Elder Scrolls Oblivion: Best Monk Build

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Uncover essential insights on crafting an optimal Monk character in The Elder Scrolls Oblivion, complete with helpful hints and strategies for maximizing its potential.

In the world of Elder Scrolls Oblivion, the Monk character build is centered around unarmed combat, healing magic, and light armor. This setup presents a challenging yet engaging playstyle that emphasizes speed, agility, and resource management. Players must focus on these attributes to excel in this build, as raw damage output may be less compared to other combat-focused characters.

Monks primarily use their high agility and speed to dodge enemies and strike when necessary. They lack the brute force of a warrior, so they rely on Restoration spells and buffs to enhance their defensive capabilities. The success of this build greatly depends on the choices made in character creation, such as race, attributes, and skills.

Unlike other builds that prioritize heavy armor, Monks opt for light armor to absorb damage more effectively. In this guide, we’ll delve into the optimal Monk build for Elder Scrolls Oblivion, discussing the essential skills, weapons, and armor choices.

Everything About Monk Build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion

As an ardent fan, I’d like to share my take on crafting a distinctive character in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion – the Monk build. This setup emphasizes unarmed combat, light armor, and restoration magic, making it a swift, agile, and resilient fighter.

In this build, I opt for weapons like hand-to-hand combat and a shield, ensuring my character can withstand close-quarters encounters. The Spell Breaker ability comes in handy when engaging enemies up close. To enhance the build, I suggest focusing on skills such as Hand-to-Hand, Athletics, Acrobatics, Sneak, Marksman, Alteration, and Security.

Playing this build effectively requires thoughtful decisions during character creation, with careful consideration given to selecting an optimal race and birthsign that complement your chosen playstyle.

The Khajit race is ideal for the Monk build since it aligns well with the hand-to-hand combat style. Survival relies heavily on Restoration magic as they don’t typically wear heavy armor or wield weapons. Allocate attribute points in Agility to dodge attacks and boost unarmed combat damage. But, this build has limited high damage output and is susceptible to strong opponents at higher levels. Additionally, weapon choices are rather limited when using this build.

Monk Build Pros Monk Build Cons
Agility & Speed Lower Damage Output
Hand-To-Hand Combat Vulnerability to Tougher Enemies
Healing and Buffing Magic Limited Weapon Options

Build Key Aspect

Below are all the essential aspects of the Monk Build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion:

  • Class: Monk
  • Race: Khajit
  • Birthsign: Warrior
  • Specialization: Stealth
  • Attributes: Agility, Willpower, Endurance
  • Major Skills
    • Hand-to-Hand
    • Athletics
    • Acrobatics
    • Sneak
    • Marksman
    • Alteration
    • Security
  • Minor Skills
    • Restoration
    • Alchemy
    • Illusion
    • Mercantile
  • Weapons: Fists, Spellbreaker
  • Armor: Leather Armor, Shrouded Armor
  • Faction: Mage Guild
  • Trainer: Astrid

Class

As a devoted fan, I’d say there’s no denying that the Monk class in Elder Scrolls Oblivion is an intriguing choice for players seeking a challenge. While it may not be the most straightforward option, the Monk shines in hand-to-hand combat and some magic, making it a truly unique class.

One thing to note about the Monk is that they are adept in no armor types, which can make them vulnerable in direct physical confrontations. However, this vulnerability adds an exciting layer of strategy to gameplay.

The skills distributed across hand-to-hand and some magic allow for a versatile approach. In the early stages of the game, players from this class can level up rather swiftly. This speedy progression, coupled with its hybrid nature, enables a blend of melee combat, ranged attacks, and magical abilities.

By focusing on major skills like hand-to-hand and utilizing magic abilities such as alteration to boost combat capabilities, players can ultimately become formidable characters in the game’s world.

Best Race

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Khajit is an excellent choice for a Monk build because they naturally excel in Hand-to-Hand combat, Athletics, and Acrobatics – skills that are crucial for this type of character. Their superior base stats in Agility and Speed give them an edge, enhancing their mobility and overall build strength. Additionally, Khajit have a racial ability called Claws, which inflicts 15 damage points (multiplied by 2.5 when power-attacking) – a feature that significantly boosts their combat effectiveness. Overall, the natural agility and stealth capabilities of the Khajit make them an ideal choice for players seeking a powerful and versatile character.

Best Birthsign

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, the Warrior Birthsign is ideal for a Monk build due to its benefits in hand-to-hand combat. It increases your starting health by 10 (equivalent to more endurance), which is vital for characters who rely on melee combat. The enhanced strength allows you to boost your maximum fatigue, melee damage, and carrying capacity. Additionally, the increased Endurance improves your maximum fatigue and health levels. If you’re focusing on combat without magic or stealth, Warrior Birthsign is the best choice for you.

In this game, a Birthsign (constellation) provides magical bonuses or powers that align with your playstyle. The Warrior Birthsign works especially well when combined with heavy armor and longswords, claymores, or battleaxes. This allows you to handle heavier equipment without becoming over-encumbered.

Best Specialization

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, choosing Stealth as your Monk build’s specialization is highly beneficial. This specialization primarily enhances skills related to stealth and evasion such as Sneaking and Light Armor. You choose this specialization during character creation, and it significantly impacts how your skills progress. These associated skills are deemed more significant than others. To excel in stealth, you should prioritize skills like Sneak, Light Armor, Marksman, or use Illusion spells for concealment and increased stealth. Sneak is crucial for a stealthy approach as it enables silent movement and enhances your bow’s effectiveness.

Best Attributes

In the Elder Scrolls Oblivion game, when developing your Monk character, it’s wise to allocate your attribute points in Agility, Willpower, and Endurance. At each level, you can boost these three attributes by a combined total of 5 points and Luck by an additional point. Remember that the maximum limit for each attribute is 100 points. As you focus more on these attributes, your character will gradually transform into a Warrior. Specifically, Endurance plays a significant role in determining both the overall Fatigue and Health levels of your character. By increasing Endurance, you can enjoy higher Fatigue and Health levels.

To add, as you advance, your Health will grow at a greater rate than typical. Agility is crucial for swift reactions and evasion, particularly beneficial for a melee fighter without armor. Willpower, however, boosts your resistance to spells, which is advantageous for a character not wearing armor. Furthermore, you can opt to amplify Strength, Speed, and Luck. Strength is useful for unarmed damage and overall combat, while Intelligence can improve magical abilities.

Major Skills

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, when creating your character, you’ll select a set of seven core abilities known as Major Skills. These skills are already at a higher base level compared to Minor Skills and grow faster. As they level up, they influence your attribute bonuses in tandem with your character’s overall progression. You can improve these skills by regularly employing them, learning from NPC trainers, or studying special books. However, the main method of skill enhancement is through active use. Here’s a list of some optimal Major Skills for a Monk-style build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion:

1. Hand-to-Hand Combat (martial arts)
2. Athletics (agility, endurance)
3. Acrobatics (movement, evasion)
4. Sneak (stealth, agility)
5. Marksmanship (archery)
6. Alteration (magic, defense)
7. Security (lockpicking, traps)

Each of these skills can significantly enhance your Monk character’s abilities and performance in the game.

  • Security- Use lockpicks to open locked doors and containers.
  • Hand-to-Hand- Allows you to fight with your fists and build up your combat prowess.
  • Athletics- allows you to increase your fatigue regeneration, making it easy to move around the battlefield.
  • Acrobatics- enhances your agility and allows you to perform acrobatic maneuvers, further increasing your mobility and evasion.
  • Sneak- Allows you to take down enemies silently in combat.
  • Marksman- This skill allows you to deal damage from a safe distance with more accuracy and precision.
  • Alteration- It allows you to increase your armor and weapons.

Minor Skills

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, it’s advantageous for a Monk build to focus on Restoration, Alchemy, Illusion, and Mercantile as minor skills. Although these skills might not be highly effective on their own, they complement your character in various ways. Carefully select your minor skills because they can boost your character’s overall strength from within. Consider prioritizing leveling up these minor skills to earn attribute bonuses.

  • Mercantile- Get better deals when buying or selling goods.
  • Restoration- useful for healing yourself and your allies.
  • Alchemy- Boosts Intelligence, which affects your Magicka pool.
  • Illusion- Can be used for non-lethal combat or crowd control.

Equipment

In the Elder Scrolls Oblivion game, players utilize a variety of items such as weapons, armor, clothing, and assorted equipment to enhance their character’s skills and attributes. These items include weapons crafted from diverse materials, each boasting unique stats and appearances, and can even be imbued with magical properties like damage, debuffs, or health regeneration. To keep the enchanted weapons functioning, players use soul gems. Armor is another essential equipment that shields you from enemy attacks; it comes with an armor rating, which dictates the amount of damage it can withstand. You can wear up to nine pieces simultaneously. Among the armors, Light Armor is a preferred choice due to its ability to boost your survivability and offer moderate protection by diminishing the potency of incoming attacks.

Best Weapons

Here are the best weapons for the Monk build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion.

Fists

Incorporating unarmed combat is a thematically appropriate and effective choice for a Monk character. The character’s build emphasizes close-quarter fighting, primarily relying on fist techniques as their main form of attack. This makes it an optimal selection for both roleplaying immersion and mechanical efficiency. Utilize hand-to-hand combat skills to amplify the damage from your strikes. Enhance the power of your unarmed attacks by enchanting rings, amulets, or gloves. If you’re using mods, consider the Fists of the Righteous. Unarmed combat offers swift and agile combat style that emphasizes evasion and rapid striking. While in melee, don’t forget to use healing spells or defensive buffs to stay healthy.

Spellbreaker (Shield)

  • Armor Health: 1,500
  • Base Armor: 17
  • Weight: 18
  • Base Value: 16,500

Shields are crucial tools that boost your defense by increasing your Armor Rating. Certain shields, particularly those derived from Transcendent Sigil Stones, offer protection against specific elements. They can also be imbued with various effects like reflecting spells, absorbing damage, or enhancing AR. The Spell Breaker is a sturdy armor shield, granting 30% spell reflection. You obtain the Spellbreaker as a reward from Peryite, a Daedric entity, upon completing his Daedric mission. The main power of the Spellbreaker lies in its “Reflect Spell 30” enchantment, making it highly effective against mages and enemies heavily dependent on magic.

Best Armor

Here is the best armor for a Monk build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion.

Leather Armor

  • Armor Health: 640
  • Class: Light Armor
  • Base Value: 105
  • Weight: 19.5

Leather Armor serves as an excellent initial protective gear, particularly for characters specializing in stealth or roguish roles. It provides a moderate level of protection while enhancing agility, making it ideal for swift and covert maneuvers. Compared to heavier armor variants, it may not offer the same durability or strength. However, its understated appearance makes it perfect for players aiming for stealth. Use this armor in builds emphasizing agility and stealth. You’ll find Leather Armor appearing in leveled lists starting at level three, and to make the most of your thieving abilities, be sure to boost your mobility for swift movement.

Shrouded Armor

  • Armor Health: 520
  • Base Armor: 17.5
  • Base Value: 0
  • Class: Light Armor

Using Shrouded Armor is a great choice when setting up a Monk character in Elder Scrolls Oblivion. This set comprises two components: the Shrouded Armor and the Shrouded Hood, which cater to characters who prefer stealth tactics. The Ancient Shrouded Armor can be easily obtained. The Shrouded armor, a full-body piece excluding the head, comes with unaltered stats and enchantments that improve as you progress in the game. This armor features an enchantment that amplifies backstab damage with daggers and provides resistance to poison.

Leveling Strategy

Concentrate on mastering Hand-to-Hand combat, Athletics, and Acrobatics, while also honing abilities like Sneak and Security. These talents will aid you in evading foes and gaining access to precious treasures, which are beneficial for a Monk character. Magic can serve as an auxiliary function, offering healing with Restoration spells or damage with Destruction spells. Keep yourself and allies healthy by casting Restoration spells regularly. Allocate points into attributes that boost your primary abilities. Your progression is determined by Skill Increases and the Attributes you distribute. With each level up, you’ll have the opportunity to enhance three attributes. Choose attributes that suit your playstyle. Your Birthsign grants a substantial advantage to your stats. You must sleep in a bed to advance levels. Progressing in Oblivion can be time-consuming, so strive for a balance between exploration, combat, and skill training.

Factions

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, the Mage Guild is an excellent selection for a Monk build as it specializes in magic and talents that enhance abilities. They shine particularly with skills such as Hand-to-Hand for inflicting damage, Alteration for boosts, and Restoration for healing. This alignment suits their playstyle, empowering you to overpower opponents. The Imperial Legion is another faction that synergizes well with this build in most situations. This makes it convenient for players who may need to participate in battles or negotiate.

Trainers

In the realm of Skyrim, I’ve found that Astrid, the head of the enigmatic Dark Brotherhood, is unparalleled when it comes to honing the Monk build. She excels in teaching Sneak skills, but she isn’t always accessible early in your journey. These trainers, including Astrid, enable you to invest gold and boost your skill levels, aiding in character progression. Different trainers offer varying skill level caps. Each trainer can train a specific skill a set number of times based on your character’s level.

How to Play the Monk Build

As a nimble gamer, I’ve found success by honing my skills in close-quarters combat, agility, and athletics. The Khajit is a solid choice for their innate bonuses, allowing me to dance around foes with ease and employ diverse fighting tactics. My spellcasting repertoire includes Illusion, Alteration, and Restoration, which amplify my Monk build’s potency. Mastery of evasion and parrying is crucial for staying alive in encounters.

In combat, I unleash powerful spells like Stave of Ferocity, Blazing Strikes, and Orc Strength to deal devastating blows. Invisibility is another spell that grants me the ability to reposition undetected and inflict massive damage on unsuspecting enemies.

Light Armor such as Shrouded Armor and Leather Armor are essential for increasing my Agility and Endurance, bolstering my survivability in battle. Aligning with a faction that complements my playstyle further solidifies me as an unstoppable force within the game.

Preparation is key, so I always ensure I have potions at the ready for those lengthy fights. Stay agile, stay alive, and let your skills speak for themselves!

Best Gameplay Tips and Tricks for the Monk Build

Here are the best gameplay tips and tricks for Monk build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion.

  • Use potions to heal your character from time to time in combat, so carry them in your inventory.
  • Practice your lockpicking skills to access valuable loot and secrets.
  • Use invisibility and paralysis spells to your advantage in combat and stealth situations.
  • Focus on light armor for stealth, as it increases your movement speed.
  • All races cannot be a successful Monk, so choose the one that complements your playstyle.
  • You need to use stamina wisely or else you can become vulnerable in most combat situations.
  • Focus on leveling your Destruction, Alteration, Restoration, and Conjuration for casting higher-level magic spells.
  • Use magic to weaken the enemies from a distance, then use fists when closer to them.
  • Choose the faction, race, and specialization that complements your playstyle and synergizes with the build.

FAQs about Monk build in The Elder Scrolls Oblivion

What is a Monk build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion?

In the game The Elder Scrolls Oblivion, the Monk character construction centers around mastering unarmed fighting techniques, donning lighter armor, and honing skills in the magical discipline of restoration.

Which is the best weapon for a Monk build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion?

In Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Fist and Spell Breaker are ideal choices for a Monk build as they enable you to inflict damage on your enemies using powerful punching techniques.

Which is the best race for a Monk build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion?

In the world of Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Khajit is an excellent choice for a Monk character build. This is because they naturally excel in Hand-to-Hand combat, Athletics, and Acrobatics – three key skills that a Monk heavily depends on.

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2025-04-06 01:38