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Spell Tomes, originally added toThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionvia the Spell Tomes DLC, act as an alternative method of learning spells. By using a Spell Tome in your inventory, you may add the spell contained within to your spell list, though you’ll still need a high enough skill in the appropriate school of magic before you can cast the spell you’ve learned. Players of Skyrim will be familiar with this system, as Skyrim uses this as the sole means of learning new spells.
Farming Spell Tomes inOblivion Remasteredis pretty easy, as long as you know the right locations. This guide will break down how the game distributes Spell Tomes as loot, list off some of the most efficient farming locations, and also touch on a few non-respawning sources of Spell Tomes that can prove useful.
How Spell Tomes are Distributed in Oblivion Remastered
Since Spell Tomes were originally added to Oblivion via DLC, the game uses a rather interesting method of spreading them throughout Cyrodil. Whenever a spell scroll would be included in the random loot in any given container or on any given enemy, there is a chance (roughly 1 in 4) that it will be replaced by a Spell Tome instead. This means that the methods mentioned further on in this article will also be useful if you’re looking to collect lots of spell scrolls.
How to Find Conjurer Dungeons in Oblivion Remastered
Conjurer Dungeon boss chests are guaranteed to contain scrolls, so these are great places to look for Spell Tomes.Easily the best of these, among those that respawn, is Fort Rayles.This Fort is found Northwest of Chorol and contains two respawning Boss Chests in its deepest area (Fort Rayles: Hall of Winter). These chests usually contain scrolls, which means you have very good odds of getting Spell Tomes from them.
In order to progress deeper into Fort Rayles,you’ll need to find a way to open the gates next to the glowing statues.The trick here is the silver arrows lying on the ground nearby, since they’ll cause the statues to react when they touch the glowing portion. you may accomplish this by shooting the statues with a bow, or by dropping a single arrow, grabbing it, and manually tapping it against each statue’s head. Take the right path to reach a hall that splits off to the left and right, with the path to the right curving and leading to a gate. Turn left first and pull the rightmost lever in that dead end to open the gate, then head back and through the gate to reach the Hall of Winter.
The first chest is found in the room across the bridge at the top of the stairs, in the Hall of Winter, while the second is found to the right of the stairs in the corner. Each has a roughly 0.75 chance of containing a spell tome, but since the dungeon is short and the loot respawns, it’s a very efficient way to grab some tomes.
Another good Conjurer Dungeon for farming Spell Tomes is Ceyatatar, an Ayleid Ruin found between the Imperial City and Skingrad, which contains three boss chests. As an added bonus, there is a trapdoor that functions as the exit from the dungeon after you complete it, which can be used to re-enter in a perfect position to loot one of the boss chests, making return visits for farming Spell Tomes incredibly easy.
How to Find Necromancer Dungeons in Oblivion Remastered
One of the best places to find Spell Tomes is in the hands of Necromancersor within boss chests found in their lairs. One such location is Moss Rock Cavern, north of the Imperial City, which is an excellent place to track down some Spell Tomes.
Moss Rock Cavern can be found north of the Imperial City at the position shown on the map above.Both of the Boss Level Chests, which have the best odds of containing Spell Tomes, can be found by heading straight ahead from the entrance, through the first chamber, and following the tunnel that curves left to a locked door. Both of the Boss Chests are in the room past this door, guarded by an Adept Necromancer. If you want to get the key to this door, instead of picking the lock, you’ll need to take the path to the right in the first chamber and navigate all the way to the furthest end of Moss Rock Cavern, where a non-respawning Necromancer’s Chest contains the key.
Since Necromancers often have Spell Scrolls on them, and thus the potential for Spell Tomes, it’s worth clearing out all the Necromancers you may find in this dungeon on each visit. Since the loot respawns (excluding the Necromancer’s Chest), you can farm this dungeon for Spell Tomes at your leisure.
If you want to track down even more Necromancer Dungeons, following the Mages Guild questline will lead you to many of them, and you may also find the Ayleid Ruin “Hame” southeast of Cheydinhal. The latter has two boss chests, making it a decent option for efficiently farming Spell Tomes.
One-Time Sources of Spell Tomes in Oblivion Remastered
There are a few locations, quests, and NPCs that will usually yield a good number of spell tomes, but cannot be repeated. Hitting these early on is a good way to snag a decent number of Spell Tomes, but remember that you can only claim them once, so it might be worth saving some for higher levels. Here are the big ones:
The Conjurer NPC
After starting a new game,this NPC will spawn outside Fort Cedrianand begin making their way toward the player. When they reach you, they will immediately attack; on death, they will always have a Spell Tome on them. The Spell Tomes DLC added this NPC to serve as an introduction to the system, so they’re pretty hard to miss.
Through a Nightmare, Darkly Quest
This Quest, available from Kud-Ei at the Mages Guild in Bravil, rewards six spell scrolls on completion. Due to the way Spell Tomes are distributed, you’ll usually end up with at least one Spell Tome (the average is 1.5), and you’re able to save the game before speaking to Henantier and keep reloading until you get the Tome you want. This is probably the best way to guarantee getting the exact Tome you’re after.
A Mage’s Staff Quest
During the Mages Guild Questline, you’ll eventually receive this quest.On completing it, your new Mage Staff will be left in a cupboard in the Chironasium.When you open this cupboard, it will also contain five random spell scrolls, which means there’s a decent chance of rolling at least one Spell Tome (the average is roughly 1.25). It’s worth noting that the contents of this container will never respawn.
