Oblivion for the rest of the game now, did you? Report to Jauffre and he orders you to save Bruma from the assault. Go to the area in front of the city gate to find the rally of men. Make sure you are stocked up on everything before you approach the men (hammers, potions, arrows, etc). Talk with Burd, listen to the words, and then to battle. Just fight a couple of monsters and then go inside. the gate. Just make your way straight ahead and fight the many enemies along the path. Make your cut west, fight some more enemies, dodge some spire fire, and then enter the main tower. Kill the monsters in the "Fury Spike". Take a door to the Rending Halls. Just up the ramp to more monsters and a door on both sides of this little area. One door takes you to a rampway where you will find small loot; the other door leads further up the halls. Get up there, fight along the way, and then back to the Spike. Fight some more and enter the Corridors. Just a few enemies in this area. Go up and re-enter the spike. Kill one of the guard monsters in this last area before the sigil chamber. Grab his key and enter. In the chamber, just kill the four or so enemies, grab the loot, and then get the stone. Not hard at all. Talk to Burd back in the real world and then return to Cloud Ruler. Give the good news to Jauffre and you're done with this quest. *NOTE: You can get the allies for Bruma, but let's save that for later.* ==================== Blood of the Divines ==================== *NOTE: You should either hold onto your magic/silver weapons, or go seek some out. If you can't repair magical items, then buying and using them up will cost you mucho dollars. Either way, if you can't repair enchanted items, consider selling them after you are done with this quest or spend the money to fix them. You're going to run into ghosts in the dungeon, so you need silver or magic weapons or strong magic.* *NOTE: Gems fill up magic items with power, if you have some. Staffs and swords are what you may have picked up already.* *NOTE: Last one. If you have no other option, just use your basic fireball and your spare potions of sorcery. Could have some long fights against many a ghost, but you will get through it.* Speak with Martin, and then Jauffre. Sancre Tor is north of Chorrol, so go to the north gate of the town. Hop on your horse, or go by foot. There are many ways to get to the ruins; you can go by the mountain trails or from the Orange Road, it's your call. Once near the door to the dungeon, fight the many skeleton guards, lightly search for loot, and then enter. Inside, make your way down the set path. Fight the many ghosts along the way and get any loot you find. You can use your normal weapons when you go up some steps to fight a skeleton. Once it is down you will talk with Rielus. Lots of loot after the fight. Three chests, a necklace on the skeleton, and then proceed. In the Entry Hall, fight the ghost in the middle. Then to left and enter the Prison. Prison ------ The first room you find requires you to kill a guard of the door and take his key, so do that. The first hall of cells is nothing special. The second hall has bed in two cells, so clear out this hall and then nap if you are in need of leveling up. Then you are clear to make it to the big room. You see the stumpy pillar at the foot of the steps? You can get on that and once you get the attention of Valdemar's skeleton. From here you can pelt him with arrows, summon if you can, and that should do it. Claim the loot in three chests, grab his shield, and then return to the entry hall. Take the first door on the right side. Hall of Judgment ---------------- You can go left or right, but the path to the left is a way into the catacombs, so go to the right. Fight some ghosts on your way to the grounds of Mishaxhi. Fight him, endure his flaming blade, and then claim the sword once he is dead. Claim the loot and then up the steps. You will notice an narrow path through an open doorway, so take it. Follow the path to a platform with two chests across a bridge. Then drop off the bridge, fight the ghosts, and then take the exit leading to the catacombs. Catacombs --------- From the Hall of Judgment entrance, the final skeleton is right in front of you. This one is the toughest, so keep your eye on the health so you know when you need a quick potion. Just survive, grab the sword, chest in the corner, and then you have a choice of exit. You can leave through the rest of the combs that you did not explore, or you can leave through the Hall of Judgment. I say get the heck out of here ASAP. ----- In the Entry Hall, make your way down the middle path and watch the ghosts do there thing. You'll see a barrier disappear and you are free to claim the armor. Grab the armor and then leave this whole dungeon the way you came. Return to Cloud Ruler and hand the armor over. Don't forget to at some point visit a shop to replenish your stocks, fill up enchanted items, and repair enchanted items. ========== Miscarcand ========== This dungeon is between Kvatch and Skingrad. Remember to crouch, like all the time. Fight your way down to a walkway above a zombie pit, and I hope you did so by sneaking because you don't want them all to see you. You don't want to go down there unless you want to get a few welkynd stones, which you probably don't need. Go into the hallway, turn left and fight your way to the walkway above a pit full of many monsters. You need to fall over the right side and take the path up some steps, hopefully without being detected. In the room with a fire, fight the two goblins. Collect the loot and then press the button on the wall. Now go up the stairs, stand on the pressure pad, and then through the gate. Then hang a right, across the walkway, and take the door out to the Sel Vanua. There is a small skirmish between goblin and skeleton in the big room, so kinda sit back for a bit, then enter the room, pick a side, and then finish both off. There is a button on the side of the wall that will open the center cage to reveal a varla stone; there is also a welkynd stone on a wall. Take the path to the south to reach the next big room. Go across the walkway over the pit where some monsters are in battle. Most likely you will get engaged into a full scale fight with the two sides in this room, but hopefully they will help take each other out. Your goal is to go to the south end of this room, press a button on the wall, and then go through the opened gate to the north. Just survive the fighting and fight as few enemies as possible. Enter the Morimath. Proceed and when you hit the fork in the road, go left. Fight the mob of zombies and move on. Collect loot along the way to the big shining stone on a platform. Grab the stone. This triggers quite a large fight with some undead. You should probably go for the zombies first and keep some distance between you and the King of Miscarcand, then take him on. Once the dust settles, go north to find an open passage. Lots of loot to plunder, and then go west. Use the key on the door and then up the stairs. Wind up the path and you'll find a spot with rooms on the side, kill the zombies and take the loot on your way out. *NOTE: You could also go back out the way you came, but that is no fun at all.* You emerge in a secret room with some loot, step on the pad, and then you're free to leave the dungeon. Once again, return to Cloud Ruler and hand off the stone. Grim news ensues. Now, you can go on with the Defense of Bruma quest, but you probably want as much help as you can get. If so, read on for the Allies of Bruma quest you've had for a while. I'll cover Allies first and then the defense after. =============== Allies of Bruma =============== This quest is simply a test of how long you wish to endure closing Oblivion gates. You can tackle the cities in any order. The formula is the same: go to castle, ask count for help, shut down gate outside city, and then return. You can close the gate first, but either way. To be honest, all of this is optional, so you don't have to do all or any of it. Cheydinhal and Kvatch have their own side quests to go along with them, so do those at least. Anvil and Chorrol give two soldiers, so those are the two you need to do first. The remainder only kick in one, so you may want to just try the Defense quest (of course making a save before) and seeing if you can do without the rest. *NOTE: For all planes of Oblivion and all towers, I think you should NOT intend to explore for loot. You'll make this long quest so much more longer than it should be if you do. Just move forward as directly as you can.* Anvil ----- Speak with the countess and then go northwest of the city. Once in the plane, you may be tempted to follow the path to the end and expect to find the tower door. But this place is different. Once you run into a turret along the path, look along the rock wall for a door leading to the Nether Tunnels. Just make your way through it, whatever cave you may get. Fight your way along the ledge a short distance to another cave and go in. It's a short cave, so get through and you'll end up on the last level of the mountain. Fight your way up and enter the tower. All towers are basically the same, you just need to make your way up until you find the stone. It's really that simple, it just takes a LONG time to execute. Once you have the stone, speak with Umbranox. You got her support. Kvatch ------ Locate Savlian Matius. Now, if you saved the castle by doing the side quest after closing the gate from long ago, just talk and he will lend his support. If not, then refer to "Battle for Castle Kvatch" and do that quest, then ask for support. Chorrol ------- Speak with Countess Valga. Then to the gate. This plane is unique. To the north as soon as you enter is a cool doorway that leads to the bottom of the tower that is sticking out of the lava. Jump your way over to the door and you're in the tower. Two unique enemies and just two loot containers on the third level if you want to get them. Otherwise, read on to get to the proper keep. From the gate between realms, go west and into the lesser tower. Make your way to the top and flip the switch. What you just did was open a gate below. The gate will let you access a taller tower. You could go back down this tower with the lever, go through the open gate, and then enter the larger tower. Or from still on the top level of the tower with the lever, you could go out onto the bridge, look to the bridge a bit lower than this one, get to the door at the other end, look to the bridge, and then jump. You need good acrobatics to make the landing, so be sure to save. Let me say again, you need to get in that taller tower. There are four lesser towers around the keep that control the gates, but there are two other towers on the east and west of the keep. But it's not that you need to get atop either tower, it's that you need to cross the bridge mid-way up to get into the sigil keep. So by jumping from a bridge or by taking the ground route, get into the main tower. *NOTE: Doesn't matter which side you take, both lead to the same end.* Once in, kill the monster and enter the Rending Halls. Kill the guys, but remember you need to go up, so take the door in front of you that leads to a ramp; not the ramps on the side that take you downward. The rest of the way is just as you expect. Get to the stone, steal it, and then tell the countess. Cheydinhal ---------- Side Quest - The Wayward Knight *Any healing OTHERS spells would help Speak with Andel Indarys. Also ask him about "Oblivion Gate" topic to get the side quest. There may or may not be a fight upon your approach to the gate, just depends. Talk with the soldier and then go inside. Now, the easiest way to get down this mountain is to just slide your way down. You need to go east. Of course don't fall off the steep edges, but there are some more sloping sides that you can crouch and walk down. Or just get down there however. Once you meet up with Farwil and his friend you will talk. The gate on the bridge will open and you are free to storm the keep. This tower is the same as all the rest essentially. The only thing you do different is you should keep them both alive throughout. So save often and be sure to both take the brunt of the damage and end fights quickly. And remember that if the path doesn't have a ramp, you're probably going to a dead end. Although, the AI in this game is so terrible, you may just let Farwil die when he does, take his ring and that will do. You don't get the weapons as payment when you return to the count, but after a few levels you won't really care. It's up to you. Probably something that's easier the higher your level. And it doesn't help that there seems to be more enemies than normal in this tower and they are always up in your grill. Either way, close the gate, return to the count, resolve side quest, and then ask for aid. Be sure to meet Amminus Gregori outside the gate first though. ---- No need to visit the Imperial City, and the other three cities are standard gates but only net you one extra soldier each. No matter how many you do or don't do, move on to the next quest. If you do cut off this quest short of 100% completion, be sure to keep a save of right now until after you complete the Bruma Great Gate. ================ Defense of Bruma ================ *NOTE: Stock up on potions.* Meet the countess and follow her to the chapel. Let the two talk, then talk with the countess. Last chance to gather more allies, but proceed and keep a recent save until you see the result of the battle. Follow the group out the city gates to the battlefield. Be sure to save, probably twice: once before the speech and another after right before the fighting starts. Once you do start fighting, your best bet is probably to just sit back and let the meat shields absorb the most of the damage. There are three gates and each of them will keep pumping out monsters. You can put in as much effort as you wish. Good luck hacking and slashing, you're probably just going to be hitting allies the whole time. You should find enemies away from the pack if you want to contribute. But please, the safest thing to do is just stay back about where the middle of your line of men formed. It's hard to lose this fight, so the goal really is just for you to survive. You WILL lose most of your allies, like Jauffre and Baurus, but no big, you'll just lose them later. Once the Great Gate appears, the fourth one, just run like a madman and get inside. *NOTE: True, you could have rushed through previous planes of Oblivion, but this one more so. You shouldn't need to stop and fight at any time. Feel free to leave a summon behind as a decoy as you run.* In the great gate, move forward and enter the first tower on the right. Go up to either the top or mid doorway and tak it out. Cross the bridge on your way to another tower, but these towers are not where you need to be. You must reach the tower on the northwest side, the one with the mostly intact bridge. When in this tower, go down to a door about at the mid-way point of the tower and go out. *NOTE: You could make it across either bridge from either northern tower. If you don't make either jump, be sure to jump in the lava to land ASAP.* Once over the lava, make your way up to the tower in front of the gate (same on either side), and go in. Atop the ramp is a lever to open the gate, so pull it and go back out the door. Go through the opening gate and enter the final sigil keep you'll need to storm. It's a tower just as so many others from before. Ignore any enemies on your way to the top. Even more so if you have plenty of potions, you can just take the damage and use potions as you run; and summoning a friend to act as a decoy will help. Just rush to the top, grab the stone, and you're done. *NOTE: Since I realize some may not check the map at all times, when you reach a room with three doors, left, middle, and right, go into the left door which has a ramp on the other side to go up. When you're back in the real world, talk with Martin after you grab the stone on the ground in front of the downed siege engine. Then off to cloud ruler. ======== Paradise ======== *NOTE: Again, make sure you have a good number of potions.* Talk with Martin again and then through the portal. In the new realm, you must head east. You can follow the white-bricked road all the way, just remember to keep east. Eventually you run into a Dremora guard in front of a bridge. Don't fight him, just talk. Kathutet will have some nice words to share, so if you share nice words as well you can resolve the situation peacefully. If you agree to serve him, you must find a Xivilai Anaxes in a cave. So if you agree, make your way north to the cave by the water. Just go in and move both logs holding up rock to free the dude. Don't worry yourself about having to fight, he isn't concerned with you. Once Anaxes is free, return to the bridge and go across and into the grotto. Make your way through, fight two monsters, and then grab the bands from Kathutet. Put them on and you can stop before going through the door to listen to Camoran's many words. Enter the Forbidden Grotto when ready. Inside you will see a guy in a cage. Fight the single robed enemy in here and then move on. Don't kill the next one you see who approaches you. Eldamil will sign on as an ally. Agree to his help, and then walk with him. He has a chat with the headsman, and when he tells you to enter the cage, do so. When you have control again, turn around and step out of the cage on the other side of the lava. Move down the path and hang a right at the fork. Kill the two guys in the next room and then through the door. Eldamil will be on the other side. Let him join so you can have a friend. The rest of the path is just fighting. If he ever falls in battle, don't worry, he's immortal. At the end of this cave is a Medrike, who isn't as tough as you may think, especially with your ally. Once outside, make your way up the path. Talk with the children of Camoran and follow them inside. With Camoran in view, prepare everything for one fast, furious, and chaotic fight. The ONLY key to this fight is killing Camoran ASAP. Don't waste time hitting anything but him. Use any poisons and whatever you have. 10 or so potions are required for most. When ready, save, and then approach. Summon an ally nearby, then take a first swing at Camoran before he is ready. Then just keep slashing furiously. The dumb thing is, your friend will probably run in front of you in an attempt to "help" but he will end up getting in your way. Just follow Mankar where he runs and finish him off quickly. I won't lie, it may require a few tries for most, so be sure that save is at a good time. Just lock onto the big guy, make your strikes true, use poisons on him, use potions on you, and try to minimize his chances to heal. Good luck. Don't forget to swipe the stuff from his body before you get zapped away once he's dead. ===================== Light the Dragonfires ===================== *NOTE: Just as before, you have Martin tagging along where ever you go. You could abuse his help in other quests if needed, but I am 99.9% sure you want to end this game.* Don't forget to restock before heading to the city, or restock in the city. At the Imperial City Palace, go inside. Talk with Ocoto, that is if Martin will show up fast enough (he'll show up, shortly). There is a quick fight, and then it's off to outside. There you will have a much bigger fight. You need to make sure Martin doesn't take too much heat because he can die, so you need to do some damage. Just being a little bit of a distraction will probably help. Then a chat and then make sure everyone advances to the temple district. Save and then run to the right along the road, ignoring the enemies. You will see Mehrunes is here. As quickly as possible, just jump along the wall of the temple, which is the central rounded building, and get through the door. *NOTE: On the 360, I recall that I had to try over and over to get past the big guy. I don't even remember why, but I couldn't for some reason. But ever since I've been playing on my PC version, I have always been able to just run by him. Perhaps it's because I don't stop and try to shoot him before going to the door, I just IMMEDIATELY go to the door.* Inside, go to the other side of the room and turn around. Wait for Martin to arrive and all you have to do is sit and watch. Almost cooler than all the Lord of the Rings movies combined, almost. Cutscene and the main quest is over. There is one thing to do as a follow-up. You get the side quest of the Dragon Armor, which will be ready in two weeks. I've never used it, so it's like two weeks of pure un-anticipation. Regardless of whether you did this first or after the guilds, there is still so much more to do in Oblivion. ***************************************************************************** * 5. Fighter's Guild ( RATS555 ) * ***************************************************************************** The Fighter's Guild is the simplest guild to tackle. Most of the quests are straight-forward, but none of the rewards are going to be all that memorable. Start this faction quest by going to Anvil. Enter the guild hall and speak with Azzan who could be anywhere in the place. Tell him you will join and ask him about the contract. **Any ectoplasms you come across, save them.** ============= A Rat Problem ============= Hunt down Arvena Thelas in Anvil. Talk with her about the rats. Ah, a twist on the old formula! Go to her house and in her basement is the problem. Kill the cat and go back upstairs to talk with the woman. Now go see Pinarus about the lions. Tail him all the way to the fight. The lower the level you have, the tougher this fight will be. Survive and you're free to go back to Arvena. Oh no, trouble. Back to the basement for another lion. Kill it and return to the dark elf. Find out about Quill-Weave. Now go behind Arvena's house and get into position:crouched and looking at the hole in her wall. Fast forward time to around midnight, and you may get the quest update without actually seeing anything. Either way, go meet Quill-Weave and confront her about the lions. And now for the epic choice. You can rat Quill-Weave out and be all righteous, or you can lie. If you're honest you get the gold and some speechcraft training for it. If you're a liar, you get the gold and you can meet with Quill-Weave about the acrobatics training. I say just tell the truth and be done with it all. Go tell Arvena either way and you're done. Go see Azzan about advancement. And then ask him about the next contract. ========================== The Unfortunate Shopkeeper ========================== Lelles shop is on the docks of Anvil. Talk to him about the break-ins. He leaves the shop in your hands. Go up to the second level and move time along to about midnight. Now sneak down the steps and try to get in a sniper arrow. Then it's just a matter of killing the trio of thieves inside the shop. If you can't take the heat, consider going outside and enlisting the help of the guards and citizens. It's up to you. After the fight, go see Lelles to collect your bounty. Now go see Azzan about advancement and the next contract; he'll be in his bed on level two. Now travel to Cheydinhal. Enter the guild headquarters and speak with the orc Burz gro-Khash about the contract. ================= The Desolate Mine ================= You get three, unweighted weapons. Walk out of the city gates and head toward the arrow on your compass. Two goblins guard the entrance, though that doesn't make much sense. Speak with Rienna. Give the hammer to the orc and the sword to the guy. Now follow them and help them clear the mine. Make sure not to lose track of your team or you might not find them. And try not to hit your friends too many times or bad things will happen. They should to okay without your help, but do try to chip in. After the bloodbath, go back to the orc and get your reward. Talk with him about advancement and then about the next contract. You're sent to Chorrol. Enter the guild and talk with Vilena about the duties. =================== Unfinished Business =================== Go talk to Modryn in the same guild hall about the duties. Talk with him until he has nothing new to say, and then head to Skingrad. He's in the West Weald Inn. Talk with Maglir until you pick up the contract he dropped. Fallen Rock Cave is a bit northwest of Skingrad. Poor skeleton. Follow the path into a big room where you will encounter a large fight. Now follow the north path all the way until you find a small canyon under a rock bridge. Kill any monsters and make your way to a little watery cave where you'll find a few crabs, a chest, and the journal. Now turn around and make way out of there. Now you have a few options. You can return to Modryn and tell him the truth, or you can lie. I'll say that Maglir will either become your enemy later, or not. It's up to you, but I never tell a lie. After you get your gold, talk to him again to get the details of the next quest. ==================== Drunk and Disorderly ==================== Zip to Leyawiin. Enter the Five Claws near the west gate. Talk to Vantus to learn of the Blackwood Company. You can turn around and ask the owner, or anyone in Leyawiin, about the jobs. You learn of some woman named Margarte. Hunt down the arrow on your compass and talk with her about the jobs. Great, now you need five ectoplasms. Maybe you saved them from your travels, but probably not. If you need some quickly, just go in the chapel undercroft of the church nearby. You might find a few at some alchemy dealers around the world. And there are two quests in Anvil that involve some ghosts. But the chapel one is the easiest. Take them to the woman and you're done. Report back to the drunks. Now go back to your superior in Chorrol for you payment. Make sure you move up in rank. And now you have to return to the old guys for some honest work. Go to Anvil, because it starts with A. ============== Den of Thieves ============== Azzan gives you a contract that involves thieves. And you get your friend Maglir to tag along, Ask anyone about the thieves to learn about Newheim. His house is by the gates to the docks. Ask him everything he knows and then run to the cave north of town. Leave Maglir near the torches. Take the second right and take the quick detour behind the wooden door for a quick chest. Now get back on the path and push the rock open. There are two thieves in here, along with some loot. Don't bother with the first tunnel leading northeast and take the second one. **Leaving Maglir is just so you can use sneak attacks. He won't die in the fighting, so YOU may want to bring him along.** Up the ramp and through the door will be two more. When the fighting starts, depending on your level, you may get the whole den fired up and the other three may show up. This is one of the those times when have a summon pays off. If not, then the other three will be in the next room. After the fight, be sure to check around for all the chests full of loot. Return to the Maglir, pick him up, and return to Azzan. Off to Cheydinhal. ============== Amelion's Debt ============== Talk with Burz to get this quest. Travel near Leyawiin and walk up to Water's Edge. Enter Biene's house and talk with her. The easiest option is to give her the money and be done with it. If not, travel to the southeast and enter the tomb. You'll soon find a lever with a rock that will open the pathway to the Sarcophagus Chamber. A few more monsters and lots of loot as you make your way to the coffins. The armor and sword are in the place of one stone coffin. Take them and take the nearby door for the quick exit. Take both back to the girl, or you can keep them and pay her debt yourself, all is up to you. Regardless of how you do it, go back to Burz and collect your pay; which could make the net loss much less. Advance in rank and ask about the next contract. ================ The Master's Son ================ Go back to Chorrol for the next quest. After you get the strange duty, go find Viranus and talk with him. Another escort mission. Leave through the north gate and walk to the cave. Don't worry about Viranus, he won't die. Go down the path and take the left path. You'll run into about three trolls, so just survive and move on. There is a string trap before you reach the door to the Chamber of the Titans. You'll fight two ogres. Take the path to the east and you'll fight a bunch of trolls in the big room. Down the north path on the second level will be the prize. A troll will be inside, but all you need is to get close enough to confirm the man is dead. Now back to the surface. Tell Modryn about Galtus' fate; though what he says doesn't make much sense. Discuss your next duty. ======================== More Unfinished Business ======================== Ah yes, more Maglir. Travel to Bravil. Head to the tavern on the south end of town, or ask someone first. Oh yes, now is the time when your original decision has an effect on your progress. Maglir, the worm, will tell you to seek out Aryarie if you lied for him, or he will tell you to get lost. You can find her in the Mage's Guild, or you can go back to Modryn if you like, but there is no need. She tells you the contract details. The cave is a bit north of Bravil, walking distance. Now, you can handle Imps, right? There are more than ten in here, and make sure you get the gall. When you reach the requirement go back to the mage and claim your bonus, Ring of Aegis (leveled). Now back to Oreyn for your pay and new rank. ================ Azani Blackheart ================ Move time to midnight and find Modryn. Ooooo, the plot thickens! Travel to Leyawiin and meet the guy at the guild hall. You should be able to travel right to Arpenia. Rats for the first few rooms, and then you'll see a cask in a room with many traps, so watch your step. Move toward the other end of the room to get the next update on the quest. Now you're the tag-along as he escorts you to the next destination. Atatar is a good long walk away too. Inside, you will regain the lead. Watch for the ol' swingin' blade traps. Open the door and snipe the goon (I was able to kill him from the door), and then assume his position to snipe another across the way. There will be another in the area, and then the path is clear to the Haelia Dagon. There are three guards in the immediate area, and you need to press a button on the west wall. Go through the open path nearby. The bridge will fall before you can cross it, and even if you can your friend can't. Watch for traps and enter Haelia Anga from the bottom door. Rats as you take the stairway on the west wall. Try to follow this path all the way to a door down some steps. If you must kill the guys below you, then go ahead and snipe them from above. Fight the vermin on your way to the study area, which contains small treasures. Sneak into the next area and snipe the Azani. Now gang up on the old man and kill him quickly. Take the ring from his dead hands and then loot the place. Give the ring to Modryn and ask about advancement. Exit to the previous area and loot the bodies and find the loot. Take the northern exit to reach the area with the broken bridge. Follow the path to the gate, but turn around to the right and push the button on the wall. Now go into the big room to free three Varla stones from their cages. Now you're free to return to the surface. Now back to Anvil for another contract from Azzan. ===================== The Wandering Scholar ===================== Brittlerock Cave is northwest of Kvatch. She's right inside so talk to her and follow. First room is clear, but oh boy how the second room isn't. Three monsters are there to meet you. The way to fight is to attack anything Elante is fighting. Then keep following her, and you'll find out that she has no idea what she's doing. Hit the dead-end and come back to take another path. But don't wait for the girl to lead you. Run in front of her to the room where you fought the monsters and take the other path. Hopefully she will stop somewhere and let you clear out the remaing three groups of monsters. And don't forget to pick up all the loot. Then come back and get her to move her to the shrine. She thanks you and gives you a book, and you're free to go (there's more to the dungeon, but there's no need). Return to Azzan and collect your gold. Back to Cheydinhal. ============= The Fugitives ============= Zap to Bravil and ask the guard nearby who tells you where to go. Exit the city and head west. Make your way to a room with some smoke and levers. Pull the first rock to the right and the rock door will open. The next room has the first bad guy and some loot. You'll pass a mostly empty room and enter a large room with two wooden planks over a gap. Look to the right and take the path to reach the other side. Keep going and you'll find the next bad guy. Kill her and move on to the second area. Be sure to sneak through this entire under area. Take the path on the left and sneak up on bad guy number three. Return to the area in front of the door and follow the west path until you sneak up on a bear. Keep going straight and you'll run into the head criminal who has a wicked weapon. Kill him and you are free to exit the nearby door. Report to Burz on the successful mission. Move up the ranks and ask about your next job. Return to Chorrol. ======================= Trolls of Forsaken Mine ======================= Oh no, doesn't sound good. Travel all the way to Leyawiin and you'll find the cave to the south, near the walls. Not good. You'll find the first area to have the true path in the corner, but you might want to check the areas to the north for your own sake. When you get on the path, you'll encounter the first true enemy past the room with the Blackwood Company member. Fight the troll and enter the lost passages. You'll meet a troll in the first room, and then two more in the next room. Follow the southeast path into a big room with two more trolls. Take the northeast path and you'll run into another pair in the next room. Follow the only path to the final room with the green arrow. Kill a few monsters and inspect the dead guy. Take the journal and you are free to leave. **If you want, you could have fallen into the canyon with two rats and followed that path to the green arrow, up to you.** Follow the northern path to a rock wall that you can get through for an easy exit. Back to Chorrol. Give Modryn the journal and head back to Azzan. ======================== The Stone of St. Alessia ======================== Darn! Oh well, you'll live. Go to Bruma and talk with Cirroc. Leave the city and head a bit east. Talk with the remorseful cat, and make sure you get that marker. Zap to that location and enter. From the big room it is simple to get lost and find any of the numerous dead- ends. Go forward and step on the pressure pad. Now come back and take the path to the west. There is only one path to the button, and you'll encounter a few ogres. The button is above where you stepped on the tile. Now the door leading to the stone will open. Grab it and get the heck out of there. Report back to Cirroc and claim a few potions, and then go back to Azzan. And now to Cheydinhal one last time. ==================== The Noble's Daughter ==================== Head to north of Cheydinhal to meet the lord orc. **Save before you fight.** Ogres once again. Go east and kill all three, but what the lady does once the fight starts is unknown. Go find her and escort her home. You get a sword. Now back to Cheydinhal and collect your pay. Now get your rank back and ask about the next contract. ========================= Mystery at Harlun's Watch ========================= The small community is just south of the city. Talk with Drarana about the lights. Kill the wisps outside the cave and enter. Take the left path and kill a troll. You are not trying to avoid fights in this cave, you want to seek out all the trolls and kill them. Use your detailed map to explore the entire area and kill every troll. You'll run into the pile of corpses which will confirm this, and then you'll have to enter the second area of the dungeon. No use being specific; if there's a room, there is a troll. Hunt them down and use your map and then exit. Travel back to Watch and you'll receive the Mind and Body Ring. Now report back to the orc for one last time. You are promoted, you get your pay, and you have more business with Modryn. ===================== Information Gathering ===================== More Blackwood trouble. Follow the road out of Chorrol a bit northeast to arrive at the cave. The first room is filled with two enemies, and once you engage them, two more may show up. A door on the left of the room leads to a single far away. Come back and enter the next room that should have at least one enemy. More may still be in your way, but just follow the path all the way to Ajum-Kajin, in a small room on the east side of the cave (don't shoot at him). He'll come with you if you killed all the guards in the cave, so comb over the cave again if you missed one. Take him out of the cave and lead him back to Modryn. Speak with your friend, and then tell your guest to have a seat. Punch him a few times to first learn of their size. Then punch him a whole bunch to learn of the leader. Then the guy is dead. Pick his body for the secret item (don't put it on for goodness sake!) and then talk with Modryn. You are rewarded with an amulet. ============ Infiltration ============ Travel to Leyawiin. Enter the enemy hall and meet with Jeetum-Ze. There is a plant in a bowl on the top level that you may want to grab and save for later. Follow him to the basement. Your initiation involves you being given a sample of the secret to the guild's success. Don't bother about taking any heroic actions with the stuff. Just guzzle it down to move on. You don't have to help your friends kill the goblins, but you do have to kill the ones inside the houses. Once all four are dead you will blank out and then wake up in Modryn's house. Talk with him and then go right back to Water's Edge. Yeah, not good. Go talk with Marcel. Now back to Chorrol. ======== The Hist ======== Last mission. Travel to Leyawiin. There will be three company members to greet you as soon as you enter. Kill them and then take the key from Ja'Fazir's body. Go into the second room to find the second in command. Take his key and now you can take out the big boss up top. Not much of fight. Take the third and final key and back down to the basement. Kill the two mages. Don't go picking up all the bottles, no point. You need to take out the machine by finding the two loose pipes. Pick up the two loose pipes on the table and then go activate the spinning wheels on both sides of the tree. The tree is burning and you are free to leave. And now you get to FINALLY kill that littl worm yourself; do so with gusto. Now back to Chorrol. Report to Oreyn about the success. You get a helmet for you efforts. Now make sure it's daytime and go back to the guild to talk with the master. Be sure to tell her you worked with Modryn. Now you must go appoint Modryn to your right hand and you're done. Reward: Assign duties. Recruits equal free junk. Contracts equal free gold. ===================== ***************************************************************************** * 6. Mage's Guild ( GEMS666 ) * ***************************************************************************** You can start the guild quests from any guild in Cyrodiil. I'll list these initiation quests in ABC order of the city you find them. To join the guild, just ask the top mage of the hall at any city. ==================== Anvil Recommendation ==================== Seek out Carahil to both join and get your first assignment. And be sure to ask about the rogue mage so you get some free scrolls. The inn is a bit north of Anvil. Talk with Arielle Jurard about the secret mission, talk with the owner, and then go find your room. You will be approached at any time after getting your room with a concerned, tall woman as well. Rest in the bed until it's night and then you can talk with your partner. Sleep again. Now leave and hit the road, as if you're going to Kvatch. You will run into Caminalda, the concerned lady from earlier (to your surprise of course). Engage her and some allies will join. I'll give you some FYI; if you play this at a high level, there will be at least three summons and three bodies, not counting your own, so you can most likely sit back and watch how things turn out (hopefully there are no Imperial Watch around because they only tend to hurt your team). Once the evil wench is dead, return to the guild and earn your first recommend- ation. Reward: the loot from the dungeon ===================== Bravil Recommendation ===================== Seek out Kud-Ei. Talk with her until you can ask about the Mage's Staff so you can get a free scroll. Find Varon and you'll learn where to get the staff. Go back to Kud-Ei if you want three more scrolls (that leads me to believe you must use the first one on Varon, but I was already Champion and had high fame at that point, so he must have already liked me). Zap to the city and hunt down Soris. You have many options here: talk with Soris and buy the staff, talk with the wife, steal the key and steal the staff, or just steal the staff yourself. I elect that you sneak past them in their home (or do the job at night) and save before you break into the basement. The staff hides in some Drawers behind a hard lock. Pick it, grab the staff, walk out like nothing just happened, and return to Bravil. Return the Staff to Kud-Ei and you get the recommendation, as well as a free spell and you can get another quest from her; more on that later. Reward: Captivate spell. ==================== Bruma Recommendation ==================== Ask Jeanne about the recommendation to begin this odd quests. Head to the basement and ask Volanaro. You must pull a 'prank' on Jeanne by stealing her book of spellcraft from her desk upstairs. Just go up and break into it however you wish and bring it back down to him. He'll tell you to meet him at his room at ten. Do so and you'll find the truth (you could have found him yourself earlier, but he would only tell you to 'go away'). After J'skar is found, tell the head-lady and you're done. Reward: Minor Latch Crack spell ========================= Cheydinhal Recommendation ========================= Go to the hall, make sure it's daytime, and talk with Falcar. Now talk with Deetsan to learn of a subplot brewing in the guild. Get all the details and you'll get a spell along with the key. Now go out back and get ready to dive into the well. This quest is designed to bother low-level characters. Do what you must, even tossing everything so that you're left to your naked self, and free up 150 points of carrying space. Also, put on any waterbreathing enchantments. Now enter the well. To the left is a Nirnroot for another quest, and to the right is the ring on the dead Vidkun's body. Hopefully you have the strength to carry the ring. Grab it and emerge. Pick up your stuff if you can. And enter the hall. You'll learn that the stuff went down while you were gone. Talk with Deetsan, drop the ring anywhere, and now go downstairs. Pick up the Black Soul Gems and report back to the old girl. She says she will put in a good word for you and that will count as your recommendation - good enough. You're done, but don't forget any stuff you may have left near the well. Reward: Buoyancy spell ====================== Chorrol Recommendation ====================== Fingers of the Mountain ----------------------- Talk with Teekeeus to get the ball rolling. Just go outside and talk with the elf in green outside the door. Now return and report to Teekeeus. Well, not hard to predict what will happen after you get the book. Travel northwest of Chorrol and you'll find the ruins amongst some mountains. The book is inside a dead guy (odd that the game thinks the elf is in the tavern, I've only seen her in the same spot). Anyway, return to the town and you have a decision to make. But I'll make it for you. Give the book to Teekeeus and you get the recommendation. Done and done, right? Fingers of the Mountain, Part II -------------------------------- Take my advice and follow him as soon as he takes off to put away the book. Follow him up two levels and he will enter a small room. Enter this room and grab the book from a chest. Now exit the hall and go meet with Earana. Make sure to accept her offer, or you will not have a second chance. She will be mad, but she will demand you steal the book back. Easy enough, just exit the dialogue box and wait for the quest update to read that you already have the book. Now talk with her again and she tells you to give her 24 hours. Move 24 hours ahead and speak with her again. You need two things: a Welkynd Stone and a shock spell. Get a spell from the guild, or anywhere. The stones are harder to come by. Hopefully this is not the first thing to did in the game and you already have a stone somewhere from your travels. If not, then I say return to the sewers you first emerged from at the beginning of the game and enter the Ayleid ruins of Vilverin, or any other ruins in the game. You can grab one and exit ASAP. **There is a stone in a display case in the Skingrad Mage's Guild.** With both the things in hand, return to the ruins and get your spell ready. Cast it on the pillar and hope you live. You'll be rewarded with a new spell, and you're done. **Of course you could have done things the other way around, but this way is the easiest.** Reward: Finger of the Mountain, a spell I needed x15 magicka to use (3000) ======================= Leyawiin Recommendation ======================= Speak with Dagail and then Agata. Then find Kalthar, back to Agata, and then again to Dagail. Finally you get the marker of where to go. The fort is a bit southeast of Leyawiin. As soon as you're inside Blueblood you will find a bad guy. Only one path. The big room with the four pillars has two marauders. Don't take the double-doors and you'll reach a training room with two more enemies. Enter the next area. An enemy to greet you, and two more in the room. Watch for the trap as you move on to the next room. In this room you will see three enemies patrolling the area across the bridge. If you can put on some chameleon and snipe them from afar, do that. If not, then kill them all the old-fashion way. Claim the key from the warlord's body. Now enter the southern door to reach the tomb. The coffins are mostly empty, but there are two chests in corners with substantial loot. Now grab the amulet and stop at the stairs to get ready for a small fight. It's an old friend from the guild. Kill him, take his key, and take the passage to your left when you open the door. You're back at the start, so pull the lever and get back to the town. Report to Dagail and you're done. Reward: the loot from the dungeon ======================= Skingrad Recommendation ======================= Find Adrienne for the quest. Talk around and then speak with Druja to get the marker of where to go. Speak with Adrienne to get a free spell and then move out. The cave is a bit north of Skingrad. One monster in the first room, and then three more in the next; make sure you kill them. Take the path lit with torches to find another monster in a spiked room. Then two more in the next, bigger room. Now you're free to get to Erthor. He'll say he won't move until all the zombies are dead. So open the rock wall and you'll be back in the second room. There is one last zombie in the room you may have skipped. In any case, go pick him up after you loot his pad and then escort him out. Return to Skingrad and enter the hall. Let him talk with the leader first if it's convenient, and you like a small laugh. Talk with Adrienne one last time to gain the good review. Reward: Weak Fireball spell ==================== Join the Mages Guild ==================== I'll list it here because it makes sense. Now that you have all the required good letters, make your way to the Arcane University near the Imperial City. Talk with Polus and you're back in school. Ask about tasks and staffs until you are set to go get you're own staff. ============== A Mage's Staff ============== **Save at least one Black Soul Gem for another quest.** Maybe you can fast travel, but if not then you have a short swim in order. Now, it should be of no surprise (maybe a wee bit) that the scary music means something bad is about to happen. So sneak into the cave and move forward to get in a sniping arrow at the Necromancer in black. Take the key from the dead fellow and proceed down the tunnel. There will be two more in the next room. FYI, don't fall into the water unless you have waterwalking, just do it. Cross the bridge and one more enemy and you're free to exit. And exit in attack mode; that means sword drawn. **Obvious note, Necromancers are all offense and no defense. So just rush in and hack away more so than normal. Another thing, never fight the summon.** A quick chat and then battle. Kill all three Necromancers before they chew at your health too much. Kill the dark mages, check Eletta's body, and then plunder the chest for your wood. Now back to school. Exchange words with Polus and then enter the university. Find Delmar and hand over your staff. You have three choices: Destruction, Illusion, or Mysticism. If you don't choose Destruction, than you are wanting to abuse something other than powerful magic. Mysticism offers terrible magic that is almost better left to potions and enchanted weapons; so you better pass on that. You get the traditional Fire, Lightning, Frost with Destruction, but to be honest, you probably already have these spells and don't need more. Illusion offers the best choices: Paralyze and Silence; with Paralyze being the best of the two. Here is the question: freeze or damage an opponent? The Paralysis will cost more power (souls), so that may be a small factor. Also, the effectiveness of the staff is leveled, so the higher your level the better it is. So either way you choose, wait 24 hours, speak to him again, and grab your reward in the cupboard behind him. Also, be sure to snatch all free scrolls and the gems in this place. Now return to Polus for your advancement and next task. Reward: Either Paralysis or Elemental Damage Staff (yes, those are your only choices) ================ Ulterior Motives ================ Visit the red-eyed count of Skingrad by summoning him through one of his servants. Fast forward 24 hours and you'll get the update. As you exit the castle the marker on your compass says to go back into the city. Instead, jump over the side of the bridge to the hill below you and run along the walls of the city until you hit the west side. Find the location of the green marker and then fast forward time to night. Look to the south and you'll see Mercator and a few Necromancers approach your position. Summon any allies and ready your blade as the guy in green gets close. Of course this is a setup, and you probably want to fight them before they fight you, but you may as well hear what he has to say. During the fight you will notice a guy in dark clothes show up and start fighting your enemies; so don't hit him. Afterward, the count will talk to you and reveal some small little chrunchlets of info. Now back to the university. Listen to the words of Polus (yeah right) and you will advance in rank. Reward: Spelldrinker Amulet ================= Vahtacen's Secret ================= After you ask Polus about the next task you will have to find Jarol and he will give you the key. The ruins are to the south of Cheydinhal. Inside, just go left and talk with the overseer. Talk about the pillar. Before you leave through the doors make sure you check the cask beside the table. As you progress you may hear the sound of enemies, but don't concern yourself for the moment. Talk with Denel about the reference and then go back to Skaleel to pick it up. Bring it back to Denel. Get all four inscriptions by touching the walls the glow blue. Now ask Denel about the translations. You should have both fire and frost damage spells, but probably no raise and lower magicka spells. No matter, just go to the chest behind the table and pick up the two scrolls that affect magicka, among others if you wish. Av molag means fire, av mafre means frost, sila means raise, and loria means lower. Save first in case you mess up. Go to each side, read the tablet, and then cast the spell on the pillar from that side; be sure to touch for the appropriate spell. If done correctly the thing will open and you can enter. There is a monster and then you'll find a huge room with a spike trap. Don't walk on it, but also watch out for the two magic crystals that fire at you from the ceiling. Now move forward, sneaking, to a pressure pad. Step on it and quickly hug the northwest wall. Hopefully the two ghosts on the side walls will not notice you as you wait for the real path to open up. Take the last path to open and you'll hit another tricky room, followed by a path of blades, a ghost, and then you're to the main room. Go up the steps on the south side and press the button. Turn around and take the new steps up to the center stage. As soon as you get up there you will be ambushed by a bunch of undead. There are a few ways to proceed. You can fight all the enemies in an all-out brawl to the death, where you might actually die. Or you can hightail it out of here. There are two escape routes. You can use the open path near the first button up the steps and follow the path to the door you used to enter. And you also have the option of taking an alternate route to the north that snakes around and leads you to a secret room of the first area of the cave. And you could always take the way you came, but there's no point. It's all up to you, just get out and go meet Skaleel. Now you're free to leave this complicated dungeon. Take the helmet back to Jarol and you're done. Reward: Robe of the Conjurer (I guess) ================== Necromancer's Moon ================== Talk with Polus to advance in rank. Visit Tar-Meena at the Mystic Archives. Tell her you want to know about the Black Soul Gems. Go pick up the book on the table and be sure to check the two books in the display cases. Tell her about the book and then back to Polus. Bothiel will hopefully be there, so just talk with her. Now back to Polus (ugh, I know I know). Now zap back to Vahtacan and snake your way from the north to climb to the cave entrance. You want to spy the altar when there is a light shining to the sky. Most likely you will not see this light. You can enter the cave and kill the first guy you see called an Anchorite. Kill him take this note and you're good to return to the school. Talk to Polus, advance, and that's it. Reward: nothing =========================== Liberation or Apprehension? =========================== Speak with Traven during about 9:00am just to be safe. He gives you a lot of info, and it all equals you going south of the city. Hopefully you've been to the area before (Umbra maybe?) and it will be a short walk. Otherwise, just exit the university and run from there. I'll see you there. Talk with Fithragaer near the entrance; seems to be a bit stressed, but that's no excuse for being rude! Oh well, follow him, but stop at the bottom of the steps. Yes, perhaps one of the funniest moments in the game, enjoy! And it just keeps going and going... Run across and fight the monster, but this will most likely force you into a huge fight with about three more Necromancers from the next room. Be sure to check their dead bodies for numerous loot. There is only one path, regardless of what your compass is telling you. There should be one last monster guarding three jugs of loot and the door to the next area. Be in fighting mode when you move forward and talk with Mariette. Kill her and the monster nearby. Move into the big room. Peek around the corner and snipe the Necromancer if you can, and then the two monsters in the center area. There are two Necromancers in the center area as well. Press the button on the wall to the north and you'll fight one tough zombie. Abuse waterwalking if you have it and if you need to. When he is dead you get the update and you're free to leave. Make sure you loot the place and then jump into the water on both sides to find buttons near the steps. You now have two free Varla Stones, and now you may leave. Sneak attack the lone Necromancer and you're clear to exit back to the surface. Speak with Traven concerning the zombie and then talk with Polus to up your rank. Reward: nothing yet again! ====================== Information at a Price ====================== Go to Skingrad and summon the count. The best kind of friend. More choices on how to proceed. I'll give you the quickest one. Find a lad named Eridor in the town of Skingrad. Lie to him so that he thinks you're from here and then tell him where the vampires lurk. Now move time forward about 12 hours or so and then enter the cave near the castle. You want for the whole lot of them and the vampires to kill each other off, but this is impossible. If you are a high level character then the hunters will all but commit suicide on their own. Don't kill any vampire hunters until they have assisted you in clearing the cave, and they hopefully don't live through it. If any one of them survives besides the leader, then kill that hunter yourself, and don't worry, it's 'legal' in this town. Then return to the count and you're done. **FYI, you have to kill other hunters besides Eridor because they will not talk with you. But as long as he survives he will lead the group out of town.** **Make sure to cure any traces of the vampire disease before you sleep, and pick up all portions of Vampire Dust for a later mission where those will be more valuable.** There are two alternatives, or course. You can kill the vampires and then bring one portion of dust from that cave to Eridor and he and his team will leave town (this means you have a lot of work to do in the cave). Or you can kill the vampires and kill all the hunters on your own, which won't count as a crime, but there is no point to this other than the challenge. At any rate, return to the count and then go back to Traven. Give him three days and speak with him again. Reward: nothing, not even a promotion! =============== A Plot Revealed =============== Skip on over to Bruma and enter the guild hall. Oh what a surprise. Kill all the ghosts, which can get tricky but you'll live. Run down the steps and enter the living quarters. Kill all these wraiths and use the empty room to funnel them and fight them one by one. Through the door and up the stairs and into the room of Jeanne. Chat with Camilla and kill her. Wait for J'skar to appear and ask him about the King of Worms. Now exit back to the university. Share the info with Traven and suddenly you're part of the action again. Give him another three days. While you wait, be sure to visit Polus for a nice reward at long freaking last. **I do hope you know to press T or the 'Back' button and you can quickly wait out the time.** Reward: Wizard's Fury spell and advancement ================== The Bloodworm Helm ================== Speak with Traven after three days and you learn that the council of mages are really stoopid. Take this quest first for no reason. Fort Teleman is way northeast of Leyawiin, and the only quick way to get there is to have already traveled the area. When you're inside there are two Necromancers in the first area. I could get you up to that ledge and everything will be nice and easy, but the game won't let you use that door; so don't waste your time. Two more bad guys before you find a pit. Snipe the other one across the way and proceed. One more bad guy, lots of crap loot in the big room, and then the door to the next area. What happens in the first area is a battle between monsters and Necromancers. What you want to do remain by the first door for long as you can and wait things out. Then mop up the survivors. Take the hole in the wall to enter the cavern area. Follow it to a sunken area where fight a demon and the helm is your's; you can wear it too. Go back to the the fort area with the stones and take the path on the left to make a quick escape. Don't return to Traven just yet. ======================== The Necromancer's Amulet ======================== I don't know, it's way north of Kvatch; not much more I can say. Inside, don't go into attack mode; put the guns away. Just walk through as if you were in a guild. A few treasures scattered about, but nothing worth the trouble. Just move along to the understreets. Just follow the path and do a sneak attack on Caranya. Kill her and retrace your path all the way back to the surface. I know there is another path but that is just crawling with more enemies. There is no way to exit this place without killing a bunch of Necromancer/Mages, so just hack your way through them to the surface. When encountering groups of three or more, it might be a good time to use the staff you made. Anyway, you'll live and you'll get out. Back to the university. Give both items to Traven and then speak with Polus to go up a rank. Talk with Traven again to get your next task. Reward: ... ====== Ambush ====== Near Skingrad (or the Priory of the Nine). Approach the mages waiting at the front. Follow her a bit where Thalfin will spill the details of the quest. Perhaps the best mission of the game, and I'm not sure why. Send her up close, send Iver up close, and put Merete far away. Now save, right now! Speak with Thalfin and let her know you are ready. Now run back to the east and around the stone quickly. Find some of the accessible ledges and hop up to the top. Quickly try to sneak around the group of bad guys and try to get to the door of the ruins as the fight begins. The plan is simple: steal the gem from Falcar as he flees. Doesn't matter if he sees you or not, just get it and whatever else you can grab (and it's hilarious when he says, 'What did you steal!?' as he runs away!) Now go help your buds for the heck of it and then you're free to return to Traven. **If they keep spotting you, then perhaps you should stay behind the wall for a bit longer and then pop up and just run to the door area.** **If you fail to grab it the first time, try again. And if you, for some reason, can't get it at all, then try to kill him, or you can always enter the dungeon and hunt him down (you're on your own for that).** ================= Confront the King ================= Tell him you're ready and prepare for the final battle. NOOOOO!!! N. O. N. O.! !!!!! Oh well, loot his body for the gem and all the other stuff. The cave is a bit west of Bruma. Save for good measure before you enter, and oh yeah you have to kill some guy; let him babble and then silence him yourself. Take the key and you're in. Two enemies in the first room; two more in the next, along with a decent chest on the wall. Then three more in the big room. Then two more in the next wide room. And then two more guarding the echo passage door. Two in the first room to greet you. Four monsters in the big room, and if you can skip the last one that is fine. Then two Necromancers in a room with beds if you need them. Don't take the first path you see, unless you have to, just go west and into the chamber. The Adept is tougher than the other Necromancers (FYI to all those sneaking around and using one-hit-kills). Now enter the cavern and put on as much resist magic-stuff as you can. Think speed for the next battle. Move forward and let him chat with you for a while. He will try to cast a series of spells on you, but they won't work thanks to Traven. If you were far into the game like me, this fight is laughable. I had a shield, amulet, and two rings that all resisted magic in some way, and all he could do was cause damage throug his weak dagger. So hope you have a similar experience; if not, then it's just a bit tougher. Once he's done, loot his body (yes, you can revive him with the staff and beat him up again), loot the four chests, and then make your escape. Take the same door out, and in the previous room take the nearby ladder to the south (which is guarded by a monster). Now you're back to the first area. Hop on the tree hanging to the east and hop over for a boss-level chest. Drop down, head west, and you're free. Return to the university. Talk with Polus and guild quest line is over. =================== Alchemy Acquisition =================== HA, I'll bet that tricked at least one person! No, just hunt down Julienne Fanis who tells you what one of your rewards are. Go figure. Oh yeah, now you're done with the Mage's Guild. Congrats. Reward: Ingredients on demand Arch-Mage clothes Extra room to keep stuff Two altars for spellmaking and enchanting Take mages with you on quests *NOTE: The altars and the ingredients are pointless if you have Frostcrag Spire content.* ***************************************************************************** * 7. Dark Brotherhood ( RUFIO77 ) * ***************************************************************************** This is one of the two 'darker guilds in Cyrodiil. This is the 'murderer's guild.' The only way to join is to kill some innocent person. You can kill anyone you please. However, I would advise, if you have the Shivering Isles expansion, to go to the settlement of Split and do the killing quest. This will qualify as your kill toward joining the brotherhood. (don't sleep in the Isles or else you will face a glitch). After you kill someone and you see that message about someone watching you, then all you need to do is sleep somewhere. A dark figure will approach you and ask you to join. Accept and you're in. *NOTE: It's a good idea to stock up on lockpicks and to have some skill in sneaking before you attempt these quests. Can probably get by okay without, but it will make things easier.* *NOTE: Only do this join this guild if you don't use, or have, the Crusader's gear. You won't be able to use it. So I advise finding replacement equipment and then stashing the gear on the stand under the priory.* *NOTE: There is a big reward from one quest, a reward that makes the whole guild worth joining.* =================== A Knife in the Dark =================== Lucien orders you to kill an old man named Rufio who sleeps at the Inn of Ill Omen. He gives you a dagger as well. The inn is a bit south of the Imperial City, and near another inn. Go inside and enter the lower level sleeping quarters. Enter the room, sneak, pull out any weapon, and then kill Rufio. Sleep in the bed (or any bed) and Lucien will tell you where and how to join the guild. Visit the abandoned-looking home in Cheydinhal, enter the basement, approach the door, and choose the password. Ocheeva is the lizard woman. Talk with her and you're in. Reward: Blade of Woe, nothing special, yet ============== A Watery Grave ============== Now seek Vicente in the hall and accept your first hit. Pirates! And you'll be as sneaky as a ninja! Travel to the Waterfront of the Imperial City. There are several variations to killing the captain. And I repeat, you only need to kill the captain. You can sneak into a crate and sneak your way through a few levels of ship. You can take on the whole crew yourself because they will attack you first and you can use the Imperial Watch to help. But the best solution is NINJA STYLE! Hi YA! And you need to fast forward time so that it's dark outside; midnight. Go to the back of the very northwest end of the pathway of stone. When you get close to the crates you will be given the prompt to get in, but don't. Crouch and jump to the stone railing looking to the back of the ship, and then jump to the balconey below. Try again if you miss, but it should not be too tough of a jump, and no one should see you. Now, hopefully you know how to pick a lock without going through 30. Pick the Very Hard lock and you're in. Pick the nirnroot on the table and go to the man sleeping in the bed. Get your strongest weapon and put some poison on it if you can. Do a sneak attack and then another if you can, and then just kill what's left of him. Now pick his body for a key and quickly pick the chest and get out of there. Back to the guild. Collect your reward and you're done. Reward: Black Band *NOTE: Stop with the guild now if you want to keep using the Crusader's gear. One more quest and you'll be kicked out of the Crusader's club. Otherwise, please continue.* ================ Accidents Happen ================ Accept the next contract and you'll have the opportunity for a bonus. Travel to Bruma. Enter his house during the early day and go up his stairs. Sneak into the crawlspace and close the door behind you. Now fast forward time to about ten at night. Make sure the green arrow on your compass is directly below you (and if for some reason you miss you can always load your last save) and let the mount fall on Baenlin. He is dead and Gromm will be on alert. Quickly sneak down stairs and slither behind Gromm to get out of there. Back to the guild. *If anything goes wrong, just reload and try again.* Reward: Gold Bonus: Sufferthorn *NOTE: Now you can't use the Crusader's stuff.* ======================= Scheduled for Execution ======================= Name of the Dark Elf sound familiar? Return to the place where you exited the sewers way back when you first started the game. Only one path in this first area, and vermin. More vermin in the next area. Follow a path, jump in the water, jump out, come around, open a gate, and then exit this area. Fall off the edge, get around the dividing wall, kill some vermin, pick the lock and you're in. Listen to the conversation and save your game. You're back in old territory, but now you have to sneak past the guards in the area. As soon as the chat ends, quickly follow behind the Redguard (the black guy), and slither right on by him to the exit. If you get caught, then retry. Slink through the shadows, and stay hidden if you see a flame approach. When you get to an open area with a table, and you haven't crossed paths with the torch guard, then wait in a corner and use the pillars to hide from him when he patrols by. Now sneak past him, up some steps, through some doors, and then forward to the exit door. This area is clear of guards, just sneak back to your old cell and overhear the conversation of Dreth and the guard; good old Dreth, just as you remember. Save. Now sneak to the door, open it, pull out an arrow, and silence the old coot once and for all. Go to the table and pick up the Imperial Prison Key, and if the coast is clear just walk right out of the prison. Perhaps it must be night time in order for the guards to go away, I don't know; you could always sneak back through the sewers or use invisibility potions. Once you're out, back to the hall. Reward: Gold Bonus: Scales of Pitiless Justice ======================== The Renegade Shadowscale ======================== +Side Quest that has a limited window to play+ Speak with the Argonian in the hall named Teinaava about the shadowscale, and then approach him again. You are sent to a camp near the very southern edge of the map (close to the Hollow if you got it). Approach the camp, but don't kill Scar-Tail just yet. Go speak with him to hear his side of the story; he seems to know a lot more than he should. It's up to you, but I say accept his deal. You get the gold (which you can get either way), and then all you have to do is pull the heart out of the other dead Argonian and you're good to go. There's no reason to fight the dude. Bring the heart to Teinaava and you get double the rewards! Rewards: Gold and Boots of Bloody Bounding *NOTE: Keep the boots if you think you might ever need to jump high.* ==================== The Assassinated Man ==================== You are given the Languorwine Blade and sent to Chorrol. Pick the lock and enter Motierre's home. Save your game now. Talk with the fellow and then stand aside and pull out your special dagger. Let Hides get inside and then slash your friend before the conversation goes on. Now run outside and then fast travel to Weynon Priory outside town. Fast forward time about 24 hours. Now return to the city and enter the undercroft of the chapel. Touch Francois and then wake him up. And of course, everyone saw this coming. Kill the first one and then try to sneak out of here with Francois following you; make sure he follows or there might be troubles. Leave the chapel and enter the tavern across the street. Return to Vicente. Reward: Gold and Key to well Bonus: Cruelty's Heart *NOTE: You get the minor quest 'Dark Gift' and you can become a vampire. I would not recommend it, but you can do as you please. However, this quest too is on a limited window of opportunity. Hmm, do you wonder why there are two like this in one guild???* =================== The Lonely Wanderer =================== Speak with Ocheeva from now on. This quest slings you back to the city. Use the well exit from now on to enter and exit the hall. Go to the Talos Plaza District and enter the Tiber Septim Hotel. Go upstairs and enter the only open door. Talk with Atraena about Faelian. You learn where