Oblivion Guild Guide, Part One
At A Glance
- Catch part one of our guide to the four main Oblivion guilds.
- Learn about the Thieves Guild and the Fighters Guild.
The four primary guilds in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are your guide to the expansive world outside the main story line. They are the Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Dark Brotherhood. Each offers its own unique and epic storylines as well as material benefits.
This guide is split into two parts. In this first section, we walk you through joining the hidden Thieves Guild and explore the Fighters Guild, offering advice on how to get the most material and skill benefits from each guild. In the second part, we look at the Mages Guild and Dark Brotherhood.
No, you can't join his guild.
Basic Guidelines
Before dealing with each individual guild, there are a few basic suggestions you may want to consider.
- For role-players: For those gamers that take their roleplaying seriously—and many an Oblivion player can lay claim to just that—you may want to steer clear of guilds that don't fit your character profile.
- Example: If you fancy your character a cold intellectual that values magic and stealth over brawn, it wouldn't make sense character-wise to join the Fighters Guild. Each guild has its own identity and world outlook, so think before joining, lest you find yourself doing quests contrary to your character's persona.
- Guild rules:Though not necessarily opposed to one another, certain guild missions may run contrary to another's interests. In such cases, save early and often throughout the quest, and think carefully about a solution that keeps you from breaking the rules.
- Example: A Thieves Guild quest may ask you to steel a magic item from a member of the Mages Guild. Instead of killing the renegade wizard, you can steal the item using stealth and leave the Mages Guild none the wiser.
- Conversations with all: Though you may find yourself on a mission each time you visit a guild, try talking to all the inhabitants of each guild hall. You may find trainers, merchants, and other quest givers among your fellow guild members that you may not have spotted otherwise.
- Sell among your own: You find the occasional specialty merchant that gives you the best price, but for junk loot you just need to unload (e.g. standard weapons, potions, scrolls, and armor), the best deals are among guild merchants. Simply belonging to a guild increases their merchant's disposition towards you, and increases the value of your wares to that merchant. Don't forget to Haggle to negotiate better deals.
Here's a hint. Use a blunt object.
The Thieves Guild
Early on, you may find yourself naturally pilfering loot from the houses of unfortunate townspeople, only to find that your illegal wares are not wanted by the fine upstanding merchants in town. Your only solution to selling stolen merchandise is to find a Thieves Guild fence, but first you must find and join the Thieves Guild. It's a bit tricky, but you can follow a quick process to join right away:
- Make your way or Fast Travel to the Waterfront district of the Imperial City.
- Find one of the Gray Fox Wanted posters (they're near gates and on buildings) and read it.
- Find a beggar after reading the Wanted poster and chat with them about the Gray Fox. You need the beggar's disposition to be very high in order to get the full scoop, so play the Persuade mini-game a bunch, bribe them, or cast charm spells on them.
- Eventually, they tell you to meet a man at a garden at midnight in the Waterfront district.
- You find Armand, the Thieves Guild Doyen, behind the abandoned shack. It's not much of a garden, but he's standing there after midnight with a torch.
- Complete the quest Armand offers to join the Thieves Guild.
Alternatively, you can simply commit a very minor crime in full view of witnesses (for example, steal an apple) and do a short stint in jail (don't pay the fine; you have to spend time in prison to get invited). Afterwards, you'll be approached by a woman who gives you a note. To help her find you more quickly, use the "wait" option to wait for a number of hours and she'll track you down.
Fences
Beyond a rewarding quest line that offers ample opportunity for quality rewards and loot, joining the Thieves Guild literally gives you license to become a freelancing thief. The Thieves Guild gives you access to fences, which are your only source for selling stolen goods. Initially you only start out with one, but as you progress you gain access to several fences around all of Cyrodil.
Yep, fire works mighty well.
Three Rules
Though necessarily not law abiding, the Thieves Guild does follow a code, and you would be wise to follow it as well. Breaking any of the following three rules results in your dismissal, and only paying a substantial fine gets you back into the guild's good graces. Don't think you can break any of these rules on the sly, either. There are eyes everywhere.
- Don't steal from another member of the guild.
- Don't kill anyone while on a Thieves Guild quest (monsters and animals don't count).
- Don't steal from the poor. The downtrodden are under the Gray Fox's protection.
Fighter's Guild
Unlike the Thieves Guild, joining the Fighter's Guild is a simple matter of walking into any chapter of the guild and asking to join. Once you're an Associate, you're given beginning tasks which take you on your way through the Fighter's Guild storyline.
Fighter's Guild quests are excellent for gaining experience in primary combat skills (e.g. Light Armor, Blade, Block, Marksman, Destruction, Conjuration), as they're typically filled with action. If you're looking to level up quickly, Fighters Guild quests are a great choice.
Better get crackin' with those weapons.
Training
Beyond quests, the primary benefit for joining the Fighters Guild is cheaper repair bills and training for your martial skills. There's always someone in the guild to repair your gear for a reasonable price—usually the Porter. Specifically, you can find trainers at each of the following Fighters Guild locations:
- Bravil
- Armorer trainer: Tadros Helas (skill level Apprentice).
- Hand to hand trainer: Nahsi (skill level Apprentice).
- Chorrol
- Block:Lum gro-Baroth (skill level Journeyman).
- Anvil
- Block: Huurwen (skill level Apprentice).
- Blade trainer: Rhano (skill level Journeyman).
- Blunt trainer: Vigdis (skill level Journeyman).
- Hand to hand trainer: Rufrius Vinicius (skill level Apprentice).
- Athletics trainer: Llensi Llaram (skill level Novice).
- Skingrad
- Block trainer: Fadus Calidius (skill level Apprentice).
- Cheydinhal
- Bruma
- Blade trainer: Right-Wind (skill level Apprentice).
- Heavy armor: Bumph gra-Gash (skill level Apprentice).
- Leyawiin
- Heavy armor trainer: Brodras (skill level Apprentice).
- Blade trainer: Sherina (skill level Journeyman).
I want that helmet.
Obey the Law
It's a simpler restriction than the Thieves Guild's three rules, but just as crucial. You must have a clean criminal record (no jail time or arrests) to stay in the Fighter's Guild. Get in too much trouble with the law and you'll be kicked out.
That's the story on thieving and fighting. Check out part two of our guide for information on Oblivion's mage and assassin guilds.
Article by Ryan Treit
