Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

[Artega]

You can do it that way.  If you hold down the left mouse button while attacking you get a power move.  You can also be moving left/right/forwards/backwards for different power moves.  There is also dodging, rather than blocking the blow with a shield you side step and swing.  Almost like real sword fighting huh?

So yes, you can just left click, right click, left click, yawn.  Or, you can move around, use the other 8 attack variations and make it more interesting.
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Not really. I'm a Master in Heavy Armor now; it doesn't encumber me at all.

I'm fully aware of the various power moves, and fully aware how useless they are. The disarm, knockback, and paralyze effects happen only sparingly, and a power attack leaves me open for a counterattack, while I can swing two or three times and have my shield up in time with normal attacks. And guess what? Three normal attacks do more damage and eat less Fatigue than one power attack.

Dodging requires Journeyman Acrobatics; I'm only Apprentice.

Sidestepping doesn't change the outcome of a fight; it merely makes it longer. It's pointless against a single target, and backing into a corner to prevent flanking when fighting more than one target is more efficient than trying to hop around.

Turning the difficulty above normal simple makes fights even more boring, given that they still don't do any damage worth noting (and even if they do, I can simply Wait for an hour after the fight to get all my stats back), but have even more HP, making fights even longer.

[Rhydderch Hael]

Side-stepping works well when you're being shot at. Sometimes.

The enemy AI has a masterful ability to lead a moving target at the last possible instant before loosing a shot.

While I was on the Gold Road just west of Skingrad I encountered three bandits: two melee fighters and an archer. The mace-wielders were coming at me from the left shoulder of the road, so I strafed right to open the distance between me and them. The Dunmer archer was on the road, a good ways behind the other two bandits, and loosed a shot while I made this fast strafe.

From that distance and the high deflection angle he needed to make the shot, I could not help but admire (or lament) his marksmanship as his arrow slammed into my chest.

But most of the time, it's a bit of a fun dance when you try to take on an archer with a bow of your own. You can either try blocking the shot or evading it, and the other fellow is doing the same against you.

Then I got caught in the crevasse within Goblin Jim's Cave and woke up a whole mess of Whiteskin archers on the ledges above me. I soon found out what a Western-style box canyon ambush feels like.

[Drasca]

The disarm, knockback, and paralyze effects happen only sparingly, and a power attack leaves me open for a counterattack,[right][snapback]110137[/snapback][/right]

For melee users, I agree. You've got to try master marksman. The knockback and paralyze happen pretty frequently. Its fun watching hordes of ogres be smacked around your arrows.

While I can swing two or three times and have my shield up in time with normal attacks.  And guess what?  Three normal attacks do more damage and eat less Fatigue than one power attack.

I personally use the lunge to cover distance.

Dodging requires Journeyman Acrobatics; I'm only Apprentice.

You could always up acrobatics via a console command to try it, or jump around until you're a journeyman.

backing into a corner to prevent flanking when fighting more than one target is more efficient than trying to hop around.

I use defensive positions too, but they're not always available. Open fields don't have too many corners, and not everyone can outrun everything at all times (especially when certain mods apply).

However, I'm glad I'm a better swimmer than my necromancer consorts :whistling:

Static positions also aren't a good idea when there's enemy arrows and spells flying at me, or the enemy's rate of damage is vs my health is just too much.

given that they still don't do any damage worth noting (and even if they do, I can simply Wait for an hour after the fight to get all my stats back), but have even more HP, making fights even longer.

Eh? Typically, the enemies I face can knock down 1k health within 10s if I'm not careful. This can be additionally problematic if I'm snared or rooted via burden spells, and find no place for healing respite. Just what range of difficulty slider do you actually use?

Have you ever turned the difficulty setting up to where enemies are an actual threat? Not everyone else here has the HP, armor, or the lowered difficulty to stand go toe-to-toe with enemies at alls times and survive.

If you don't think they're threatening enough, you can do something about it. For one, try turning up the slider enough that they're a threat (your damage received does multiply). I do recommend trying the combat behviour mod (doesn't actually rebalance any stats, just makes them behave differently). Enemies like to be a lot more aggressive in general.


Also if you're willing, go to your Oblivion.ini file in your my documents/mygames/oblivion folder and scroll down to:

fDifficulty=0.2400

and reply here with your adjusted difficult number. The number above is typical of what I use. I'm comfortable with that most of the time. What adjusted difficulty are you using?

[kandrathe]

...
I'm fully aware of the various power moves, and fully aware how useless they are.  The disarm, knockback, and paralyze effects happen only sparingly, and a power attack leaves me open for a counterattack, while I can swing two or three times and have my shield up in time with normal attacks.  And guess what?  Three normal attacks do more damage and eat less Fatigue than one power attack.
...
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Hmmm, that is not my experience at all.

I usually block and manuver and take advantage of my opponents mistakes, when he gives me a good opening I will use a power move if I can, followed by a shield block. I try to move to use terrain obstacles to give me an advantage. I move backward to try to draw my opponent in while he drops his block then I lunge in a power move forward. If my endurance drops to low I use shield blocks and quick strikes after his attacks as you suggest you use mainly. I am also trying to learn to master various en passant manuvers while moving quickly obliquely or jumping. Combat is much more fun when you can swing while leaping. But, how fun is it when you DO disarm, paralyze, or knock them silly? I'd say awesome!

[SwissMercenary]

The enemy AI has a masterful ability to lead a moving target at the last possible instant before loosing a shot.

After enough disk-dodging in tribes, dodging Oblivion arrows is something that I've been doing in my sleep. Makes enemy archers a joke, as long as you've got a quiver on you.

[Drasca]

After enough disk-dodging in tribes, dodging Oblivion arrows is something that I've been doing in my sleep. Makes enemy archers a joke, as long as you've got a quiver on you.
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Its really nice to see all these different successful combat styles in OB. Personally, I'm of the, Orc Smash type of anti-archery. Run up to them and bash their heads in.

I am also trying to learn to master various en passant manuvers while moving quickly obliquely or jumping

That sounds fun. What exactly are you doing, trying to slice them from an angle? Cat like attacks! Is this essentially overruns? Jump toward at their side, turn, slash, turn?

I've got expert acrobatics and dodging, and am trying to figure out how to incorporate that into a Yoshimitsu Soul Calibur-esque manuever.

[Artega]

Fights end faster if you simply kill the target instead of playing games with them.

I'll try out the behavior mod when I get a chance. Enemies that actually block and move around might make combat a good bit more interesting, though I'm not going to hold my breath.

[Artega]

Currently I'm using the default difficulty. I rarely need to heal unless I'm fighting at least four opponents at once (which happens fairly frequently inside the Oblivion gates, with the spiders and xialivi summoning stuff.)

I also wear a necklace that gives me a 14% chance of spell absorbtion, and a ring that gives me a flat 50% resistance to magic of all kinds. I'm further resistant to Frost, being a Nord, and I can use a racial ability to give myself a 30% Shield spell. My actual shield has a constant-effect 5% Shield spell on it. I also reflect 6% of all damage taken back to the attacker. Maybe I've just been lucky in finding and making my items. All of my armor (all of which is Daedric, excepting my shield which is actually better than Daedric) is enchanted through Sigil Stones, most of which is extra Fatigue (extra 55 from greaves, 50 from boots, and 60 from helm) and Magicka (extra 50 from gloves.) Being able to use decent Restoration spells, I can also increase my Strength, Magicka, Fatigue, and Endurance through buffs. I also have a wide variety of poisons in my pack, though I never use them. On top of this, I have 78 Strong Potion of Sorcery (restores most of my Magicka in one use) and 99 Strong Potion of Healing; the Necromancers from the Meridia quest dropped about nine of each on every corpse. I also have a ring which grants immunity to poisons, diseases, and paralysis, as well as two rings with Feather on them (varying magnitudes), dozens of potions and scrolls of Feather (again, varying magnitudes), and several restoration potions for all attributes.

I'd turn the difficulty up, but then fights become absurdly long due to the rapidly increasing monster HP. If I could jack up monster damage (so that they can actually be a threat in numbers less than four) without turning up their HP so much, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[roguebanshee]

I'm further resistant to Frost, being a Nord, and I can use a racial ability to give myself a 30% Shield spell.  My actual shield has a constant-effect 5% Shield spell on it.
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A few notes on the Shield effect and Armor Rating.

1) Shield effects, including elemental versions, add their magnitude directly to AR. 5% Shield = +5 AR.

2) AR is capped at 85 (= 85% less damage taken from attacks), anything beyond will only go to help against armor degradation.

3) Transcendent Sigil Stones (available from Oblivion gates at level 17 and above) can give 20 Shield or 25 (Elemental) Shield. The magnitudes should most likely have been reversed.

Melee combat speed is as much a function of your skill (+ Luck) and Strength as it is of your weapon and the enchantment upon it. You can make some very powerful enchantments by combining a short duration (3-5 sec) Weakness with the corrosponding damage type.

And fireballs without burning your hands? "A wizard did it."

[Drasca]

If I could jack up monster damage (so that they can actually be a threat in numbers less than four) without turning up their HP so much, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
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Here's a possibility: Go beserk streaking! Since armor doesn't make enemeis miss, all ot does is damage reduction. You could take more damage by wearing less armor, or give light armor a shot since you have master heavy.

If you're hitting the 85 AR limit , then that means you'll be taking about 6x more physical damage when not blocking. Personally however, I would consider upping your difficulty slider and looking for means to up your damage potential to compensate.

You could try a new char too, but let's see how you rate the combat behaviour mod and light or no armor.

Your stuff is about normal for a high level char that's looted a lot of dungeons.

Trust me when I say I take a lot more damage than default difficulty (6-15x more). Enemies do have higher HP, better damage too, however I have better weapon poisons and enchants to compensate, so enemies in default tend to die in 1-3 hits and can't scratch me. I don't like that. For me, I like enemies to die in the 10-30 attacks range, stretching the battle per enemy to about 20-40 seconds (or more sometimes). That's what's comfortable for me. YMMV. My mana pool and destruction skill are also obscenely high, so although the enemies do have higher hp, it is at a comfortable level for me.

[[wcip]Angel]

Questions in regards to enchanting:
1. When enchanting items in Morrowind, the quality of the outcome was dependent on two things: the soul used and the type of item (common/extravagant/excuisite rings/amulets/shirts, robes, etc). Is this carried over into Oblivion or is the outcome only dependent of the soul in my soulgem? E.g will I get better results enchanting an ebony helmet than an iron helmet?

2. Where's a good place to find grand souls? I'm lvl 16.

3. Do I need to be able to cast the spells I want to enchant my items with?

Merci!

[Drasca]

Angel,May 19 2006, 06:21 AM]Questions in regards to enchanting:
1. Is this carried over into Oblivion or is the outcome only dependent of the soul in my soulgem? E.g will I get better results enchanting an ebony helmet than an iron helmet?

2. Where's a good place to find grand souls? I'm lvl 16.

3. Do I need to be able to cast the spells I want to enchant my items with?

Merci!
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1. I'm not completely sure, but I doubt it. I believe the only things that matter are 1) the power of the soul, and 2 the soulgem capacity for that capturing stronger souls.

2. Honestly, I don't remember. I think necromancer and vampire hideouts, but I'm not sure about the locations or even if level 16 is enough on the leveled loot lists. I've got mod that have the mage's guild sell soul gems and enchanted items like in Morrowind.

3. You need to have that type of spell in your spellbook, and usually there's a base skill requirement of 50? to enchant anything of that magick school. When you're at the enchanting altar, it'll make more sense.

You'll also want to be able to cast soul trap one way or another, either via a enchanted weapon or item, or cast it yourself.

[roguebanshee]

Is this carried over into Oblivion or is the outcome only dependent of the soul in my soulgem?
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Soul only.

2. Where's a good place to find grand souls? I'm lvl 16.

Get Black Soul Gems and start trapping humanoids. Or wait a few levels and hunt big nasties (Mino Lords, Storm Atronarchs [some seem to give Grand and others only Greater], Xivilai, Nether Liches). They should start showing up in the late teens/early twenties.

3. Do I need to be able to cast the spells I want to enchant my items with?

Merci!

Yes. You need enough skill to cast at least one spell (that you know) which has the effect. Powers and Abilities also work for enchantment purposes. I've also gotten a Disease to work once, for the Orc exclusive Drain Attribute effect, but trying on another character didn't let me do it. Neither Altar/NPC spells, Enchantments, Potions or Poisons work.

[Rhydderch Hael]

The only way I can accomplish that is by tying my XBox through a DVD recorder, then running screen captures from the movie on my computer.

Not like I haven't thought about it, though...

It's been ages since this thread has been touched, but events do happen in the passing of an age.

I bought a VCR/DVD recorder, and I tied my XBox through the sucker. Following that, I found an Oblivion website consortium that offers mods, discussion forums, and a players' gallery.

I've been having fun with my latest and greatest character. After countless incarnations with varying races, classes and playing styles, I role-played a female assassin character who, in my bout of nostalgia, I modeled after my fanfic vision of an Amazon from Diablo II. She's the first female character I've played because she's the first I managed to get to look "just right".

A little late, but here she is. With playing styles, I've had the most fun with archery rather than spellcasting or melee. You have arrow physics come into play: the shot will drop due to gravity and you have to take range and respective elevation between shooter and target into consideration. Wind is not a factor, though, and you can have a shootout in the middle of a raging thunderstorm without ill effect. Inflicting damage, especially against fairly robust species like ogres and minotaurs, is a problem— archery is definitely not suitable for indoor tussles as you need open ground to keep the angry bad guy beyond arms' length.

[Drasca]

I bought a VCR/DVD recorder, and I tied my XBox through the sucker. Following that, I found an Oblivion website consortium that offers mods, discussion forums, and a players' gallery.

Finally! Looking good Rhydd.





Old now, but that was the alpha version of my latest character. I had refined the process later on, but this is when it all came to look goooooood.

[kandrathe]

Here is a small pic of my current Mystic Elf, Lydia...



and a larger closeup...

Lydia Face Shot

[Sirian]

Inflicting damage, especially against fairly robust species like ogres and minotaurs, is a problem— archery is definitely not suitable for indoor tussles as you need open ground to keep the angry bad guy beyond arms' length.

Block.

I've had to "melee with bow" many a time. Blocking causes them to recoil briefly, which improves your damage ratio vs theirs.

Tempt Fate. (Remember that term?)

Many foes have short range. Some of the shortest, like Wolves and Boars, Zombies and anything wielding a dagger, can be danced around at will. Works great for long-reach melee action, too.


Of course, yes, stealth is a big deal, but unfortunately Chameleon is broken at the upper end, while NOT maxing it out when you -can- do so still leaves you with one surprise shot and then a melee situation, unless you are indoors in mostly-dark places at the time.


By the by, Drasca... I managed to reach Arena Grand Champion at clvl 3 with no level-up-sandbagging, using a stock Barbarian class char. Was a challenge! (Check out RB SG 20 at CFC for more info).


- Sirian

[Rhydderch Hael]

...Of course, yes, stealth is a big deal, but unfortunately Chameleon is broken at the upper end, while NOT maxing it out when you -can- do so still leaves you with one surprise shot and then a melee situation, unless you are indoors in mostly-dark places at the time....

I've killed opponents by inflicting multiple stealth strikes. Of course, sniping them in the back at ranges over 75 yards does tend to help, especially with your Sneak at 100. All without Chameleon.

It works best when their back is turned to you— if they were facing you at impact, they seem to know where you are immediately.

I enjoyed things as soon as I picked up Expert skill in archery. Nothing is quite as cruel as knocking an enemy down, then rushing up to feed a few more rounds into their prone body before they can stagger back to their feet. Knocking down (or paralyzing) an enemy isn't all that great for a long-range sniper because it upsets my lay of the shot. That, and a prone figure presents a much smaller target aspect.

[kandrathe]

...

I enjoyed things as soon as I picked up Expert skill in archery. Nothing is quite as cruel as knocking an enemy down, then rushing up to feed a few more rounds into their prone body before they can stagger back to their feet. Knocking down (or paralyzing) an enemy isn't all that great for a long-range sniper because it upsets my lay of the shot. That, and a prone figure presents a much smaller target aspect.

I can usually pump in a few ranged destruction spells into them while they are down without much trouble, and it usually is enough to drop thier health to the point that a couple more arrows will finish them off.

[Rhydderch Hael]

I can usually pump in a few ranged destruction spells into them while they are down without much trouble, and it usually is enough to drop thier health to the point that a couple more arrows will finish them off.

My assassin's (Cassie) best spells are a healing and invisibility spell. That is to say, a meager 80-point healing spell that she can cast once every 40 seconds because one cast consumes 80% of her mana pool, and a 5-second invisibility spell that is only useful for running across a lit hallway (which is why I named it Shadowjump).

Her most powerful offensive spell is the Weak Fireball she picked up from the head of the Mages' Guild Skingrad chapter. Mudcrabs and deer don't have a chance, and I can take out Imps with no problem (as long as they don't move before I lay in the second cast...)

Cassie's trick is using acrobatics to find a high perch. In the wilderness, this means the tallest, most pointy boulder in the area. Stone structures around Imperial or Aleyid ruins serve their turn as well. Another perk of the stealth-based class— the ability to explore places on the vertical as well as the common foot slog. Navigating Oblivion gets a bit easier when you can jump across a lava strait rather than run the rat's maze the level designers imposed.