Newbie - essential questions Options

[Duezala]

Hello there,

I just bought Oblivion and come from an adventure/exploration gaming background. This games looks interesting but I have a few questiions:

- Is it possible to successfully play the game without having to kill and can I do this by setting the difficulty slider on '0'?

- Can I die in this game? If so, will I have to start over from scratch?


I just really want to manoever in all the environments and meet the characters without having to fight. I don't mind the magic and stealth, providing I'm not spending my time stealing or what not.

Bit lame, I know...but does anyone mind addressing my questions and offering me some tips?

thanks

[The Metal Mallet]

For the most part, if you decide to ignore the main quest all together, the only fighting you have to do is in the tutorial, as violence is forced upon you during it. Once you get throught the tutorial though, you can avoid fighting, though exploring ruins and such would be difficult as they are often inhabited by aggressive creatures. It would be a bit of a challenge to avoid all chances of getting into fights with creatures, I'm not sure that there's any calming spells that work on creatures, I haven't really used those kind of spells with my characters.

To answer your other question, if you do die, you must load from your previous savepoint. You can save anytime during the game, if you're entering buildings from time to time the game will autosave, othertimes you can use the quicksave option which is F9 if I remember correctly. Then there's a save option from the main menu which can be accessed by pressing Esc while playing. So make sure to save often if you're planning on avoiding fights, because you'll definately need to reload often.

You won't be able to do man quests, as the more often than not, require defeating monsters and stuff, though I guess you could run through Oblivion while having creatures chase after you in some sort of hellish gauntlet.

Hope that helps

[Duezala]

Yes, that helps; although, I have progressed a bit and as a Breton, Sage and Healer I'm able to subdue aggressors with fire bolts and other spells -- so its not too bad. I was worried that I'd have to use blades, bows, axes and all other gory paraphernalia. So far, I've been collecting these for trade but have no intention of ever using them. I like the game. Its proven to be a pretty good adventure and the dialogue is not bad either.

[mritchey]

I think that is a pretty interesting approach ... no weapons, only magic. You will have to kill some people/creatures but can probably avoid it most times by just making yourself invisible and running away. For example, you don't have to kill anybody to close an oblivion gate ... just run through it healing yourself as necessary until you take the sigil stone to close it.

[Pisces]

Illusion is definitely the magic skill you want, calm, command, chamleon, invisability; if you cast invisability then the enemy will most likely run up and attack the spot you were last at (which can actaully hit you) but you are free to move around without being attacked, you need to recast it after you've done things like cast spells, open chests, pick up items, move through doors, but if you have high enough willpower and illusion you'll never run out of magic.

[mritchey]

One thing I forgot that does happen ... it seems some of the creepy crawlies can cast detect life and see me when I am invisible. Doesn't happen often but be prepared to run when it does happen.

[Tellie]

I know it is difficult to beat the game without using weapons...but I stick to that way, only time I used a weapon on my last character, was when the mission required me to do so, for example at the tutorial, and such....and I'll promise you, on maximum difficulty thats HARD...but doable yes.

[Duezala]

I think that is a pretty interesting approach ... no weapons, only magic. You will have to kill some people/creatures but can probably avoid it most times by just making yourself invisible and running away. For example, you don't have to kill anybody to close an oblivion gate ... just run through it healing yourself as necessary until you take the sigil stone to close it.

Geez, at the Oblivion Gate I didn't believe I had enough magic/illusion competency to protect myself from the fire bolts and ended up gearing up on armour and smashing the demons and other beings to pieces with my axe blade <sigh>. However, once I'd closed the gate I took off my armour and returned to my anti-violence mode. It is interesting how this game demands a definitive in-the-moment decision as to whether one will lean on immediately accessible defenses - maladaptive as they may be -- for the expedience of self-preservation, or to have the courage and confidence to go outside one's comfort zone (mid-crisis) to cultivate lesser developed skills for the sake of realizing a vision of self-mastery. This game allows us to define who [our character] is by the choices made throughout the journey -- very unique for a video game.

This post has been edited by Duezala: Jul 20 2006, 03:28 AM

[DoomedOne]

Work on your stealth a lot, at high levels it's practically free invisibility as long as you stick to shadows.

I had a character that was a sage, and he was very non-violent and only killed daedric creatures because well, they don't die. I learned paralysis, and got really good at it, and that helped me for the most part.

[Abu the Cat]

You're afraid of killing things ? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...! You shouldn't have bought Oblivion ! It's about killing things and other stuff! Axes, blades, bows, and warhammers are what you get if you're not about magic, so, don't be an Orc! Nords can restore and destruct, but, that's about it aside from killing things w/ weapons. Why do you think Oblivion is rated M?

[Ibis]

Hey hey hey there kat!! Everybody has their own style. People have to ease on in to gaming too. I regretfully gave away my original first edition Tomb Raider I game because I just couldn't shoot the wolves in the ice cave after having owned a Eskimo/wolf dog in Texas.

Now I can shoot wolves with wild glee, orcs, elves, khajiits ... even kittykats!

[Abu the Cat]

...Now I can shoot wolves with wild glee, orcs, elves, khajiits ... even kittykats!

No killing kitties ! Unless they're bandit Khajiits/mountain lions/those rare Khajiits that really piss you off. The only mer I like are Dun (the only elves I like are dark, go here to see more). Orcs, mer that are Bos and Alt, and wolves are ok. Oh, no! What have I done?!

[Ibis]

Whoa ... nice dictionary there, Abu! Thanks. Alrighty then, do you know how to bathe a cat??? hmmmm.....?

[DungeonHunter]

a little off topic here...

[Ibis]

Yeh your right Dungeon Hunter, thanks for the reminder.

Well, the topic authors approach is original ... wanting to win the quest without taking lives. Hard to do in a game but actually a much more challenging approach than mere slaughter of numbers.

I have thought of another way. My hubby has made a character class that he calls Brawler that uses no weapons .. just fights with his fists. He is a big Orc wearing Heavy Armor. He punches out and stuns unconcious rather than killing.

Also make enchanted weapons that have reflect more than direct damages like fire, frost, etc. That will work good against Magicka, they'll kill themselves. And put fairly long paralysis enchantments on weapons against fighters ... just paralyze them and then do what you wish and get away before they move again.

[kabbila]

hand to hand goes well...however it becomes hard against bigger opponents & armed guys like guards... it doesnt penetrate armour u see. however a paraliser can do all i think without killing.

ow, a conjured doesnt have to kill anything himselff AND complete the main quest... hi's creatures kill, not him. but it depends how you take this.

This post has been edited by kabbila: Aug 21 2006, 09:26 PM

[Intestinal Chaos]

I think that is a pretty interesting approach ... no weapons, only magic. You will have to kill some people/creatures but can probably avoid it most times by just making yourself invisible and running away. For example, you don't have to kill anybody to close an oblivion gate ... just run through it healing yourself as necessary until you take the sigil stone to close it.

Geez, at the Oblivion Gate I didn't believe I had enough magic/illusion competency to protect myself from the fire bolts and ended up gearing up on armour and smashing the demons and other beings to pieces with my axe blade <sigh>. However, once I'd closed the gate I took off my armour and returned to my anti-violence mode. It is interesting how this game demands a definitive in-the-moment decision as to whether one will lean on immediately accessible defenses - maladaptive as they may be -- for the expedience of self-preservation, or to have the courage and confidence to go outside one's comfort zone (mid-crisis) to cultivate lesser developed skills for the sake of realizing a vision of self-mastery. This game allows us to define who [our character] is by the choices made throughout the journey -- very unique for a video game.

I admire your insight, yes a lot of people miss this point about the game. I'm glad to see that there are other people out there that are unfamiliar with the game and yet play it in an intelligent and mature way nontheless. Mostly we just get people like Abu here.

[Shadowolf]

There's this mod that makes animals that wouldn't be agressive by nature like that in Oblvion. Then get this robe that makes you invisible. I forgot where I got it though. People won't be able to see you, and therefore, attack you.

[Parkillous]

Ned... Is that you? Ned Flanders?

[Abu the Cat]

...Mostly we just get people like Abu here.

Are you saying that I'm a mindless drone that wants to hack, smash, shoot, kill, mame, loot, and destroy, and nothing else, and is also stupid? Fart knocker!