Introduction
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a cornerstone of the action role-playing game genre, offers players a vast and immersive world to explore. One of the most engaging aspects of Oblivion is its robust character customization system. From choosing a race and birthsign to meticulously leveling skills, the game provides ample opportunities to create a truly unique adventurer. However, at the heart of every successful Oblivion character lies a deep understanding of the game’s attributes. This guide aims to demystify the attribute system, providing a comprehensive overview for both newcomers and seasoned veterans of Cyrodiil.
Why is understanding attributes so crucial? Because attributes form the bedrock upon which your character’s abilities are built. They directly influence your starting skills, the speed at which you learn new abilities, your health, your magicka, and even how well you interact with the non-player characters (NPCs) that populate the world. Ignoring or misunderstanding the role of attributes can lead to a frustrating experience, characterized by weak skills, limited resources, and a general feeling of underpoweredness.
It’s important to distinguish between Attributes and Skills. Attributes are the core statistics that define your character’s potential, while Skills are specific abilities that you learn and improve over time, like Blade, Alchemy, or Sneak. While linked, this guide focuses solely on explaining the eight attributes that govern your character’s capabilities. Furthermore, it is also important to understand how efficient leveling can help improve your attributes in Oblivion.
What are Attributes?
Attributes are the foundation of your character’s capabilities. They are represented numerically, typically starting around thirty and, with dedicated effort, reaching a maximum value of one hundred. These numbers might seem abstract, but they have a tangible impact on every aspect of your gameplay. Each attribute governs three distinct skills, influences various calculations, and contributes to the overall effectiveness of your character. Let’s delve into each attribute individually.
The Eight Attributes: A Detailed Breakdown
Strength
Strength is the first attribute, and it directly impacts your character’s carrying capacity, the damage dealt with melee weapons, and your overall Fatigue reserves. Fatigue is essentially your stamina, governing actions like running, jumping, and attacking. If your Fatigue is depleted, you become significantly weaker and more vulnerable. Skills governed by Strength are Blade, Blunt, and Hand to Hand. Practically, a high Strength allows you to haul more loot from dungeons, crush enemies with powerful melee attacks, and maintain your stamina during prolonged combat encounters. If you want to improve your character’s strength effectively, focus on practicing blade, blunt, or hand-to-hand combat.
Intelligence
Intelligence, the second attribute, plays a crucial role for mage characters, impacting the size of your Magicka pool and the speed at which you learn skills related to spellcasting and potion-making. Skills governed by Intelligence include Alchemy, Conjuration, and Mysticism. A higher Intelligence allows you to cast more powerful spells, create more potent potions, and level up your magical skills at a faster rate. To level your Intelligence effectively, devote your time to improving alchemy, conjuration, and mysticism.
Willpower
Willpower, the third attribute, is another important attribute for magic characters, impacting the speed at which you regenerate Magicka and your resistance to paralysis. Skills governed by Willpower are Alteration, Destruction, and Restoration. Regenerating Magicka faster allows you to cast more spells consecutively, while resisting paralysis protects you from debilitating enemy attacks. Spend time mastering alteration, destruction, and restoration to level your willpower effectively.
Agility
Agility, the fourth attribute, directly influences your proficiency with bows, your ability to block attacks, and your character’s Fatigue. Skills governed by Agility are Acrobatics, Light Armor, and Security. High Agility translates to dealing more damage with ranged attacks, blocking incoming blows more effectively, and picking locks with greater ease. Plus, your character will be less prone to accidental falls. To master your agility, improve your acrobatics, light armor, and security.
Speed
Speed, the fifth attribute, is a simple yet essential statistic, directly impacting your character’s movement speed. Skills governed by Speed are Athletics and Sneak. Moving faster allows you to traverse the world more quickly, escape dangerous situations, and outmaneuver enemies. Improving your speed can be as simple as focusing on athletics and sneak.
Endurance
Endurance, the sixth attribute, is arguably the most crucial attribute to max out early in the game. It impacts the amount of Health you gain per level, your overall Fatigue reserves, and how quickly you tire from running or jumping. Skills governed by Endurance are Armorer, Block, and Heavy Armor. High Endurance provides a significant health advantage, allows you to repair your equipment more effectively, and enables you to wear heavy armor without significant penalties. To level endurance effectively, concentrate on skills that are associated with it, like armorer, block, and heavy armor.
Personality
Personality, the seventh attribute, directly impacts your disposition with NPCs, influencing prices, dialogue options, and even the availability of quests. Skills governed by Personality are Illusion, Mercantile, and Speechcraft. A high Personality allows you to get better deals when buying and selling items, persuade NPCs to divulge information or complete tasks, and cast illusion spells more effectively. Work on developing illusion, mercantile, and speechcraft in order to master personality.
Luck
Luck, the eighth attribute, is the most enigmatic and arguably the most underrated. It doesn’t govern any specific skills directly, but it subtly influences almost every action you take. Luck impacts your chance of success in various skill checks, such as lockpicking, persuading, or even hitting enemies in combat. It is notoriously difficult to level up Luck, which is why some players consider the Atronach birthsign to be viable for efficiently leveling Luck due to the constant need to find ways to regain magicka.
Attribute Bonuses on Level Up: The Five/Five/One Rule
Understanding how to level up your attributes is just as important as understanding what they do. Each time your character levels up, you are given the opportunity to increase three different attributes by a maximum of five points each. The key to maximizing your attribute potential lies in strategic planning and a concept known as the Five/Five/One rule.
The game has a system where you choose three major skills at the start. How your skills improve affect your attribute points. Each time you level up, you get a five point bonus to three attributes. The Five/Five/One rule suggests focusing on raising two attributes by five points each through skill usage and then adding a single point to Luck. Because Luck does not govern any skills, you have to manually add it. This strategy ensures that you maximize the benefits of the attribute bonuses while still gradually increasing your Luck.
For example, if you want to improve Strength and Endurance, you would focus on leveling skills associated with those attributes, such as Blade, Blunt, Armorer, Block, and Heavy Armor. By consistently using these skills, you will level them up, and when you level up your character, you can then apply the maximum five-point bonus to Strength and Endurance and a single point to Luck.
Birthsigns and Attributes
The birthsign you choose during character creation also plays a significant role in your attribute distribution. Each birthsign provides unique bonuses, often including a boost to a specific attribute or a special ability. For example, the Warrior birthsign grants a bonus to Strength, making it an ideal choice for melee-focused characters. Conversely, the Mage birthsign grants a bonus to Magicka, making it suitable for spellcasters. Consider how your chosen birthsign complements your desired playstyle and attribute focus.
Fortifying and Draining Attributes
Beyond leveling, attributes can also be temporarily modified through spells, potions, and enchanted items. Fortifying attributes increases their values, while draining attributes reduces them. These effects can be incredibly useful in specific situations. For example, using a Fortify Strength potion can allow you to carry more loot temporarily, while a Feather spell can lighten your load, making you more mobile. However, be aware of permanent attribute damage, which can occur from certain traps or enemy attacks. These permanent reductions can be detrimental and should be cured as soon as possible.
Tips for Planning Your Build
Before venturing into the wilds of Cyrodiil, take some time to plan your character build. Consider what kind of character you want to play: a mighty warrior, a cunning mage, a stealthy thief, or something in between. Once you have a clear vision, focus on the attributes that are most relevant to your desired playstyle. A warrior will prioritize Strength and Endurance, while a mage will focus on Intelligence and Willpower. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different builds. If you are playing on PC, mods that allow you to respec your character are a great way to experiment with different builds. You can use character build planners to plan your character beforehand.
Conclusion
Understanding attributes is fundamental to creating a powerful and effective character in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. By carefully considering the role of each attribute and strategically planning your level-up progression, you can craft a character that excels in your chosen playstyle. This guide is merely a starting point, and further exploration and experimentation are encouraged. Now go forth and conquer Cyrodiil with your newfound knowledge!
