Some of the best weapons in Oblivion Remastered are available very early — if you know where to look. And we’re not just talking about great weapons. Some of these weapons are literally the best-in-their-class, top-tier tools you’ll be able to use for the rest of the run if you keep them repaired and recharged. Oblivion is full of junk weapons, so if you’re sick of swinging around basic swords, you’ll want to get these ultimate weapons of destruction.
The weapons below are so good, some are going to be difficult to collect early in the game. Weapons like the Umbra can be earned easily by simply exploiting the battlefield and bringing a whole lot of arrows, while weapons like the Hatred’s Soul require delving into an Oblivion Gate, so you’ll need to progress the story a little bit to access it.
And if you want another item that’s very useful to grab early, here’s how to find the Skeleton Key and give yourself the reward of an unbreakable lockpick.
Best Weapons To Get Early
Umbra Longsword: An extremely powerful one-handed long sword. It has the highest base damage of any other one-handed long sword in the game, and has a Soul Trap enchantment. It is related to the Clavicus Vile Daedric Quest, but you don’t need to start the quest to collect it.
- Go to the dungeon Vindasel — an old elf ruin southwest of the Imperial City — and you’ll find the NPC named Umbra. There are animals in the dungeon but no other enemies.
- Umbra is a difficult opponent, but there are ways to easily defeat her. Use the broken pillar to jump up and shoot her with magic or arrows from above where she can’t reach. Alternatively, lower the difficulty to make the fight easier.
Apotheosis Staff: A unique staff that deals 99 Damage (33 Fire, 33 Frost, 33 Shock) per hit. Applying weakness to enemies makes it even more powerful. This is a powerful staff available at the start of the game and can be purchased in the Imperial City. It might be the most powerful weapon in the game — at least, one you haven’t enchanted or upgraded yourself.
- Available to buy at Rindir’s Staffs in the Imperial City Market District. This is one of the first locations you’ll visit — save up some gold and you’ll get this powerful weapon.
Chillrend Sword: The Chillrend short sword is one of the best in the game as it adds a frost damage modifier to all attacks. This glass short sword is acquired by completing a side-quest in the best way possible.
- Go to The Grey Mare tavern in Chorrol and talk to Valus Odiil. He’ll ask you to help save his farm. This begins the side-quest The Killing Field.
- Save before attempting the quest. To earn Chillrend, you must complete the quest and keep both of Valus Odiil’s sons alive.
Hatred’s Soul Bow: A powerful Daedric Bow that can be acquired after completing the Kvatch main quest — when Oblivion Gates begin to open. This can be done surprisingly early in the game if you follow the main quest. The Hatred’s Soul Bow, when used with Hatred’s Soul Arrows, deal the highest base damage of any weapon in the game.
- Go to the city of Chorrol in northwest Cyrodiil. The Oblivion Gate outside the city will always take you to an Oblivion World with the Hatred’s Soul Bow.
- In this world, travel to the far north past the Sigil Gate to reach an optional dungeon called the Fume Vaults. This leads to a tower called the Embers of Hatred. Fight the Dremora here and collect their keys to progress.
- At the top of the tower, you’ll find the Hatred’s Heart and Hatred’s Soul. Both are incredibly powerful weapons, but Hatred’s Soul is one of the best bows in the game.
Goldbrand Sword: A golden katana, this one-handed weapon is the strongest melee weapon in the game, surpassed Umbra when you combine the base damage and fire enchantment together. Goldbrand is also a little harder to get than Umbra, and you’ll want to get another powerful weapon (like Umbra or Chillrend) earlier to help acquire it.
- Find the Shrine of Boethia to the southeast of Cheydinhal in the mountains. In Cheydinhal, talk to Borba the Orc in her store and ask about Daedric Shrines. She’ll mark the shrine location on your map.
- Use a Daedric Heart at the shrine to begin the quest Tournament of the Ten Bloods. You must fight nine battles in a row against Boethia’s chosen champions — prepare with powerful weapons here, bring potions, or just lower the difficulty to get through this short quest.
- Defeat all the champions to earn Goldbrand.
That’s most of the best weapons we think you need to get early in the game. We’ll add more as they’re discovered!
