The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is loaded with content, from the base game to the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine expansions (not to mention all the other add-on content). Between finishing the story, completing faction quests or doing your own thing, there’s plenty to keep you busy. But what are some of the lesser-known or least obvious things you could do? Let’s delve into 15 of them here, starting with…
Meeting Todd Howard
For some reason, Todd Howard himself voicing a character – Alban Corinis – seems right and the fact that Virtuos didn’t remove him from the remaster is also amazing. The downside is that you can only visit him on PC using console commands. Hit the “~” key and type “coc toddtest” to teleport to the test cells where Corinis awaits and have fun with all the dialogue (and cursing).
Encounter a Unicorn
Found in Harcane Grove, the Unicorn is a unique mount in that it will outright destroy you if you even raise a fist against it. It’s only vulnerable to certain types of damage like magic, Daedric, and Enchanted weapons (or attacks from wild animals). If you want it as a mount, the best way to do so is stealth. It’s not the best mount in the game since it keeps returning to the Grove if you dismount, but the appeal of riding in on a unicorn is simply too high.
The Bloated Float
One of the cooler inns to stay at in the Imperial City is The Bloated Float, located in the Waterfront District. It’s literally an inn on a boat, albeit docked to the harbor. However, if you sleep in it, the quest, “An Unexpected Voyage,” begins wherein pirates have hijacked the ship. It’s up to you to take them out (or negotiate a peaceful surrender with the leader in exchange for her weapon). Relatively straightforward, sure, but still a hilarious surprise.
Oford Gabings
In the quest, “Unfriendly Competition,” players must investigate a merchant Thoronir, who’s believed to be selling illegal wares (and at dirt-cheap prices, thus hurting the other vendors’ businesses). Upon investigating and discovering his supplier, Agarmir, you can eventually follow the latter to his house and find the Macabre Manifest.
As it turns out, Agarmir is a grave robber, and the manifest outlines every grave he’s stolen from. One notable name is Oford Gabings, an anagram for Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings. And if it seems like too much of a coincidence, the items listed bear a striking similarity to Frodo’s sword, Sting, the One Ring, and much more.
Easy Feeding
Vampirism can be rough, especially with the fire vulnerability and aversion to sunlight. Even if it offers some nifty benefits, going without feeding for a long time can cause those weaknesses to become more severe. However, if you sneak up on sleeping NPCs, you can feed without interruption. Others can still catch you in the act, so for the best results, try feeding on those sleeping in inns and giving them a night to remember.
Access The Testinghall
If you want even more dev room shenanigans, enter “coc testinghall” in the console command to go to the Testinghall – a venerable warehouse of all the game’s weapons, armor, books, and more. There’s even a town, Hawkhaven, and a place to feed on someone if you’re a vampire (if you prefer the easy route, of course). Whether you’re in the mood to grab some Mythic Dawn Armor or observe all the different creatures, it’s a venerable treasure trove.
Effect Stacking
Oblivion Remastered finally added the ability to sprint, but what if that’s not enough? What if you need even more speed? Effect stacking is where it’s at. You can have different spells with similar effects, allowing you to stack Fortify Speed and Acrobatics to a ludicrous degree. It’s ridiculously broken and makes Restoration one of the premier Skills.
Base Dispositions
If you ever thought you imagined that some NPCs treated you differently depending on your character’s race, well, you didn’t. Each has a different base disposition towards others, whether it’s the Argonians’ disdain towards Dark Elves and High Elves or everyone acting hostile towards Orcs (except for other Orcs). Perhaps the most “liked” race is the Wood Elves, with not a single NPC race harboring hatred towards them.
Evil Side
While the Hero of Kvatch is canonically a do-gooder, it’s possible to dive completely into evil role-play thanks to how the disposition system works. Earn enough bounties and Infamy while having a high Personality stat, and enemies will gradually stop attacking you. It’s incredible to witness first-hand as bandits, necromancers, and even Dremora seemingly acknowledge your presence.
Giant Enemy (Mud)Crab
Remember when Genji: Days of the Blade was hyped at Sony’s E3 2006 conference with footage of the iconic Giant Enemy Crab? Whether intentional or not, you can find a Giant Mudcrab in Greenmead Cave northeast of Skingrad. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about it – even if its stats are the same – but it’s a cool, potential Easter egg.
Target Practice
In the Nibenay Valley, south of Ondo and east of Bravil is the Peryite’s Shrine where five followers can be found frozen unless you save them. Before you activate the shrine, attack any of the followers in question. They won’t take damage, but you’ll still receive progress for skills, which extends to Blade, Destruction, Marksman, and so on. It’s a great way to level these up without slaying live targets.
Clamming Up
Clams can often be found in the water, containing Pearls to sell. However, they also serve as safe containers – if you’re running low on inventory space and don’t want to get rid of certain items, stuff them inside a Clam. Since they’re near the exit from the Imperial City Sewers, it’s ideal for starting characters to plunder the countryside and store any excess loot inside them for safekeeping before venturing to the city.
Poisoning NPCs
The Poisoned Apple is one of the most potent assassination tools in the game since you won’t receive a bounty for killing with them, and they’re capable of slaying any non-essential NPC (provided they eat it). If that’s not enough, they’re easy to use. Any food you place on an NPC’s plate will be eaten, and they’ll do the same even if it’s a Poisoned Apple.
Turning Traps Against Enemies
After exiting the sewers at the start, there are several nearby caves and ruins to navigate, full of items, riches and bandits/goblins to slay. You may have fallen victim to hanging traps like spiked logs, but they can be turned against your attackers with minimal fuss. Attack an enemy and run towards an area with the trap, then hold E and move back to pull it. Release E and watch it smack an enemy in the face.
Attack NPCs Outside of Cities
Is there a specific NPC that you don’t like the look of or want to liberate of their belongings? Keep a close eye on them, day and night, and wait till they head out of town. You can intercept them along the way and take them out. Just ensure you research their schedules accordingly and choose the most secluded locations.
