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Reaching Champion rank in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered's Arena is supposed to be a massive test of skill. Three different foes face you down from the Yellow Team's side of the fighting pit, bringing sharpshooting, spellcasting, and sheer martial might to bear against you. Scary, right? It is - unless you take a leaf from my book, which involves using one specific skill to devolve this grand spectacle into a chaotic scrap on the sand.
I'm playing Oblivion for the first time thanks to the remaster, but I'd long heard tell of its iconic Arena. Over a string of fights, any lowly Pit Dog can claw their way up the ladder to become its Champion, earning a decent salary for their wins in the process. Mastery of one of the game's combat systems seems to be an important part of the Arena's mythos, but you're free to approach it however you like – perhaps you go in with a gladiatorial sword and shield, or try to stay clear of an actual 'mano a mano' fight and pick off your foe at a distance with arrows or spells.
It's safe to say that I didn't take either of those approaches. I went into the Arena unarmed, my Warrior-born Orc making use of his enhanced Strength and Endurance stats to simply attempt to batter any foes into submission. It was an excellent strategy – until it wasn't.
The bigger they are
The first few fights were pretty simple. Arena Blademaster Owyn might have given me some warnings, but it wasn't long before crumpled corpses lay strewn across the sand as I wandered back to the Red Room. Oblivion's lower-tier foes simply didn't have the HP to stand up to the impressive attack speed that Hand-to-Hand combat offers compared to Blunt and Blade fighting.
Even those bulkier fighters protected by Heavy Armor couldn't match my assault. Hand-to-Hand, unlike other melee attacks, damages Fatigue as well as Health, and the speed of my Orc's blows meant that it didn't take long before my enemies had run out of stamina, and any punch would stagger them. My strategy usually involved running down my foe, pinning them against a wall, and bludgeoning them until they dropped. There was no strategy, just ferocity.
I tried to imagine the advice that the Yellow Team captain would be offering his fighters. While Owyn was giving me clues about dodging a poisoned dagger or ducking inside hefty warhammer swings, I pictured a shell-shocked coach on the other side of the Arena - 'he's a menace, he's gonna run you down and punch you to death in 30 seconds, I'm sorry, there's nothing you can do'.
Quickly, I started climbing the ranks, but then my opponents started playing dirty. I'd been outnumbered before, but that time there was only one extra Wood Elf to punch out quickly and level the playing field. This time, I'd be fighting against three desperate Argonians, and found myself outmatched. If I tried to focus the lizardman wielding a sword, I'd be bludgeoned by his two allies' fists. If I tried to take down the pugilists, the swordsman would chop me to pieces. If I simply let them come, I'd be overwhelmed. Something had to change.
The harder they fall
Thankfully, something did. Orcs start with a little boost to Hand-to-Hand, and the skill also levels slightly faster than other melee skills. All that endless scale-punching bumped the skill up to Journeyman rank, at which point my power attacks gained a slight chance to disarm my opponent. I tested those odds against the Argonians, and the swordsman quickly became just another fist-fighter - one who wasn't as good with his fists as I was.
For the rest of my ascension through the Arena's ranks, this became my chosen strategy. As the Yellow Team threw ever-bulkier fighters at me, I simply walked to the centre of the pit, throwing out power attacks until they dropped their weapons. From then on, they'd square up, fists raised in an attempt to keep fighting, but would never be able to match my damage output in an even fight. Swords and shields would still litter the Arena as I left, but now they'd often be a long way from the ex-fighter who'd been wielding them.
Eventually, I made it to the Champion match, where the Yellow Team once again threw three fighters at me. This time, however, there was little they could do . Once I'd knocked the sword from the hands of their strongest fighter and the bow from their sharpshooting ally, it was easy to take down the squishy wizard in the corner before turning on the other two. A few minutes later I was victorious, stomping over weapons and corpses on my way out of the Arena.
I'm yet to become Grand Champion, but that's only because the NPC currently holding that title has a character quest that I want to complete before I take him out. While I'm a little wary of his powerful enchanted armor, I'm not as scared of his massive warhammer as some people might be. After all, he won't be carrying it for very long.
