The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredhas brought many new players toCyrodiil. WithOblivion Remasteredcomes different guilds from the ones available inSkyrim. The closest predecessor toSkyrim’s Companions isOblivion’s Fighters Guild. The Fighters Guild offers a very different storyline and tone to the Companions, despite essentially having the same premise as an official group of mercenaries.Oblivion’s Fighters Guild has an intriguing storyline, and should be pursued by players even if they aren’t playing a character focused on a combat build.
Unlike some of the other guilds inOblivion, such as the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild, theFighters Guildis best done as early as possible. The Fighters Guild offers rewards that are best used at the beginning ofOblivionand at lower levels, and have far less impact at higher levels. Joining the Fighter’s Guild early also allows the player to establish themselves as a competent fighter, which could be used to roleplay the rise of the Hero of Kvatch.
Practical Reasons For Joining the Fighters Guild Early
Gold is essential inOblivionat early levels, as it not only allows players to buy a house, weapons, spells, and armor, but it also enables training, which can be an effective way to build a character and level up. Unfortunately, getting enough gold to afford all of these goods and services can be difficult to do at low levels. The Fighters Guild is one of the best ways to earn money inOblivion, as each completed quest results in payment. Another advantage to starting the Fighters Guild early is that it provides the player with combat trainers and a bed to sleep in, which is essential for leveling.
While the Fighters Guild doesn’t need to be completed by a combat-based character, and mages or stealth characters are more than capable of completing it, the Fighters Guild does offer opportunities toimproveOblivion Remasteredplayers' skills, such as Blade, Blunt, Hand-to-Hand, Heavy Armor, and Block. This can be done through the different quests that the guild assigns, or through the many trainers in the guild halls. These are all skills that are helpful to improve, as improving non-combat skills could result in enemies becoming too difficult at higher levels.
Roleplaying and Story Reasons to Begin Oblivion’s Fighters Guild Early
The Fighters Guild storyline isn’t explicitly designed to be completed early in the game. However, the story of starting out as a rookie in the guild and learning the skills needed to completeOblivion’s main questline, alongside the other guilds, effortlessly lends itself to being completed early. TheImperial Arena questlinegoes hand-in-hand with the Fighters Guild early inOblivion.
Playing the Fighters Guild Later in Oblivion
Joining the Fighters Guild later in the game with a higher fame, or having completed the main storyline past theSiege of Kvatchcould result in some dissonance, as being a low-ranking member in the Fighters Guild results in the guild members treating the Hero harshly. This doesn’t make much sense for a character who possibly saved Tamriel with their combat abilities. With the Fame/Infamy system, it’s also likely that guild members would recognize the player as the Hero, but still speak to them disrespectfully.
This isn’t as much of an issue if the Fighters Guild is completed earlier in the game.Joining the Fighters Guildis also a good way for the Hero to establish themselves before beginningOblivion’s main storyline, alongside the Imperial City Arena. Between the Fighters Guild and the Arena, the player is rewarded a decent amount of money, free gear, and access to trainers. These rewards don’t matter as much later in the game at higher levels, so it’s best to get them when they still make an impact.
