So wait, how exactly does leveling up work again?

[Megatarius]

The instruction manual says any combination of Major Skills that add up to 10 will trigger a level up.

 

 

But I'm reading all this stuff in the forums of people complaining about having to farm/crunch/whatever you want to call it to their minor skills before the level up increases....

 

 

So what's going on here? Can get a level up screen from simply using Blade, Block, Light Armor, and Alchemy if those are Major Skills?

 

I don't recall ever having to increase my blunt or illusion skills to get level ups. (I've never made a serious character that uses those.)

 

What's all this talk about raising minor skills? The manual is correct, right?

[3rdtryguy]

I'm not really sure. There are a number of mods out which deal with the leveling system, so maybe the problem is related to a common one of those?

 

Ordinarily, however, you gain levels by accruing ten points worth of increase among your major skills, just like you thought. I think that a lot of the problems people have is that they don't WANT to level up so much, so you have to make your character into something that's really the very opposite of what you really want him to be. That way you can use all of your main skills, but use them as minors, and more easily control your levelup speed by controlling your use of the minor skills you'd hardly ever need, which you have put into your major skill slots.

 

That's how I do it. I make a custom character class with my major slots filled with the junk I hardly use and my minors with the good stuff. That way I can get very skilled and powerful in my useful skills and kick a lot of butt without having to level up until I want to.

[Sharkull]

What's all this talk about raising minor skills? The manual is correct, right?

The manual is correct, but what you're talking about is strategy in making a powerful character. It has to do with attribute bonuses upon level up (wanting +5...). You can read more about it here:

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Leveling...eveling_Problem

and here:

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Efficient_Leveling

[Megatarius]

Oohhhhh.

 

 

I get it. People don't like how the monsters evolve with them so this lets them get more powerful.

 

 

 

I'm the opposite. I put all my intended skills as Majors so I have a boost in them early. I just imagined that the monsters were getting stronger as well because something evil was stirring. With my old install and character, I was putting off the main quest until I became master of the Mage's Guild. Therefore, Oblivion hadn't happened, but all this evil was growing around me. It worked really well for a long time, until I started to get annoyed that every bandit had Glass stuff.

 

 

With my new install and character, I'm using OOO, so monsters are static levels, and I want to reach level two quickly so I can do the deadric shrines. I love the skeleton key and the pelt armor you get from Hircine.

 

 

 

I never even considered that strategy. It's a nice idea though. I'd consider it if I wasn't using OOO, which would make a strategy like that madness.

 

 

And as for the +5 thing, I have to admit, that never occurred to me.