The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remains one of Bethesda’s top-tier gaming experiences. To this day dedicated fans defend it as one of the best in a series that includes Skyrim and Morrowind. If you’ve never explored the vast land of Cyrodil before, you can pick up Oblivion for many different platforms. If you want a little more control over the game, we have a list of the most common commands players can use — as well as tips if you’re playing on a console like Xbox.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Summary
The sixth game in the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion is set in the land of Cyrodil, the seat of the empire before its devasting war against the elvish Dominion. The rolling green hills, rivers, valleys, and deep forests of this heartland may be beautiful, but they hide vast secrets. Ancient ruins, secret cults, and ultimately gateways to hellish Oblivion wait for discovery. Players are able to take on whichever role they want, from thief to warrior, in an effort to save this land and join its factions. Oblivion made enormous strides in the user-friendliness of the Elder Scrolls games, a trend that later continued with Skyrim, and remains highly playable to this day.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Premise
Your character wakes up as a prisoner (a very common occurrence in Elder Scrolls) in the Imperial City. On this auspicious night, Emperor Uriel Septim VII’s life is in danger. His only method of escape is through your jail cell, and you’re swept up in his wake. But the Emperor recognizes you from his prophetic dreams, and begs for your help in saving the empire before he is assassinated.
Your character, whenever you are bored of side quests, soon finds themselves caught in an effort to find the Emperor’s secret son. This heir has been hidden away, but holds the divine birthright necessary to save Cyrodil. Without a true emperor on the throne, the barriers between the green land and a fiery hell dimension called Oblivion start to break down. The first place to fall to demons is the town of Kvatch, where you meet the hidden son of the Emperor.
Opposing your plan is the cult of the Mythic Dawn, which seeks to turn its back on the Nine gods and create a heavenly plane in Oblivion. There’s just one problem – the Mythic Dawn has been broadly fooled by the Daedric (read demon) prince Mehrunes Dagon. That entity wants the cult to open enough gates to Oblivion to allow him to take over all of Cyrodil.
Now (or whenever you’re done with everything else) it’s a race against time. You must gather the necessary powers for the heir to the empire to raise its barriers once again and fight back anyone that stands in your way.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Main Characters
In this RPG, you can customize your character however you like, picking a race and series of major/minor specialties. After, you can go in whatever direction you like. Elder Scrolls is famous for the ability to ignore everything else and journey off into the wilderness if you desire. Become a thief, wizard, vampire, soldier, or assassin, and be as good or bad as you want.
But next to that blank slate are a number of important characters you’ll meet throughout the biggest quests of the game. That includes people like:
Main Story Characters
Emperor Uriel Septim VII: He’s not just the emperor of Cyrodil and the lands beyond. He’s also part of a sacred, dragon-related bloodline going back hundreds of years. That blood helps keep the land safe from encroaching hell dimensions. Too bad he’s quickly assassinated, starting all this Oblivion business. Also, it’s Patrick Stewart.
Martin Septim: This humble priest has a secret. He’s actually the last heir of the emperor, and the only one left with that special dragon blood. Now all the demons in Oblivion are after him. Your job, if you care about the main story, is to help him out.
Mankar Camoran: He and his kids are the leaders of the Mythic Dawn cult. Mythic Dawn followers get magic and the promise of heaven on the plane of Oblivion. They’re being lied to, but Camoran doesn’t care. He’s already made his deal with the prince of Oblivion, and won’t hesitate to destroy you. That brings us to…
Mehrunes Dagon: The prince of Oblivion. One of the more traditionally devilish Daedric Princes, Dagon is the prince of destruction and disaster. He has made his realm one of burning hells and towering fortresses. Now, he’d like nothing more than to bring destruction to your plane, starting with manipulating the Mythic Dawn.
Side Quest Characters
Gray Fox: The leader of the secretive Thieve’s Guild. The Guild has been down on its lucky recently, but the Gray Fox has a master plan to get it all back. It helps that he’s apparently invisible to guards – but will you aid his complex quest?
Hannibal Traven: Traven is the archmage of the Arcane University and oversees all legal magic in the realm. He’s responsible for a hard crackdown on necromancy, but times are changing fast. If you choose to become a mage, he may want your help in deciding the future of magic.
Lucien Lechance: This influential leader of the Dark Brotherhood is neither seen nor heard. But if he ever shows himself to you, you’d better pay attention to what he has to say. Your life could depend on it. Or the lives of lots of other people. He is a master assassin, after all.
Sheogorath: The DLCs of Oblivion will introduce you to Sheogorath’s realm. The Daedric prince of madness, Sheograth is unpredictable in every sense of the word. But if you’re willing to help him, he has a problem you can tackle. We think. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what he wants.
…And many, many others. It’s a big game.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Titles of Video Games in the Series
Oblivion is technically the only game with that title. It is preceded by Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and followed by Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, each named after the region where the games take place. However, Oblivion does include a number of important DLCs, which we’ll list here:
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
- Knights of the Nine (2006)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles (2007)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Cheat Codes
Let’s break down cheat codes between the PC and consoles like Xbox or PlayStation so we can examine the differences.
Cheat Codes on PC
First, we’ll define console commands quickly to avoid any confusion. On PC, a console command means that you are opening a direct window to the game’s programming and typing in a command line to do something. Don’t confuse this with a “console,” or a literal TV-friendly gaming devices like an Xbox or PlayStation. Consoles don’t have access to console commands, only computer-based versions of the game do. We know, it’s confusing.
Now let’s go over some of the most popular console commands for Oblivion on PC and what they do. First, active console commands by pressing the “~” or tilde key. Then you can input commands like these:
- help- Provides a very useful list of console commands you can use: Consult it for in-depth information.
- player.additem 0000000F X: Add an X amount of gold into your inventory.
- Advlevel: Automatically level your character up.
- advskill skill X: Level your character up a specific number of characters.
- tgm: Enter God Mode.
- killall: This does indeed kill everything.
- coc testinghall: Travel to the testing hall, which is filled with every object/NPC in the game.
- coc toddtest: Travel to testing grounds for more advanced testing.
- Movetoqt: Immediately teleport to the active quest target.
- PlaceAtMe id, number,X,Y: Create an item, creature, etc. with its ID number and a specified location.
- player.placeatme: Move a specific NPC to your location.
- SetItemValue Amount: Set an item price.
- psb: Add every available spell to your current character.
- modpcs skill 100: Add 100 points to a skill.
- modpca X 100: Add 100 points to a specified attribute.
- player.setstage: Move a specific quest to a certain stage of completion.
- showclassmenu: Change your character immediately.
- player.setlevel X: Set your character level to anything between 1 and 255.
- caqs: Complete all quest stages.
- DuplicateAllItems DestinationObjREF: Copy an object from a target and move the copy to a specified location.
- CreateFullActorCopy: Create an identical copy of the target.
- ShowSpellMaking: Bring up the spell creation menu without needing to travel to the University.
- player.additem: Give your character a specified amount of a specified item.
- SetPCFame: Give your character a specified amount of fame.
- SetPCInfamy: Give your character a specified amount of infamy.
- AddSpell 00000000: Use a hexadecimal number to add a specific spell.
- player.payfine: Pay off your bounties and make all guards stop attacking.
- ceasecombat: Stops a target from attacking, forcing them out of combat mode.
- player.setAV: Set an attribute value for your character.
- lock [1-100]: Lock a selected door or container.
- MoveTo ObjREF: Move target to ObjREF Player.
- RemoveAllItems: Remove all items from the target, including weapons, armor, etc.
- player.setcrimegold 0: Set your bounty to zero.
- resurrect: Resurrect any targeted creature/NPC.
- SetCrimeGold XXXX: Set a bounty for your character
- SetBarterGold Amount: Set a specific amount of gold a merchant has to trade.
- setweight XXX: Set a specific weight for an item.
- tmm 1: Show all markers on the map.
- UnEquipItem TypeREF: Deactivate an item type on a target.
- SetAV Aggression 100: Put a target in attack mode, aggressive to anything around it.
- TDETECT” Switch AI detection on or off.
- tcai: Switch AI combat mode on or off.
Cheat Codes on Console
As we mentioned, traditional console commands don’t work on literal gaming consoles. There is know way to open up a command line and type something in. That means that this kind of cheat won’t work, and players are largely stuck with the base game. But we’ve still got your back. Here are a couple of minor glitches that can help you throughout your gameplay with a little effort.
Basic Item Duplication
The game can sometimes confuse stacks of items and stacks of magic scrolls, which you can use to your advantage. Get a stack of the same type of magic scroll in your inventory, then a stack of items you want to duplicate. This could be valuable stuff like gems, rare ingredients, welkynd stones, or something similar. The stack of items must be at least one fewer than the stack of scrolls, or this trick won’t work.
Now, equip the magic scrolls from your inventory, then select them again so that they’re highlighted. Move to your stack of items, and discard them on the ground. Exit your menu, and the item stack should fall on the ground. However, if everything works out, the game will have confused the scrolls and the items, so the original stack will still stay in your inventory. You now have two stacks added together. This doesn’t work for every item, but it can be a useful shortcut for some supplies.
Unlimited Daedric Weapons
You can duplicate powerful Daedric weapons easily in Oblivion as long as you don’t mind being a wizard. That doesn’t just mean joining the Mage’s Guild, you’ll have to run the gamut of tests in every major city. Then you’ll gain entrance to the Arcane University along the ability to create your own spells. First, you’ll want to learn spells for at least two Daedric weapons, known as the Bound Weapon spells. You can learn these by purchasing them from a variety of mages, so they should be fairly easy to find at this point.
Then use the spell creation center at the University to craft your own spell. The spell needs two parts. First, put in Bound Dagger for several seconds. Second, put in the second Bound spell for the weapon you want to keep, also for a second or two.
Now cast the spell, and immediately head to your inventory once you start drawing a weapon. The spell should prioritize the Bound Dagger, and put the other weapon in your inventory. Discard it, then you can pick it up from the ground as a weightless, permanent item. You can’t sell it for anything, but it’s powerful and you can use it for enchanting, etc.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Cheat Code FAQs
To learn more, look at these frequently asked questions below.
How Does Level Scaling Work in Oblivion?
Poorly. The world scales according to the major skills you choose and how fast they level up. But some major skills are much more useful in combat, and some level up far faster than others. That means you can very easily create a character where enemies quickly become too difficult for you to fight as you’re off doing other things. There’s not really any way around this issue unless you deliberately structure your character so that major skills aren’t skills you use too often, which kind of ruins the point.
Can You Complete All Quests in Oblivion?
Not really. A few quests don’t have completion stages. Sometimes that’s because of a bug. But other times, it’s part of the quest design. The Arena quest will always have more people to fight, the Dark Brotherhood will have another NPC to take out, etc.
Does Oblivion Differ Between Platforms?
The biggest difference is the extra functions you get on PC, notably console commands and similar options. Those generally aren’t available on other gaming platforms.
Do Cheat Codes Work on Oblivion Expansions?
The console commands should work on all parts of Oblivion. However, certain commands may run into problems with how they interpret the map, where they pull characters from, etc. It’s not unheard of to break the game while you’re experimenting.
Do Oblivion Cheat Codes Work on Skyrim As Well?
Yes, most console commands should work in Skyrim the way they do in Oblivion.
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