Summary
This article contains major spoilers for Oblivion Remastered.
Even though Bethesda’s intended surprise effect regarding the announcement and subsequent release ofOblivion Remasteredwas partly taken away by the many leaks that surrounded this project, the game has proven to be one of the strongest titles of the year. There’s a lot of nostalgia surrounding pastThe Elder Scrollsgames, andOblivion Remasteredcapitalizes on this by offering what is essentially a 1:1 experience compared to the original 19-year-old game with modern graphics and some quality-of-life additions and changes. A lot of the groundwork forOblivion Remasteredto be successful lies in the original’s content and memes, with one Arena fight now being much harder than ever.
Oblivion Remastered’s Arenais mostly left intact from the original game, including characters, quests, and, more importantly, all the iconic fights that made the experience unique. Much like the original, not all the 22 fights in the Imperial City Arena are made the same, meaning that some will be easier or harder, and not necessarily just due to their respective rank. For example, the encounter against Agronak gro-Malog can either be a bloodbath or a sad affair, depending on the player’s progress with his questline. The original game had what was considered a “meme fight” against three Argonians at the start of the Gladiator rank, but this is now one of the hardest in the game.
Oblivion Remastered’s Three Argonians Arena Fight is Harder Than Expected
Oblivion Remastered’s Arena fight against three Argonians is arguably one of the most difficult encounters in the entire game, and the reason is that there were some considerable changes made to theHand-to-Hand skill. This specific fight features three Argonian combatants, with two of them having no weapons and fighting with their bare hands, and the third using a sword. In the original game, this could easily be trivialized on most builds, even on higher difficulties, but it’s no longer the case.
Hand-to-Hand now allows players and enemy combatants alike to disarm characters hit with power attacks, and even though this is not guaranteed, it makes the use ofweapons inOblivion Remasteredmuch more inconsistent and ineffective overall. This is further complicated by the Fatigue damage that Hand-to-Hand attacks deal, as they deal 50% of the regular hit’s damage to Fatigue, meaning that parrying with the shield, swinging with melee weapons, and sprinting around are all actions that may prove unfavorable.
Fatigue damage is improved upon reaching Expert and Master skill levels in Hand-to-Hand.
On top of all that, if any of the two unarmed Argonians hit the player enough times to deplete their Fatigue bar, the Hero of Kvatch will be staggered as a consequence of running out of Fatigue. All these elements combined can make this particular fight incredibly hard to beat onExpert or Master difficulty inOblivion Remastered, with them reducing damage dealt and increasing damage taken. Even if players focus on taking out the unarmed Argonians first, the one with the sword does a fair bit of damage to boot, so keeping up with everything is no joke.
Why Oblivion Remastered Players Are Using Cheese Methods in Arena Fights
This fight is so difficult that one may need to use cheese methods inOblivion Remastered, like climbing up the arch at the entrance of the Blue Team’s side of the arena or on the pikes around the edges of the battlefield, and then defeating the Argonians with ranged attacks or spells. Alternatively, invisibility can work well with a bow, especially if one has 100% Chameleon active, whereasConjuration spells inOblivion Remasteredhave a good success rate thanks to their ability to bypass damage reductions and increases dictated by difficulty settings. These methods work for most Arena fights, too, so they are a common way to deal with the increased difficulty of some matches.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
WHERE TO PLAY
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™ Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay. Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.Rediscover CyrodiilJourney through the rich world of Tamriel and battle across the planes of Oblivion where handcrafted details have been meticulously recreated to ensure each moment of exploration is awe-inspiring.Navigate Your Own StoryFrom the noble warrior to the sinister assassin, wizened sorcerer, or scrappy blacksmith, forge your path and play the way you want.Experience an Epic AdventureStep inside a universe bursting with captivating stories and encounter an unforgettable cast of characters. Master swordcraft and wield powerful magic as you fight to save Tamriel from the Daedric invasion.The Complete StoryExperience everything Oblivion has to offer with previously released story expansions Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, and additional downloadable content included in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.
