Black

Connor Black
Ms. Mendez
Comp. Exp. Block 1
Expository Essay Final Draft
4/21/16
Character Creation for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a great game for challenge seekers, or jus
t those who want a great game to play and enjoy. In this game, the players charac
ter build determines how they play. I will explain the character creation sequen
ce, from making your character to choosing a birth sign to creating a class.
The first thing you need to know to play Oblivion is how to create a goo
d character. After the intro clip, you are presented with the character building
menu. The only part of this menu that will affect gameplay is the race and gend
er of the character. Each race and gender has their own advantages and disadvant
ages. Gender affects the strength and agility attributes. Most male characters h
ave more strength and less agility, except for the Wood Elf race. Female charact
ers are more agile but have less strength, except for the Wood Elf race. There a
re three categories of races; Human, Elf, and Beast. There are three elven races
, Dark Elf, High Elf, and Wood Elf. Dark Elves have a natural resistance to fire
(IGN). This race is best for spellsword character builds. The next elven race,
High Elves, have additional magica, but are less resilient to harmful spells. Ma
ge builds are best for High Elves. The last of the Elven races, Wood Elf, have a
bonus to the speed and agility attributes. Archers, thief, and assassin builds
are well suited for this race. The human races are more of an all-around race gr
oup. The Imperial and Breton races are suited for magic classes while still focu
sing on combat skills. Nords and Redguards are less suited for magic, focusing m
ore on combat. The last of the race group, the beast races, is the misfit group.
This group consists of Orcs, Argonians, and Khajiits (IGN). Orcs are brutish, p
referring an axe over a blade, and are lacking in magical capability. Argonians,
a reptilian race, are immune to poison and have a resistance to disease, and ha
ve the ability to breath under water. Khajiits, a felinoid race, have the abilit
y to see in the dark and will use their claws in unarmed combat.
Next, after the main tutorial, the player is asked what sign they were b
orn under. This is referring to birth signs, which give a bonus of some kind to
the player. There are many different signs, but I will only cover three. The thr
ee basic signs are the thief, the mage, and the warrior (Bethsoft Game: Oblivion
). The thief sign gives a permanent bonus to the speed, agility, and luck attrib
utes. This sign is best for stealth classes. Next, the mage, gives a bonus one h
undred magica, but makes the player weaker to enemy spells. Mage classes are bes
t for this sign. Finally, the warrior gives a permanent bonus to the strength an
d endurance attributes. Classed based on combat skills are best used with this s
ign.
The final step to creating a character is to create their class. Classes
consist of three parts; the focus, the main attributes, and the major skills. T
here are three focuses; stealth, magic, and combat. There are eight attributes,
and the player chooses from two of them. The attributes are as follows: Strength
, intelligence, willpower, speed, agility, endurance, personality, and luck (Eld
er Scrolls). Stealth classes will want the agility and speed attributes, magical
classes will want intelligence and willpower, and combat classes will want stre
ngth and endurance. The final part of class creation is choosing the major skill
s. Stealth classes will want sneek, security, light armor, archery, and one othe
r skill. Magic classes will use the different types of spells. Finally, combat b
ased classes will want armorer, block, blade, one of the armor skills, and one o
ther skill. For non-magical classes, it is highly advised not to have any of the
spell types and/or the alchemy skill as a main skill.
Finally, after creating a character, choosing a birth sign, and choosing
a class, the player is ready to begin the game. In Oblivion, the character defi

nes the playstyle.

Works Cited
"Bethsoft.com - Age Gate." Bethsoft.com. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion." Elder Scrolls. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Wiki Guide - IGN." IGN. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.