Oblivion Remastered: How to join the Mages Guild and Arcane University
How to join the Mages Guild and get recommendations for the Arcane University
Wondering how to join the Mages Guild in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? The Mages Guild in Oblivion is a school for sorcerers and anyone who wants to improve their Magicka skill. Joining the guild gives you easier access to spells, potion ingredients, soul gems, and all the other wonderous items that a mage could ever need. Even better, Mages Guild membership is a stepping stone towards gaining access to the Arcane University of Cyrodiil's Imperial City - a sanctum of magical knowledge.
In this guide, we'll explain what you need to do to join the Mages Guild and get access to the Arcane University in Oblivion Remastered. We'll also list some of the benefits that come with membership into these esteemed halls of magical learning.
How to join the Mages Guild in Oblivion
To get basic access to guild amenities, you need to talk to one of the leaders of the various Mages Guild halls. They'll speak with you as long as you don't have a bounty on your head, and can find them in the following locations:
- Carahil in Anvil
- Kud-Ei in Bravil
- Jeanne Frasoric in Bruma
- Falcar in Cheydinhal
- Teekeeus in Chorrol
- Dagail in Leyawiin
- Adrienne Berene in Skingrad
When compared to joining Oblivion's other factions, like the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood, this probably seems easy. However, in order to gain the true benefits of the Mages Guild, you need to get access to the prestigious Arcane University, which is considerably more time consuming. This requires getting a recommendation and completing a side quest from each of the leaders listed above. Once you've acquired all of your recommendations, go to the Arcane University in the Imperial City. Speak with Raminus Polus, who gives you an official welcome to the Mages Guild.
We've outlined each recommendation quest below.
- Anvil Recommendation
- Bravil Recommendation
- Bruma Recommendation
- Cheydinhal Recommendation
- Chorrol Recommendation
- Leyawiin Recommendation
- Skingrad Recommendation
Anvil Recommendation
Go to Anvil and chat with Carahil, who asks you to investigate deaths along the Gold Road caused by a rogue battlemage. She tells you to speak with Arielle Jurard at the Brina Cross Inn for more information. Before you head out, talk with Carahil a second time about 'Rogue Mage', and she'll give you three useful Frost Shell scrolls.
The Brina Cross Inn is north of Anvil. Once you get there, speak with Arielle and rent a room to pose as a travelling merchant. Talk to the other folks in the inn - namely Christophe and Caminalda - and make sure to say you're a travelling merchant. Then go to your room and wait for Arielle to speak with you. Sleep at the inn for at least an hour and then get ready to travel along the Gold Road, with Arielle and two other magas following behind you.
Eventually Caminalda will rush up and attack you. Feel free to contribute to the combat or just let Arielle and her friends do the dirty work. Loot her corpse when you're done - this opens her room at the Brina Cross Inn, which contains a chest with gold. Then, head back to Carahil to get your recommendation.
Bravil Recommendation
Go to Bravil and speak with Kud-Ei, who asks you to find the missing Ardaline's Staff, which was pilfered by a certain Varon Varmoni. You'll also get a Beguile scroll, which you can use to increase someone's disposition towards you.
Varon either hangs out in the guild, in his home north of the guild hall, or in Silverhome on the Water, an inn not far from Bravil's main gate. Speak with him, and as long as his disposition towards you is at least 65, he'll admit that he took the staff and sold it to Soris Arenim in the Imperial City. Relay this info back to Varon and you'll get three more Beguile scrolls.
Now, head to the Imperial City and Soris Arenim's house. Chat with his wife and raise her disposition as much as you can (or just use the Beguile scrolls) until she reveals that the staff is in a basement chest, with the key upstairs. The upstairs locked door is easily picked; grab the key and then go into the basement for the chest. If for whatever reason you fail in this, you can also bribe Soris Arenim to give up the staff for 200 gold - but only if his disposition is high enough. Then return to Kud-Ei to get your recommendation.
Bruma Recommendation
Head over to Bruma and speak with Jeanne Frasoric, who tells you to find a fellow named J'skar who has supposedly disappeared. Actually, he's just turned invisible, the sly bastard. To draw him out, chat with Volanaro - if his disposition is high enough, he'll ask you to play a prank and steal Jeanne's Manual of Spellcraft. He'll also teach you a spell to open easy locks.
Go upstairs into Jeanne's room, unlock her desk using Volanaro's spell (or your own lockpicks if you prefer) and grab the manual. Then meet Volanaro at 10 PM downstairs in the guild. J'skar will pop up as well to gloat in the prank. Afterwards, you can go back upstairs and tell Jeanne that you've found your man to receive the recommendation.
Cheydinhal Recommendation
Speak with Falcar in the Cheydinal Mages Guild to start this quest. He's an extremely condescending guy, but he'll give you a chance to prove yourself by retrieving a ring that was tossed into a well behind the guild. To gain access to the well, you need to chat with Deetsan, an Argonian mage who hangs out in the guild. She will only chat with you if Falcar isn't around, which is in the afternoon. She reveals that an associate named Vidkun vanished with the ring, and gives you the well key and a Buoyancy spell.
Go behind the guild to the well and use the Buoyancy spell to breathe underwater. Once you enter the well, look around until you find Vidkun's body. Search it to obtain the ring, but beware - the ring has a weight of 150, and you'll be seriously encumbered unless you have inventory space. Looks like this is how poor Vidkun died.
Head back up, speak with Deetsan and tell her about Vidkun. Looks like Falcar had a little tantrum while you were away - go search his room in the basement and lockpick the locked drawer to find two Black Soul Gems. Report back to Deetsan, who will take the gems, muse that Falcar is probably up to no good, and write your recommendation herself.
Chorrol Recommendation
This quest's a little more elaborate, and if you play your cards right you can end up with some new magic to go along with your recommendation. Chat with Teekeeus in Chorrol to learn that you'll need to meet Earana, who can be found outside the guild in the courtyard during the morning and afternoon, or in The Grey Mare tavern in the evening. When you speak with her, she'll ask you to get a book called Fingers of the Mountain. She says you can't tell Teekeeus about the book, but for the sake of inciting drama (and learning exactly where the book is), go ahead and snitch. Teekeeus wants the book for himself, and asks you to deliver it to him.
To find the book, go to Cloud Top, which is northwest of Chorrol. Search the charred remains on the ground by a statue; Fingers of the Mountain is located amongst these remains. After you've got the book, it's time to choose between giving it to either Teekeeus or Earana, as there are a few different outcomes that result.
Giving it to Teekeeus is simplest, and he'll give you your recommendation right away. But if you want a new spell, it pays to give it to Teekeeus, tell Earana about this fact, and then steal the book back from Teekeeus when he isn't looking. Once Earana has the book, she reveals that she wants to translate it; wait for 24 hours before speaking with her and she'll provide Earana's Notes. Read them and you'll learn that you can get a new spell on Cloud Top if you follow a certain set of procedures.
Basically, you need a Welkynd Stone (which can be commonly found in the Aeylid Ruins). With this stone in your inventory, go to Cloud Top and cast Shock (or any similar spell that deals shock damage) on the broken pillar in the ruin. You'll get the Fingers of the Mountain spell in your inventory. Nice!
Leyawiin Recommendation
Speak with Dagail in Leyawiin and you'll be instructed to check in with Agata, another guild member. If you talk with Agata, you'll learn that Dagail's Seers' Stone has gone missing. She'll ask you to investigate, and if you talk with everyone in the guild you'll eventually encounter Kalthar, who usually hangs out in the basement, complains about how Dagail doesn't deserve her position, and mentions her father.
Return to Agata with this revelation, and then speak with Dagail again about her father. You'll now have to explore Fort Blueblood, where Dagail's father was once stationed. This is located southeast of Leyawiin. Once you get there, beware, as the Fort is full of marauder fighters, archers, and battlemages. Fight your way through and take out the warlord boss for a key to open a door that leads to a coffin. Inside the coffin is Manduin's Amulet.
Kalthar appears and asks for the amulet once you've got it. Turns out he stole it all along! Give him a solid ass whooping and then loot the key from his body. Then return to Dagail and Agata to get your recommendation.
Skingrad Recommendation
In Skingrad, speak with Adrienne Berene, who'll ask you to get some notes from Erthor. Ask around in the guild to hear details on how Erthor settled down in Bleak Flats Cave, which will be marked on your map after you've spoken with Druja. If you go back to Adrienne and inquire about Bleak Flats Cave, she'll send you to pick up Erthor, and she'll also give you a Weak Fireball spell.
The cave isn't a massive dungeon, but you do need to deal with some deranged zombies within its confines. Clear out the cave and Erthor will leave and accompany you back to Skingrad. Chat with Erthor and Adrienne afterwards to get your recommendation.
Mages Guild benefits
It takes a while to jump through all of the hoops to gain proper entrance into the Mages Guild and the Arcane University, but doing so is worth it, especially for any wizard character. Considering that the Spellsword is one of Oblivion's best classes, melee combatants with an inkling of magic power will also benefit from guild membership, which confers the following benefits:
- The Arcane University contains the Altar of Spellmaking, which lets you engage in spellcrafting, the creation of custom spells. If you're interested in the ins and outs of this, see our guide on how to create spells in Oblivion.
- Each Mages Guild hall, aside from offering a place to sleep, contains a plethora of raw materials suitable for potioncrafting or any alchemist build. Most have Novice alchemy tools available as well, which means you don't necessarily need to carry a set with you and can simply return to a guild whenever you need to do some mixing.
- The Practice Rooms in the Arcane University contain practice targets and apprentices constantly shooting magic spells. If you've got the Atronach birthsign - one of the best birthsigns in the game - here's a neat trick: just stand between them to get your Magicka instantly recharged!
- When you rise through the ranks of the guild and become Arch-Mage, you'll get access to the Arch-Mage's Quarters, which contains an Enchanted Chest which lets you duplicate ingredients - yet another handy aid to your creation of custom spells.
You can get suspended from the Mages Guild if you kill or attack another guild member or steal. If you're suspended, you can beg Raminus Polus to be readmitted. He can be found in the Arch-Mage's Lobby during the day and will typically send you on alchemical fetch quests before reinstating you.
And that's a wrap on everything you need to do to join the Mages Guild and get access to the Arcane University in Oblivion Remastered! If you'd rather investigate other ways to advance your character, check out our guides on how to change your appearance, how to raise all of your stats, or how to start the many Daedric Quests that encompass Oblivion's epic plot.