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hershangames

Well-Known Member
Okay, I know there's a lot of Oblivion fans around here, but don't get worked up. I'm a huge fan of Skyrim, and it's the only TES game I've played. But recently, I've gotten curious about Oblivion.

Is it worth buying Oblivion or should I stick to Skyrim?

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I rented Oblivion a little while ago from Gamefly. I, too, started out with Skyrim so I was a bit wary. But it's actually a really good game, despite its age. In fact I dare say Oblivion does some things better than Skyrim. Eventually I plan to go out and buy the game to own, tbh.
Anyway, so long as you don't mind slightly dated graphics, and a fairly steep learning curve to master the mechanics of the game, buy Oblivion. All in all it's worth it. I certainly recommend it. :)


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Reaper87

吉光
I would invest in Oblivion, as it is a lot of fun - though some Elder Scrolls purists might say that Bethesda 'dumbed down' Skyrim (which I mostly disagree with) and that Oblivion is more complex by comparison. Still a great game though :D
 

Mercutio

Assistant Regional Manager
It's an amazing game. I started with Skyrim too but I tried Oblivion for a while and found out that it was just as good. Just don't buy the horse armor pack (If it's still there).
 

hershangames

Well-Known Member
Hmm it sure seems loved, but, what are its main differences with akyrim?

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Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
Hmm it sure seems loved, but, what are its main differences with akyrim?

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The menu mechanics are different, and seem cumbersome at first. Alchemy is much more complex, utilizing a few different pieces of equipment to get the most out of it, instead of just a table. No smithing in Oblivion, only repairing. Effectively leveling your character can be tricky, and good luck making an appealing face in character creation.

Magic is more complex and where Oblivion really shines. You are able to create your own custom spells, allowing you to tweek everything from spell effects, damage output, duration of effects, and area of effect. Multiple spells can be combined. A hotkey method of switching spells is far superior to and more efficient than the favorites menu of Skyrim. After playing Oblivion, I will never be a mage in Skyrim again. That being said, melee in Oblivion isn't as effective as it is in Skyrim, until you get a decently enchanted weapon, which isn't hard to do.

The quests in Oblivion tend to be more interesting in general, especially the main quest. I agree that Oblivion does some things better than Skyrim, and Skyrim is indeed dumbed down in many ways. Despite what many say, Obivion's graphics are beautiful, as is the music.

By all means get it and give it a chance to grow on you. Right now, I prefer Oblivion over Skyrim. :beermug: I have a thread about Oblivion VS Skyrim in the Skyrim General Discussion forum, (probably a page or two back now), but know that some spoilers are present.
 

The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass

Sahrot Vahlok Spaan. Bahnahgaar. Minion #88!
Staff member
NO, it's NOT if you are like me. The world is large but it's cold and empty compared to Skyrim, the combat system is clunky (stagger system that functions seemingly at random, highly annoying), and it's leveling system is simply ATROCIOUS compared to Skyrim.

It was great for its day and I would have loved it then, but after Skyrim it has not aged well at all for me.

It's redeeming qualities include widely varied items and spells, better writing for quests, more freedom to become as powerful or as weak as you want, a more functional difficulty slider, a FAR superior combat AI, and item durability. These do not save it for me, however.
 

hershangames

Well-Known Member
Hmm the mage stuff seems really useful. I once tries to start a mage character in Skyrim and had to quit.
And I kin of like it when game mechanics are a bit complex. I never smith so I guess that's fine.

Oh, and I know about your thread. Actually it is what gave me the idea of buying Oblivion and to start this thread.

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Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
Agree that stagger is annoying, and leveling is counter-intuitive. My first character became underpowered at a point, my newer character however, has used the leveling structure to great advantage and is quite powerful, leveling up slowly.

Horses are terribly difficult to control. I don't use one.

And trolls are so damned fast! No outrunning them in Oblivion.
 

Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
Hmm the mage stuff seems really useful. I once tries to start a mage character in Skyrim and had to quit.
And I kin of like it when game mechanics are a bit complex. I never smith so I guess that's fine.

Oh, and I know about your thread. Actually it is what gave me the idea of buying Oblivion and to start this thread.

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I make great use of "touch" spells. You get more damage with less magica, and ranged spells can be difficult to connect with once enemies start dodging. I usually only use ranged spells as a first strike before being discovered.
 

hershangames

Well-Known Member
When you say "touch spells", what do you mean?

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Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
When you say "touch spells", what do you mean?

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You literally stick your hand out at arm's length and touch them. It looks a bit like you're stiff-arming. A couple things to take note of: When you summon a creature, enemies attack it preferentially, leaving you the opportunity to reach out and touch them (enemies) with shock, fire, or whatever. You will occasionally have followers with you, and they will inevitably get in your way, even worse than the ones on Skyrim. Touch spells make it easier to not hit them, even though you still will. Unlike Skyrim, all followers quickly become hostile if you hit them a couple times, remaining that way til one of you is dead. I save A LOT in Oblivion because of things like this.
 
Hmm it sure seems loved, but, what are its main differences with akyrim?

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The biggest difference I can think of off hand - and the one I had most trouble adjusting to tbh - is the map and quest systems. In Oblivion, you don't have to actually discover an area to be able to fast travel to it. You just have to hear about the place or have a quest there. And maybe it was my tiny TV that made it so difficult, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to get anywhere I wanted to go without fast travel, unless I was wandering seemingly aimlessly - then I would inevitably discover it by accident. Weirdest thing, that.
The quest markers are different as well. They're placed really oddly on the screen, on the side, and they don't always go where they're supposed to, atleast they didn't for me.
I must agree with the others though, playing a mage is awesomely fun in Oblivion. You can even use a two handed weapon or sword and board and still use spells, which I really appreciated.
The only other different thing I can think of are the NPCs. They won't just talk to you; you have to play a Speech mini game successfully first. Also, the guards actually speak to you and will even give you directions sometimes (though IMO not very good ones lol).
Oh also! To level up, you have to sleep in a bed somewhere before it will take effect. Which I found a little odd, but somewhat more immersive than staring up at the stars like in Skyrim. :)



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The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass

Sahrot Vahlok Spaan. Bahnahgaar. Minion #88!
Staff member
Hmm it sure seems loved, but, what are its main differences with akyrim?

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

The biggest difference I can think of off hand - and the one I had most trouble adjusting to tbh - is the map and quest systems. In Oblivion, you don't have to actually discover an area to be able to fast travel to it. You just have to hear about the place or have a quest there. And maybe it was my tiny TV that made it so difficult, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to get anywhere I wanted to go without fast travel, unless I was wandering seemingly aimlessly - then I would inevitably discover it by accident. Weirdest thing, that.
The quest markers are different as well. They're placed really oddly on the screen, on the side, and they don't always go where they're supposed to, atleast they didn't for me.
I must agree with the others though, playing a mage is awesomely fun in Oblivion. You can even use a two handed weapon or sword and board and still use spells, which I really appreciated.
The only other different thing I can think of are the NPCs. They won't just talk to you; you have to play a Speech mini game successfully first. Also, the guards actually speak to you and will even give you directions sometimes (though IMO not very good ones lol).
Oh also! To level up, you have to sleep in a bed somewhere before it will take effect. Which I found a little odd, but somewhat more immersive than staring up at the stars like in Skyrim. :)



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And wandering the map aimlessly got very painful very quickly for me just because it felt so dead. I would spend HOURS exploring and find no one and nothing aside from the occasional random cave, all of which typically had some variation of the same thing, with the ones that truly awed me being an extreme rarity.
 

hershangames

Well-Known Member
Hmm, well I think I can survive with that. Think.

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Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
Hmm it sure seems loved, but, what are its main differences with akyrim?

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

The biggest difference I can think of off hand - and the one I had most trouble adjusting to tbh - is the map and quest systems. In Oblivion, you don't have to actually discover an area to be able to fast travel to it. You just have to hear about the place or have a quest there. And maybe it was my tiny TV that made it so difficult, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to get anywhere I wanted to go without fast travel, unless I was wandering seemingly aimlessly - then I would inevitably discover it by accident. Weirdest thing, that.
The quest markers are different as well. They're placed really oddly on the screen, on the side, and they don't always go where they're supposed to, atleast they didn't for me.
I must agree with the others though, playing a mage is awesomely fun in Oblivion. You can even use a two handed weapon or sword and board and still use spells, which I really appreciated.
The only other different thing I can think of are the NPCs. They won't just talk to you; you have to play a Speech mini game successfully first. Also, the guards actually speak to you and will even give you directions sometimes (though IMO not very good ones lol).
Oh also! To level up, you have to sleep in a bed somewhere before it will take effect. Which I found a little odd, but somewhat more immersive than staring up at the stars like in Skyrim. :)



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The map takes getting used to, as it displays a smaller area than the one in Skyrim. It's a pain, but I've never had trouble navigating to specific places, aside from the occasional unclimbable hill or mountain, just like in Skyrim. It isn't true that you can fast travel to places undiscovered, except cities. You can fast travel to any city right off, but if you get a quest for a specific cave or ruin, you still must 'discover' it before fast traveling there, but it'll be marked on your map so you shouldn't have difficulty finding it. As for the speech mini game- I hate it. I don't use it, I just bribe. Works everytime. Ecozombie made a great point about mages that I forgot to mention- no need to put away your weapon to cast! Brilliant. :beermug:

Like Gideon said, there isn't as much to discover while traveling but I enjoy the Aylied ruins. I seek them out in search of Varla stones. These ruins can have a spooky ambiance; just last night I actually jumped in my chair as a troll rounded the corner on me.

...I'll stop interjecting now, I'm just really into this game at the moment! Hope you enjoy it.
 

hershangames

Well-Known Member
Wow I just checked steam and Oblivion is actually way more expensive than Skyrim. Like 15€ difference. Guess it really deserves the buy.

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The map takes getting used to, as it displays a smaller area than the one in Skyrim. It's a pain, but I've never had trouble navigating to specific places, aside from the occasional unclimbable hill or mountain, just like in Skyrim. It isn't true that you can fast travel to places undiscovered, except cities. You can fast travel to any city right off, but if you get a quest for a specific cave or ruin, you still must 'discover' it before fast traveling there, but it'll be marked on your map so you shouldn't have difficulty finding it. As for the speech mini game- I hate it. I don't use it, I just bribe. Works everytime. Ecozombie made a great point about mages that I forgot to mention- no need to put away your weapon to cast! Brilliant. :beermug:

Like Gideon said, there isn't as much to discover while traveling but I enjoy the Aylied ruins. I seek them out in search of Varla stones. These ruins can have a spooky ambiance; just last night I actually jumped in my chair as a troll rounded the corner on me.

...I'll stop interjecting now, I'm just really into this game at the moment! Hope you enjoy it.

Hmm, I may be remembering it wrong. Or maybe I just assumed that because you could fast travel to cities, you could also do the same to other areas. Well as I said, I only rented it for a bit. I didn't play much of it, so most of my Oblivion knowledge is from researching it on Google. That's good to know though before I go out and buy it.
I actually found an Ayleid ruin right off though as I was wandering the map. It was very pretty. :)
Oh and hershangames, try looking on Amazon.com. They usually carry games pretty cheaply, especially older ones like Oblivion, and they also sometimes include a way to download them. Good luck!



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