You might be wondering if you’ve accidentally time-traveled to 2006 as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam. Don’t worry, it’s just that Bethesda has surprise dropped the remastered version of one of their best RPGs till date.
While the graphics are better than ever and the gameplay has been improved in many contexts too, the crux of the Oblivion remains the same. And at the beginning of your journey, you must choose a race, an Origin, and a birthsign that have a huge impact on your overall experience.
On that note, here’s a rundown of how every birthsign in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered works and which one is the best pick for you based on your race.
All Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered birthsigns ranked from best to worst
In the table below, we’ve listed every birthsign in the game, its effects, and the races it suits best:
| Rank | Birthsign | Effects | Best race for it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Thief | +10 Agility +10 Luck +10 Speed | Stealth builds that rely on races like Khajiit and Wood Elf benefit greatly from these stat boosts. Lucky is really hard to get by, so you can essentially use this birthsign on all races. |
| 2 | The Atronach | +150 permanent Magicka points You recharge Magicka through spells cast at you, not naturally. | Suits any race, especially Mage builds, due to the defense against Magic but make sure to stack up on Restore Magicka potions. |
| 3 | The Lady | +10 Willpower +10 Endurance | Because you’re getting more durability with this birthsign, it’s best to use it with close range combat classes like Redguard. |
| 4 | The Warrior | +10 Strength +10 Endurance | Close range races like Orcs, Nords, and Redugards. On a side note, the strength lets you carry more so other races can benefit from this too. |
| 5 | The Lord | +15 Armor 15% Magic resistance | Suits both mage and melee races that need durability in combat. Examples are Redguards and High Elfs. |
| 6 | The Mage | Grants 50 permanent Magicka points | Lets you caste more spells than usual so any mage-heavy race like High Elf and Breton is suitable for this birthsign. |
| 7 | The Apprentice | Grants 100 permanent Magicka points to your character but also makes you 100% weak to Magic. | Avoid using this with Mage heavy races like High Elf. Instead, go for something like Bretnor because the 100% weakness makes you very vulnerable in combat. |
| 8 | The Lover | Paralyze an opponent for 10 seconds once a day for 120 Fatigue points | Only feasible with the Imperial race because it has the Star of the West power that absorbs the enemy’s fatigue points. |
| 9 | The Ritual | Gain 200 health once a day Cast a spell with 40 Magicka points to scare off the undead for 30 seconds. | Useful for races that lack survivability and want to avoid combat in caves. Not recommended for any race, honestly. |
| 10 | The Steed | +20 Speed | Recommended for Orcs, Norbs, and Redguards but Speed is fairly easy to level up from other sources, making this birthsign relatively useless. |
| 11 | The Serpent | Deal 3 damage for 20 seconds while curing poison but taking away 100 Fatigue points. Can be used once per day | The birthsign takes away more than it offers, so avoid picking it for any of your races. |
| 12 | The Shadow | Turn invisible for a minute once per day. | Although there are other items to grant you the same effect, you can rely on this birthsign to improve races like Khajiit and Wood Elf. |
| 13 | The Tower | You can open a lock of upto average difficulty once/day. Reflects 5% of all incoming damage for 120 seconds/day. | Because you can find the Tower Doomstone and learn lockpicking yourself, this birthsign is very hard to suggest for any race in the game. |
Long story short, picking the right birthsign in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered largely depends on the race and build you’re planning to use in your experience. We recommend selecting a birthsign from the top 7 in the table above.
All birthsigns below the top 7 options are easily replaceable and you’re better off avoiding them unless, of course, their playstyle intrigues you or matches the niche way you’re planning to get through the game.
