You can get some of Oblivion Remastered's best weapons and armor sets at level 1, if you can outsmart the RPG's infamous scaling system
Player – 1, Bethesda – 0

Players can score some of the most powerful armor sets and weapons early on in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered – if they can get around Bethesda Game Studios' infamous scaling system, that is.
If you're the type of person who values a solid start in an RPG above all, then you might want to acquaint yourself with Oblivion: Remastered's best items. Some of these, including the iconic Umbra longsword and its accompanying Ebony Armor set, are obtainable early on in the game. All you have to do once you've left the opening act's sewers is enter Vindasel, an Ayleid Ruin just southwest of the Imperial City Waterfront.
How To Get The Umbra Sword At Level 1 In Oblivion Remastered from r/oblivion
When you reach Umbra, the Bosmer whose armor and weapon you're after, simply hit her and drag her into the city, then watch the guards tear through her for you. You can then loot her corpse for the coveted Umbra's Ebony Armor and, of course, her enchanted sword.
Similarly, you can also snag the light Brusef Amelion armor set as soon as you embark on your journey through Cyrodiil – all you have to do is locate the Amelion Tomb. The tomb, sitting just north of Leyawiin, contains Brusef Amelion's full set of armor split into different chambers, as well as his sword and shield.
Unlike the Umbra set, Brusef Amelion's armor doesn't scale according to your level – but the RPG's pesky scaling system doesn't have to mean you need to wait to grab both. The scaling, which permanently locks some gear's stats to the level you're at and is so infamous that game designer Bruce Nesmith himself said it "was a mistake" eventually fixed in Skyrim, can be circumvented.
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Thankfully, there's already a mod that reworks the scaling to better match the convenience of Skyrim's own system. Download it, and you'll find the fully leveled version of Umbra's gear and weapon at the beginning of the game. It's a quick and easy workaround (PC only, though – sorry, console players). Without the mod, you'll be better off waiting to hit at least level 15 before entering Vindasel to get the armor and sword with their maximum stats.
Here's everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls 6 after replaying Oblivion.
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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