Look, there's no shame in wanting to be a stealth archer in both Oblivion and Skyrim, but it's earned that popularity. Stealth archers can be incredibly overpowered for one reason and one reason only: the massive damage bonus they get for attacking enemies while unseen. When playing as one, your goal is to keep yourself hidden as long as possible, then strike unseen to deal enormous damage.

If you're anything like me, and have played through the original Oblivion multiple times, you're probably already familiar with the ins and outs of the stealth archer playstyle. But due to differences between the leveling system in the original Oblivion and Oblivion Remastered, the best build for stealth archers is a little different from what you might . Whether it's your first or your fiftieth time playing a stealth archer in an Elder Scrolls game, here's everything you need to build the perfect unseen assailant in Oblivion Remastered.

Best Skills & Attributes For A Stealth Archer Build

Picking A Race, Class, & Sign

During the opening chapter of Oblivion Remastered, you'll make three choices that'll affect your playstyle throughout the game: your race, class, and birthsign. The first of those three choices is your character's race, which you'll select during character creation. Based on your race, you'll receive a couple of innate bonuses to certain skills and attributes.

The race with the best benefits for a stealth archer build is the Wood Elf - with their natural bonuses to Speed and Agility, as well as Sneak and Marksman, Wood Elves put the "stealth" and "archer" in "stealth archer." Another good option is to play as a Dark Elf, as they also gain bonuses to Speed and Agility, along with a boost to their skills in both Blade and Marksman. Do note that there's a slight difference between the attribute bonuses you get based on origin, while skill bonuses are locked to race.

However, I wouldn't put too much stock in your choice of race. You can always increase your skills and attributes through gameplay later, so just design your character visually however you like.

Class and birthsign are the meat and potatoes of build customization. Oblivion will automatically select a class for you based on your performance in the tutorial, but you can decline that option and choose your own. Your choice of class grants you Major Skills and Favored Attributes. Your Major Skills level up faster, which means they contribute more towards your overall experience. Your Favored Attributes, meanwhile, get +5 bonuses. So, ideally, you want to choose a class that gives you Major Skills you'll use often, so that you can level up at a reasonable rate.

Uniquely in Oblivion Remastered, you still gain experience from leveling skills that aren't part of your class build - they just level up more slowly.

Predictably, the best Oblivion Remastered classes for stealth archers come from the "Stealth" section of the class selection menu. In particular, I'd look at Thief, Agent, Acrobat, and Assassin. The table below includes all their Favored Attributes and Major Skills. All of these are perfectly viable for stealth archer builds; consider what else you want to do when not sniping enemies from afar, and select the one that has the right Major Skills to align with that.

As for birthsign, you'll absolutely want to choose The Thief. You may be tempted by The Shadow's promise of invisibility, but there are other (and arguably better) ways to achieve this. The Thief is by far the best birthsign for stealth archers, and arguably the best birthsign in Oblivion Remastered; it grants you ten-point bonuses to three different attributes, Agility, Luck, and Speed, all of which are vital for successful sneaking.

Creating Your Own Class

If none of the above strike your fancy, you can also create your own class in Oblivion Remastered. I'd recommend selecting Agility and Speed as your Favored Attributes. Agility will keep your bow damage high, and Speed directly affects how quickly you move, which will help you get out of danger quickly.

As for Major Skills, you'll definitely want Sneak and Marksman, which modify your ability to stay unseen and deal damage with bows, respectively. Besides those two, you can choose from a menu of the following.

• Alchemy: Great if you want to use potions to buff your stealth.
• Blade or Blunt: Useful when stealth fails and you're forced into close-quarters combat.
• Illusion: Cast cloaking spells like Chameleon and Invisibility. The Mages Guild questline can be helpful here.
• Mercantile: Sell items at higher prices. Great for Thieves Guild players.
• Mysticism: Cast spells that allow you to see enemies through walls, like Detect Life. Also good for Mages Guild players.
• Light Armor: Stay safe without heavy armor weighing you down.
• Security: Used for picking locks, which, while not strictly necessary for a stealth archer build, is a good skill to have.
• Speechcraft: Increase NPC affinity more quickly, leading to better prices. Also great for Thieves Guild players.

Again, take this time to consider what else you want your build to be good at besides stealth archery, or which guild questlines you're most excited to complete, then choose skills that are likely to help you along those paths.

Best Weapons & Spells For A Stealth Archer Build

Best Bows

Honestly, you can deal a lot of damage as a stealth archer no matter what bow you're carrying. I'd recommend upgrading from one standard bow to the next whenever you find them; you'll start with a Rusty Iron Bow, and can go all the way down the line to a Daedric Bow by endgame. Level scaling in Oblivion ensures you'll regularly find better bows on the bodies of your enemies, so loot early and often to make sure you're keeping pace.

That said, bows that are enchanted to deal extra damage are always welcome. The Bow of Infernal Frost, which deals extra Frost and Fire damage in addition to its base damage, is a good pick for the early game. You can reliably buy it from M'raaj-Dar in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. You may also find Hatred's Soul inside the Chorrol Oblivion gate, which is effectively a Daedric Bow with the added bonuses of Drain Speed and Fire damage.

Best Spells

Now, when it comes to spells for your stealth archer build, there are a few clear recommendations that should definitely be in your arsenal. The table below includes some of the best spells for a stealth archer build in Oblivion Remastered. Note the skill level requirements - you'll need to have reached a certain rank in the relevant skill to cast the spell. I've recommended early-mid-game and late-game variants for each effect.

Naturally, these spells all revolve around keeping your character out of sight, or making it easier to detect enemy positions.

Best Armor For A Stealth Archer Build

Dressed To Kill

When it comes to staying out of sight, there are two guild questlines that can help you develop your skills: the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. So it's not terribly surprising that the Dark Brotherhood questline offers the best possible armor for a stealth archer character. The Shrouded Armor and Shrouded Hood you get upon ing the guild grants you +2 to Sneak, Illusion, Marksman, Blade, and Acrobatics - all vital skills to the stealth archer build we've been working on thus far.

Otherwise, though, you'll want to stick to Light Armor that doesn't weigh you down so it's easier to crouch and move quickly. Ultimately, your goal is to avoid situations where your armor comes into play, so defense isn't terribly important. Key to your success as a stealth archer in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered are high ranks in Sneak and Marksman, along with a trusty bow and spells to boost your most important skills.