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Stealth archery might be the most popular build archetype in The Elder Scrolls. Popularized in Skyrim, these builds tend to leverage stealth mechanics and Illusion magic to enhance the potency of archery, striking targets from the shadows. It’s a fast build that deals immense damage and is easy to play.
WithThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, it’s now possible to recreate the iconic stealth archer in Cyrodiil. Changes to bow combat and perk rebalancing have made stealth archers a fantastic option for a fresh playthrough. Today, we’ll be looking at how to create the strongest ranged build possible in Oblivion, leveraging stealth mechanics and bows to create the ultimate archer.
Arguably, the most popular build in Skyrim is the stealth archer, a character who strikes from the shadows with pinpoint precision. Thanks to certain skill and gameplay overhauls, this playstyle can be replicated in Oblivion Remastered.Stealth multipliers will make your arrows deal incredible damage, and your mastery of Illusion magic will give you some crowd control when your cover is blown.
Positioning is key with a build like this, so you’ll want to play at a distance whenever possible. Snipe your enemies from afar, sneak up with your Illusion spells, and you’ll crush virtually every challenge Cyrodiil throws at you.
Race
Few races can compete withWood Elvesfor an archery build. This race gets sizable bonuses to Marksman, Sneak, Illusion, and Light Armor. Stat boosts in Agility and Speed are also exceptional for ranged builds like this, ensuring you always have Fatigue when sprinting out of combat or nocking your next arrow.
We recommendGrahtwoodas your origin. This grants +10 Endurance at the cost of Personality, assisting with the build’s survivability.
Wood Elves have the unique racial traitBeast Tongue, allowing you to command a creature for 60 seconds by touching it. This works on virtually all non-human entities in the game, including Atronachs and most Daedra. You don’t get a massive Magicka boost like High Elves do, so you’ll need to compensate with character stats, equipment, or your Birthsign.
Major Skills
When creating your class, you’ll want totag Stealth as your specializationto gain +5 to your Marksman and Sneak skills. Attributes are mostly down to preference, although we recommendAgilityandEndurancefor a slight boost to your bow damage and HP, respectively.
Agility Change
Oblivion Remastered has moved Shortswords and Daggers to the Agility stat, allowing you to scale your melee damage with the same stat as your bow. This should make melee combat much easier with this class.
Major skills will gain a massive +20 boost at the start of the game and be easier to level. Some clear picks here includeMarksmanfor bow damage,Sneakto upgrade your stealth damage multipliers, andIllusionto give yourself some crowd control options likeFrenzyand Invisibility.
Your remaining skills are mostly up to preference. We highly recommend givingMercantilea try. It was overhauled in Oblivion Remastered to scale off itemvaluesold, not quantity, and now influences item quality from vendors. At 100 Mercantile, vendors can sell enchanted Glass and even Daedric gear much earlier than otherwise. Pair this withAlchemyfor an easy source of gold.
Picking locks is a common occurrence in Oblivion, so you’ll want a skill that makes doing so easier. Security is a good choice, but we actually recommend going withAlterationinstead. Not only do you gain access to Open Lock spells, but you’ll also be able to use potentShieldbuffs to increase your character’s survivability, which is otherwise a major weakness of this build. The last skill is entirely up to you; we pickedAthleticssince it’s easy to level.
Grants +10 Agility, Luck, and Speed.
Grants +50 Magicka.
Birthsigns aren’t nearly as important in the remaster as the original version of Oblivion—you can’t go wrong with any choice here. For optimal play,TheThiefis your best option. It gives +10 to three stats we care about: Agility, Luck, and Speed. While it doesn’t give us any unique powers, it’s a safe pick that makes this build just a little better at everything.
If you plan on using a ton of Alteration and Illusion spells in your playthrough, then we suggest you grabThe Mageinstead. This gives you a whopping +50 Magicka, equivalent to 25 points of Intelligence. you’re able to get a large Magicka battery through enchantments in the endgame, but this is incredibly useful for the earlier levels where Intelligence isn’t a priority stat.
Items
A stealth archer build shouldstick with light armor and the strongest bow available.Since Agility was reworked in the remaster to include daggers and shortswords, we recommend youbring a dagger as well.Stealth multipliers were also buffed for daggers in this version, so getting up close with your opponents is more than viable.
Frostwyrmis a powerful bow you can get right after you leave the sewers. Make your way to Dive Rock on the northeast corner of Cyrodiil. You’ll find a book at the abandoned camp with directions to a nearby Frost Troll. Kill the troll and loot its corpse to get your hands on this bow. It’s enchanted with 15 points of frost damage, which should instantly kill most enemies in the early game. This troll is rather tough, so bring a few potions and arrows beforehand.
Good Early Game Armor
One of the best light armor sets in Oblivion comes from the Dark Brotherhood.Start their quest lineand become a member of their faction to gain the Shrouded Armor set.
Once you gain a few levels, you can getHatred’s Soulfrom the Oblivion gate near Chorrol. Look for a hidden side dungeon named The Embers of Hatred near the edge of the zone. Head inside, clear out the Dremora guarding the vault, and loot the nearby containers to get your hands on this bow. It deals immense fire damage and slows targets on hit.
