Oblivion:Primer
The Primer is designed to quickly introduce viewers and readers to some of the main concepts that will help them understand better what is happening in the run.
FAQs
What does 100% even mean in this game anyway?
It is true that Oblivion doesn't track your completion percentage in any explicit way. However, the Accomplishments tab is the one in-game place where a variety of trackable stats are located, and it includes everything you'd expect a 100% run to do, such as Quests Completed, Mastering Skills, and Places Found, in addition to some really punishing objectives like Nirnroots Found. We take every stat on that page, and get to the max value for that stat, ignoring any stats that are infinite (such as Jokes Told). There are a few other smaller objectives as well, but this is the main governing idea behind the requirements. If you would like to see a detailed list with justifications for all of the requirements, as well as the rules for speedrunning the route, you can check that out here.
How long will the run take?
This is our fourth revision of the speedrun route, which has tons of new optimizations resulting in an estimated time of about 14-15 hours.
How do you even keep track of what is happening?
We have extensive guide materials that we've improved over the past several years, which have now all been merged into a single interactive webpage guide [HERE ADD THIS AFTER MERGE] that includes interactive checklists and maps to make it easy for anyone to follow. The run is still pretty hectic even in Version 4, so for our runs we use a system of having a Co-Pilot read and check off instructions to the main player so they don't have to memorize the entire run. We also occasionally switch runners, but the timer doesn't stop for any reason.
You can keep track with us! Our interactive guide has a sharing feature, allowing viewers to follow the progress of other runners. Here [ADD LATER] is a link to our debut V4 run progress so you can watch in real time as we complete the route. Just remember to refresh the page occasionally!
Can I do this speedrun too?
Yes you can! Our primary focus is to improve the route and document it so extensively that others can easily pick up the speedrun and learn all of the glitches even if they have very little familiar with the game. We also want to make it easy for people to join our routing team if they want to help improve it. Check out the interactive guide page [HERE ADD AFTER MERGE] to get started as a runner, or browse various wiki articles about Route Logic and Glitch Hunting to see what we need help with!
How are you killing everything so fast?
The difficulty slider is changed situationally for various parts of the route, but most of the time it is left on the easiest setting. For the majority of the run, we use the Apotheosis staff to deal a massive 99 points of mixed elemental damage, which kills virtually any enemy in one hit. We also utilize a stack glitch to recharge the staff without needing soul gems. You can read more about combat optimizations here.
Why are you loading so many old save files?
We use a glitch called Load Warping to go around the map often. The glitch basically teleports your current character to where an old character was (which saves time backtracking manually), so any time you see us loading an old save file, it is usually for that purpose.
How did you get so much Gold?
Early on in the run we perform the infamous Dorian Glitch, which allows us to infinitely pickpocket the same amount of gold from the NPC Dorian over and over again. We boost his gold by bribing him so we get even more per click. We end up needing roughly 450,000 gold in any given version of the route. You can read about the tech more in-depth here.
Why are you so fast? Why do NPCs ignore you?
We set up a glitch early in the run called Perma Enchanting that gives us a permanent Speed/Athletics boost instead of having to constantly dupe and drink Skooma for hours and hours. We use this same glitch to get a permanent 80% Chameleon enchantment, and wear a ring for the last 20% so we can situationally allow NPCs to observe and interact with us. 100% Chameleon has the added bonus of allowing us to fast travel away with enemies nearby since they aren't aggressive towards us most of the time.
Why no DLC?
The original idea was that the run be strictly the vanilla version of the game to make it more accessible to runners, and it was assumed the vanilla version would more accurately represent how the majority of viewers remembered the game. However, there has been enough demand for it that we will eventually make a DLC/Add-on version of the run that includes all officially released content since we plan on doing something similar right out of the gate for Skyrim 100%.
Skyrim 100%?
We plan on doing Skyrim 100% relatively soon now that Oblivion is extremely optimized for 100%. If you would like to be a part of the creation of the first ever run, we will be planning the requirements and discussing the route on our Discord server.