Oblivion is the fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise. Set in Cyrodiil, a province of Tamriel, this epic RPG allows you to do whatever you please in this mysterious fantasy setting.
You begin Oblivion by customizing your character. All these decisions, such as your specific skills and class, help to shape your playstyle. You might specialize as a stealthy thief or perhaps a magic-wielding sorcerer. A vital part of this process is deciding what birthsign you were born under. Each one offers a specific blessing or sometimes a curse. There are 13 birthsigns to choose from, but which is best?
Updated July 4, 2022, By Luke Ackroyd: The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is a wonderful game that you can keep returning to Cyrodill again and again. Each time, you can try a different playstyle or take on quests you might have missed previously. Each time you play Oblivion, you can pick a different bithsign to try, which will influence your abilities. But what is Oblivion’s best birthsign? The best sign Oblivion has to offer can sometimes depend on how you intend to play your character in your latest playthrough. So, this list has been updated to help you determine which star sign is best for your latest playstyle.
13 The Tower
Abilities:
Best for:
Birthsigns influence how you decide to level up, so choose one that suits your playstyle. Unfortunately, the Tower isn’t the most useful. Its abilities can easily be outdone, such as by finding the Tower Doomstone.
The Tower lets you instantly unlock an average lock once per day. Although handy, you can pick any lock yourself with some practice. The Tower also lets you reflect five percent of damage for 120 seconds. This is a little more useful but can still only be used once per day.
12 The Shadow
Ability:
The Shadow allows you to turn invisible once per day for 60 seconds. This power can be handy for escape attempts. As long as you do not interact with any items, you can easily slip away undetected.
Although offering a fun ability, this birthsign pales in comparison to the Jone Stone. The Jone Stone can be found to the north of Skingrad and, once activated, grants you the ability to turn invisible for 120 seconds instead. Alongside this, you gain fortified sneak, acrobatics, and athletics.
11 The Serpent
Ability:
Best for:
The Serpent is quite a mixed bag. You gain the Serpent Spell, which can injure an enemy you touch for 60 points over 20 seconds. Simultaneously, it will dispel any magic effects you are suffering from and cure you of any poison. The downside is that you also receive 100 points of fatigue damage.
The effects of this spell are pretty weak against your foes. Alongside this, the fatigue loss can be frustrating, especially during combat. This birthsign is more trouble than it is worth.
10 The Steed
If you want to run around Cyrodiil at speed, looking out for secrets and hidden details, the Steed could be a good fit for you. This birthsign provides you with a permanent 20 points of speed. This makes you incredibly fast, especially early on.
But this isn’t too useful overall. Speed is one of the easiest stats to level up, so you can soon reach the same speeds of this birthsign anyway. With no other perks offered, there are far more exciting birthsigns to consider.
9 The Ritual
The Ritual grants you two powers. Blessed Word causes undead foes to run away from you farther than fight. This lasts for 30 seconds and costs 40 Magicka. This ability can be useful for avoiding combat in caves.
The second power, Mara’s Gift, can be pretty helpful in emergencies. This power restores 200 points of health, which is usually your full health in the early game. Unfortunately, this is a once-per-day spell. You’re better off relying on health potions and healing spells than this birthsign.
8 The Lover
The Lover gives you a once-per-day power that can be incredibly useful: the Lover’s Kiss. This isn’t an ability to help you charm NPCs. Instead, you paralyze an enemy for ten seconds. This is great for when you are facing a formidable opponent. One kiss, and they are immobilized for a short while.
The downside that makes this birthsign risky is that you also receive 120 points of fatigue when you perform this power. This can mean fainting during a battle if you are not careful. So, use this ability with caution.
7 The Apprentice
Those joining the Mages Guild (One of Oblivion’s factions) might feel that the Apprentice will suit them well. The Apprentice will give you two permanent effects. The first one is 100 extra points of Magicka to make use of, so you can keep casting for longer.
It is the Apprentice’s second permanent effect that you must be careful of. You have a 100 percent weakness to magic attacks. This can be deadly, but with the right playstyle, you can make it work. For example, focusing on summoning spells to avoid being the target of attacks. The Apprentice is fun but dangerous.
6 The Lord
Abilities:
There is a blessing and a curse granted if you pick the Lord. As a benefit, you are gifted the Blood of the North power, which restores your health by 90 points over 15 seconds at the cost of 50 Magicka. This is a far more reliable healing ability than the Ritual provides.
The downside of this birthsign is that you suffer from Trollkin. This means a permanent weakness to fire. Oblivion gates will become exceptionally tricky unless you equip fire-resistant items to counteract your newfound curse.
5 The Mage
The Mage is an excellent option for those just getting started with Oblivion for the first time. Although not as exciting as some of the other birthsigns, The Mage is a reliable source of additional Magicka without forcing you to deal with any curses or other disadvantages.
The Mage grants you an extra 50 points of Magicka permanently. This is not as much as the Apprentice or the Atronach birthsigns provide, but still a decent bonus to allow you to cast more spells than usual.
4 The Thief
If you plan on joining the Thieves Guild (A faction that Oblivion did a far better job with than Skyrim), then the Thief is an excellent choice. You gain permanent bonuses to agility, luck and speed. These three skills are all beneficial for stealth builds.
The Thief provides the largest point boost out of all the birthsigns. Agility, luck, and fortify all receive ten points, totaling 30 points overall. This bonus is a great headstart for your character, especially in terms of luck, which is usually one of the more difficult skills to upgrade during a playthrough.
3 The Lady
The Lady will fortify both your willpower and your endurance by ten points each. Although this is not as high of a bonus as the Thief provides, the bonus to endurance and willpower is more beneficial overall. For example, you’ll have more fatigue and magic resistance straight away, thanks to the Lady.
Having a boost to your endurance is invaluable early on. Each time you level up, your total health points are determined by your endurance level. So, with the Lady, you ensure you will have a lot more health. With how tough Oblivion can sometimes be, this is only a good thing. The additional willpower is also great for spellcasters as it decreases the rate at which your Magicka replenishes.
2 The Warrior
When heading into the realms of Oblivion, you need to be strong to battle the Daedra. The Warrior is quite similar to the Lady as it also provides a ten-point bonus in endurance, allowing you to build up your health faster when leveling up.
Instead of willpower, The Warrior provides a ten-point increase to your strength stat. This is fantastic for melee combat builds, as it ensures you deal more damage with your weapons. Even non-melee classes benefit from a strength increase as it will expand your carrying capacity. In an RPG full of loot, this is invaluable.
1 The Atronach
The Atronach gives you a permanent 150 points of Magicka. This is far more than the Apprentice and the Mage provide. You also gain 50 percent spell absorption, which allows you sometimes to regain Magicka from a spell attack rather than take damage. Overall, the Atronach is excellent for any character wanting to defend themselves from magic.
What makes this birthsign a challenge is that it also stunts your natural Magicka regeneration. Instead of recharging over time, you must instead use Restore Magicka potions and other alternatives, such as Wayshrines. But, as long as you are prepared before you go off adventuring, this downside can be easily managed.
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