Spell Tomes, originally released in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with the Spell Tomes DLC, are an alternative method of learning spells. Having a Spell Tome in your inventory will enable you to learn the spell contained within and include it on your list of spells, though you will still need to have high enough proficiency in the applicable school of magic before you can cast the learned spell. This is a system that Skyrim players will be familiar with, as Skyrim uses this as the sole means it learns new spells.
Farming Spell Tomes in Oblivion Remastered is pretty simple, as long as you know where to find them. In this guide, we will talk about how the game rewards Spell Tomes as drops, list some of the most efficient farming spots, and also touch on some non-respawning sources of Spell Tomes that are worth noting.
How Spell Tomes are Distributed in Oblivion Remastered?
Since Spell Tomes were originally released via DLC in Oblivion, the game has quite a distinctive method of placing them throughout Cyrodil. Each time a scroll of a spell is added to random loot in any receptacle or on any foe, there is a good likelihood (approximately 1 out of 4) that it will be replaced with a Spell Tome instead. This is to say that the methods explained below in this article will also come in useful if you are interested in acquiring loads of spell scrolls.
How to Find Conjurer Dungeons in Oblivion Remastered?
Conjurer Dungeon boss chests always contain scrolls, so these are not bad places to look for Spell Tomes. Easiest of these, of the respawning ones, is Fort Rayles. It is northwest of Chorol and contains two respawning Boss Chests in its lower area (Fort Rayles: Hall of Winter). These will usually contain scrolls, so you have very high chances of getting Spell Tomes from them.
In order to progress deeper into Fort Rayles, you will need to determine how to open the gates next to the glowing statues. The way you do this is through the use of silver arrows lying on the ground nearby, since they will get the statues to react when they touch the glowing tip. You can accomplish this by shooting the statues with a bow, or by stepping back and grabbing a single arrow and striking the heads of each statue manually. Proceed directly to locate a hallway that splits off to the left and right, the right branch curving and bending into a gate. Turn left first and draw the right-hand lever in that cul-de-sac to open the gate, and then back and through the gate to reach the Hall of Winter.
They are located in the room on the opposite side of the bridge at the top of the stairs, in the Winter Hall, and the other one is right at the stairs in the corner. They each have a roughly 0.75 chance to have a spell tome, but since the dungeon is not very long and the loot can respawn, it’s a highly effective method of acquiring some tomes.
Another great Conjurer Dungeon to farm Spell Tomes is Ceyatatar, an Ayleid Ruin between Skingrad and the Imperial City, which contains three boss chests. Bonus: there’s a trapdoor that is the dungeon exit after clearing it, which can be used to re-enter in a pre-set position to loot one of the boss chests, so repeat trips for farming Spell Tomes are super easy.
How to Find Necromancer Dungeons in Oblivion Remastered?
There is a good source of Spell Tomes in the hands of Necromancers or in the bosses’ chests in their dens. Moss Rock Cavern, to the north of Imperial City, is a convenient location to find some Spell Tomes.
Moss Rock Cavern is north of the Imperial City at the marked position on the map above. Both Boss Level Chests, with the best likelihood of containing Spell Tomes, are found by moving straight ahead from the entrance, through the first room, and along the curving tunnel to the left of the locked door. Each Boss Chest is past this door, and they are defended by an Adept Necromancer. If you wish to get the key for this door instead of unlocking it, you must head right out of the first room and all the way to the rear of Moss Rock Cavern, where a non-respawning Necromancer’s Chest contains the key.
Since Necromancers usually carry Spell Scrolls, and thus the potential for Spell Tomes, it is wise to kill all the Necromancers you can from this dungeon on each visit. As loot respawns (other than the Chest of the Necromancer), you can farm this dungeon for Spell Tomes at any time you wish.
If you also want to find even more Necromancer Dungeons, following the Mages Guild quest will bring you to most of them, and you can also find the Ayleid Ruin “Hame” in the southeastern part of Cheydinhal. The latter includes two boss chests, so it is an excellent option for farming Spell Tomes in an optimal way.
One-Time Sources of Spell Tomes in Oblivion Remastered
There are a number of locations, quests, and NPCs that will generally offer a sufficient number of spell tomes, but which cannot be replayed. Smacking them early on is a decent way of getting a respectable number of Spell Tomes, but remember that you can only obtain them once, so it might be a good idea to save some for higher levels. These are the big hitters:
The Conjurer NPC
After starting a new game, this NPC will spawn outside Fort Cedrian and begin making its way toward the player. When they reach you, they will immediately attack; on death, they will always have a Spell Tome on them. The Spell Tomes DLC added this NPC to serve as an introduction to the system, so they’re pretty hard to miss.
Through a Nightmare, Darkly Quest
This Quest can be bought from Kud-Ei in the Bravil Mages Guild for six scrolls of spells when completed. Due to the manner of distribution of Spell Tomes, you will usually have one Spell Tome (average 1.5), and you can save a game before you have Henantier speak to you and then repeatedly reload until you get the Tome that you wish. This will probably be the best way to guarantee gaining the exact Tome that you wish.
A Mage’s Staff Quest
While doing the Mages Guild Questline, you will receive this quest sooner or later. When you complete it, your new Mage Staff will be located in a cupboard inside the Chironasium. While opening this cupboard, five random spell scrolls will also be yours, so there’s a decent possibility to roll at least one Spell Tome (about 1.25 on average). Keep in mind that this container never respawns.
