The Gates of OBSESSION

Who doesn't have an Elder Scrolls obsession right now? Jumping around to nearly every gaming blog I know, it's obvious that Oblivion is the hot ticket addiction item right now. Then again, maybe I don't spend enough time on Nintendo fanboy sites.

This is a paragraph about alchemy.

Yes, I'm a collector. Running hither and thither from quest to quest, I take every mushroom, flower, and loaf of bread I can find. I bring them back to the little trunk in the corner of my house. And when I need levels in alchemy, I come home and brew up little potions using my fancy calcinator. And when I need levels in mercantilism, I sell my favorite shopkeeper all the complicated and obscure treats I've concocted.


This is a paragraph about power-levelling.

There is little more satisfying than a perfect level. 5 in strength, 5 in intelligence, 5 in endurance. Yes, I keep careful tally. (And wish every day that I had distributed my major skills a tad bit more evenly.)


This is a paragraph about friendship.

I should also mention that I'm playing through the game with a friend. It's a wonderful pairing because we're both being meticulous (and ridiculous) about levelling. And because we both have things that we love doing. He can spend an hour taking hits at Goblin Jim's, while I can't get enough of racking up completed quests. I love finding the last piece for his set of elven armor and he loves procuring my journeyman-level alchemy equipment. And we both spend too much time making sure we've scoured every crevice of a dungeon. Plus, it's a lot easier to put 10 hours a day into a game if someone else can hold the controller for a while.

And if you're an Oblivion fan and haven't yet seen Calyber FD's brilliant Oblivimari post... well, you should.