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
##        ##
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##  @@@  ##
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#    ##
#
************************
*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 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.