When starting in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, here are the best things to do first to set yourself up for success:
- Save at the Sewers: Right after the tutorial escape through the sewers, create a save file. This is your chance to finalize your character's appearance, stats, and name before entering the open world. This save can be reused if you want to try different character builds without replaying the tutorial
- Score a Free Place to Sleep and Storage: Find a safe place to rest and store items early on. This helps with managing inventory and regaining health
- Join Guilds: Joining guilds like the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, or Dark Brotherhood early gives access to quests, gear, and useful services such as fences for stolen goods
- Deliver the Amulet to Jauffre: This early main quest step unlocks assistance and provides a free chest for storage
- Take Back Castle Kvatch: An early main quest mission where you help retake the castle. It offers valuable rewards including enchanted armor that boosts your Strength and Endurance, and it’s a good early challenge before enemies scale up in difficulty
- Explore and Clear Early Dungeons: Gain experience, loot, and valuable items by clearing low-level dungeons
- Make Some Potions: Alchemy is useful early on for healing and buffs. Get basic alchemy equipment from guilds to start crafting potions
- Get a Free Horse: Horses improve travel speed and mobility across Cyrodiil
- Find a Fence for Stolen Goods: If you plan on stealing, fences allow you to sell stolen items safely
- Talk to NPCs: Engaging with townsfolk can reveal quests, locations, and useful information
- Steal to Make Gold (Optional): Stealing valuable items from places like the Mages Guild at night and selling them can be a quick way to earn gold and improve sneaking skills
Starting with these steps will give you a strong foundation in Oblivion, balancing main quest progress with exploration, guild involvement, and resource gathering
