
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, players are sometimes faced with the task of repenting from their sins or crimes. This situation arises when their character has committed various misdeeds, such as murder, theft, or joining certain guilds. The game mechanics include an Infamy attribute that measures the character's notoriety for these crimes, and this can prevent players from using altars to heal or receive blessings. To resolve this, players must increase their Fame by doing more good quests, paying off bounties, or going to jail. Alternatively, completing the Pilgrimage of the Nine Divines quest can reset Infamy to 0, allowing players to once again use altars and receive their benefits.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Infamy exceeding fame | Cannot use altars to the Nine Divines |
Fame exceeding infamy | Can use altars to the Nine Divines |
No bounty | Can use altars to the Nine Divines |
Having stolen items | Cannot pray at an altar |
Wearing the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal | Hides character identity |
Completing the Pilgrimage of the Nine Divines | Resets infamy to 0 |
What You'll Learn
Increase your fame by doing more good quests
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, fame is a player-only attribute that measures how well known your heroism is among the general population of Cyrodiil. At the beginning of the game, your fame is zero, and it can only increase depending on how many quests award fame.
- Complete the main story line.
- Complete quests in a virtuous manner.
- Help others.
- Close Oblivion Gates. Closing each Oblivion Gate awards either 1 or 2 fame points. There are 50 random Oblivion Gates, which award 1 fame point for taking the Sigil Stone, and 10 fixed Oblivion Gates, which award fame differently.
- In Allies for Bruma, gain +1 fame for each city that sends aid to Bruma.
- In The Wayward Knight, gain +2 fame if Farwil Indarys escapes the Plane of Oblivion alive, or +1 fame if he dies.
- Complete Fighters Guild quests. Each Fighters Guild quest completed awards +1 fame, except for the last three duties from Modryn Oreyn, which offer no fame.
- Complete Mages Guild quests. Most Mages Guild quests completed result in gaining +1 fame each. There are some exceptions:
- In Fingers of the Mountain, gain +1 fame if you return the book to Earana, or +2 fame if you return it to Teekeeus.
- Completing Join the Mages Guild awards +1 fame.
- Completing A Mage's Staff awards +2 fame.
- Completing Confront the King awards +3 fame.
- Participate in the Arena. Earn +1 fame for each match before the Champion match and +10 fame when you become Grand Champion.
- Complete Daedric Quests. Acquiring any artifact from the Daedric Princes (except Namira) awards +1 fame.
- Complete miscellaneous quests, such as:
- Breaking the Siege of Kvatch
- The Battle for Castle Kvatch
- Blood of the Divines
- Light the Dragonfires
- Imperial Dragon Armor
Increasing your fame through these methods will help you atone for your sins in Oblivion and improve your standing among the people of Cyrodiil.
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Complete the Knights of the Nine pilgrimage quest
To complete the Knights of the Nine pilgrimage quest, you must first initiate the quest by asking anyone about rumours. You will hear about a massacre at the Chapel of Dibella in Anvil and a Prophet who is preaching about the return of Umaril the Unfeathered.
Speak to the Prophet, who will tell you about the return of an old and evil king, seeking to desecrate the chapels and worship sites of the Nine Divines. He will ask if you are a "worthy knight". If you answer no, the questline will start.
You will then be given a Wayshrines Map and must make a pilgrimage to the wayshrines of each of the Nine Divines. You will encounter Sir Roderic and his Squire Lathon along the way, who are also seeking the Crusader's Relics.
Once you have prayed at each wayshrine, you will have a vision of the spirit of Pelinal Whitestrake, who will inform you of the location of the first relic, the Helm.
Completing the pilgrimage quest will allow you to be recognised by the followers of the Nine Divines and grant you access to all the chapels throughout Cyrodiil. It will also reset your infamy to 0, allowing you to re-equip the Crusader Relics.
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Pay off your bounty or go to jail
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, players can engage in various criminal activities, but if caught, they will be punished by the law. When committing a crime, a red icon will appear, indicating that the action is unlawful. If a player is witnessed performing a crime, they will receive a bounty, and their disposition with the witnesses will decrease. Guards will attempt to arrest players with an outstanding bounty, and the player must then decide whether to pay off the bounty or go to jail.
If a player chooses to pay off their bounty, they can do so by paying the fine to a guard. The fine amount is determined by the specific crimes committed. All stolen items will be confiscated and held in an Evidence Chest, and the player will be released outside the nearest town castle or the Imperial Prison. It is important to note that players cannot fast travel or wait while the guards are looking for them.
On the other hand, if a player chooses to go to jail, they will be transported to a prison and stripped of their items, except for one lockpick. They will be given a jail outfit to wear and must serve a sentence of one day for every 100 gold in their bounty. During their sentence, the player's skills will degrade; for each day spent in prison, one of the player's skills will be decreased, with a maximum of ten skill decreases. Skills affected include Armorer, Athletics, Blade, Block, Blunt, Hand to Hand, Heavy Armor, Alchemy, and Alteration.
Players can also choose to resist arrest, but this will result in the guards attempting to kill them. Resisting arrest will also cause NPCs with a high disposition towards the player to fight the guards and potentially die. Therefore, it is advisable to only resist arrest if the player knows they can escape.
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Stop committing crimes
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, players are sometimes faced with the task of repenting for their character's crimes. This is usually triggered when they receive a message like "Repent, Wicked One!" or "Repent your crimes, wicked one!" when trying to use a chapel altar or shrine.
To resolve this, players must ensure that their character's Fame is higher than their Infamy. Fame and Infamy are attributes that measure a character's standing among the people of Cyrodiil. Fame can be increased by doing more "good" quests, while Infamy is gained by committing crimes and can be infinite if a player, for example, commits an infinite number of murders.
- Pay off any outstanding bounties or serve your jail sentence.
- Ensure that you are not carrying any stolen items.
- Increase your Fame by completing quests and closing Oblivion gates.
- If you have the Knights of the Nine DLC, you can complete the Pilgrimage quest to reset your Infamy to 0.
- If you have the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal (also known as the Gray Fox's helmet), wear it when committing crimes to avoid increasing your personal Infamy, Fame, or bounties.
- Stop committing crimes!
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Sell all stolen items to a fence
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, players can find themselves unable to use altars to heal or receive blessings due to their character's infamy exceeding their fame. This results in the message "Repent your crimes, wicked one!" when attempting to use a chapel altar.
One way to address this issue is to sell all stolen items to a fence, which must be done as part of the Thieves Guild questline. This action can help restore the character's fame and reduce their infamy, allowing them to use the altars again.
Additionally, it is important to stop committing crimes and to pay off any remaining fines or serve jail time. Players can also increase their fame by completing more good quests or giving money to beggars. Completing the Pilgrimage of the Nine Divines in the Knights of the Nine expansion is another way to reset infamy to zero.
By following these steps, players can effectively repent from their sins in Oblivion and regain access to the benefits provided by the altars.
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Frequently asked questions
You need to have more fame than infamy to be allowed to pray at a shrine.
Pay it off or go to jail.
Sell them to a fence.
Complete the Pilgrimage quest to reset your infamy to 0.
Complete quests and close Oblivion gates to increase your fame.