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Oblivion: Everything to Know About Vampires | Game Rant

Oblivion is a game all about the player's choices and the consequences of those choices. Players customize the abilities of their characters, resulting in having to approach situations in a particular way or not being able to access certain parts of the game. Players can also roam out in any direction in all of Cyrodil, stumbling on various points of interest or quests in reward of their curiosity. However, the consequences of one's actions in Oblivion can also change their character dramatically. The biggest of these is becoming a vampire.

Vampires have appeared throughout The Elder Scrolls series, and have primarily been portrayed as cursed individuals who suffer under the burden of having to drink human blood, although some do enjoy their existence. Throughout the series, however, vampirism is passed to others through the disease known as Porphyric Hemophilia. The disease can be transferred from a vampire to any humanoid race simply by the vampire attacking them, whether it be with their claws or their fangs. Of course, people can also be turned by some of The Elder Scrolls' more secretive vampires feeding on them in the night.

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Throughout a playthrough of Oblivion, players come across numerous vampires in a variety of positions and conditions. Many vampires, like Janus Hassildor the Count of Skingrad, are well integrated into society and keep their affliction a secret. Others who are unable to feed for prolonged periods of time go feral and viciously attack the player upon seeing them. Vampires make up some of the most memorable NPCs in all of Oblivion, which can make some players curious to know more about what being a vampire in Oblivion all entails. The disease does have some advantages for players who contract it, such as a skill increase to Acrobatics, Athletics, Destruction, Hand to Hand, Illusion, Mysticism, and Sneak, as well as an attribute bonus to Strength, Willpower, and Speed.

Becoming a vampire also grants players 100% protection from diseases and paralysis as well as a handful of powers that can be used once a day. These powers give players the ability to turn invisible, charm others, become silent, and see in the dark, which are extremely useful. However, there also are a number of disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage vampires have is that they take constant damage while out in the sun. Players can avoid this by feeding on an NPC, but it can be difficult to do and also limits the benefits players get from the disease. Another disadvantage is a weakness to fire dame, which can be particularly impactful when closing Oblivion's wide variety of Oblivion Gates. The vulnerability to the sun also stops players from waiting during the day, can make fast traveling difficult, and the altered appearance of the character makes talking with NPCs much more difficult.

Becoming a vampire in Oblivion is not always an event of the player's choice. Players frequently have to fight vampires when playing through the game and will likely contract Porphyric Hemophilia at least once. However, the disease does take a full 72 hours to set in and turn the player, so there is time to avoid turning if the player does not want to play as a vampire. Once the 72 hours have passed, however, players are fully inflicted with vampirism and the process to free oneself of it is much lengthier and more demanding. Luckily, for players that want to try and contract vampirism the old fashion way, or perhaps want to avoid it and consider becoming a vampire in Oblivion a mistake, there are a number of quests in Oblivion that feature vampires, including the Mage Guild's quest Information at a Price, the Thieves Guild quests Lost Histories and Boots of Springheel Jak, and the Daedric quest Azura.

However, there are also ways for players who definitely want to try out being a vampire to do so. One of the easiest ways to do this is to complete a few quests for the Dark Brotherhood, which most players should do anyways because Oblivion's Dark Brotherhood is the best version in the entire series. After completing a few quests, however, a vampire member of the guild will offer to turn the player into a vampire if they wish. Players can also turn themselves by consuming the Beating Heart found during the Mehrunes' Razor DLC quests, although players will also contract the disease Cannibal's Prion. The Beating Heart can also be used to brew a potion that will turn the player into a vampire without Cannibal's Prion, but only if the player has an Alchemy level of 100.

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For any players who accidentally become a vampire or who just got sick of not seeing the sun, there are luckily some ways to reverse it. The easiest way to cure it is to drink a potion of cure disease before the 72 hours have elapsed. Players can also consume ingredients like Shepherd's Pie or Mandrake Root to cure the disease as well. Another easy way to cure the disease before it takes hold is to visit a temple in any of Oblivion's cities and receive a blessing at its altar. However, if the player fails to prevent the disease from setting in, the only way to cure it is through a very lengthy quest, but its completion will keep the player from ever turning into a vampire again.

The quest is started by talking to Raminus Polus at the Arcane University on the southern side of the Imperial City. After discussing a cure for vampirism with Raminus, the player will be told to talk to the Count of Skingrad, Janus Hassildor. Janus will reveal they are looking for a cure for their wife and will send the player to Melisande. The quest is then comprised of the player having to gather ingredients for Melisande, including five empty grand soul gems, two shoots of Bloodgrass, six cloves of Garlic, five leaves of Nightshade, the blood of an Argonian, and the ashes of a powerful vampire. After delivering the ingredients to Melisande, the player will be given two Potions of Cure Vampirism, one for them and the other for Janus' wife. Of course, players who don't want to go through a lengthy quest for a cure can also download one of the many mods available for Oblivion to make the process much simpler.

Oblivion is available now on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

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