The best classes to pick in Oblivion Remastered

Choosing your class in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is the last big decision you make during character creation. It comes after picking your birthsign and race.

You should ideally pick your Oblivion character’s class based on your desired playstyle and how the class complements your race and birthsign. But, with 21 classes to choose from, finding the perfect one for you can be tough — especially at this early point in the game.

Below, we’ve selected what we believe to be the best class Oblivion Remastered for those who want a well-rounded character — or are playing for the first time — and detailed its favored attributes and major skills. We’ve also given some alternative suggestions, too.

All classes in Oblivion Remastered

You pick your Oblivion class during the game’s tutorial. After you reach a dead end and survive the assassins’ ambush, speak to Baurus, at which point you’re asked to select your class.

When selecting your class, you can choose from a pre-made class or create your own customized class by pressing Y on your controller. If you go with a premade class, your favorable attributes and major skills are automatically selected. A custom class gives you full control over what attributes and skills to pick.

There are 21 classes in Oblivion Remastered, broken into three main specializations: Magic, Combat and Stealth. We have listed all the playable Oblivion Remastered classes below:

What are favorable attributes and major skills?

Classes are broken into three specializations, with each class offering its own favorable attributes and major skills.

All seven skills within your choice of specialization (Magic, Combat, or Stealth) get a +5 level bonus and level up more rapidly, while the specified major skills for that class get an additional +5 bonus. The listed major skills for a class get a +20 bonus, too, and like the specialization skills, they increase much more rapidly. 

So, say you chose a Barbarian. You would get +5 to all Combat skills off the bat (that’s Blade, Blunt, Hand-to-Hand, Armorer, Block, Heavy Armor, and Athletics) and all these skills will level up quicker than normal. As the favorable attributes are Strength and Speed, you would get a +5 bonus to those attributes. Finally, you would get a +5 bonus to all the listed Barbarian major skills: Armorer, Athletics, Blade, Block, Blunt, Hand-to-Hand, and Light Armor. These skills, too, will level up faster than normal throughout the game.

Can you change your class in Oblivion Remastered?

You only get one chance to change your class in Oblivion Remastered, before you leave the sewers (tutorial). Once you leave, your choice is locked in and permanent.

If you are playing Oblivion on Windows PC, however, you can use console commands to change your class. Bring up the cheat console by pressing the tilde key (~) and then type in ‘showclassmenu’ (without the quotes) to bring up the class menu and change your class. This is not available on console.

Best classes in Oblivion Remastered

You can choose a custom class — and if you’re planning on doing so, make sure to see our recommendations of the best skills in Oblivion Remastered. But if you’d prefer to go for one of the predetermined classes, the best classes are the following, in order:

1. Spellsword
2. Mage
3. Assassin
4. Warrior

Let’s break it down.

Spellsword (Magic)

Favorable Attributes:

• Willpower
• Endurance

Major Skills:

• Alteration
• Blade
• Block
• Destruction
• Heavy Armor
• Illusion
• Restoration

The Spellsword class is the best class for those who want a balance between magic and swordsmanship. Their Heavy Armor, Restoration, and Block skills give them a solid level of defense without a hit to agility or speed, while the Blade, Destruction, and Illusion skills mean they’re as mean at spellcasting as they are with a sword.

The best partnership for this class is the Stronghold Orc race paired with the Apprentice sign. The Orc race further boosts Willpower and Endurance and sees you benefitting from the Orc’s increased Strength, Health, and Fatigue. The Apprentice sign then gives you a 100-point Magicka boost, which benefits your spellcasting. The downside here is The Apprentice is 100% weak to magic, but the Orc’s 25% magic resistance and high health make this less of an issue.

Mage (Magic)

Favorable Attributes:

• Intelligence
• Willpower

Major Skills:

• Alchemy
• Alteration
• Conjuration
• Destruction
• Illusion
• Mysticism
• Restoration

The Mage is the best class to choose if you want to focus on purely on spellcasting and don’t mind keeping your distance in battles. Mages are skilled in pretty much all magic, and pairing this class with a High Elf class and The Mage birthsign gives you increased Magicka and bonuses to all magic schools.

Assassin (Stealth)

Favorable Attributes:

• Speed
• Intelligence

Major Skills:

• Acrobatics
• Alechemy
• Blade
• Light Armor
• Marksman
• Security
• Sneak

The Assassin is the best class for stealthy players who want to lurk in the shadows but pack a punch (or blade). While The Thief is another good stealth choice, it’s not necessarily as combat-proficient as The Assassin, which still benefits from the bonuses to Sneak, Security, and Acrobatics, allowing you to easily unpick locked doors and move nimbly, but has the Blade and Marksmanship skills to make them deadly, silent killers. Pair this class with The Shadow birthsign and Wood Elf for an excellent build.

Warrior (Combat)

Favorable Attributes:

• Strength
• Endurance

Major Skills:

• Armorer
• Athletics
• Blade
• Block
• Blunt
• Hand-to-Hand
• Heavy Armor

If magic isn’t your thing, and you prefer some down-and-dirty melee, The Warrior class is the best for you. This class is resilient thanks to its Block and Heavy Armor skills, and its proficiency in Blade, Blunt, and Hand-to Hand combat. Pair this class with a Redguard or Nord and The Warrior or Atronach birthsign to get the most out of it.