Oblivion Remastered: 7 Skills You Should Never Waste Points On

Summary

Oblivion Remastered enhances visuals with Unreal Engine 5, but gameplay remains mostly unchanged from the original.
Some skills in Oblivion Remastered are deemed useless, like Athletics, Conjuration, Mercantile, Mysticism, Hand to Hand, Acrobatics, and Security.
The leveling system in the remaster may not make all skills worthwhile investments, as some end up being outgrown quickly.

As a passionate fan, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill when Oblivion Remastered suddenly appeared on the horizon. Despite the lack of anticipation leading up to its arrival, my excitement didn’t wane one bit as I dived back into Virtuos Games’ refurbished take on The Elder Scrolls 4. The remaster does a fantastic job enhancing the original game’s appearance, leveraging the powerful Unreal Engine 5 for a visual overhaul. The care and detail that’s been poured into every corner of this visual upgrade truly elevates the timeless gameplay of the original, leaving its core mechanics mostly intact.

Revising slightly the gameplay mechanics and internal workings means that the remastered version of the game retains all the positive aspects of the original, but also keeps most of its shortcomings. The process of leveling up has been adjusted, however, the functions and effects of skills remain the same. This implies that if a skill was weak in Oblivion, it remains just as feeble in Oblivion Remastered. Not every skill offers the same reward for the time invested in leveling them, and some won’t offer any advantage to players during late-game play. For those who wish to bypass these mediocre skills, here are the least useful skills in Oblivion Remastered, ranked according to their effectiveness.

7. Athletics

You Can’t Run Forever

In sports like Athletics, there are benefits for certain characters who can outrun their opponents during combat. However, as enemies grow stronger with level advancement, speed becomes less of a decisive factor. In the remastered version of Oblivion, this aspect is slightly diminished due to a minor gameplay adjustment compared to the original game.

As an enthusiast, I’d like to share some insights about the remaster of this game. In most situations, enemies won’t let go of their pursuit, so if you try to run away, they’ll eventually catch up. Choosing Athletics as a primary skill can speed up your character’s leveling process because you can swim for a while and gain levels quickly. However, in Oblivion, it might not be the best choice if you’re not focusing on improving your damage-dealing skills simultaneously. Overall, there are more advantageous selections for major skills in this game.

6. Conjuration

Summoning Unhelpful Friends

In Oblivion Remastered, one aspect that remains unaltered is the enemy and NPC behavior patterns and artificial intelligence. It retains its inconsistency from the original version, which makes Conjuration a less effective skill than it ought to be. The frequency of instances where summoned minions are defeated before they recognize the opportunity to attack can pose significant challenges for players who heavily invest in Conjuration. Although minions can provide support, relying on them too heavily will leave players disappointed as they fall short of expectations.

Obtaining Atronatch minions from Frostcrag Spire using only alchemy resources reduces the importance of the Conjuration skill to some extent. While summons can help manipulate the leveling system for other abilities, generally speaking, investing in Conjuration may not be the most advantageous choice.

5. Mercantile

The Rich Get Richer

In the beginning stages of the game, having a knack for bargaining and understanding store prices appears beneficial as it helps players acquire necessary resources, maintain their equipment, and even accumulate some wealth. However, as the game progresses, players tend to amass more gold than they can utilize, regardless of their mercantile skills.

The bartering system works not only based on one’s disposition and merchant skills, but also allows players to influence it through persuasive speech or charms (such as Charm). While bartering can be beneficial, it is a skill that many players may eventually find themselves moving beyond.

4. Mysticism

Basically Just Soul Trap

In the world of Oblivion, it could be said that among all magic schools, Mysticism is the one that seems almost pointless at first. At the beginning of the game, this branch of magic offers little benefit to the player. The spells available are Detect Life, Dispel, and Soul Trap. Out of these three, only Soul Trap has any real value – if players intend to enchant items or maintain their charged enchanted items. As players progress to higher levels, a few spells become less irrelevant: Spell Absorption and Spell Reflect.

As a dedicated enthusiast, I must admit that the challenge lies in the fact that these powerful items only become effective once a player achieves expert rank, which can be quite demanding. Notably, there are enchanted gear pieces available that offer similar effects, and they’re permanent. Given this, it seems that other magic schools might serve mages more effectively.

3. Hand To Hand

Slap Fight

In Oblivion Remastered, choosing Hand to Hand combat might not deliver a satisfying fantasy for all players, as it doesn’t seem to function effectively. However, if players know how to locate the Bands of Kwang Lao in the Arena District and obtain them early on, Hand to Hand can prove quite beneficial for gameplay.

As characters progress through levels, the effectiveness of Hand-to-Hand combat tends not to increase proportionately, and the benefits from bands diminish significantly when used as a primary damage source, particularly against heavily armored opponents. While advanced power attacks at higher skill tiers offer beneficial effects such as disarming enemies or even paralyzing them, this advantage is limited due to the inconsistent use of directional power attacks in Oblivion, which can be awkward and difficult to execute consistently. For these reasons, Hand-to-Hand combat is considered the least powerful weapon skill option.

2. Acrobatics

Jump A Bit Higher

In the game, Acrobatics might seem unnecessary, but it plays a crucial role by reducing the damage from falls and introducing a dodge move at an apprentice level. While the increased jump height doesn’t provide much benefit most of the time, it could be useful for ranged players looking to reach ledges that enemies can’t, allowing them to take advantage of difficult melee opponents.

Essentially, the main problem lies in the fact that many of Oblivion‘s dungeons and points of interest lack significant verticality, rendering the ability to jump and reach higher areas largely redundant. The primary reason for investing heavily in the Acrobatics skill is if players prefer leveling up by standing still and jumping repeatedly.

1. Security

Just Pick Anything Else

In essence, the Security skill primarily influences the lockpicking mini-game, yet its impact is quite limited between major stages. This makes it a specialized skill, but there are several factors that render it less useful than it initially seems. One such factor is the presence of a distinctive artifact, the Skeleton Key. This key serves as an indestructible lockpick with a Security enchantment level of 40, enabling players to unlock any lock after sufficient attempts. You can acquire this key as a reward from the Deadric quest at Nocturnal’s Shrine.

In Oblivion Remastered, the Alteration school of magic offers spells that can effortlessly unlock any level of lock with a simple touch, along with several other practical spells. Consequently, the need for the Security skill as a major focus becomes questionable, and it might be the least useful skill in the game. Other skills may have some advantages, but Security seems to be the most redundant one.

2025-05-02 20:15