Oblivion - money

[orangat]

What is the best way to get gold?
My character is suffering for lack for proper arms and spells. I think I started off with just a few weakass spells like 5% defense and flare for 6hp damage.

[lars573]

The Arena. Your purses for victory start at 100 gold for each one. And go up about 50-100 gold each level in rank you get. 3-4 battles to advance and they aren't that hard.

[Murmandamus]

It's pointless trying to raise money for equipment due to the loot scaling. You can't buy better weapons until you're at a higher level and when you get there, all the bandits are wearing the same stuff as the shops anyway, so you can get it for free.

It's probably the biggest flaw of the game.

If you want somewhere to loot, go to Chorral and do the abandoned mine near the gate. It's full of bandits, so you can get plenty of loot.

[Xiahou]

If you're really desperate, alot of the equipment in guild halls isnt considered stolen if you take it. So, you can grab it and sell it to any merchant. Obviously, this is a one trick pony- once the stuff's gone, its gone.

If the hand icon isnt red when you point at the item, it's cool.

[Sjakihata]

If the hand icon isnt red when you point at the item, it's cool.

Nice tip - didnt know that!

[orangat]

It's pointless trying to raise money for equipment due to the loot scaling. You can't buy better weapons until you're at a higher level and when you get there, all the bandits are wearing the same stuff as the shops anyway, so you can get it for free.

It's probably the biggest flaw of the game.

If you want somewhere to loot, go to Chorral and do the abandoned mine near the gate. It's full of bandits, so you can get plenty of loot.

But I need gold to learn spells. The spells my character has is pitiful.

[Xiahou]

Nice tip - didnt know that!

It's kind of comical when you pick something up off the desk the guild alchemist is sitting at only to immediately sell it back to them.

[Sjakihata]

It's kind of comical when you pick something up off the desk the guild alchemist is sitting at only to immediately sell it back to them.

Yeah, there's a lot of seemingly atmosphere breaking elements. I also detest the fact, that your character can immediately identify the value and weight of an object, just by glancing at it. And that it is only expensive books that you can learn something from (skill wise).
Alas, that's what we get - we have to grap it (if we want something).

[[DnC]]

Yeah, there's a lot of seemingly atmosphere breaking elements. I also detest the fact, that your character can immediately identify the value and weight of an object, just by glancing at it. And that it is only expensive books that you can learn something from (skill wise).
Alas, that's what we get - we have to grap it (if we want something).

Good point. It would be nice if your mercantile skill somehow had an effect on how much an item is worth or how good you are at accurately identifying the value of items. For example the higher your mercantile skill, the higher you can sell items because you are better at evaluating items for their "actual" value. And weightwise; The moment you pick up an item it can change to a different weight? But what skill to use to identify an item's weight? Or perhaps using the attribute strength to determine an item's weight? The higher the better? Perhaps intelligence? I'm just thinking of something here, perhaps there are better ideas. Maybe it can be modded.

About learning skills; There are also quests where you can gain permanent increased skills and I think attributes as well, but I'm not quite sure on the latter. Sometimes it's an NPC "teaching" you new tricks and sometimes it's an strange object or something that increases skills(/attributes). Again I'm not sure on the latter, but my mage has a quests where the latter seems to be the case.

[Sjakihata]

Yes, I know you can learn skills in a gazillion ways - what I mean is, that in books only the expensive ones will learn you a new skill, so if you run over a bookshelf, you'll which to read to learn a skill, it sucks since you dont really know the books content just its price.

[[DnC]]

Sorry misunderstood you there

[doc_bean]

Yes, I know you can learn skills in a gazillion ways - what I mean is, that in books only the expensive ones will learn you a new skill, so if you run over a bookshelf, you'll which to read to learn a skill, it sucks since you dont really know the books content just its price.

Was exactly the same in Morrowind wasn't it ?

[lars573]

It was. I "read" (really it's just open) every book I came across in case it give a skill boost. Although in Oblivion skill boost books are a little more rare. Good thing IMO.

[orangat]

After wondering around I have a few tips.
Selling arrows one by one is a cheap way of raising mercantile and getting better prices overall. Selling potions is another way of making money.

[John86]

Well I just found something really cool. I was doing this quest for the thieves guild where you have to find the arrow of extinction. You travel through underground tunnels in the sea near bravil. You can reach it without doing the quest, travel to Bravil castle, go to north wing. When you open the door to north wing, go left. There is a secret entrance in that room. When you get to the underground tunnels, you see that a certain area goes very deep. Be sure to bring water breathing potions. Go down all the way, it takes about 20 seconds. When you get to the bottom youll see a giant slaughterfish. Kill it, it drops all kinds of goodys. I got a shield of deflection and various other armor things.

[Sjakihata]

Was exactly the same in Morrowind wasn't it ?

Yes, and it still sucked then.

[[DnC]]

Well I just found something really cool. I was doing this quest for the thieves guild where you have to find the arrow of extinction. You travel through underground tunnels in the sea near bravil. You can reach it without doing the quest, travel to Bravil castle, go to north wing. When you open the door to north wing, go left. There is a secret entrance in that room. When you get to the underground tunnels, you see that a certain area goes very deep. Be sure to bring water breathing potions. Go down all the way, it takes about 20 seconds. When you get to the bottom youll see a giant slaughterfish. Kill it, it drops all kinds of goodys. I got a shield of deflection and various other armor things.

I found that Giant Slaughterfish as well and had a really tough time beating it! Was fun though.

At the moment I'm doing the Go Fish quest (new character/battlemage) and the fish that's supposed to be at the quest marker is nowhere in sight! ARGH! With my first character (Thief) I couldn't find one fish and after about a half an hour I suddenly saw the fish "swimming" in the air, well it was actually just sitting there doing nothing. I thought this might again be the case, but I couldn't find him even in the air. To bad levitation is not in the game, maybe he flew to heaven, then I might have reached him. Perhaps it's a mod that's causing this problem, but it sure is annoying!

[orangat]

The levitation thing is a bug. I've seen an npc floating about.

[Murmandamus]

Yes, I know you can learn skills in a gazillion ways - what I mean is, that in books only the expensive ones will learn you a new skill, so if you run over a bookshelf, you'll which to read to learn a skill, it sucks since you dont really know the books content just its price.

That's actually not the case any more. The prices seem random and you can learn from low price books too. I've had a skill increase from a book worth 5 septims.

On raising cash, apparently there are a few good caverns for loot. I've had some other good caves, but I didn't make a note of them. You'll want some feather or strength boosting items though to maximize your trips.

This is from the official forums:

"Well all loot is random, but two good places to look are kingcrest cavern and crayfish cave. At level 18 I found a night eye ring, and in bloody useful. crayfish cave is east of the imperial city, there is a river that branches out into two rivers at the south end, on the east branch you can find crayfish cave,Kingcrest cavern is NNW from cheydenhall, (look for the chests underwater.)"

[Fragony]

Yeah, there's a lot of seemingly atmosphere breaking elements. I also detest the fact, that your character can immediately identify the value and weight of an object, just by glancing at it. And that it is only expensive books that you can learn something from (skill wise).
Alas, that's what we get - we have to grap it (if we want something).

Having to express such a complaint just emphasises what a omfgohsoawesome job they did with this game

Love it, amazing.............truely.

[Somebody Else]

A quick way to get some start-up money, I find, is to wander through an Ayleid ruin or two - the one directly ahead as you exit the sewers has a few bandits and a few undead in it - as well as a fair few random bits of loot - nothing spectacular, but it's a handy way to get some combat experience for your character, and a coupla thousand gold - just remember to try to keep your gold to weight ratios high - no sense lugging a 40 pound cuirass worth 180, when you could have 40 1-pound welkynd stones at 50 each...

[BDC]

There are some simple mods which allow your character to hold lots more. Now this is a little bit silly, but no less silly than my elf collapsing after carrying a pebble. I'm playing a game, I don't want it to be stressful, it should be fun.

Plus I can now actually loot places and make some money, rather than dragging a single sword out each time.

[Somebody Else]

Hmm... I have a habit (early on) of selling everything I have, going well-nigh naked into a tomb - steal the arms and armour off the first bandit I kill (sneak attack with a bow or something...) I'll come out with a full suit of steel armour or something to convert into ready cash.

Joining the Thieves' Guild is an obvious one.

I don't find I ever spend much money though - just on training and repairing (and the occasional quest-related task). That and paying off my fines. There's plenty enough by way of decent equipment out there for the taking...

[Ja'chyra]

On the weight issue, I use the saddlebags mod that gives you a choice of your horse carrying up to 500lbs or an unlimited weight. I use the 500lb limit one as the other seems too much of an exploit but having your horse carry some stuff seems quite logical to me.

Oh, for those with no horse

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

If you do the first couple of steps of the main quest you have to take the amulet of Kings to Jauffre at the Priory. If you talk to both of the othe monks that are there one gives you a skill book and the other lets you use his horse. It's not the best of horses, the poor old nag, but at that stage of the game it beats walking and you can then use the saddlebags mod

[phred]

A quick way to get some start-up money, I find, is to wander through an Ayleid ruin or two - the one directly ahead as you exit the sewers has a few bandits and a few undead in it - as well as a fair few random bits of loot - nothing spectacular, but it's a handy way to get some combat experience for your character, and a coupla thousand gold - just remember to try to keep your gold to weight ratios high - no sense lugging a 40 pound cuirass worth 180, when you could have 40 1-pound welkynd stones at 50 each...

You may not want to sell welkynd stones as they can be used to recharge magic weapons. I haven't used them for that purpose, but I read that you could.

[[DnC]]

You may not want to sell welkynd stones as they can be used to recharge magic weapons. I haven't used them for that purpose, but I read that you could.

Welkynd partially recharge and Varla stones completely recharge if I'm correct.

[Somebody Else]

Welkynd stones for personal magicka, Varla stones for enchanted weapons... Je croix.

[phred]

Welkynd stones for personal magicka, Varla stones for enchanted weapons... Je croix.

thanks for the correction.

[Somebody Else]

Another thing - collect ingredients, and make potions - doesn't matter what they are - you can still sell them. Plus it boosts your alchemy stat.

[Rosacrux redux]

Hey, lads, I am considering an RPG for I haven't played one for ages... and Oblivion seems one of the few (very few) candidates. Can you tell me how good you consider it to be and if it's worth it's money? If it's stable, if there is content available, how many hours it plays, if there's real replay value, (VERY IMPORTANT->) how improved the controls from Morrorwind are etc. etc. etc. I am not into online gaming so I am not even considering a MMORPG