How to Become Human Again: Your Guide to the Vampire Cure in Oblivion

Understanding the Curse: Life as a Vampire in Oblivion

Are you a creature of the night in the world of Cyrodiil? Do the scorching rays of the sun force you to cower in the shadows? Have the townsfolk begun to shy away from you, their fear palpable in the air? If you’re experiencing the challenges of vampirism in *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion*, and long to shed your vampiric curse, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will lead you through the process, helping you regain your humanity and fully experience the world of Oblivion once more.

How to Contract Vampirism

Before embarking on the journey to cure your condition, it’s crucial to understand the nature of vampirism in Oblivion. Knowing the nuances of the curse, its strengths, its weaknesses, and the process of becoming a vampire, is fundamental to mastering the game.

The origin of your affliction is the disease *Sanguinare Vampiris*. It’s a nasty little curse, and the primary cause of contracting this disease is an encounter with a vampire. You can pick it up from their attacks in combat. The chance isn’t a guarantee, but it’s present in any confrontation with a vampire.

Once infected, you won’t immediately transform. The disease goes through an incubation period – a waiting game where you might notice your stats changing. You might not realize the true nature of your affliction until it’s too late! This incubation period may take a few days, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be trapped in the cycle of vampirism. This is where quick thinking and early prevention become important.

The Stages of Vampirism

The disease progresses through distinct stages. This progression affects your abilities. As you progress in vampirism, you start to experience both powerful abilities and debilitating weaknesses.

Early Stages: Initially, you’ll notice an improvement in certain stats. You’ll become stronger, faster, and more resilient. You might discover you have improved night vision – a boon when navigating the dark corners of Tamriel.

Advanced Stages: As you progress, these abilities become more pronounced, but so do the downsides. Weaknesses to sunlight, fire, and cold become more significant. The constant hunger for blood grows stronger.

The most critical aspect of managing your vampirism is regular feeding. Feeding allows you to stave off the most severe weaknesses of the later stages. If you don’t feed, your weaknesses intensify. The sun will become a deadly enemy. You’ll be forced to sneak around in the shadows, fearing the daylight. The fear of being caught feeding on an innocent adds a layer of complexity to your gameplay.

Being a vampire in Oblivion is a delicate balance. You must manage your hunger, avoid sunlight, and deal with the reactions of the world around you. The benefits are tempting, but the cost can be high.

The Allure and the Burden: The Pros and Cons

Let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of your vampiric condition in more detail. Understanding these pros and cons can help you decide if the cure is right for you.

The advantages of vampirism are significant. Strength and Endurance are enhanced. Magic users will benefit from a boost to their Magicka. Disease resistance is near absolute. You’ll be immune to most ailments, a valuable asset in a world teeming with dangers. The true value of being a vampire is in the abilities. You’ll gain powerful abilities like:

• Night Vision: See in the dark, making nighttime travel and exploration a breeze.
• Vampiric Drain: A life-sucking ability that can replenish your health at the expense of your opponent’s.
• Invisibility: Become briefly invisible to avoid unwanted encounters or to sneak past enemies.
• Vampire’s Charm: Allows you to affect the disposition of a target for a short time.

These advantages, however, come with a steep price. The cons of being a vampire significantly shape your gameplay experience.

• Sunlight Sensitivity: Sunlight becomes a crippling weakness. Your skills are greatly reduced. You take continuous health damage when exposed. This severely restricts your ability to travel during the day.
• Fire and Cold Vulnerability: Vampires are weak to fire and cold, taking additional damage from these sources.
• Social Repulsion: NPCs react negatively to your vampiric nature. Guards may attack you on sight. Merchants may raise their prices. It’s hard to interact with the general public.
• The Need to Feed: The constant need to feed on blood becomes a central concern. Finding victims and avoiding detection adds an element of stress and moral quandary to your gameplay.

The combination of these strengths and weaknesses creates a unique, albeit challenging, gameplay experience. It’s up to you to decide if the benefits are worth the trade-offs. The cure is available, and we will explore how to access this cure next.

The Path to Humanity: The Quest for a Cure

The key to curing vampirism in Oblivion lies in a specific quest: “The Cure for Vampirism”. This quest will guide you through the necessary steps to rid yourself of the curse. This is the light at the end of the tunnel.

The quest is initiated by speaking to a specific NPC, who has knowledge of the cure. This person is a key player in the quest and a pivotal person to talk to for assistance. The initial conversation sets you on the right path to cure your affliction. This information can be found by searching the city.

This is the basic structure of the quest:

• You’ll need to gather a few specific ingredients.
• You’ll have to deliver them to a specific location.
• You’ll complete a ritual.

First, gather the ingredients:

• Blood Grass: This rare plant can only be found around the ruins of the Imperial City Waterfront district. It’s a key ingredient in the cure, a symbol of your past life as a vampire.
• The Amulet of Reman: This powerful artifact is another key to breaking the vampire’s curse. This must be retrieved and used to activate the cure. You will need to find this amulet.
• The Blood of an Argonian: This is a key ingredient in the potion. You must find an Argonian, and take their blood.

Next, you must find the ingredients. Travel the land of Cyrodiil and look for your prize. Some are easier to find than others. This step requires dedication and perseverance.

Once you have all the ingredients, return to the NPC who originally told you about the cure. At this point, they will help you to complete the final step. At the completion of the ritual, you will drink the potion. You will be free from the curse.

Tips and Strategies: Navigating the Cursed and Curing the Damned

Here’s a collection of valuable tips and strategies to help you navigate the world, both before and after you have taken the cure.

Preventing vampirism is the best form of defense. If you can cure *Sanguinare Vampiris* before you fully transform, you will avoid the complications of being a vampire altogether. Consuming a Cure Disease potion will do the trick. Visiting a chapel altar, and praying to the Nine Divines, will also cure the disease.

If you do contract vampirism, and it’s too late to prevent the transformation, you can employ several strategies to manage your condition.

• Embrace the Night: Plan your travels accordingly. Stick to nighttime exploration and quests to minimize exposure to sunlight.
• Use Protection Spells and Potions: Use spells that protect you from sunlight.
• Find Safe Feeding Spots: Identify safe locations where you can feed without being detected. The privacy of a tavern or the wilderness is essential.
• Manage Your Reputation: Use illusion spells to pacify witnesses.

Once you have your cure, you can say goodbye to many of these strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions about Becoming Human Again

Here are some frequently asked questions that often come up on the road to the vampire cure.

• Can I become a vampire again after being cured?
• What happens to my vampire abilities after the cure?
• What are the advantages of being a vampire versus being human?
• Can I skip any steps of the quest?

Conclusion: A New Dawn

You have now learned how to cure vampirism in Oblivion. The path is long and arduous, but the reward – freedom from the curse – is well worth the effort. As a human, you can freely roam the land, bask in the sun, and enjoy the camaraderie of the citizens of Cyrodiil. You’ve overcome the weaknesses of the curse, you can focus on your character build and goals. The adventure is still there, and your journey continues.

Is there anything else I can help you with? Are there other guides that you would like me to write? Let me know.