It’s a little-known fact that you can easily improve every NPC’s opinion of you inThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredwith a simple mini-game.Today,Oblivionis perhaps known for its frankly bizarre NPC AI. From odd conversations that end just as abruptly as they begin, to clunky pathing that causes NPC pileups at town intersections, to thestilted (and often error-ridden) voice lines. It’s become something of a joke amid the modern gaming landscape, which typically handles all of the above more deftly.
But in truth,Oblivion’s social simulation features go quite deep. That extends to a sort ofSims-like friendship meter that affects how every single non-enemyNPC inOblivion’s open worldsees you. Expertly persuading your strangers and allies can get you better deals at shops, better information from rumor mongers, and even vital details for starting certain quests. But the persuasion mini-game can be a little difficult to understand if it’s your first time encountering it.
How The Persuasion Wheel Works
How To Begin Persuading
Whenever you’re in a conversation with a friendly NPC, you’ll see a variety of different options in the lower-left corner of the screen. Beneath the dialogue options, there should be anywhere between one and four square icons. In particular,you’ll want to find the one that resembles a human silhouette with several arrows over it. Roll over this and click it to begin the persuading mini-game.
You’ll then see a sort of introductory menu, with a semi-transparent wheel and the options “bribe” and “start.” The number in the middle of the wheel displays your current standing with the NPC you’re talking to; the higher the number, the more they like you. Anything over 70 represents a good opinion. If you can afford it,I do recommend bribing the NPC at least oncefor an easy affinity gain. Click “start” to begin the mini-game.The NPC’s affinity for you will tick down the longer you keep the mini-game open, so you’ll need to move fast.
With the Persuading wheel now open, you’ll see four options: Admire, Joke, Coerce, and Boast; these represent your dialogue options. As you roll over each option, the NPC’s face will change (as pictured above), displaying everything from disgust to delight; these represent how much the NPC likes that particular option. Each quadrant of the wheel will also have between one and four segmented arcs within it; these represent how effective each option will be. In the example above, we can see that Jensine loves Coerce, likes Boast, dislikes Joke, and hates Admire.
After you complete the Persuading mini-game with an NPC for the first time,the segments of their wheel will be colored into represent their likes and dislikes: blue-green for loved, light green for liked, ruddy brown for disliked, red for hated.
Each time you select a dialogue option, the segments on the wheel will rotate one quarter-turn clockwise. You’ll have to use all four before you may exit the Persuading mini-game. Your goal is toselect the options the NPC likes most when they’ll be the most effective(i.e., when they have the most segments filled). Conversely, you’ll also want to select the options they like least when they’ll be the least effective, ideally when they only have one segment filled. So in this example, we’ll want to prioritize Coerce and minimize the impact of Admire.
Rewards For Persuading NPCs
Persuading Is Worth The Trouble
Successfully persuading an NPC into higher affinity can have a wide variety of effects. It’s most commonly usedto get better prices at merchants. While selling items to a merchant, you may press R to open a haggling window, where you can move a meter up and down to affect their pricing. If you have a higher affinity, they’re more likely to accept less money for their items, and offer you more money for yours.
In addition,certain NPCs may give you more (or better) informationabout your quests or side activities after you’ve raised their affinity. If you wish tojoin the Thieves Guild, for example, you’ll need to gain high affinity with one of the Imperial City’s beggars to get them to admit that the guild’s leader, the mysterious Grey Fox, actually exists.
Finally, you’ll also gain levels in Speechcraft by participating in the Persuasion mini-game. If that’s one of your class' skills, you may even use Persuasion as a means of leveling up inThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
