When one talks about some of the best gaming franchises of all time, then it goes without saying that The Elder Scrolls would definitely be a major part of this conversation. Bethesda might not have the greatest reputation right now, but there's still no denying the fact that their Elder Scrolls franchise is still held in high regard by fans as one of the greatest gifts to the gaming community, with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim being especially notable in that regard.
That being said, one can't just simply overlook another game in the series that is considered by many to be an excellent game in its own right — The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This title is an entertaining one that will certainly keep fans engrossed for hours on end, feeling more in tune with the Elder Scrolls games of the past as opposed to the new direction that Skyrim went in order to appeal to the masses.
So, it's only a given that more and more people would want to try out this game for themselves for the first time... and these people will also make the following mistakes on their first playthrough as well — unless they know to avoid them, of course.
10 Hoarding Everything In Sight For Resale Purposes
While it's true that most Elder Scrolls games do allow the player to grab anything and everything in sight, the act of stealing everything in the game becomes a major task further down the line mainly due to the player eventually getting over-encumbered.
This especially becomes a problem when the player is traveling — moving at a snail's pace is not recommended in the slightest, and the player is better off just grabbing valuables that will actually sell for a substantial amount... provided the merchants in said town have enough money to rid the player of their loot.
9 Not Prioritizing Magic
In a game where combat seems to mostly devolve to mashing the attack button time and time again to lay waste to any foe, the act of only swinging a sword over and over again can become quite monotonous further down the line.
Instead, to freshen up combat, the player should definitely invest in magic to diversify their skillsets. Of course, magic isn't just useful for destruction — there are various charms and spells that the player can cast outside of combat to make the overall act of exploration significantly easier as well.
8 Ignoring The Benefits Of Potions
Along with magic, potions are also another thing that players should focus on to freshen up the proceedings... and also break the game, if need be.
The Alchemy skill is definitely useful for a whole host of reasons, and players should ideally use their potions in appropriate situations to make the game easier — and better — for themselves.
7 Engaging In Combat From The Get-Go
While it's true that Oblivion's world scales according to the player's level, it's still not an excuse to slash at anything and everything in sight.
Instead, the player should ideally pace their game so that they're doing everything that the game offers in balance, as opposed to focusing on just one aspect for so long that it just becomes incredibly stale as the game progresses.
6 Ignoring Quests In Favor Of Aimless Exploration
In a franchise that offers as much freedom as The Elder Scrolls, it can be somewhat tempting to simply ignore all the main and side quests and just explore the vast world that Bethesda has created.
That being said, even something as amazing as exploration can get boring really quick if players only focus on that, which is why the concept of balance applies here as well — focus on all aspects of the game as opposed to just becoming a traveling nutjob.
5 Letting Yourself Become A Vampire
There are several vampires that can be fought in Oblivion, with some of these encounters leaving you with a disease called porphyric hemophilia. For the first three days, curing this disease is extremely easy.
However, after three days, the player character will turn into a vampire, which — while certainly novel in its own way — is still going to be quite a pain to deal with. It doesn't help that the quests that one needs to do to fix this affliction can be quite irritating as well.
So, players should always check their character's condition after fighting vampires if they don't want to experience any major headaches.
4 Not Downloading The Unofficial Oblivion Patch
It's a given that most people are obviously going to play Oblivion on the PC at this point, which is what makes the downloading of the Unofficial Oblivion Patch pretty much mandatory to enjoy this game without any annoying hiccups.
The Elder Scrolls community is considered by many to be one of the most active modding communities around, and their patches are pretty much mandatory to enjoy the smoothest gameplay experience with Bethesda's bug-ridden titles.
3 Choosing Easy Skills To Level Up Your Character Quickly
People who've played The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind can attest to the fact that choosing major skills that are easy to level up in the game is a great way to level up as soon as possible so that the game becomes a breeze.
This is not the case in Oblivion — sure, the player can choose to level up quickly by choosing the skills that can easily level up, but that actually makes the game harder since the world scales up with the player.
Instead, players should just choose the skills that they genuinely like and not stress about leveling up — the game is tailor-made to make for an experience that feels fair if it's not exploited.
2 Not Saving All That Often
That being said, death can come at any time in Oblivion, and players need to be ready for their demise at a moment's notice... by saving as much as possible.
Failing to do the same can lead to a situation where the player can lose a sizeable chunk of progress mainly because they hadn't saved for a while and accidentally took a wrong step on a particular death-defying cliff.
1 Following A Guide As Opposed To Experiencing The World Themselves
The worst mistake that any new Oblivion player can make is ruining their experience with the game by following a guide as opposed to exploring the game without a guiding hand at every step of the way.
After all, the magic of Oblivion resides in experiencing a rich and varied world where anything and everything can happen. However, a guide will let players know exactly what to expect, destroying any sense of wondrous discovery in the process.