Oblivion Remastered Classes Ranked Top Picks for Every Playstyle Tier List

Guides

In the vast and enchanting world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, choosing the right class can make or break your adventure. With 21 pre-made classes ranging from the stealthy Assassin to the magic-wielding Sorcerer, and the option to craft your own Custom Class, which path will lead you to glory? Discover the best classes to master on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, and learn how to tailor your skills and attributes for an unforgettable journey through Cyrodiil’s perilous realms.

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

Oblivion Remastered offers a total of 21 pre-made classes divided into three main categories: Combat, Magic, and Stealth. Combat classes focus on physical strength and endurance, including Warrior, Barbarian, Crusader, Knight, Archer, Scout, and Rogue. Magic classes emphasize spellcasting and magical abilities, featuring Mage, Sorcerer, Battlemage, Healer, Spellsword, Witchhunter, and Nightblade. Stealth classes excel in agility and subterfuge, with options like Thief, Agent, Acrobat, Assassin, Monk, Pilgrim, and Bard. Each class has its own favored attributes and major skills, shaping your character’s playstyle throughout the game. Players can choose a class after the tutorial’s Sanctum segment or create a custom class tailored to their preferences.

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:

When choosing the best class in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, players have 21 pre-made options, each specializing in combat, magic, or stealth. The top recommended class is the Spellsword, which offers a balanced mix of magic and melee, making it ideal for new players. Following closely are the Sorcerer, focused on powerful magic, and the Assassin, excelling in stealth and precision. While custom classes allow for tailored skill combinations, selecting a pre-built class like the Spellsword provides a strong, enjoyable experience without complex setup. Other classes vary in effectiveness, with some like the Healer or Acrobat ranked lower due to limited combat utility.

Magic

Combat

Stealth

Mage Warrior Thief
Sorcerer Barbarian Agent
Battlemage Crusader Acrobat
Healer Knight Assassin
Spellsword Archer Monk
Witchhunter Scout Pilgrim
Nightblade Rogue Bard

What are favorable attributes and major skills?

Favorable attributes and major skills in Oblivion Remastered depend largely on your chosen class and playstyle. Attributes like Endurance, Strength, Willpower, Agility, Intelligence, and Personality are commonly prioritized based on whether you focus on combat, magic, or stealth. For example, the popular Spellsword class favors Endurance and Willpower to balance melee and magic, with major skills including Blade, Destruction, and Restoration. Meanwhile, stealth classes like the Assassin emphasize Intelligence and Speed, with skills such as Sneak, Marksman, and Security. Magic-focused classes like the Sorcerer prioritize Intelligence and Endurance, specializing in skills like Conjuration, Destruction, and Heavy Armor. Selecting attributes that complement your major skills ensures effective leveling and gameplay, making it essential to align these choices with your preferred combat style and roleplaying goals.

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?

In Oblivion Remastered, you can change your class only at a specific point in the game-right after you exit the tutorial sewers. At this moment, the game prompts you to finalize your character, allowing you to change your class, race, appearance, and birthsign before entering the open world. After this point, there is no official way to change your class during regular gameplay, especially on consoles. However, PC players have the option to use console commands to bring up the class selection menu and change their class mid-game. This method resets your attributes and major skills to those of the new class and disables achievements for that save. Despite this limitation, the class system in Oblivion Remastered is flexible, as you can level up any skill and assign attribute points as you like throughout the game, allowing you to tailor your character’s playstyle regardless of your initial class choice.

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

In Oblivion Remastered, the best classes to pick balance combat, magic, and stealth to suit different playstyles. The top choice is the Spellsword, which combines melee and magic effectively, making it ideal for new players seeking a versatile experience. The Sorcerer is a strong alternative, focusing more on magic with good endurance, while the Assassin excels in stealth and speed for players who prefer a more covert approach. Each of the 21 pre-built classes specializes in distinct skills and attributes, so players can choose based on their preferred combat style or roleplaying preference. Custom Classes remain a popular option for those wanting a tailored skill set, but ready-made classes like the Spellsword, Sorcerer, and Assassin offer excellent starting points for most players.

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.


Which class in Oblivion Remastered offers the best balance of magic and melee gameplay

The Spellsword class in Oblivion Remastered offers the best balance of magic and melee gameplay. It combines strong swordsmanship with effective spellcasting, featuring major skills like Alteration, Blade, Block, Destruction, Heavy Armor, Illusion, and Restoration. This blend allows for versatile combat, with solid defense and powerful offensive magic, making it ideal for players who want to wield both sword and spell effectively. Pairing the Spellsword with the Stronghold Orc race and the Apprentice birthsign further enhances its Willpower, Endurance, and Magicka, maximizing its hybrid potential.

How does the Spellsword balance offense and defense in Oblivion Remastered

The Spellsword class in Oblivion Remastered balances offense and defense by blending melee combat skills with powerful magic and heavy armor protection. Offensively, it uses Blade for close-range sword attacks and Destruction magic for ranged spell damage, allowing players to open fights with spells and close in with sword strikes. Defensively, the class employs Heavy Armor to absorb physical damage and Block to reduce incoming hits with a shield, enabling tactical counterattacks and survivability in melee. Additionally, Restoration magic provides healing during combat, while strategic use of buffs like Shield spells enhances defense before engagements. This combination creates a versatile fighter who can adapt fluidly between aggressive offense and resilient defense, thriving in various combat scenarios.

Rate
Arslan Shah

As a junior editor for the blog, he brings over a decade of experience and a lifelong passion for video games. His focus is on role-playing games, and he has a particular appreciation for compelling, story-driven narratives.

AELGAMES