The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Bethesda’s revitalized 2006 classic, has taken the gaming world by storm with its stunning visual overhaul, modernized mechanics, and sprawling open world of Cyrodiil. Released on April 22, 2025, the remaster has sold over 4 million copies, drawing both newcomers and veterans to its epic quests and boundless freedom. While Oblivion’s leveling system and enemy scaling can challenge unprepared players, the game’s quirky mechanics and exploitable systems allow savvy adventurers to become overpowered (OP) early, breaking the game in hours. By leveraging enchanted gear, custom spells, and strategic choices, you can transform your character into an unstoppable force capable of one-shotting enemies and ignoring the main quest with impunity. This article outlines a step-by-step guide to achieving godlike power early in Oblivion Remastered, detailing the race, birthsign, skills, exploits, and gear needed to dominate Cyrodiil from the start.

The Goal: Breaking Oblivion’s Balance

Oblivion Remastered retains the original’s open-ended gameplay, where players can explore 26 square miles of Cyrodiil, join guilds, and tackle over 200 quests. However, its level-scaling system—where enemies and loot scale with your level—can make early-game progression tricky if you level too quickly without strong gear or skills. The remaster introduces tweaks like Virtue Points for flexible attribute allocation and improved spellcasting XP, but it also preserves the game’s exploitable mechanics, such as enchanting, spellmaking, and stat stacking. The strategy to become OP early focuses on:

Maximizing Magicka for infinite spellcasting.
Crafting overpowered custom spells to one-shot enemies.
Stacking enchanted gear for near-invincibility.
Exploiting leveling glitches to boost skills rapidly.

This approach, achievable by level 5-10, lets you breeze through the main quest, Arena, or Daedric shrines with minimal effort, turning Cyrodiil into your personal playground.

Step 1: Character Creation for Maximum Power

Your journey to godhood begins in the tutorial sewers, where character creation sets the foundation for an OP build.

Race: High Elf (Altmer)
High Elves start with +100 Magicka and a +10 Intelligence boost, crucial for spellcasting builds. Their +10 Destruction skill accelerates early damage output, though their -25% weakness to elemental magic requires careful positioning. Choose Summerset Isles origin for an extra Intelligence edge.
Birthsign: The Atronach
The Atronach grants +150 Magicka and 50% Spell Absorption, which negates half of incoming spells and restores Magicka. The trade-off—stunted Magicka regeneration—is mitigated by enchanted gear and potions. This birthsign’s massive Magicka pool is perfect for spamming custom spells.
Class: Custom Mage
Create a custom class with Magic specialization to boost spellcasting skills. Select Intelligence and Willpower as favored attributes for Magicka and regeneration. Choose these Major Skills:

Destruction: For crafting one-shot spells.
Restoration: For Fortify Magicka and healing.
Alteration: For Shield spells to replace armor.
Conjuration: For summoning allies to distract enemies.
Mysticism: For Soul Trap to fuel enchanting.
Illusion: For Charm and Paralyze utility.
Alchemy: For crafting Restore Magicka potions.

These skills level quickly, ensuring fast progression while supporting the build’s magical focus.

Step 2: Early Game Setup (Levels 1-5)

After escaping the tutorial sewers, your goal is to gather key items, join the Mages Guild, and exploit leveling mechanics to prepare for godlike power.

Immediate Actions

Save at the Sewer Exit: Before leaving the sewers, save your game to lock in your character choices. You can tweak race, birthsign, or class here if needed.
Grab Free Gear: Head to Weynon Priory (main quest location) and select the “Assistance” dialogue with Jauffre to receive free weapons, armor, and potions. Talk to Prior Maborel for a free horse, which speeds up travel. If using the Horse Armor DLC (included in the remaster), visit Chestnut Handy Stables near the Imperial City to get a free armored horse from Snak gra-Bura.
Join the Mages Guild: Travel to Chorrol and speak to Teekeeus at the Mages Guild to start the recommendation quests. Completing one recommendation (e.g., “Chorrol Recommendation” by retrieving a book) grants access to the Arcane University, unlocking spellmaking and enchanting altars.

Leveling Exploits

Oblivion Remastered’s leveling system rewards Major Skill increases, with 10 increases triggering a level-up when sleeping. The remaster’s Virtue Points (12 per level, max +5 per attribute) make attribute allocation flexible, but rapid skill leveling can unbalance the game. Use these exploits to max skills early:

Sneak Exploit: In the Imperial City Arena’s Bloodworks, crouch in a corner and walk into a wall while training NPCs are present. This counts as sneaking, leveling Sneak to 100 in minutes while AFK. High Sneak enables stealth attacks for early quests.
Acrobatics Exploit: Travel to Hackdirt (south of Chorrol) and find the well. Position your character’s head under the well’s corner and spam jump to farm Acrobatics XP, reaching 100 in 5-10 minutes. This unlocks water-jumping and dodge abilities.
Destruction Exploit: Create a cheap, high-Magicka-cost spell (e.g., Flare with 8-second duration) at the Arcane University’s spellmaking altar. Cast it repeatedly in a safe area to level Destruction to 50 (Journeyman) in under an hour, as the remaster ties magic XP to Magicka cost.

Focus on leveling Destruction, Restoration, and Alteration to unlock powerful spells. Allocate Virtue Points to Intelligence (+5 per level) for Magicka and Endurance for health.

Step 3: Crafting the One-Shot Spell

By level 5, with Destruction at 50 and access to the Arcane University, you can create a custom spell that one-shots most enemies. Visit the Altar of Spellmaking in the Arcane University’s Praxographical Center.

Spell Recipe: “Oblivion Breaker”

Effects:

Drain Health 100 points for 1 second, on Target: Deals massive non-elemental damage, bypassing resistances.
Weakness to Magic 100% for 3 seconds, on Target: Amplifies all magical damage, including the spell’s own effects.
Shock Damage 50 points for 1 second, on Target: Adds elemental damage for versatility.
Area of Effect (10 feet): Hits multiple enemies for pack clearing.

Cost: Set to ~200 Magicka, affordable with your High Elf/Atronach Magicka pool (~350 at level 5).
Source: Purchase base spells (e.g., Entropic Bolt, Lightning Bolt) from Edgar Vautrine in the Imperial City Market District.

This spell’s synergy—Weakness to Magic boosting Drain Health and Shock—deals thousands of effective damage, one-shotting enemies like bandits, trolls, or early Daedra. For tougher foes, cast Paralyze (Illusion) first to lock them in place.

Step 4: Enchanting for Invincibility

To become untouchable, enchant gear with Fortify Magicka and Shield effects using the Altar of Enchanting. You’ll need Grand Soul Gems, filled with high-level souls (e.g., Daedra, Minotaurs).

Enchanting Setup

Soul Gems: Farm Grand Soul Gems from Mages Guild halls or Oblivion Gates (accessible after Kvatch quest). Use Soul Trap (Mysticism) to capture souls from enemies like Flame Atronachs.
Gear: Enchant nine pieces (robe, hood, two rings, amulet, gloves, pants, shoes, staff):

Fortify Magicka +50: Use Transcendent Sigil Stones (from Oblivion Gates at level 5+) or Grand Soul Gems. This adds +450 Magicka, pushing your pool to ~800.
Shield +20%: Adds armor rating without weight, stacking to 80-100% damage reduction. Use Grand Soul Gems for maximum effect.

Best Items: Use lightweight clothing (e.g., Black Hand Robe from Dark Brotherhood) for 100% Spell Effectiveness. Equip Apotheosis Staff (Rindir’s Staffs, Imperial City) for 33 points of Fire, Frost, and Shock damage as a backup.

With this setup, your Magicka pool supports endless spellcasting, and Shield enchantments make you nearly invulnerable, negating the High Elf’s elemental weakness.

Step 5: Early Power Plays

With your one-shot spell and enchanted gear, tackle these objectives to solidify your OP status:

Umbra Sword: At level 1-5, travel to Vindasel (southwest of Imperial City) and fight Umbra. Use Paralyze and “Oblivion Breaker” to cheese the fight, staying at range. The Umbra sword (high base damage, Soul Trap enchantment) is a powerful melee option.
Frostwyrm Bow: Found in a chest near Fort Caractacus (east of Imperial City), this bow deals high damage with Frost enchantment, perfect for ranged combat against ghosts or wraiths.
Dark Brotherhood Questline: Start by killing Rufio in the Inn of Ill Omen (south of Imperial City). Join the Dark Brotherhood to get the Blade of Woe (enchanted dagger) and Shrouded Armor (light armor with enchantments), ideal for stealth or melee backups.
Arena: Fight in the Imperial City Arena for gold and Fame Points. Your one-shot spell makes matches trivial, earning 500-1000 gold per fight and unlocking the Adoring Fan follower.

Step 6: Optional Exploits for God Mode

For maximum breakage, use these optional exploits, noting that they may risk save corruption:

Infinite Magicka Glitch: Enchant an item with Drain Magicka (e.g., a ring). Create a custom spell with Fortify Magicka 100 points and Fortify Intelligence 100 points for 4 seconds. Cast the spell repeatedly, then equip the Drain Magicka item to reset your Magicka to thousands. Use sparingly and save backups.
Chameleon Stacking: Enchant multiple gear pieces with Chameleon (invisibility) using Grand Soul Gems. At 100%+ Chameleon, you’re invisible to enemies, allowing risk-free stealth kills. Farm Chameleon enchantments from Oblivion Gate enemies.

Why This Build Breaks the Game

This strategy is overpowered because it:

Bypasses Level Scaling: One-shot spells and high Magicka ignore enemy scaling, making level 30 Daedra as easy as level 1 bandits.
Requires Minimal Time: You can achieve this by level 5-10, within 2-3 hours, compared to the game’s 100+ hour completionist run.
Simplifies Combat: No need for complex melee combos or resource management—just spam “Oblivion Breaker” and watch enemies vanish.
Enhances Exploration: With godlike power, you can explore dangerous areas like Daedric Shrines or Oblivion Gates without fear, unlocking rare loot early.

The build’s only weakness is the High Elf/Atronach’s magic vulnerability, but Shield enchantments and Spell Absorption mitigate this. The remaster’s improved visuals—powered by Unreal Engine 5—make every explosion of your one-shot spell a dazzling spectacle, enhancing the power fantasy.

Tips for Success

Manual Saves: Save before dungeons or fights, as the remaster’s autosave can fail at critical moments. Use the Abandoned Shack in the Imperial City Waterfront for free beds.
Join Guilds Early: Mages Guild access is critical for spellmaking. Fighters Guild quests provide gold and combat XP if you want a melee fallback.
Farm Potions: Use Alchemy to craft Restore Magicka potions with Flax Seeds and Steel-Blue Entoloma (common in Cyrodiil). These ensure uptime if enchantments falter.
Avoid Over-Leveling: Don’t sleep to level up until your combat skills (Destruction, Restoration) are high, as rapid leveling without gear can make enemies tougher.
Backup Saves: If using glitches, save frequently to avoid crashes, as the remaster can be unstable after 40+ hours.

The Legacy of an OP Build

This OP strategy showcases Oblivion Remastered’s charm—its exploitable systems reward creativity, letting players bend the rules to become gods. While the remaster modernizes visuals and leveling, it preserves the janky freedom that made the original a classic. Whether you’re blasting Daedra with “Oblivion Breaker,” sneaking invisibly with Chameleon, or wielding Umbra at level 1, this build lets you rewrite Cyrodiil’s rules. It’s a testament to the game’s enduring appeal, offering a power fantasy that’s as thrilling today as it was in 2006.

Conclusion

Becoming overpowered early in Oblivion Remastered transforms Cyrodiil into your personal sandbox, where no enemy can stand against your magical might. By choosing High Elf and Atronach, crafting one-shot spells, and stacking enchanted gear, you’ll break the game in hours, turning every quest into a victory lap. So, step out of the sewers, enchant your robes, and unleash chaos—Cyrodiil’s fate is yours to command.