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Forge Armor in Oblivion: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting the Best Gear

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion offers players a vast and immersive world to explore, filled with dangerous creatures, intriguing quests, and countless opportunities for character customization. Among the most rewarding aspects of the game is the ability to forge armor and weapons, allowing you to create powerful gear tailored to your specific playstyle. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of forging armor in Oblivion, covering everything from the necessary skills and materials to the best locations and strategies.

Understanding Armor Crafting in Oblivion

Unlike some other RPGs, Oblivion doesn’t feature a dedicated crafting system where you directly combine raw materials to create armor. Instead, improving your armor involves repairing existing pieces and enchanting them to enhance their properties. While you can’t directly forge armor from scratch, the process of maintaining and improving your equipment is still a crucial part of the game.

The Armorer Skill

The Armorer skill is essential for maintaining and improving your armor. This skill governs your ability to repair damaged armor and increase its condition. The higher your Armorer skill, the more effectively you can repair armor, and the more durable your armor becomes. Investing in the Armorer skill is vital for any character who relies on heavy or light armor for protection.

Increasing your Armorer skill involves repairing damaged armor using a repair hammer. The more armor you repair, the faster your skill will increase. A good strategy is to intentionally damage your armor and then repair it repeatedly. You can purchase repair hammers from blacksmiths and general goods merchants throughout Cyrodiil. [See also: Best Skills to Level Up in Oblivion]

Repairing Armor

Repairing armor is a fundamental aspect of maintaining your equipment in Oblivion. Damaged armor provides less protection, making you more vulnerable to enemy attacks. Regular repairs are essential for ensuring that your armor provides the maximum possible defense. To repair armor, you need a repair hammer and sufficient Armorer skill. Select the broken armor piece in your inventory and use the repair hammer.

The success of your repair depends on your Armorer skill level. A higher skill level increases the likelihood of a successful repair and reduces the amount of damage you inflict on the armor during the repair process. If your skill is too low, you may damage the armor further, reducing its overall condition. It’s always a good idea to improve your Armorer skill before attempting to repair valuable or rare armor pieces.

Acquiring Armor in Oblivion

While you can’t directly forge armor in the traditional sense, acquiring high-quality armor is still a key part of character progression. There are several ways to obtain armor in Oblivion, including purchasing it from merchants, looting it from enemies, and completing quests.

Purchasing Armor

Merchants throughout Cyrodiil sell a variety of armor types, ranging from basic iron armor to more advanced steel and mithril armor. The quality and availability of armor depend on the merchant’s location and your character’s level. Larger cities like the Imperial City and Bruma tend to have merchants with a wider selection of armor. [See also: Best Merchants in Oblivion]

Keep in mind that the price of armor can be quite high, especially for high-quality pieces. It’s a good idea to invest in Speechcraft to improve your haggling skills and get better deals from merchants. You can also find enchanted armor for sale, which offers additional benefits such as increased attributes or resistances.

Looting Armor

Looting armor from enemies is another common way to acquire new gear in Oblivion. Many enemies, particularly bandits and marauders, wear armor that you can loot after defeating them. The quality of the armor you find depends on the enemy’s level and the difficulty of the encounter. Dungeon bosses and high-level creatures often drop valuable armor pieces.

Exploring dungeons and ruins is a great way to find a variety of armor types. Be sure to thoroughly search every container and corpse you come across, as you never know what treasures you might find. Keep in mind that looted armor may be damaged and require repair before you can use it effectively.

Quest Rewards

Completing quests is another excellent way to obtain high-quality armor in Oblivion. Many quests offer unique armor pieces as rewards, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the game. These quest rewards often have special enchantments or unique properties that make them highly desirable.

The Knights of the White Stallion quest line, for example, rewards you with the unique Cuirass of the Savior’s Hide, a powerful piece of light armor with resistance to magic. The Arena quest line also offers several opportunities to acquire valuable armor pieces. Completing faction questlines, such as the Fighters Guild and Mages Guild, can also provide access to unique armor sets.

Enchanting Armor

While you can’t forge armor in the traditional sense, enchanting your existing armor is a powerful way to enhance its properties and customize it to your specific needs. Enchanting allows you to add magical effects to your armor, such as increased attributes, resistances, and offensive abilities.

The Enchanting Process

To enchant armor, you need access to an enchanting altar. These altars can be found in the Arcane University in the Imperial City and in certain Mages Guild halls. You also need soul gems filled with souls. Different souls provide different enchanting effects, with larger souls providing more powerful enchantments. [See also: Soul Trapping Guide for Oblivion]

Once you have the necessary materials, interact with the enchanting altar to begin the enchanting process. You can choose the armor piece you want to enchant, the soul gem you want to use, and the enchantment effect you want to apply. The strength of the enchantment depends on the size of the soul in the soul gem and your character’s Enchanting skill. A higher Enchanting skill allows you to create more powerful and longer-lasting enchantments.

Popular Enchantments

There are many different enchantments you can apply to your armor in Oblivion. Some of the most popular enchantments include:

Fortify Attribute: Increases a specific attribute, such as Strength, Intelligence, or Agility.
Resist Magic: Reduces the amount of damage you take from magical attacks.
Resist Fire/Frost/Shock: Reduces the amount of damage you take from specific elemental attacks.
Feather: Reduces the weight of the armor, allowing you to carry more items.
Constant Effect: Provides a permanent magical effect, such as invisibility or water breathing.

Experiment with different enchantments to find the ones that best suit your playstyle and character build. Combining multiple enchantments on a single piece of armor can create extremely powerful and versatile gear.

Best Armor Sets in Oblivion

While individual pieces of enchanted armor can be powerful, collecting and wearing a complete armor set can provide additional benefits. Certain armor sets offer set bonuses, which provide additional stat boosts or unique abilities when all pieces of the set are worn together.

The Glass Armor Set

The Glass Armor set is one of the best light armor sets in Oblivion. It provides excellent protection and is relatively lightweight, making it ideal for characters who rely on stealth and agility. The Glass Armor set can be found in various locations throughout Cyrodiil, including dungeons, caves, and merchants. It’s also a common reward for completing quests. [See also: Locations to Find Glass Armor]

The Daedric Armor Set

The Daedric Armor set is the best heavy armor set in Oblivion. It provides the highest level of protection and is incredibly durable. However, it’s also very heavy, which can encumber your character and reduce their movement speed. The Daedric Armor set is extremely rare and difficult to obtain. It can only be found in high-level dungeons and as a rare drop from Daedric creatures. You can also obtain pieces of Daedric armor by completing certain quests.

The Knights of the Nine Armor Set

The Knights of the Nine Armor set is a unique set of armor that can only be obtained by completing the Knights of the Nine questline. This set includes several unique pieces of armor, each with its own special enchantment. When all pieces of the set are worn together, they provide a significant boost to your character’s abilities and resistances. The Knights of the Nine Armor set is considered one of the most powerful and desirable armor sets in Oblivion.

Tips and Tricks for Armor in Oblivion

Here are some additional tips and tricks to help you forge armor and improve your equipment in Oblivion:

Invest in the Armorer skill early: The Armorer skill is essential for maintaining and improving your armor. The sooner you start leveling it up, the better.
Carry repair hammers at all times: Repair hammers are essential for repairing damaged armor. Always carry a few with you, especially when exploring dungeons or engaging in combat.
Explore thoroughly: Don’t be afraid to explore every nook and cranny of Cyrodiil. You never know where you might find a valuable piece of armor or a hidden treasure.
Complete quests: Completing quests is a great way to obtain unique and powerful armor pieces.
Experiment with enchantments: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different enchantments to find the ones that best suit your playstyle.
Use soul gems wisely: Soul gems are a valuable resource. Use them wisely when enchanting your armor.

Conclusion

While forging armor in Oblivion isn’t a direct crafting process, mastering the Armorer skill, acquiring high-quality armor through various means, and enchanting your gear are crucial for creating a powerful and well-equipped character. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you can forge armor that will protect you from the dangers of Cyrodiil and help you succeed in your adventures. The ability to repair and enhance your armor contributes significantly to the depth and customization options available in Oblivion, making it a rewarding experience for players who enjoy crafting and character development.