Oblivion Guild Guide, Part Two

The four primary guilds in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are your guide to the expansive world outside the main storyline. 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 the first part, we walked you through joining the hidden Thieves Guild and explored the Fighters Guild, offering advice on how to get the most material and skill benefits from each guild. In this second section, we look at the Mages Guild and Dark Brotherhood.

The Mages Guild
Much like the Fighters Guild, becoming an Associate in the Mages Guild is just a matter of finding a guild hall and showing interest. Your first priority when joining is to garner letters of recommendation from leaders of each of the satellite guild chapters across Cyrodil. They are:

• Chorral: Talk to Teekeus for the recommendation quest.
• Bruma: Talk to Jeanne Frasoric for the recommendation quest.
• Bravil: Talk to Kud-Ei for the recommendation quest.
• Skingrad: Talk to Adrienne Berene for the recommendation quest.
• Cheydinhal: Talk to Deetsan for the recommendation quest.
• Leyawiin: Talk to Dagail for the recommendation quest.
• Anvil: Talk to Carahil for the recommendation quest.

Once you have all seven recommendation letters, you can join the Arcane University in the Imperial City. It's here that you enjoy the full benefits of the guild and carry on the rest of the Mages Guild quests.

Elven gear sells quite nicely, thank you very much.

Enchanting and Spell Creation
You find the ability to enchant items and create spells at the Arcane University. You can enchant items at the Chironasium and create spells at the Praxographical Center. The only spells and enchantments you can create are those based on spells you already know, so if you want, for example, a sword that can drain life, make sure you've got the proper spell. Similarly, if you want to create a well that drains magicka and also does fire damage, make sure you've got spells for each effect.

Also, you need soul gems with trapped souls in order to enchant items. You can occasionally buy these from vendors, but, in order to keep a proper stock, you should invest in the Mysticism spell Soul Trap and Greater Soul Trap to trap your own souls in empty soul gems.

Flower Picking
The budding alchemist finds much to love at the Arcane University. The entire area is filled with different flowers and fungi, all useful for creating potions. Pick the place dry on your first visit and you'll have ingredients to spare for a while. The plants eventually grow back and can be picked again.

Alchemy ingredients are nearby.

School Specialization
Each local chapter of the Mages Guild—outside of the Arcane University, where you can find truly epic spells—specializes in a different brand of magic, so whether you're looking for training or spells in a particular school, you would do well to consider the following:

• Chorral: Specializes in Conjuration.
• Anvil: Specializes in Restoration.
• Skingrad: Specializes in Destruction.
• Bravil: Specializes in Illusion.
• Cheydinhal: Specializes in Alteration.
• Leyawiin: Specializes in Mysticism.

The Dark Brotherhood Revealed
This mysterious organization has been lurking in the shadows for generations. Its function is as simple as it is sinister. For the right price, The Dark Brotherhood makes innocent and guilty alike disappear, permanently.

Could you point me to the Fighters Guild, please?

For those wishing to explore the murky depths of this assassin guild, you must first prove, without provocation, your willingness to end someone's life. Kill a character in the game without being attacked first and you pique the interest of The Dark Brotherhood. When next you sleep, you find you rest interrupted by a "recruiter" for The Dark Brotherhood. From there, it's up to you to follow the quest and join permanently.

If you think of your character as a law-abiding citizen or, for that matter, simply not a cold-blooded killer, this guild is not for you. Even the Thieves Guild turns a distasteful eye towards the bloodthirsty work of The Dark Brotherhood. That said, this sinister guild offers some of the most intriguing quests and gameplay opportunities in Oblivion.

The Dark Brotherhood also offers some of the best material rewards. Provided you carry out your quests perfectly (only kill those you're contracted to, and do so undetected), you're awarded with some slick magical gear.

The four main guilds in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are as much a part of the game as the main story line, and through their quests you're introduced to the rest of Tamriel and the dungeons and adventures it offers.

Article by Ryan Treit

• Bethesda 's official site
• Official game site