You're pretty much SOL unfortunately. Nirnroots do not regrow. The potion wasn't worth it anyway.

One other tip that i don't think was mentioned. Save right before you grab the sigil stone in the oblivion gate. If you grab it and you don't like what it does,just reload the save until you get a good one. Best one's IMO are the ones that increase MP.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Also, just to piggyback a tip, I leveled up some of my weapon and spell skills at the house where the imps keep reappearing...till haven't finished the quest just for that purpose! It's level grinding at its basest, but it works!

Also, I tended to use master trainers once my skills hovered in the 90's, and by that time, gold really wasn't an issue anymore.

There is a mod for PC that allows Nirnroots to regrow and it gives a potion that is actually worth the effort.
However, my favorite mod is still the bag of holding.

Sigil Stones: I've only closed one Oblivion gate, do all gates have a Sigil Stone? what do you do with the stone once you have it?

Can one become a vampire? I've been "bitten" a number of times.

Every gate will have a stone. If I remember correctly, you can use them to enchant a weapon or armor. Each will have different effects.

Yes.. and it is a pain in the ass. You can only travel at night and can't talk to most villagers

There is a quest that allows you to reverse the vampire effects, though.

yeah that quest was cool as hell...

you also HAVE to be a repulsive (haven't fed) vampire to complete one of the Daedric shrine quests...

i would also point out that if you feed regularly you can travel in daylight just fine...

Sigil stones have two abilities listed, one is an offensive power like fire damage, the other is defensive, like speed/feather, etc... You need to decide which you want, and the offensive will go on a weapon, defensive goes on armor. You can only use it on one thing, then it's gone, so be sure which you want more.

If you become a Vampire and decide you don't like it, you can avoid the quest and just remove the vampire curse at Deepscorn Hollow. Vampirism does have some bonuses though, like added strength. It's actually kind of exciting trying to day-travel when you're taking sunlight damage.

Is it good to use the sigil stones right away? I would think you would want to save them for better weapons right?

It doesn't work that way. When you get the stone at an early level, like 1-5, the stone will give a +5 to your weapon (for example). The stone keeps that +5 forever, no matter how high of a level you get to. You're better off using it right away to give yourself a nice weapon. You could, however, wait until you get to higher levels to close a gate. My current game has me at level 12 and I still haven't went to Kvatch yet. I'm waiting until I'm a 25 or higher so I can get the +25 sigils.

Oh yeah, you have to use a non-enchanted weapon with the sigil stone. It makes a regular weapon/armor into magical weapons/armor.

I loved being a vampire.

I also recommend completing the Thief guild line first. The prize is for that quest line is awesome.

A few more questions as I play the game.

I now don't want to complete any of the Oblivion gates because I don't want to get the sigil stones yet. Are there other quests where the item is level dependent?

What is the highest level you can get to in the game? Keep in mind I don't have any expansion packs.

How do I raise my restoration level faster? I want to use heal wounds spell which heals 25 points, but my restoration level has to be at 25, and it's only at 13. Isn't there a quicker way than just constantly healing myself over and over and over? I can't seem to find the character who I can pay to teach restoration.

When can I get a house? Does that quest come along soon? I ask because one house cost 10,000 and I cannot come near to affording that. Another one required fame. I want a damn house to start storing stuff since that would be cool.

How do I build my sneak and security skill faster? It's so frustrating dealing with the locks being a novice. I'm constantly saving and reloading so I don't waste lockpicks, on the harder chests. I try walking around sneaking all the time, but I guess you actually only gain sneak skill if you're walking around near people, and unseen rather than just walking around unseen.

I now don't want to complete any of the Oblivion gates because I don't want to get the sigil stones yet. Are there other quests where the item is level dependent? - All enemies, weapons, and armor you find in dungeons are leveled with you. You have to reach level 20 before you can get the best weapons/armor.

What is the highest level you can get to in the game? Keep in mind I don't have any expansion packs. - Your highest level depends on your character. When you create your character at the beginning, it would have shown you what the highest level you can reach is. Usually in the 60's I think.

How do I raise my restoration level faster? I want to use heal wounds spell which heals 25 points, but my restoration level has to be at 25, and it's only at 13. Isn't there a quicker way than just constantly healing myself over and over and over? I can't seem to find the character who I can pay to teach restoration. - That's the best way. I always kept one magic from each school equiped so when I was walking I could just keep casting it over and over. Just do it whenver your in a town or forest where you won't need magic. I think the Bravil Mage's Guild is the one that specializes in Restoration so check there for a trainer and to buy healing spells.

When can I get a house? Does that quest come along soon? I ask because one house cost 10,000 and I cannot come near to affording that. Another one required fame. I want a damn house to start storing stuff since that would be cool. - You can get a house whenever you have the money for one. There's only one that requires a quest. The cheapest house is in the slums of the capital city (2000 gold). The next costs 4000 and is in Bravil (my personal favorite).

How do I build my sneak and security skill faster? It's so frustrating dealing with the locks being a novice. I'm constantly saving and reloading so I don't waste lockpicks, on the harder chests. I try walking around sneaking all the time, but I guess you actually only gain sneak skill if you're walking around near people, and unseen rather than just walking around unseen. - Sneak is easy. Whenver you're in sneak mode, there's people around, and no one can see you it goes up. Just follow someone around town and stay sneaking behind them. Security is harder. You have to do it to raise it unless you train. If you join the thieves guild, you'll be able to buy lockpicks easily. There's also a Deadric quest that will get you the Skeleton Key that never breaks.

Everything levels up with you, so most of the items you'll find in the game are level-dependant. I wouldn't worry about that -- you'll come across so many items in the game that you'll constantly be upgrading your equipment.

I especially wouldn't worry about holding off on the Sigil Stones. There are a jillion Oblivion Gates in the game, and there's a Sigil Stone at the core of each one. So get a Sigil Stone now if you feel like it (or not -- you can certainly delay the main quest if you want), and get another one once you level up a few times. And another a few level-ups after that. And so on. Meanwhile, you might find a suit of armor and a sword in a random dungeon whose bonuses you like better anyway, mooting the whole Sigil Stone thing.

I don't think there's a level cap, but as you level up all the skills you normally use (what those are depends on your style of play), it becomes harder to level up. I think I wound up somehwere in the 40s in terms of level from the basic game, then added a few more levels with the plug-ins and expansion pack.

Cast lots of restoration spells and/or find the trainer (there's one out there somewhere).

The cheapest house is in Imperial City. I believe it costs 2,000 gold. You get it by talking to


Other than finding a trainer, the only way to build skills is by doing. Early in the game, my two chief expenditures were lockpicks and repair hammers.

When trying to level up a particular magic i normally go and custom create a spell that i call a cantrip. For heal i would make it a spell that only heals 1 point over 1 second and can only be cast on self. That should make it very very cheap to buy and to cast. Then when running around, just keep constantly spamming the spell. It's like your character is reciting something to memorize it and you will see restoration rise a good deal more quickly. You can do that for any category of spells. Destruction, though, is a little tougher because you want to avoid shooting anyone in town.

for destruction summon a zombie and kill him, and also capture his soul... azura's star makes that slick and easy...

Also, for you noobs, use the hot keys!! It let's you store 8 spells, weapons, or items in there to use in a split second. This is useful for healing, casting light spells, using Azura's Star, changing weapons, etc... I hate having to go to the menu every time I want to change a spell or weapon.

That's my one complaint so far--using the hotkeys on the 360 version (digital pad) is a little awkward. I've found out that holding the digital pad then navigating to the one I want is a little better.
This is a big game. It's odd, I've tried Morrowind on the PC and just couldn't get into it, I guess I just like console gaming more.
I'm level 5 and I'm in Skingrad, actually, now I'm looking for Nirnroots. Sometime I need to take this guy to the temple.....

The hotkeys on the 360 pad are abysmal. Trying to assign a skill to a diagonal is an exercise in frustration. You end up assigning it to a whole section instead. Also for the person who stated that they created their spell, that's not available until you get a recommendation from every guild correct? I have not finished that quest yet.

Thanks again guys, the tips have been great.

I honestly don't remember when i became able to do it. It was a trick i learned in Morrowind (making the cantrips) so when i started playing Oblivion i worked on getting cantrips ASAP. Well, actually i worked on beating the Thieves Guild line (because those were always my favorite quests) first - then cantrips.

Correct... sorta. There are two ways. Get admission to the university by gaining all the recommendations or buy Frostcraig spire (game addon, real money) and then buy the furniture "packages" for the spire that give you the spell making and enchanting alters and the candles. (expensive, game money)

Frostcrag Spire is an awesome add-on if you are a magic using class. Especially if you are an alchemist player. The herb garden alone made me

Do I suck or is money hard to come by (so far)? I accidentally murdered someone so the 1k bail took a big chunk, but I don't even buy all that much stuff and I've only got about 800g. I was up to 2k or so before the murder.I've got a buttload of potions I've created, they're either worth nothing or I want to keep them.