The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

[WytchDokta]

Just a heads up for players with Khajiit character builds wishing to play the Shivering Isles DLC. *Spoilers* regarding this heads up follow:

If you have a Khajiit character build, DO NOT talk to Ushnar gro-Shadborgob the [friendly] NPC Orc in Crucible. If you do he will send his dog to attck you because [ushnar] hates 'cats.' However, the city guard, the Mazken, WILL attack the dog.

Also, if you have a character build from a different race, Ushnar will give you a quest, and upon completion he will give you his 'old dog' (a skinned hound) as a companion who WILL follow you back into Cyrodiil. However, this dog IS NOT tagged as essential so therefore will die and NOT respawn/go 'unconscious' (however, the wait one hour trick when there are no enemies around will instantly restore ALL of your companions' health aswell as that of your own)

[WytchDokta]

Another heads up, this time for those of you wanting to get the skinned/zombie dog companion from Ushnar:

The skinned/zombie dog companion:

- CANNOT be interacted with like other companions. In other words you cannot dismiss it or tell it to wait, which can potentially compromise sneak/stealth missions. However, I am yet to be detected on a sneak mission with the dog with me. If your Sneak, Illusion and Marksman skills (or skillz in some peoples' case) are high enough, you will be able to kill enemies without them detecting the dog first. Chances are, the dog will be detected before you, if you are detected at all.

- NEARLY ALWAYS goes missing while fast traveling. However, it WILL come back if you wait/sleep for some time. On some occasions, you will need to wait and etremely long length of time for it to come back - as an example: In the Shivering Isles, I fast traveled from New Sheoth (Palace area) to one of the camps down the road around the corner from Dunroot Burrow. I'd already done the missions there but was going back on a loot run. I arrive at the camp and the dog was gone, yet it was with me at the Palace prior to fast traveling. I waited 5 hours. No dog. I waited another 5 hours. STILL no dog. I waited another 10 hours (20 hours total now), and guess what? Yes, it's that predictable: NO DOG. So, I came to the conclusion that the dog had be killed on its way back to me. I continued into Dunroot Burrow (without the dog no less.) I gets halfway through the first section when I hear what sounds like the dogs footsteps coming up fast behind me, which could have been a hostile skinned dog (although doubtful as none inhabit Dunroot Burrow). I turn around to see my skinned/zombie dog behind me wagging his tail at me.

- Has very loud footsteps for a dog.

- Amusingly stops and howls at any and all dead bodies it comes across.

- Doesn't seem to be able to cope with walking up/down certain sets of steps. This can however be remedied - walk past the dog back down the steps (go back on yourself.) The dog will follow. Now, turn around and head back up the stairs again, the dog will make it up the stairs fine this time.

- Has a skull for a head, with red eyes. For the win.

**Possible glitch/bug with the skinned/zombie dog: The skinned/zombie dog companion seems to get attacked by friendlies in the Shivering Isles, when you get to choose sides. I'm up to the Flame of Agnon quest (completed the questline with my Khajiit character build, now going through with an Imperial) and I'm siding with the Golden Saints this time, yet the Golden Saints, NOT the Dark Seducers, killed my dog. I even reloaded a save three times and retried that part, but everytime, friendlies NOT enemies killed the dog. Yet, BEFORE the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers go to battle friendlies DID NOT attack my dog. WTH?**

EDIT: Ooops, that would be Dunroot Burrow not Dunbarrow Cove.

Edited December 19, 2010 by WytchDokta

[WytchDokta]

Cool. This enchanted ring I just found that grants +30% Fire resistance is ideal for my Dark Elf build - it stacks with the innate Dark Elf +75% Fire resistance 'always on' ability. So that means, +105% Fire resistance, complete immunity to fire. Hence, Oblivion gates where 100 times easier to clear with Dark Elf build with +105% Fire resistance. The thing is, this game differentiates between fire and lava, fire resistance grants no resistance to lava. Meaning that the beginning part of the Great Gate can still cause great trouble for many players trying to jump over the lava pools on the left side to reach the cave door (the second door on the left, I've never been through the first and I'm pretty sure it doesn't lead towards the Oblivion tower with the sigil stone in it anyway.) Most players will simply land short, in the laval itself. Thus, the 2-3 lava pools there will take out over half your health.

Been having some fun with the Mages Tower (Frost Crag Spire) DLC. It allows you to 'summon' Atronachs of the Flame, Frost and Storm varieties. BUT, these are NOT summoned via Great Power spells, they are sommoned through a sacrifice of a certain amount of each of the types of salts they drop (so a Flame Atronach requires 3xfire salts to be summoned.) Flesh Atronachs from the Shivering Isles DLC cannot be summoned in the Mages Tower, but are summonable through a Greater Power spell later in the Shivering Isles questline (IMO, it would be infinitely better if it was summon Gatekeeper (which is an Atronach anway))

Atronaches summoned in the Mages Tower will act as 'familiars.' Approach them and press interact (the interact icon will not display) and you can give them the same orders as standard companions. They are, however, a lot stronger and hit a lot harder, whilst having a number of resistances and immunities, etc. So they are way better than standard companions. They can even attack fast at both range and in melee.

I took a Frost Atronach familiar with me to the Battle for Bruma. That made a lot of difference, even though my Frost Atronach familiar seemed to be a Deadroth magnet. Thus he didn't make it to the Great Gate, but held out long enough, while being constantly hit (those things are tanks), to survive almost all waves of Daedra coming out of the 3 smaller gates, even with 3 Deadroth piling on him at one point. However, those 3 Deadroth struck the killing blow to my Frost Atronach familiar. Sad times.

I also took a Flame Atronach with me to the Battle for the Temple of One. Again, this made a difference. The Ancestor Guardian (Dark Elf greater power) also made an appearance during this battle. I gotta laugh at all the Kynreeves etc spamming me with fire attacks even though I have +105% Fire resistance.

BTW, for those that are interested - there is an awesome set of enchanted leather armoUr including [black] hood, in the Mehrune's Razor DLC. The cuirass alone provides +15% restance to normal weapon attacks and +15% resistance to magic attacks, the greaves grant 65 points 'Feather' (in effect gives you 65 points more inventory space), and the hood gives you Detect Life 80 in foot radius. These are stats for the lower level version of this armoUr - for example, my Khajiit has a higher level version of this armoUr (level 20 Khajiit), which gives Detect Life in 100 foot radius and Feather 80 points. The initial armoUr values of the this set seem to be 1-2 points higher than that of standard leather armoUr too.

Edited December 24, 2010 by WytchDokta

[WytchDokta]

Just completed the Thieves Guild missions. Now I have 100% achievements for this game.

Some tough missions they are, and non-stealth players need not apply. I used an Imperial to carry out the Thieves Guild missions - while not as good at all things stealth as a Khajiit or an Argonian (Argonian set up as a 'Shadowscale' FTW), they have the Voice of the Emperor greater power, which allows them to charm people. I didn't really have any invisibility potions or spell, except the Jones Shadow greater power (granted to players via the Doomstone known as the Jone Stone), but not to worry, I'll just drop a charm spell on that guard that is looking at the door I need to pick the lock of then go inside without the guard coming after me (that does NOT work on all TG missions though, it certainly didn't work on the last few missions)

I reinstated my Nord too. Having fun playing this character differently - my other three characters (Dark Elf, Khajiit and Imperial) are all stealth based. I think I now have a non-stealth build I'm happy with, using the 'Create Custom Class' function to embrace the race specific skills - as I did with my stealth builds. Going around without a bow to snipe stuff at range is taking some getting used too, but atleast I can sell the arrows now. Cureently only level 3 with the Nord and already I'm nearly at Journeyman skill level for the Armourer skill (I'm just basically repairing everything as soon as it gets damage, not matter how small the damage. Getting my tank on at the moment too, as at level 3 I already have a set of ebony armour. I decided to hunt down and kill Umbra at the Vindasel Ayleid Ruin. That was a brutal fight, but the Nord 'Woad' shield (seriously, woad is a blue coloured dye, how does it function as a shield? O_o ) is my friend. The other Nord greater power is extremely powerful too, as it deals 50 Frost damage, but on touch only. Finished off Umbra good and proper that did. I was left with all broken armour, and Umbra's ebony armour was hardly even scratched. Repaired my armour and swapped it out for her armour and the Umbra Sword. Fun times.

To some extent, Umbra is easier to kill with a stealth character if you can get a couple of stealth critical hits on her from an enchanted bow. Or better yet, get a x6 damage stealth critical from an enchanted sword/dagger. Non-stealth characters can't do that as enemies will hear you coming from a mile off, especially when you're wearing heavy armour.