Oblivion Combat Tips

Though you may spend many a fascinating hour between rounds of furious combat, much of your Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™ experience will be spent in mortal peril as you thwart enemies both common and exotic throughout your adventures in Tamriel. You'll find many an effective tactic on your own as you brave quest after quest, but you would do well to consider the following combat tips to help set you on the right path.

Sword and Shield
Whether you're specializing in melee combat or not, a large chunk of your time in combat will be spent within melee range as enemies charge you. There are a few elements to keep in mind for solid melee strategy.

Combo, regroup, combo.

• Always on the move: Be sure to strafe and move around, especially when you're being attacked by multiple enemies. It's easy to stand still and trade blows, but this won't work for too long. Instead, knock out a combo or two, jump back, strafe around, and repeat.
• Manual block: A lot of enemies reveal certain habits during combat, and you'll begin to recognize certain routines in their combinations. When you do, you should have a much easier time blocking as you can time their individual blows.
• Routines: Speaking of routines, if you're far enough away, wait until their combo is finished and rush in. You have an extra second or two to land your own devastating combination. Take advantage of these windows of opportunity.
• The right swing: Just as you would imagine it would be case, different weapons are more effective depending on how you use them. Poking someone with a blunt weapon using the "stabbing" swing isn't going to net you major damage, but thunking someone with a full downward swing is plenty effective.

Keep your blades sharp and your armor in good
order, especially during longer dungeon crawls.

A Wealth of Stealth
Just because you specialize in a set of skills doesn't mean you can't utilize others. This notion is most prominent regarding stealth. Creeping up on an enemy using the Sneak skill is a tactic that should be used by even the most conspicuous of classes. If successful, you already have an advantage, and if not, well, at least you tried. Do your best not to announce your presence until you've sized up the situation.

That's your blood! Utilize that manual block.

Friendly A.I.
Radiant A.I. may be Oblivion's buzzword-worthy feature, but it's not just the spontaneous actions of finding food and chatting with fellow townsfolk that's noteworthy. The A.I. for friendly forces in combat is excellent. Often, they cut a swath through enemies just as well as you.

• Stick close to your allies during combat so as not to single yourself out to the enemies. It's always better to fight as a group.
• If possible, allow friendly forces to engage the enemy first and then find the best way to assist. This is especially useful if you play as a ranged attacker using bows or spells. When friendlies draw "agro" (the attention of the enemies), you are free to launch ranged attacks unfettered.

Summon and Retreat
If you're playing a spell-caster and you have no allies around, your best bet is to summon one yourself (choosing Conjuration as one your major skills is suggested), and let them draw the agro from the enemies. Once your conjured creature is engaged in combat, attack freely.

My advice? Run!

Dangle the Carrot
The evil creatures that spill from the gates of Oblivion are enough of a threat, but you'll have to contend with all manners of insidious traps in the dungeons throughout Tamriel as well. Luckily, these traps are just as dangerous for your enemy as they are for you, so keep a sharp eye out.

Save yourself a lot of trouble by luring an enemy into triggering a trap. A common practice here is to shoot an enemy with a spell or arrow while between them and a trip-wire. Once they charge and activate the trap, all you need to do is sit back and smile at your ingenuity.

Environmental Advantage
Much like tricking an enemy into activating its own deadly device in a dungeon, there are more innocuous ways to use the environment to your advantage.

• When sneaking, make sure you always stick to the darkest shadows.
• When possible, always attack from the high ground, especially if the enemy has to take a roundabout trip to reach you. Pepper them with ranged attacks while they charge up at you, severely weakening them all the while.
• Look for elements of the environment to cause damage. For example, early on in the game you find a pile of fresh-cut logs in a cavern. Just below is a nest of enemies; push the logs down and avoid prolonged combat by crushing them first.

Kill and Exchange
Keep your blades sharp and your armor in good order, especially during longer dungeon crawls. Carry repair hammers wherever you go, but more importantly (especially early in the game when using common weapons), feel free to trade out weapons and armor from your fallen foes. If you find an enemy using the exact same sword you're wielding, you'll likely discover that their sword is in much better condition.

Swap them out lest you find yourself with a shattered and useless weapon before long. The same goes for armor. Not only do weapons and armor become useless when reduced to zero durability, but their effectiveness also depreciates slowly with each blow.

Article by Alex McLain