It’s an often overlooked detail that you can significantly enhance the way every NPC perceives you in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered through a straightforward mini-game. Nowadays, Oblivion is frequently noted for its surprisingly quirky NPC AI. From conversations that seem to end as strangely as they begin, to awkward pathfinding that leads to NPCs clustering together at street corners, and the sometimes awkward and poorly executed voice lines, it has become a comedic reference in the realm of modern gaming, which generally handles these aspects more smoothly.
However, the game’s social mechanics are actually quite intricate. This includes a friendship meter that resembles something from The Sims, influencing how non-hostile NPCs in Oblivion view you. By skillfully persuading both strangers and allies, you can gain access to better shop prices, more accurate information from gossipers, and crucial tips to initiate certain quests. However, if it’s your first time dealing with the persuasion mini-game, it can be a bit tricky to navigate.
Getting Started with Persuasion
When you engage in dialogue with a friendly NPC, you’ll notice different options displayed in the lower-left corner of your screen. Below the dialogue choices, there will be one to four square icons. Look for the one that appears as a human figure surrounded by arrows. Hover over it and click to initiate the persuasion mini-game.
Once you do that, you’ll see a sort of introduction screen with a semi-transparent wheel displaying options like "bribe" and "start." The number in the center of the wheel indicates your current standing with the NPC—higher numbers mean they have a better opinion of you. A score above 70 generally indicates a favorable stance. If you’re able to, I recommend bribing the NPC at least once to easily boost your standing. Click "start" to kick off the mini-game, but be aware that the NPC’s opinion of you will decrease the longer the mini-game remains open, so make your moves quickly.
Understanding the Persuasion Wheel
With the persuasion wheel now active, you’ll find four choices: Admire, Joke, Coerce, and Boast. These represent potential dialogue options. As you hover over each one, the NPC’s facial expressions will shift, conveying their reactions ranging from pleasure to disgust, indicating their feelings toward each option. Each section of the wheel contains one to four segments, showing the effectiveness of each option. For instance, if an NPC like Jensine is most receptive to Coerce, somewhat receptive to Boast, and poorly disposed to Joke and Admire, it’s a strategy to aim for Coerce while avoiding Admire when possible.
Once you’ve played through the persuasion mini-game with an NPC for the first time, you’ll notice their wheel is colored to show their preferences: blue-green indicates they truly like it, light green means they like it a bit, ruddy brown indicates dislike, and red signals outright hatred.
Whenever you pick a dialogue option, the sections of the wheel will rotate a quarter turn to the right. You’ll have to use all four before wrapping up the persuasion mini-game. Your objective here is to select the options the NPC prefers at the times when they are most effective, ideally when they have the most segments filled, while opting for the less favorable options only when they’re less effective, such as when they have just one segment filled.
Advantages of Persuading NPCs
Successfully increasing your affinity with an NPC can lead to various rewards. Most importantly, it enables you to negotiate better prices with merchants. During your interactions, pressing R opens a haggling panel, allowing you to adjust a meter to affect pricing. With a higher affinity, merchants are more inclined to lower their prices for items while offering you a better rate for what you’re selling.
Furthermore, certain NPCs may provide enhanced or additional information regarding your quests and side missions once you’ve bolstered your affinity with them. For instance, to join the Thieves Guild, you’ll need to win over one of the beggars in the Imperial City to disclose the existence of their elusive leader, the Grey Fox.
Finally, engaging in the Persuasion mini-game helps you gain skill levels in Speechcraft. If it’s a part of your character’s skill set, you can leverage persuasion as a means to level up in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
