Oblivion Remastered has five major joinable faction questlines: the Arena, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood. The Arena is the quickest to enter; the Mages Guild requires seven recommendations; and the Dark Brotherhood begins only after a qualifying murder and a night’s sleep. This guide covers how to start each track, what its progression involves, and what to expect from the Brotherhood beyond initiation.
Which factions count as the major guilds?
The five major tracks covered here are the Arena, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood. They differ in how you gain entry and what you do afterward: combat bouts, mercenary work, recommendation quests, a secret meeting, or assassination contracts.
Other groups appear in quests, but they are generally treated as minor factions rather than additional major guild questlines. Examples include the Blackwood Company, the Blades, the Knights of the Nine, the Order of the Dragon, and the Order of the Virtuous Blood. The Knights of the Nine is included with the Remastered game’s additional content, but that does not make it one of the five major guild tracks described here.
How do the five guilds compare?
| Faction | How to get in | Main activity and progression | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arena | Speak to Owyn in the Imperial City Arena’s Bloodworks. | Repeated combat bouts advance you through nine ranks, from Pit Dog to Grand Champion. | Players who want a direct combat ladder. |
| Fighters Guild | Apply at a hall in Anvil, Cheydinhal, or Chorrol. | Mercenary jobs, local assignments, dungeon trips, and conflict with a rival company. | Characters looking for straightforward combat and contract work. |
| Mages Guild | Complete recommendation tasks at seven local halls, then speak with Raminus Polus at the Arcane University. | Local recommendation quests lead into the University’s larger progression. | Magic-focused characters willing to complete several preliminary tasks. |
| Thieves Guild | Follow leads to a midnight meeting at the Garden of Dareloth in the Imperial City Waterfront. | An initiation job and further theft-focused assignments. | Players who prefer stealth, theft, and finding their way into a secret organization. |
| Dark Brotherhood | Kill a non-hostile NPC, then sleep in a safe bed after the game says the killing was observed. | Assassination contracts, a major internal turning point, dead drops, and the Night Mother arc. | Players willing to accept the crime consequences and pursue an assassin storyline. |
How to join the Arena and become Grand Champion
- Travel to the Imperial City Arena and go down to the Bloodworks.
- Speak to Owyn to enlist. He offers a choice of heavy or light Arena Raiment.
- Use the Arena’s assigned raiment for bouts. The joining guide warns that combatants must wear Arena Raiment, so ordinary equipment is not a substitute.
- Win bouts to advance through the nine ranks, beginning as a Pit Dog and ending as Grand Champion.
The Arena is the most immediate entry point: there is no recommendation chain or secret meeting to find. Its structure is a series of fights, with money and fame earned along the way.
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How to join the Fighters Guild
Visit any of the three listed halls and ask to join:
- Anvil: speak with Azzan.
- Cheydinhal: speak with Burz gro-Khash.
- Chorrol: speak with Vilena Donton.
The guild’s work centers on mercenary assignments, local jobs, and dungeon expeditions, with a rival-company conflict forming part of the larger storyline. Raider King’s April 24, 2025 guide reports that infamy of 100 prevents joining. Treat that as a guide-specific cutoff rather than a guarantee for every Remastered platform or patch; if the game refuses your application, check your current standing and the in-game response.
How to join the Mages Guild
Joining the Mages Guild takes more preparation than joining the Arena or Fighters Guild. First complete the recommendation task at each of its seven local halls:
Rank #2
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- Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Physical Deluxe Edition includes the base game, unique digital Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon Armors, Weapons, and Horse Armor Sets, Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine story expansions, access to the Digital Artbook and Soundtrack App, and additional downloadable content: Fighter’s Stronghold, Spell Tomes, Vile Lair, Mehrune’s Razor, The Thieves Den, Wizard’s Tower, The Orrery, and Horse Armor Pack.
- Journey through the rich world of Tamriel and battle across the planes of Oblivion where handcrafted details have been meticulously recreated to ensure each moment of exploration is awe inspiring.
- From the noble warrior to the sinister assassin, wizened sorcerer, or scrappy blacksmith, forge your path and play the way you want.
- Anvil
- Bravil
- Bruma
- Cheydinhal
- Chorrol
- Leyawiin
- Skingrad
After earning all seven recommendations, go to the Arcane University and speak with Raminus Polus to establish your membership and continue the central progression. The advanced questline also unlocks custom spell creation, making the faction especially useful for characters who want to build spells rather than rely only on found or purchased magic.
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There is no public guild hall where you can simply sign up. Start by pursuing rumors, speaking with people you encounter in prison, or finding City-Swimmer in Bravil. These leads direct you toward a meeting at midnight in the Garden of Dareloth, in the Imperial City Waterfront.
- Gather a lead through rumors, the prison encounter, or City-Swimmer.
- Go to the Garden of Dareloth in the Waterfront at midnight.
- Attend the meeting and follow the initiation instructions rather than leaving after locating the gathering.
- For the early diary-stealing job, a beggar can tell you where to find the target for five coins.
The key difference from the other guilds is that finding the meeting is part of the entry process. Reaching the Waterfront alone does not complete initiation.
Rank #3
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay.
- Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.
- Rediscover Cyrodiil Journey through the rich world of Tamriel and battle across the planes of Oblivion where handcrafted details have been meticulously recreated to ensure each moment of exploration is awe-inspiring.
- Navigate Your Own Story. From the noble warrior to the sinister assassin, wizened sorcerer, or scrappy blacksmith, forge your path and play the way you want.
- An Epic Adventure. Step inside a universe bursting with captivating stories and encounter an unforgettable cast of characters. Master swordcraft and wield powerful magic as you fight to save Tamriel from the Daedric invasion.
How to trigger the Dark Brotherhood questline
The Dark Brotherhood’s entry condition is a deliberate murder, not a kill made in self-defense. Kill a non-hostile NPC; the game should display a message indicating that the killing was observed. Then sleep in a safe bed, such as a rented inn bed or a bed in a home you own. Lucien Lachance appears and begins the initiation quest, “A Knife in the Dark.”
Consider the consequences before choosing a victim. Killing an uninvolved NPC can create a bounty or infamy and may remove someone you would later need. If you want a lower-consequence route, Gamer Guides identifies killing Hrol Ulgar or Nivan Dalvilu during Mephala’s quest as a way to trigger the Brotherhood. The self-defense exception still matters: a hostile target killed while defending yourself does not satisfy the stated trigger.
What happens in the Dark Brotherhood questline?
After “A Knife in the Dark,” Lucien assigns contracts. The main sequence listed by Gamer Guides continues through the Purification, then shifts to dead-drop assignments and the Night Mother story. The guide’s quest list, last updated May 13, 2025, is useful for navigation; exact objectives and rewards may differ by current game version, so follow the journal and in-game instructions if a step does not match.
Rank #4
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay.
- Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.
- Rediscover Cyrodiil Journey through the rich world of Tamriel and battle across the planes of Oblivion where handcrafted details have been meticulously recreated to ensure each moment of exploration is awe-inspiring.
- Navigate Your Own Story. From the noble warrior to the sinister assassin, wizened sorcerer, or scrappy blacksmith, forge your path and play the way you want.
- An Epic Adventure. Step inside a universe bursting with captivating stories and encounter an unforgettable cast of characters. Master swordcraft and wield powerful magic as you fight to save Tamriel from the Daedric invasion.
Initiation and contract missions
The early sequence begins with “A Knife in the Dark,” followed by “A Watery Grave,” “Accidents Happen,” “Scheduled for Execution,” “The Assassinated Man,” “The Lonely Wanderer,” “Bad Medicine,” “Whodunit?,” and “Permanent Retirement.” “The Renegade Shadowscale” is listed as optional in the guide.
The Purification and dead drops
“The Purification” marks a major transition in the storyline. After it, Lucien gives dead-drop assignments: “Affairs of a Wizard,” “Next of Kin,” “Broken Vows,” “Final Justice,” “A Matter of Honor,” “The Coldest Sleep,” and “A Kiss Before Dying.” These lead into “Following a Lead” and “Honor Thy Mother.”
After the main hands-on questline
“Whispers of Death” is described by Gamer Guides as a repeatable weekly task after the main hands-on questline. It is an ongoing errand, not another step required to finish the central story.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsDoes the Dark Brotherhood require stealth?
Stealth is helpful, but it is not usually mandatory to complete the faction. It can reduce the chance of being seen by guards and may matter for avoiding bounties or earning mission bonuses. Sneak, Security, ranged attacks, and Illusion spells such as Invisibility or Chameleon can support an assassin-style approach. A 100% Chameleon setup is optional optimization, not a requirement for completing the questline.
Which guild should you join first?
Your choice can follow the kind of play you want rather than a required order:
- For a fast start: enlist with Owyn in the Arena Bloodworks.
- For a combat-and-contract storyline: apply at a Fighters Guild hall.
- For magic and custom spells: work through the seven Mages Guild recommendations.
- For theft and a hidden entrance: follow leads to the Thieves Guild’s midnight meeting.
- For an assassin narrative: plan a qualifying non-hostile kill and safe-bed trigger, mindful of the bounty and infamy risks.
Faction-entry and quest-order details in the cited 2025 gaming guides describe the remaster, but they do not establish that every original-game detail is unchanged on every platform or patch. If an NPC, objective, or trigger behaves differently, use the current quest journal and in-game dialogue as the authority for your playthrough.
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