I tried to shut the first Oblivion gate last night. The game is pissing me off. I'm level like 23 or 24 and the daedra are such a high level, thrown at me three at a time, and normally there is at least one spellcaster who summons things. I can invis and run through the level but that doesn't get me any hearts nor harvesting all the grasses and things that grow in Oblivion. Very aggravating. I'm going to make another attempt to get a decent lightning spell since they are all weak to lightning but i may have to play this level like the true thief i am and sneak and steal whatever it is to close the gate.

Stupid mage guild readmission requirements. I may actually go assassinate some mage guild people out of frustration.

Sneak up on the magic Daedra and take them out with poison/sneak attack.

That is indeed my MO but a bunch of these stupid ones are immune to my paralyze.

Your "first" Oblivion gate? You haven't done the Main Quest yet? You think this is hard, wait til you get to the seige on Kvatch mission. That's a bitch at higher levels (I was around 17 when I started it). Big open area with several daedra coming at you all at once and I find the extra soldiers just tend to get in my way. (FYI, near one corner of the church is a place you can fit into that the bigger daedra can't really follow you into. They can still reach you in there but it usually takes them several seconds to figure that out and you get a bunch of free hits during that time.)

Learn a silence spell for the spell casters too. I started running into these spider daedra on the last gate I closed (I was at level 20) and they couldn't be paralyzed and they were spellcasters. But they could be silenced. That helped.

Otherwise, I just try to peel them off one at a time. I also found a really powerful staff can make a big difference as they fire off very quickly (faster than my lvl 21 mage fighter can cast). The speed and damage (area affect too) and potions usually keep me alive.

Use a health or magika poison.

Each Daedric Shrine has a quest. Some of them have been interesting and usually get you a nice piece of loot. (I've done a couple and have a couple more in my to do list.... There are 15 all together.

There are also the Master Trainer quests. Not really familiar with these, but each skill has a master trainer who will make you do a quest of some kind before they'll train you. There's 21 of them.

Have you tried becoming a Vampire?

Yes i have a potion i make that hits health, magicka, and fatigue at the same time. That is for the really big bads.

No, i haven't done the primary storyline at all. Just like in Morrowind i always find the faction quests way more interesting than the main storyline. In Morrowind i never even joined the Blades.

I will have to find a silence spell to have someone teach me. Those spider daedra are a huge nuisance.

Never joined the Blades?! Well, let me just say we missed you!



I think I bought my spell (Hush) from the Mages Guild in Bravil. There or Leyawin, but since Bravil is the Illusion magic centered town, I'm pretty sure you want Bravil.

Really, I closed the first Oblivion gate when I was a Level 3. I am sure that it helps that I chose the sign of the Lord and I have regeration spell that restores my Health 6 points for 15 seconds (90 total) whenever I use it.

Well, the tasks get progressively harder (and the rewards progressively better) if you attempt them at higher levels, so I can see why he's having trouble at level 20. Makes me wonder if I should at least get the first few main quest tasks out of the way, especially as a thief.

Here's a question:

I just finished the DB "purging" mission where you end up with an empty DB and lots of good weapons (for my level, at least) -- here's my question. I don't own a house yet, but don't want to loose the items that I got in the mission. I put the items in a cupboard. Will they be safe there? Strength is not one of my better attributes, so I can't carry much even if just making trips to the store to sell the stuff. From what I understand, there shouldn't (shouldn't) be anybody down there any more.

Wow, I was only at level-2, and it took only one or two hits with my sword to kill those guys, and my difficulty slider is right in the middle. Maybe lower your difficulty slider.

How about conjuring a bunch of peeps to help spread the slaughter? Don't forget good ol porkchop, he sure knew how to take one for the team.

Unfortunately my pride is such that i can't lower the difficulty level

Perhaps i'll see about buying a decent conjured minion. Right now a scamp, skeleton, or zombie aren't terribly effective.

The types of monsters you get depends on your level. When I did it a single hit was doing about 30-40pts of damage and they hit pretty fast. You also get stunned a lot with that kind of damage and can't fight back for a few seconds. If you get two clannfears on you at once you're in for a world of hurt.

I've found summoning spells to be less than helpful for the same reason...though if you could find/buy summon storm atronach scrolls, that would probably help.

I do also like that when i am fighting a zombie it regenerates and somehow remembers how to run. Yet the one i summon is a total shambling useless zombie.

What I love is how whatever I'm fighting almost always ignores the skeleton I summon and goes right for me!

Man I so want to finish the last level of GRAW on hard so I can trade it in for this. I have been on the fence since release, but reading this thread and reviews makes me want it.

Especially since it is a 100hr. game, unlike the 10-15 for GRAW. (I don't know how many for sure, but it is pretty short).

I'm having a hard time trading games this generation due to the decent Live components. I wouldn't mind trading Call of Duty 2 after i beat it but the online play is so fun. That and the rumors of a downloadable expansion in the fall that was mentioned in one of the new magazines. GRAW is the same way. Every time i think that i don't like the single player game and would trade it i remember how fun the online play is. I'm holding out hope that they will release some more chapters for online co-op.

That is why i was sticking with the scamp early on. I liked his ability to shoot fireballs and sometimes re-attract their attention. The melee conjurings seemed very useless unless you can get something a little more badass.

I agree, I've only traded in Full Auto and that is because it got a bit old and Burnout was enough for my Arcade racing needs.

Anyways, I still haven't touched Oblivion that much. I'm just going through the main quest really...not a big RPG fan and making spells and crap is too much to deal with.

You are really missing out then because normally the faction quests and extra stuff is a good deal quirkier and interesting than the main quest. Especially the Dark Brotherhood storyline.

Honestly i haven't made a single spell yet due to not being in the mages guild but have immensely enjoyed making potions, sneaking around, and using the few spells i have purchased.

I went though the entire game, including the Mages Guild, without having to make a spell or really do anything other than swing my sword.

Thanks for the info I was wondering if my nord fighter could join the Mages Guild.

According to the load screens, you can also soul trap the stuff you conjure. That could be very useful. Then again, the Scamp conjure is almost always my first move -- they really help out.

Any suggestions on places to get Soul Gems? Do they always respawn in the mages guilds? I haven't run out yet, but my new sword (glass longsword, absorb 20 HP health + 10 HP Magika) only gets 22 swings before a rechange is needed.

I think I'm going to get a chameleon spell next. Sneak up on people for sneak attack damage and you're rolling.