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In Oblivion, a class is a combination of a specialization (Combat, Magic or Stealth), favored attributes, and major skills. Your character's class determines what skills you will be most proficient in, and this in turn affects how you level.

You can:

choose from a set of 21 Standard Classes, or

develop your own Custom Class.

Classes that non-player characters (NPCs) use can be found in the article "NPC Classes".

One extra class on this page is "CharacterGen". This is given to the player right at the start of the game, before the conversation with Baurus during which a class is chosen. This class is basically the warrior class, except with Strength and Intelligence rather than Strength and Endurance. It is shown in the stats page of your journal as "-".

Character Creation Tools can be very helpful in determining which standard class or custom class will work best for your playstyle.

Standard Classes

The following table shows the seven Major Skills, the Specialization type, and the two Favored Attributes for each of the standard classes in Oblivion. Click on the class name to jump to the summary class description found lower on this page.

Combat Magic Stealth

Special-

ization



Attributes

ARM

ATH

BLA

BLO

BLU

H2H

HVA

ALC

ALT

CON

DES

ILU

MYS

RES

ACR

LTA

MRK

MER

SEC

SNK

SPE Acrobat Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth Agi, End Agent Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth Agi, Per Archer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat Agi, Str Assassin Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth Int, Spe Barbarian Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat Spe, Str Bard Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth Int, Per Battlemage Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic Int, Str Crusader Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat Str, Will Healer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic Per, Will Knight Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat Per, Str Mage Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic Int, Will Monk Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth Agi, Will Nightblade Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic Spe, Will Pilgrim Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth End, Per Rogue Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat Per, Spe Scout Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat End, Spe Sorcerer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic End, Int Spellsword Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic End, Will Thief Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Stealth Agi, Spe Warrior Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat End, Str Witchhunter Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Magic Agi, Int CharacterGen Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Combat Str, Int

Custom Classes

With a custom class, you can select all of the class-specific details freely. This includes all of the seven major skills affiliated with the class as well as selecting two of the eight attributes for +5 point permanent bonuses. Character Creation provides more information on how to setup a new character, including some specific tips for how to create a custom class.

For a custom class you need to select the following:

In addition to these bonuses, all of these skills will increase more quickly than they would otherwise.

Two Favored Attributes -- +5 to these Attributes.

-- +5 to these Attributes. Seven Major Skills -- +20 to these Skills, starting you at Apprentice level, also increase quicker and allow you to level up once you train a combined amount of 10 of these skills. Note that any skills trained above this amount before you've leveled up (e.g. if you've leveled up 12 major skills since your last level up) will carry on to the next level.

Minor skills level up at the normal rate. Specialized skills take 75% as much practice or 'experience' to level up. Major skills that are not specialized take 60% of the normal experience to level up. Skills that are both specialized and major skills take 45% as much experience to level up. A table of these experience requirements is provided at Increasing Skills.

Example: It normally takes 106 successful hits with a sword to raise the Blade skill from rank 35 to rank 36 when Blade is a Minor skill. If Blade is a Specialized (but not Major) skill, it only takes 80 uses to raise from skill rank 35 to 36. If Blade skill is a Major (but not Specialized) skill, it only takes 64 uses to raise from skill rank 35 to 36. And finally, if Blade is both a Major and a Specialized skill, it only takes 48 uses to raise from skill rank 35 to 36.

Notes

If you desire a particular image for your custom class, selecting that class before selecting "create custom class" will assign that image to your class. However note that the image of whatever class you eventually choose does not show up again in the game, even when you check your stats in your journal.

If you go through the tutorial-map without gaining any experience points, Baurus will automatically select you as an Acrobat. This is most easily done by using the console command: Tcl.