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Unfriendly Competition is one of the earliest quests you’re able to do inThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, and that’s still true in the Remastered edition. It’s a fairly straightforward quest that’s more about waiting around and talking to people, but there is a tricky bit of combat near its end worth mentioning. However, the reward is more than worth the hassle and struggle.
We’ll go over everything you need to know about completing Unfriendly Competition here to save you some time and ensure you’re prepared for its one tough fight.
How To Complete Unfriendly Competition
You’ll completethe entire Unfriendly Competition questline in the Imperial Cityat the center of the map, mainly in theMarket District.
The quest’s single fight takes place in a mausoleum in the Arboretum district, and pits you against an armored enemy andone with a magic sword that drains both Willpower and Endurance.
The other tricky bit about the quest is that it has one “stealth” section, whereyou need to sneak into a character’s house and through two locked doors. You can either stock up on Lockpicks or pick the character’s pocket for the keys.
How To Start Unfriendly Competition
Starting the Unfriendly Competition quest is simple. While in the Market District,visit one of the four following storesand speak to their owners:
When you meet the vendor, select the dialog option “Thoronir,” which prompts the vendor to explain that anew shop has just openedand is selling its goods at prices that undercutwhat other stores can offer. If you spoke to vendors other than Jensine, they’ll tell you to meet with her.
You canfast-track the quest by simply meeting Jensine in her storeduring business hours and talking directly to her about Thorornir. Select “Start from the beginning” when prompted.
Casing Thoronir
Your first task once you accept the quest is tofollow Thoronir after he leaves his shopto see where he goes. As with all other vendors in the Imperial City,Thoronir closes up at 8:00 PM.
After a few minutes,he’ll leave the store and wander his way to the Merchant’s Inn. There, he’ll sit and relax until about midnight before leaving. Continue following him.
Don’t worry, there’s no stealth requirement here, and you’re able to even talk to him as you follow with no repercussions.
Thoronir will eventuallymake his way to the small garden with the well on the northwest edge of town. His mysterious contact, providing him with cheap goods, is waiting there. Wait around for them to begin talking.
Humorously,you can be right next to the twowhen they have their “secret” meeting, and they’ll speak as if you’re hiding in a shadowy corner.
Either way,your next task is to follow the contact, a shady man named Agarmir, back to his home.
Following Agarmir
Here’s where things get tricky. You’ll need tofollow Agarmiras he wanders the moonlit cityback to his home in the Talos Plaza district. Once he’s inside, the quest will progress and ask that you sneak into his house and investigate.
Agarmir spendsa lotof time in his home, and he bars the door from the inside, soyou can’t simply pick the lock to get in.
Instead, you’ll need towait until dusk, specifically around 7:45 PM. In our playthrough, we had about two full days pass before his house was available to break into.
Agarmir’s house has an average-level lock, so if you aren’t super skilled at breaking locks yet, you’ll want a fair few lockpicks to get in. You could have also picked Agarmir’s pockets for his house keys.
Once inside, you’ll need tomake your way into Agarmir’s basement, also blocked by an Average difficulty lock.
In the back corner, you’llfind a book called the Macabre Manifest, which details Agarmir’s graverobbing activities and how he’s funneling the illicit goods through Thoronir.
You’ll next need tohead back to Thoronir during business hoursand tell him where he’s been getting his cheap items.
When speaking to Thoronir,select “Taken from the Dead” twice, then “Help me catch Agarmir,” and finally, “Don’t worry, I’ll stop him.”
Thoronir will be rightly appalled and will swear to stop selling them immediately.That leaves Agarmir.
Stopping Agarmir’s Graverobbing
Leave Thoromir’s shop, turn right, and take the gate into Green Emperor Way.Head southwest until you reach the graveyard, and continue toward the door on theouter wall below the blue roof.
This door leads to theTrenitus Family Mausoleum, and you’ll get a quest update card as you get close. Head inside.
The mausoleum is a small room whereAgarmir and an armed and armoredguardawait you. Speak to Agarmir, and a fight will ensue. There’s no negotiating here.
How To Beat Agarmir
The biggest threats in this encounter are thesmall spaceandAgarmir’s sword, which drains Willpower and Endurancewith each hit.
You’ll have a harder time regenerating Fatigue and Magicka the more he hits you.
Hisguardhas a full complement of Steel armor and aSilver Longsword. During our playthrough, we were around level six for this fight and spec’d into Conjuration and Destruction magic.Summoning is a fantastic way to split Agarmir from hisguard. Even a simple skeleton will draw one away, letting you kite the other around the columns in the room.
Keep your best-damaging attacks and spells coming, andif you have a summon to use, keep it active. You’ll also want to have potions to restore your Health, Fatigue,andMagicka to keep Agarmir’s weapon from causing too many problems.
When Agarmir and hisguardare dead, you canloot theDebasershort sword from his body, a four-damage light weapon that drains ten Endurance and Willpower per hit for 20 seconds.
Finally,grab Agarmir’s Shovelfrom near the open grave andreturn to Thoronir. When prompted, respond to his question with “Yes, here is his shovel.”
For your troubles and for keeping Thoronir from making any more costly mistakes,he’ll award you with a Weatherward Circlet. It’s a ring that grants 15 percent resistance to both Fire and Frost damage.
Sadly,Thoronir doesn’t immediately give you a discount at his store, nor a better selling price, but the ring is very nice.
You’realmostdone now.Return to Jensine and hand over the Shovel and the Manifestto put a bow on everything. For your trouble, you’ll have Jensine’s thanks and a tidy sum of 200 gold for your troubles. Still no better prices or better disposition, but gold is also quite nice.
