Best birthsign in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
All attribute bonuses and powers granted by Oblivion's birthsigns
Wondering what the best birthsign is in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? In the world of Tamriel, your birthsign is the constellation that you were born under. From the Apprentice to the Warrior, each of these star combinations provides unique powers, and it pays to research which one will boost the right attributes for your character.
You'll choose your birthsign early in the game halfway through the tutorial, as you accompany Emperor Uriel Septim through the dark sewers. You can select an initial birthsign when the Emperor prompts you, and prior to exiting the sewers you'll be asked to lock your birthsign in. You can't change it afterwards, so before making this defining decision, bookmark this guide and give it a good read. We'll rank all of the birthsigns in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered here, and we'll also reveal which is the best for your character.
Best birthsigns in Oblivion Remastered
Oblivion features 14 birthsigns in total. The best five birthsigns are the Mage, Warrior, Lady, Thief, and Atronach.
We'll outline details on each birthsign below, but for a quick glance at how these signs alter your attributes in Oblivion, consult the following table:
| Birthsign | Effects |
|---|---|
| Apprentice | +100 Magicka, +100% weakness to magic |
| Atronach | +150 Magicka, 50% chance of absorbing spells cast on self, No Magicka regen |
| Lady | +10 Willpower, +10 Endurance |
| Lord | +15 Armor Rating, +15% magic resistance |
| Lover | Paralyze opponent for 10 seconds and lose 120 points of Fatigue (once daily) |
| Mage | +50 Magicka |
| Ritual | Restore 200 points of health (once daily), Blessed Word spell (repels undead for 30 seconds; 40 Magicka points per cast) |
| Serpent | Deal 3 points of damage for 20 seconds; also cures Poison, dispels 90 points and causes 100 points of Fatigue to the caster (once daily) |
| Shadow | 60 Second invisibility (once daily) |
| Steed | +20 Speed |
| Thief | +10 Agility, +10 Speed, +10 Luck |
| Tower | Open an Average lock (once daily), Reflect 5% of incoming damage for 120 seconds (once daily) |
| Warrior | +10 Strength, +10 Endurance |
13. Tower
The Tower gives two greater powers - Tower Key, which lets you cast Open on a lock of average difficulty once per day, and Tower Warden, which lets you Reflect Damage once per day for two minutes. This isn't a great birthsign - the fact that Tower Key only works on average difficulty locks makes it mediocre, and Tower Warden also feels constrained by its daily limit. Thieves have better options.
12. Shadow
The Shadow is a simple birthsign that grants 60 seconds of invisibility, which is nice for sneaky characters but not spectacular. Invisibility spells become increasingly common the more you level up, and stealthy folks would probably benefit more from taking the Thief birthsign, which is tailor-made for them.
11. Serpent
The Serpent lets you utilise the Serpent Spell greater power, which can be expended once daily to simultaneously cast Cure Poison, Damage Health, Damage Fatigue, and Dispel. Four spells for the price of one isn't bad at all, but it does cost a hefty 100 points of Fatigue. Also, this birthsign is useless for Argonian characters, who already have poison immunity.
10. Lord
The Lord birthsign increases your armor rating by 15 and lets you resist magic by 15%. This is a decent birthsign for offering a well-rounded resistance to physical and magic damage, but it feels a little run-of-the-mill when compared to the other options on display. Worth choosing if you want a conservative defense option, though.
9. Apprentice
The Apprentice birthsign gives you a huge boost to Magicka, which is the equivalent of Mana in the world of Oblivion. It counters this by making you vulnerable to magic. In a nutshell, you can cast tonnes of spells, but you can also be hurt a tonne by enemy spells. Not great, so the Apprentice ranks low unless you want to build a 'go for broke' spellcaster.
8. Ritual
The Ritual provides Mara's Gift, which lets you restore health once per day, and Blessed Word, which lets you cast Turn Undead and make all ghostly foes flee. This is a decent birthsign for paladin-type characters who like vanquishing undead and need a quick heal option. It would rank higher if Mara's Gift allowed for more than a single daily use.
7. Steed
The Steed provides a bonus of 20 to your Speed attribute, which seems a little dull at first, but is very useful for races that already have a high speed and specialise in classes that emphasise dexterity - a Wood Elf rogue, for instance. Nords and Orcs, who tend to be slow thanks to all of that hefty armour on their backs, might also be interested in the Steed for a little boost, especially at the start of Oblivion.
6. Lover
The Lover gives you Lover's Kiss, which lets you paralyze an enemy for 10 seconds once per day at the cost of 120 points of Fatigue. You're supposedly paralyzing folks with a kiss, so if you like the idea of charming foes by blowing smooches at them, this is a fun birthsign, though an inessential one for most characters. However, if you happen to be playing as an Imperial character, bump the Lover up to number one on this list - the Imperial Star of the West great power lets them absorb 100 points of Fatigue, making Lover's Kiss extremely potent.
5. Mage
The Mage is simple and clean, giving you +50 to Magicka. This is a conservative choice of birthsign and a good go-to for spellcasters. It's not a terribly exciting sign, but the extra Magicka certainly comes in handy at the start of Oblivion.
4. Warrior
The Warrior is a rock solid birthsign for melee combatants, offering up 10 extra points in both Strength and Endurance. Nothing fancy with this one, but you don't need fancy when it comes to buffing a tank. The Warrior is infinitely useful for a Nord, Orc, or Redguard character and a wide variety of builds.
3. Lady
The Lady offers nice +10 boosts to Willpower and Endurance via the Lady's Blessing ability. Everyone can benefit from increased Endurance, but this is useful particularly for spellsword builds - the Endurance boost will increase your survivability in combat, while the Willpower amplifies your Magicka regeneration. A Breton or a Dark Elf battlemage will benefit nicely from choosing the Lady as their sign.
2. Thief
The Thief takes our pick for one of the best signs in Oblivion thanks to handy +10 bonus to three useful attributes - Agility, Speed, and Luck, which is one of those stats that's hard to raise in Oblivion, but does a lot of behind-the-scenes lifting. Luck above 50 makes events go in your favour, and an extra +10 will go far in influencing hidden modifiers behind all of your skills, bumping them ever so slightly in key situations. For a rogue character, this is pivotal.
1. Atronach
The Atronach is a high risk, high reward sign. You start the game with a permanent +150 Magicka boost, which immediately raises your spellcasting potential through the roof. You'll also gain 50% Spell Absorption, letting you potentially regain Magicka after enemy magics hit you. However, you also get hit with the Stunted Magicka effect, which means that you can't regenerate Magicka via normal means. Ultimately, this is a fantastic starsign for devil may care players who don't mind wading into the fray and sucking up enemy spell energy. It's a lot of fun.
That finishes our look at all of the birthsigns in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered, and the ones that work best for most builds. For more on customising your avatar, check out our guides on the best pre-determined classes in Oblivion. If you'd like your character to take a darker turn, see our guide on how to become a vampire, and if you're simply hoping to shut down all of those pesky portals, see our guide on how to shut Oblivion gates. Good luck out there in the wilds of Cyrodiil!