Summary
- Oblivion Remastered offers diverse class options, with players able to create hybrid classes by choosing major attributes and skills.
- Early game bows like Fine Steel Bow, Silver Bow, and Bow of Sparks/Frost/Embers provide decent options for Marksman players.
- Players seeking better bows can aim for weapons like Shadowhunt, Bow of Infliction, and Frostwyrm for more powerful options.
Virtuos Games' Oblivion Remastered has proven to be one of the best releases of the year so far, with Bethesda veterans and new players alike keen to revisit Cyrodiil. The remaster has received almost universal praise for its significant visual upgrade that remains true to the game's original formula, quirks and all.
Oblivion does a good job of providing the player with distinct options for their class. Players can choose their major attributes and major skills to create any kind of hybrid class that they want. Skills roughly fall into three categories: Strength, Magic, and Agility. Players who want to use Bows will focus on Agility as their main damage stat, and many players choose to complement this with stealth skills, security, or even some magic for utility.
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Starting as a Marksman can be tough, with little protection and armored foes sometimes taking many arrows to take down. For players who are just jumping into Oblivion or need a refresher on where to get the best archery gear fast, these are the best early Bows in Oblivion Remastered.
8 Fine Steel Bow
Early Game Pick-Up
- Attack: 10
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Fort Nikel, Skeleton on ledge outside
There's a guaranteed pick-up of a Fine Steel Bow that players can grab at level 1, just east of Imperial City at Fort Nikel. Players don't even have to enter the fort; there's a skeleton up on the ledge outside the fort, with a Fine Steel Bow and some loot that will always be there, regardless of the player's level. The Fine Steel Bow is still an early-game weapon, but it's an upgrade on the Iron Bow that players will start with.
7 Silver Bow
Spectre Sniper
- Attack: 10
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Purchase/Loot
One of the best bows an archer can find once they hit level 4 in Oblivion is a standard Silver Bow. While the damage isn't particularly impressive, Silver Bows can be used to fight ghosts and wraiths without an enchantment. Until players can use an enchanted bow freely, this will be a good fallback option for a Marksman.
6 Bow Of Sparks/Frost/Embers
Early Enchantment
- Attack: 8 to 10
- Enchantment: Frost/Shock/Fire Damage 5 points on hit
- How To Obtain: Looted/Purchased
Any early bow with an enchantment is worth using for a little extra damage. From level 4 and above, players can find simple enchanted bows with reasonable regularity, either as loot or in shops.
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A 
Bow of Sparks, Frost, or Embers will deal a small amount of elemental damage on top of a Bow's base damage. It's not going to carry players far, but the extra damage will help make light work of early-game enemies, especially if it's used with stealth attacks.
5 Bound Bow
Conjurer's Bow
- Attack: 10
- Enchantment: None (Spell)
- How To Obtain: Purchased from Aurelinwae (Imperial City) or Athragar (Chorrol)
For players who are skilled in both Marksman and Conjuration, a 
Bound Bow spell can be a good early game option. This Journeyman Conjuration spell summons a bow into the user's hands.
The basic duration is 15 seconds, but players can create their own, longer-lasting versions. The bow summoned has the same stats as a Dremora Bow, making it only really suitable for the early game, but it does mean players get to avoid carrying the weight of an actual bow around.
4 Shadowhunt
Assassin's Bow
- Attack: 11
- Enchantment: Damage Health 5 to 20 points, Damage Magika 5 to 20 points, Turn Undead 15 to 130 points, Weakness to Poison 5 to 20% on hit
- How To Obtain: Complete "The Lonely Wanderer"
Oblivion players will often cite Shadowhunt as one of the best bows that players can get relatively early, but there are a couple of reasons why it doesn't come higher on this list. First, players have to join the Dark Brotherhood and complete a few quests to get it, so it's not truly available right away. Second, the enchantment is relatively useless at low levels.
Shadowhunt is a bit of a paradoxical weapon. If players pick it up early, the damage is fine, but the enchantment is mediocre at best. If players wait to get this bow, the enchantment is stronger, but the base damage is always that of a Fine Steel Bow. Still, joining the Dark Brotherhood can have other perks for Marksman players.
3 Bow Of Infliction
Early Game Ebony Bow
- Attack: 18
- Enchantment: Damage Agility 5 points, Drain Marksman 15 points for 60 seconds on hit
- How To Obtain: Purchased from The Archer's Paradox in Bravil
While its enchantment isn't particularly powerful, the 
Bow of Infliction is one of the best bows players can get from the start of the game. That's because it's an Ebony Bow, one of the highest base-damage Bows in Oblivion. The Bow of Infliction is for sale in The Archer's Paradox, a weapons shop in Bravil.
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Players can technically walk in at level 1 and buy this Bow to benefit from the damage, but it does have a pretty high gold cost. While a good Mercantile skill can bring the price down, the bow has a base value of over 5,000 gold, so players had better be prepared to spend a few thousand gold to buy it.
2 Bow Of Infernal Frost
Dark Purchase
- Attack: 13
- Enchantment: Frost Damage 10 points, Fire Damage 10 points on hit
- How To Obtain: Purchased from M'Raaj Dar in Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
The enchantment on the 
Bow of Infernal Frost does a lot of damage in the early game. The weapon is also a Dwarven Bow, making it a cut above the player's starting equipment.
Players need to join the Dark Brotherhood to access the merchant who sells this Bow, but they only need to progress as far as the Sanctuary in Cheydinhal. That's achievable as early as players want to do it, but the Bow itself comes with a hefty cost. With a base value of 7,000 gold, even the best hagglers will need to part with a fortune to buy it.
1 Frostwyrm
The Best Early Game Bow
- Attack: 15
- Enchantment: Frost Damage 15 points on hit
- How To Obtain: Looted from Uderfrykte Matron (The Horror of Dive Rock quest)
For ease of availability and its inherent stats, Frostwyrm is the best Bow that Marksman players can pick up early in Oblivion Remastered. It does involve beating an enemy that will be fairly tough for base-level players, but the Uderfrykte Matron can be kited around its environment effectively, making this weapon obtainable even for early Bow users.
Players will have to venture to the northeast of the map to find this enemy and the associated quest. If players find the body of Andre Labouche near Aerin's Camp, they can start the Horror of Dive Rock quest, which will lead them to the Matron. Players can loot the bow, which has excellent base stats and a strong frost enchantment, from the Matron once defeated.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Number of Players
- Single-player
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
