elder scrolls oblivion thieves guild walkthrough

A Comprehensive Walkthrough of the Thieves Guild in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The Thieves Guild questline in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion stands as a masterclass in immersive role-playing and narrative design. Unlike the more straightforward Fighters Guild or the arcane Mages Guild, the path to becoming the Gray Fox is one of subtlety, skill, and subterfuge. This walkthrough will guide you through the shadowy corridors of Cyrodiil's underworld, from your first fumbled theft in the Imperial City to the climactic heist that redefines the very nature of the guild. Success here is measured not in brute strength, but in silence, observation, and a flawless execution of the plan.

Table of Contents

Initiating the Questline and Early Tasks

The Road to Infamy and Key Heists

The Ultimate Heist: Purloining the Elder Scroll

Legacy of the Gray Fox

Initiating the Questline and Early Tasks

Your journey begins not by seeking glory, but by getting caught. To even gain an audience with the Thieves Guild, you must first serve time in any Cyrodiil jail. Upon release, a mysterious figure named Armand Christophe will approach you, providing a note that directs you to the Imperial City Waterfront. There, in the aptly named "The Feed Bag" tavern, you will meet the cynical and cautious Armand. He represents the Gray Fox, the legendary leader of the guild, but trust is earned slowly. Your initial tasks, given by Armand and other fences like S'krivva in Bravil, are designed to test your basic thieving aptitude. These are simple fetch quests—stealing specific items from homes or shops. However, they instill the core principles: save often, invest in Sneak and Security skills, and always case your location beforehand. Observing guard patrols and civilian routines is more valuable than any lockpick. Completing these small jobs increases your "Fame" within the underworld, a crucial metric that unlocks more daring opportunities.

The Road to Infamy and Key Heists

As your infamy grows, the assignments evolve from petty theft to complex burglaries and intricate confidence games. A pivotal early mission involves framing a rival merchant in Cheydinhal, teaching you that sometimes the best theft leaves the item untouched but destroys a reputation. The quests take you to every major city, each job tailored to the locale's character. In Bruma, you might exploit the cold to create a distraction; in Leyawiin, you navigate political tensions. Two heists stand out as major tests. The first is "The Ultimate Heist" in Bravil, where you must steal a precious gem from under the nose of a paranoid countess, utilizing secret passages and perfect timing. The second, "The Heist from Heironymus Lex," sees you stealing back the Gray Fox's own cowl from the very Imperial captain dedicated to capturing him. This mission is a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse, emphasizing evasion and misdirection over direct confrontation. Each successful job deepens your understanding of the guild's code and its enigmatic leader.

The Ultimate Heist: Purloining the Elder Scroll

The culmination of your career is the legendary heist for which the guild is named. The Gray Fox's true goal is not wealth, but freedom from a powerful curse bound within the mystical Elder Scroll. To lift it, the Scroll itself must be stolen from the Imperial Palace's Temple of the Ancestor Moth. This mission is the apex of Oblivion's Thieves Guild design, requiring every skill you have honed. You must first infiltrate the palace grounds, a fortress unto itself. Then, through a series of brilliantly designed sub-quests, you acquire three unique items: the Nocturnal's Cowl, the Skeleton Key, and the Gray Fox's own cuirass. The Cowl allows you to become anonymous even if seen, the Skeleton Key makes locks trivial, and the cuirass is essential for the final escape. The actual theft is a tense, silent crawl through the temple, avoiding vigilant monks. The moment you take the Elder Scroll is one of pure, unadulterated triumph, followed by a frantic escape through the palace sewers.

Legacy of the Gray Fox

Successfully delivering the Elder Scroll to the Gray Fox triggers a profound transformation. The curse is broken, revealing the man behind the myth: Count Corvus Umbranox of Anvil, who had been trapped by the very artifact that granted him power. With his freedom, he passes the mantle—and the cursed cowl—to you. As the new Gray Fox, you inherit not just a title, but the guild's legacy and its hidden sanctuary, the Underground Hideout. This ending is narratively rich, replacing a simple material reward with a profound change in your character's identity and status. You become a legend, an unseen force in Cyrodiil's economy and politics. The walkthrough concludes not with the end of gameplay, but with a new beginning. As Gray Fox, every future theft contributes to the guild's coffers, and the world reacts to your mythic infamy. The Thieves Guild questline excels because it makes you feel like a master thief through thoughtful gameplay mechanics and a story that values cleverness over violence, leaving a lasting legacy far more satisfying than mere gold.

Manhunt underway for former U.S. police chief imprisoned for murder, rape
Türkiye holds funeral for 20 soldiers killed in military plane crash
Trump says summit with Putin will be "feel-out meeting"
Asian leaders voice concerns over U.S. tariffs
A life of service: Chinese doctor's heroic sacrifice in Tanzania