Jump into the dark side of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with an awesome vampire playthrough, where being immortal is cool but comes with some serious baggage. Turning into a vampire flips your Cyrodiil adventure into a dark, immersive adventure. This guide’s got your back on how to catch vampirism, rock its killer powers, and deal with annoying stuff like burning in sunlight or NPCs giving you the cold shoulder.

Elder Scolls 4 Oblivion Remastered How To Be Vampi

1. Becoming a Vampire

To kick off your vampire playthrough, you gotta catch vampirism and turn into a bloodsucker. The article lays out two main ways to do it:

Contract Porphyric Hemophilia via Combat

  • Where to Find Vampires: Hunt down vampires in dungeons like:
    • Crowhaven (west of Anvil, by the coast).
    • Memorial Cave (southeast of the Imperial City, linked to a quest).
    • Barren Cave (near Cheydinhal).
    • Fort Hastrel (north of Kvatch).
  • How to Get Infected: Let vampires smack you in close combat. Each hit might pass on Porphyric Hemophilia, the disease that makes you a vampire.
  • Tips: Go with light armor or none to get hit more, and don’t wipe out vampires too fast. Keep healing to stay alive during longer scraps.

Dark Brotherhood Questline

  • Quest: “Darkness Eternal”: Join the Dark Brotherhood by offing someone innocent (like a beggar) and sleeping to start “A Knife in the Dark.” Keep going until you meet Vicente Valtieri in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary.
  • Vampirism Offer: Vicente, a vampire, offers to give you Porphyric Hemophilia as a “gift” in “Darkness Eternal.” Say yes to get the disease.
  • Advantage: This is way safer and easier than scrapping with random vampires.

Transformation Process

  • After catching Porphyric Hemophilia, wait 3 days (72 in-game hours) without curing it. Steer clear of Cure Disease potions, spells, or shrine visits.
  • Crash in a bed after 3 days to trigger the vampire transformation. You’ll wake up with a message saying you’re officially undead.

2. Understanding Vampirism Mechanics

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Vampirism in Oblivion is a mixed bag—sweet powers but some rough downsides. Here’s the breakdown from the article:

Vampirism Stages

  • Your vampirism ramps up through four stages depending on how long it’s been since you fed:
    • Stage 1 (just fed): Small stat boosts, light sun damage, and minor looks changes (pale skin, red eyes).
    • Stage 2: Better stat boosts, medium sun damage, and your appearance starts standing out.
    • Stage 3: Stronger boosts, heavy sun damage, and NPCs might call out your creepy look.
    • Stage 4 (no feeding for ages): Huge stat boosts, brutal sun damage, and most NPCs won’t deal with you because you look like a monster (fangs, sunken face).
  • Stages tick up every 24 hours if you don’t feed.

Feeding

  • Sneak up to a sleeping NPC, hit “Feed,” and you’ll drop one vampirism stage (like from Stage 4 to Stage 3).
  • Feeding Locations: Try inns (like The Bloated Float in the Imperial City), houses (sneak in at night), or the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (safe and easy).
  • Tips: Level up Sneak and use Invisibility or Chameleon spells to feed without getting busted, since feeding counts as assault.

Benefits of Vampirism

  • Stat Boosts: More Strength, Speed, Agility, and Willpower, getting better with each stage (up to +20 at Stage 4).
  • Special Abilities:
    • Hunter’s Sight: Night-Eye and Detect Life for sneaking and scouting.
    • Vampire’s Seduction: Charms NPCs to like you more (Stage 2+).
    • Reign of Terror: Silences and spooks enemies (Stage 3+).
    • Embrace of Shadows: Invisibility and better Night-Eye (Stage 4).
  • Skill Bonuses: Extra juice for Sneak, Illusion, Destruction, and Acrobatics.

Drawbacks

  • Sun Damage: Sunlight burns you, worse at higher stages (barely hurts at Stage 1, deadly at Stage 4). Stick to shade or night travel.
  • Fire Weakness: Fire hits you 25–50% harder, depending on stage.
  • Social Penalties: At high stages, NPCs might ditch you or refuse to trade, and guards could attack if they clock you as a vampire.
  • Appearance: Your face gets creepier and more monstrous, which might mess with your immersion, especially with fancy high-res textures in a “remastered” setup.

3. Building a Vampire Character

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Here's how to build a character that plays to vampirism’s strengths and covers its weak spots. Here’s how to set up a solid vampire:

Race

  • Dark Elf: Their 50% fire resistance helps with the vampire’s fire weakness, great for fighting types.
  • Breton: 50% magic resistance is handy against enemy mages, perfect for magic vampires.
  • Khajiit or Argonian: Agility and Sneak boosts make stealth vampirism smoother.
  • Altmer: Big magicka pool for spellcasters, but their fire weakness piles on with vampirism’s.

Birthsign

  • The Atronach: +150 magicka and spell absorption for magic builds, but watch your magicka regen.
  • The Thief: Boosts Agility, Speed, and Luck for stealth and moving fast.
  • The Mage: Extra magicka for Illusion and Destruction spells.

Major Skills

  • Sneak: Key for feeding and sneak attacks, gets better with vampirism’s bonuses.
  • Illusion: Works with Vampire’s Seduction for Charm, Invisibility, and Silence spells.
  • Destruction: Use frost or shock spells for ranged attacks (skip fire spells to avoid extra pain).
  • Conjuration: Summon critters to pull enemy attention, especially in daytime fights.
  • Acrobatics: Helps you dodge and get out of sunlight fast.

Playstyle

  • Stealth Vampire: Lean into Sneak, Illusion, and light weapons (daggers, bows) for a rogue approach. Feed often to stay at Stage 1–2 for NPC chats.
  • Mage Vampire: Use Illusion, Destruction, and Conjuration to rule from afar. Stage 3–4 pumps up your spells but needs careful sun dodging.
  • Hybrid: Mix stealth and magic for flexibility, using stuff like Embrace of Shadows for quick hit-and-run moves.

4. Gameplay Tips for a Vampire Playthrough

You need to play smart to balance vampirism’s ups and downs. Here’s how to make it work:

Manage Vampirism Stages

  • Stage 1–2: Best for quests and talking to folks. Feed every day or two to keep sun damage and NPC hate low.
  • Stage 3–4: Save for tough fights (like dungeon bosses) since you get huge stat and ability boosts. Stay out of cities, as NPCs will avoid or attack you.
  • Feeding Routine: Plan to feed in towns or safe spots like the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary to reset stages before big quests.

Avoid Sunlight

  • Nighttime Operations: Do quests, explore, and fight between 8 PM and 6 AM. Hit the wait key (T) to skip daytime.
  • Indoor Quests: Stick to dungeon quests (like Dark Brotherhood or Mages Guild) or indoor spots like the Arcane University.
  • Sunlight Mitigation: Pack Restore Health potions, use healing spells, or wear gear with Resist Fire or Fortify Health. In a “remastered” game, nighttime looks amazing with high-res graphics.

Quest Recommendations

  • Dark Brotherhood: Fits vampires with its stealth focus, nighttime missions, and dark tone. The Sanctuary’s a great feeding spot.
  • Mages Guild: Gets you spell-making and enchanting for custom Illusion or healing spells.
  • Avoid Daytime Quests: Hold off on quests needing daytime outdoor time (like some Fighters Guild jobs) unless you’re at Stage 1.

Equipment

  • Enchanted Gear: Grab items with Fortify Magicka, Resist Fire, or Night-Eye. The Ring of Shadows (Chameleon effect) is solid for stealth.
  • Light Armor or Robes: Keep you mobile and sneaky. Mods like Oblivion Reloaded might make armor look sharper.
  • Weapons: Daggers or bows for stealth, staves for mages. Enchant with Silence or Drain Health for vampire flair.

Combat Strategies

  • Use Hunter’s Sight to spot enemies and Embrace of Shadows to bail from fights.
  • Lean on high-stage stat boosts for melee or magic power, but duck into shade if you’re outside.
  • Summon creatures or cast Illusion spells to mess with enemies and avoid direct fights.