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Crafting Your Perfect Oblivion Custom Class: A Deep Dive

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion stands as a monumental achievement in the realm of open-world RPGs, offering an unparalleled sense of freedom and exploration. At the heart of this immersive experience lies the character creation system, a pivotal moment where players begin to shape their journey through Cyrodiil. While the game offers a selection of pre-made classes, the true depth and replayability often come from mastering the art of creating an Oblivion Custom Class. This bespoke approach allows you to tailor your character precisely to your preferred playstyle, ensuring every adventure feels uniquely yours.

Venturing into the sprawling landscapes of Cyrodiil, battling Daedra, and unraveling complex conspiracies demands a character that truly resonates with your strategic vision. An Oblivion Custom Class isn't just about picking skills; it's about crafting a persona, optimizing your progression, and ultimately, enhancing your enjoyment of this timeless classic. This comprehensive guide will delve into the intricacies of designing a custom class that empowers you to conquer every challenge the Imperial Province throws your way.

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Why Oblivion Custom Classes Matter

While the default classes in Oblivion offer a convenient starting point, they often fall short of truly optimizing a character for specific playstyles or for the game's unique leveling system. The beauty of an Oblivion Custom Class lies in its ability to grant you granular control over your character's progression. Unlike many RPGs where classes are rigid archetypes, Oblivion's system, while seemingly simple, hides a profound depth that can be leveraged for immense power or a more tailored role-playing experience.

The primary reason to invest time in creating a custom class is to manipulate the game's leveling mechanics. In Oblivion, you level up by increasing your Major Skills. Each time you gain 10 total Major Skill points, you advance a character level. When you level up, you get to choose three attributes to increase. The bonus you receive for an attribute (e.g., +5 to Strength) is directly tied to how many points you've increased the associated skills by since your last level-up. For example, if you want a +5 to Strength, you need to have gained 10 points in Strength-governed skills (Blade, Blunt, Hand to Hand) before leveling up. A well-designed Oblivion Custom Class allows you to carefully manage which skills are Major and which are Minor, giving you precise control over your attribute gains and, consequently, your character's overall strength. This strategic approach can prevent the infamous "leveling curse," where enemies scale faster than an unoptimized character, making the late game unnecessarily difficult.

Understanding Oblivion's Class System

Before diving into creation, it's essential to grasp the core components that make up any class in Oblivion, custom or otherwise. Every character is defined by their Race, Birthsign, and Class. The class itself is composed of three key elements: a Specialization, two Primary Attributes, and seven Major Skills. Understanding how these interact is fundamental to building an effective Oblivion Custom Class.

  • Specialization: You choose one of three specializations: Combat, Magic, or Stealth. This choice grants a +5 bonus to all skills under that specialization at the start of the game. More importantly, skills within your chosen specialization level up 20% faster.
  • Primary Attributes: You select two attributes (Strength, Intelligence, Willpower, Agility, Speed, Endurance, Personality, Luck) to receive a +5 bonus. These are often chosen to complement your desired playstyle.
  • Major Skills: You pick seven skills that will be your "Major Skills." These skills start at a higher base level (typically 25) and, crucially, are the only skills that contribute to your character's level progression.

The remaining 14 skills are considered "Minor Skills." They start at a base level of 5 (or 10 if boosted by race/birthsign) and do not directly contribute to character leveling. However, they are still vital for attribute progression and overall character effectiveness.

Major vs. Minor Skills

The distinction between Major and Minor skills is arguably the most critical aspect of creating an Oblivion Custom Class. As mentioned, only Major Skills contribute to leveling. This means that if you choose skills you use constantly (like Blade for a warrior or Destruction for a mage) as Major Skills, you will level up very quickly. Rapid leveling isn't inherently bad, but if you're not gaining significant attribute bonuses (specifically +5s) with each level, your character's stats won't keep pace with the increasingly powerful enemies. This is the "leveling curse" in action.

Conversely, if you make skills you use infrequently as Major Skills, you'll level up slower, giving you more time to train and improve your Minor Skills and, more importantly, to gain attribute bonuses. The ideal strategy for many players is to choose Major Skills that you can control the leveling of. This might mean picking skills you use less frequently, or skills that are easy to train deliberately (e.g., Athletics by running everywhere, or Mercantile by buying/selling one item at a time).

For example, a common strategy for a combat-focused character is to make skills like Heavy Armor, Block, or Restoration (if you plan to use it for healing outside of combat) Major Skills, while making their primary weapon skill (Blade or Blunt) a Minor Skill. This allows them to level up their weapon skill to gain Strength bonuses without prematurely leveling their character. When they're ready to level up, they can intentionally train their Major Skills.

Attributes and Their Impact

There are eight attributes in Oblivion, each governing a set of skills and providing various benefits:

  • Strength: Governs Blade, Blunt, Hand to Hand. Increases carry weight and melee damage.
  • Intelligence: Governs Conjuration, Mysticism, Alchemy. Increases Magicka.
  • Willpower: Governs Destruction, Alteration, Restoration. Increases Magicka regeneration rate.
  • Agility: Governs Marksman, Sneak, Security. Increases fatigue and damage with bows.
  • Speed: Governs Athletics, Acrobatics, Light Armor. Increases movement speed.
  • Endurance: Governs Armorer, Block, Heavy Armor. Increases Health (retroactively for previous levels) and fatigue. Crucial for survivability.
  • Personality: Governs Illusion, Speechcraft, Mercantile. Affects NPC disposition towards you.
  • Luck: Governs no skills directly. Provides a small bonus to all actions and skills. Hardest to increase via leveling.

When creating your Oblivion Custom Class, you'll select two Primary Attributes for a +5 bonus. Choose attributes that are central to your build. For a warrior, Strength and Endurance are obvious choices. For a mage, Intelligence and Willpower. For a stealth character, Agility and Speed. Planning your attribute gains for each level is key to building a powerful character. You want to aim for as many +5 bonuses as possible, especially in Endurance, which boosts your maximum health retroactively for all levels you've gained.

Designing Your Oblivion Custom Class: Key Considerations

The process of creating an Oblivion Custom Class is more than just ticking boxes; it's a strategic exercise that begins long before you even launch the game. It requires foresight and an understanding of how you want to play.

Playstyle First

Before you even consider skills or attributes, decide on your core playstyle. Do you envision a heavily armored warrior cleaving through foes? A nimble assassin striking from the shadows? A powerful mage raining down elemental destruction? Or perhaps a hybrid, a spellsword or a battlemage? Your chosen playstyle will dictate your Specialization, Primary Attributes, and, most importantly, your Major Skills.

  • Warrior: Focus on Combat specialization. Primary Attributes like Strength and Endurance. Major Skills might include Heavy Armor, Block, and a weapon skill (if you want to level fast) or less used skills like Armorer or Restoration (if you want to control leveling).
  • Mage: Focus on Magic specialization. Primary Attributes like Intelligence and Willpower. Major Skills could be Destruction, Conjuration, Mysticism, Alteration, or Restoration. Consider which schools you want to master first.
  • Thief/Assassin: Focus on Stealth specialization. Primary Attributes like Agility and Speed. Major Skills could be Sneak, Security, Marksman, Light Armor, or Acrobatics.
  • Hybrid: This is where Oblivion Custom Class truly shines. A Spellsword might take Combat specialization, but choose some magic skills as Major. A Battlemage might take Magic specialization but prioritize heavy armor and a weapon. The possibilities are vast.

Remember, your playstyle isn't just about combat. Do you enjoy haggling with merchants? Then Mercantile might be important. Do you like persuading NPCs? Speechcraft. Are you a completionist who wants to find every hidden nook? Acrobatics and Athletics will be your friends. Your class should reflect how you intend to interact with the world of Cyrodiil.

Skill Synergy and Specialization

When selecting your seven Major Skills, consider how they complement each other and how they align with your chosen Specialization. While it's tempting to pick all your "main" skills as Major, this often leads to rapid, uncontrolled leveling. Instead, think about the skills you *need* to be proficient in, and those you can *train* to control your level-ups.

For example, if you're building a pure warrior with a focus on Blade: * Specialization: Combat * Primary Attributes: Strength, Endurance * Major Skills (Strategic):

  1. Heavy Armor: You'll wear it constantly, but skill gains are slower than weapon skills. Good for controlled leveling.
  2. Block: Similar to Heavy Armor, you'll use it, but gains are manageable.
  3. Armorer: Essential for maintaining gear, but can be trained deliberately.
  4. Restoration: For self-healing outside of combat, can be trained.
  5. Acrobatics: Used by jumping, easy to control.
  6. Athletics: Used by running, easy to control.
  7. Mysticism (or another non-combat skill): If you want to dabble in magic for utility, but not as a primary combat method. This allows you to gain Intelligence or Willpower bonuses without over-leveling your combat skills.
* Minor Skills (Primary Combat): Blade (or Blunt), Marksman, Hand to Hand. These are your damage dealers. You'll level them up to gain Strength/Agility bonuses, but they won't contribute to your character level directly, allowing for more controlled attribute maximization.

This approach to an Oblivion Custom Class ensures that your character remains powerful relative to the enemies, as you can consistently hit those +5 attribute bonuses. The synergy comes from ensuring your Major Skills allow for controlled leveling, while your Minor Skills are your primary combat or utility tools that you actively improve.

The Art of Attribute Management

Mastering your Oblivion Custom Class involves more than just selecting skills; it's about meticulously planning your attribute gains. Each time you level up, you want to aim for +5 bonuses in the attributes most crucial to your build. This means increasing the associated skills by 10 points (or more, but 10 is enough for the +5 bonus) between levels. For example, to get a +5 to Strength, you need to increase your Blade, Blunt, or Hand to Hand skills by a combined total of 10 points.

The trick is to identify which skills govern which attributes and then strategically use or train them. For instance, if you want to maximize Endurance (highly recommended for health), you'll need to focus on Armorer, Block, or Heavy Armor. If these are Minor Skills, you can train them with trainers, or simply use them in combat. If they are Major Skills, you need to be careful not to over-level them without having gained enough points in other attributes you want to raise.

Many players find it beneficial to choose Major Skills that are either very easy to control (like Athletics or Acrobatics, which can be leveled by simply running or jumping) or skills that you don't use constantly in combat (like Armorer or Mercantile). This way, you can "store" skill points in your Minor Skills, gain your desired attribute bonuses, and then intentionally level up your Major Skills when you're ready.

Don't forget Luck! Luck is the hardest attribute to raise, as it has no governing skills. You only get a +1 bonus to Luck when you level up, regardless of skill gains. Because of this, some players choose Luck as one of their Primary Attributes to get a head start, or they rely on enchantments and potions to boost it later in the game.

Race and Birthsign: The Foundation of Your Build

Before you even get to the Oblivion Custom Class screen, your choice of Race and Birthsign lays the groundwork for your character. These choices provide initial attribute and skill bonuses, as well as unique abilities that can significantly impact your gameplay.

Race: Each of the ten playable races in Oblivion comes with inherent bonuses to specific skills and sometimes unique powers or resistances. For example:

  • Imperial: Good for Speechcraft and Mercantile, with a Charm spell and ability to calm NPCs.
  • Nord: Strong warriors with bonuses to Blunt, Blade, Heavy Armor, and resistance to Frost.
  • Breton: Excellent mages with bonuses to Conjuration, Mysticism, Restoration, and a significant 50% Magic Resistance.
  • Dark Elf: Versatile, with bonuses to Blade, Blunt, Light Armor, Destruction, Mysticism, and resistance to Fire.

When choosing your race, consider how its innate bonuses align with your desired Oblivion Custom Class. A Breton is an obvious choice for a mage due to their magic resistance, while a Nord excels as a frontline warrior. However, don't feel constrained; you can always build against type for a unique challenge or role-playing experience.

Birthsign: There are 13 Birthsigns, each offering a unique ability or set of stat bonuses. Some provide constant effects, while others are once-a-day powers. Some popular choices include:

  • The Atronach: Grants a massive Magicka bonus but prevents natural Magicka regeneration, forcing reliance on Absorb Magicka or potions. A powerful choice for experienced mages.
  • The Mage: A simple, straightforward bonus to Magicka. Good for any mage.
  • The Warrior: Bonuses to Strength and Endurance. Ideal for combat characters.
  • The Lady: Bonuses to Willpower and Endurance. Excellent for spellswords or any character wanting more health.
  • The Lover: A powerful paralyze ability once a day, but drains Agility.
  • The Apprentice: Magicka bonus but weakness to magic. Risky but rewarding for mages.

The synergy between your Race, Birthsign, and Oblivion Custom Class is paramount. For instance, a Breton (Magic Resistance) with The Atronach (Spell Absorption) creates an incredibly resilient mage. A Nord (Frost Resistance) with The Warrior (Strength/Endurance) is a natural tank. Plan these elements together to create a cohesive and powerful character from the outset.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even seasoned players can fall into traps when creating an Oblivion Custom Class. Being aware of these common mistakes can save you a lot of frustration later in the game.

  1. The "Leveling Curse": As discussed, this is the most common pitfall. Making all your frequently used skills (e.g., Blade, Destruction, Sneak) Major Skills will cause you to level up extremely fast. If you're not gaining +5 attribute bonuses consistently, your character will become weaker relative to the scaling enemies.
    • Avoid: Choose Major Skills that you can control. Put your primary combat/magic skills as Minor Skills. Use trainers to gain attribute points.
  2. Ignoring Endurance: Endurance directly affects your maximum health. The health gain from Endurance is retroactive, meaning if you raise your Endurance at level 20, you'll gain health for all previous levels as if you had that Endurance from the start. However, this is often misunderstood. The *base* health gain at each level is determined by your Endurance at that specific level. To maximize health, you want to get your Endurance to 100 as early as possible.
    • Avoid: Prioritize +5 Endurance bonuses at every level-up until it reaches 100. Make sure you're increasing Armorer, Block, or Heavy Armor by 10 points between levels.
  3. Spreading Yourself Too Thin: Trying to be good at everything (master of all trades, master of none). While Oblivion allows for hybrid builds, trying to equally balance combat, magic, and stealth often results in a character that is mediocre at all of them.
    • Avoid: Focus on 1-2 core playstyles. If you want to be a spellsword, focus on Blade/Blunt and 1-2 schools of magic, not all of them.
  4. Neglecting Minor Skills: Just because a skill isn't "Major" doesn't mean it's unimportant. Minor Skills are crucial for gaining attribute bonuses and often for overall effectiveness.
    • Avoid: Actively train and use your Minor Skills, especially those that govern your desired attribute gains.
  5. Not Using Trainers: Trainers are invaluable for controlling your leveling. You can train up to 5 skill points per character level. This is a guaranteed way to get those 10 skill points needed for a +5 attribute bonus, especially for skills you don't use often or want to save for specific level-ups.
    • Avoid: Save money for trainers. Identify the skills you need to boost for attribute gains and seek out the relevant trainers.

Advanced Strategies for Mastery

Once you've grasped the fundamentals of creating an Oblivion Custom Class, you can delve into more advanced strategies to truly optimize your character for specific goals.

  • Efficient Leveling: This is the ultimate goal for many power-gamers. It involves precisely controlling which skills you level up to ensure you gain +5 bonuses to three attributes at every level. This often means having 2-3 "controlling" Major Skills that you only level up when you've already secured your attribute gains from Minor Skills. For example, if you want +5 Strength, +5 Endurance, and +5 Intelligence, you'd ensure you gained 10 points in Strength-governed skills, 10 in Endurance-governed skills, and 10 in Intelligence-governed skills before gaining 10 points in your Major Skills to trigger a level-up.
  • Exploiting Skill Trainers: You can train 5 points per character level. If you're at character level 5, you can train 5 points. If you then level up to 6, you can train another 5 points. This means you can train 5 points, level up, train another 5 points, and potentially gain 10 points in a skill very quickly, contributing to an attribute bonus. This is particularly useful for skills like Armorer or Block that might be harder to level naturally without taking damage or constantly repairing.
  • Using the "Jail" Trick: If you accidentally level up a Major Skill too much and don't have enough Minor Skill gains for your desired attributes, you can go to jail. Serving time in jail reduces your skill levels, allowing you to "undo" some skill gains and re-plan your leveling. This is an extreme measure but can be a lifesaver for perfectionists.
  • Optimizing for Specific Quests/Factions: Some builds are better suited for certain questlines. For example, a high Speechcraft/Personality character will have an easier time with the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests involving persuasion. A powerful mage will breeze through the Mages Guild. Consider what content you want to prioritize when designing your Oblivion Custom Class.
  • The "Luck" Attribute: While only gaining +1 per level, Luck subtly influences almost every action in the game. Some players prioritize getting Luck to 100 early, either by choosing it as a Primary Attribute or using the "Luck glitch" (a bug that allows you to increase Luck beyond normal means, though not recommended for a clean playthrough). A high Luck character will generally succeed more often at everything from picking locks to hitting enemies.

Beyond the Basics: Roleplaying Your Custom Class

While optimization is a significant aspect of creating an Oblivion Custom Class, don't forget the role-playing potential. Oblivion is an expansive world, and your character is your avatar within it. A custom class allows you to embody a unique concept that the pre-made classes simply can't capture.

  • The Alchemist-Thief: Specialization: Stealth. Primary Attributes: Agility, Intelligence. Major Skills: Alchemy, Sneak, Security, Marksman, Light Armor, Mercantile, Illusion. This character relies on poisons and stealth to eliminate foes, using alchemy for buffs and healing, and mercantile to fund their endeavors.
  • The Battlemage of the Nine: Specialization: Magic. Primary Attributes: Intelligence, Endurance. Major Skills: Heavy Armor, Blade, Restoration, Destruction, Mysticism, Armorer, Speechcraft. A holy warrior who combines heavy plate with powerful healing and offensive spells, advocating for justice and order.
  • The Wilderness Survivalist: Specialization: Combat. Primary Attributes: Endurance, Speed. Major Skills: Athletics, Acrobatics, Marksman, Hand to Hand, Light Armor, Alchemy, Sneak. This character thrives in the wilds, relying on speed, evasion, and natural remedies, preferring to avoid direct confrontation when possible.

Your Oblivion Custom Class is more than just a collection of numbers; it's the foundation of your character's identity. Think about their backstory, their motivations, and how their skills reflect their journey. This deeper level of engagement will make your time in Cyrodiil even more rewarding.

In conclusion, creating an Oblivion Custom Class is an essential step for any player looking to fully experience the depth and strategic nuances of The Elder Scrolls IV. By understanding the interplay of Major and Minor Skills, attributes, race, and birthsign, you gain unparalleled control over your character's development. Whether you aim for pure optimization to conquer the toughest challenges or simply wish to craft a unique persona for immersive role-playing, the custom class system empowers you to forge

God I love custom classes! : oblivion
God I love custom classes! : oblivion

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Funny Custom Classes : oblivion
Funny Custom Classes : oblivion

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Best Class in Oblivion Remastered | Eurogamer.net
Best Class in Oblivion Remastered | Eurogamer.net

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