When i heared about this Arcane University and the things you could do there, I expected this big building, high roof inside, with a big library and other beautiful magic thingies.

But they are just a few almost normal buildings in a row, with barely anything special in it, except for the enchanting/spellmaking possibility, which is done in a small building as well, which could be identical to any house in the imperial city.

And the archives part which was supposed to have lot's of books (or so I thought) only had three book shelves. Maybe it's just me being dissapointed, (I never read anything about it before the game was out so I really had no idea how it looked like) how do you think about it, what did you expect it to look like?

Actually, the whole mages guild was dissapointing for me. Found the other factions more interesting really. As for the mages tower/libary, yeah... but I think you have to account for the "outside" part of the place as well.

And the whole "there is still stuff to do when you are the guildmaster" is not that great either... Since this isn't spoilers, i won't post what it is, but it sucks :/

Yeah, the downloadable Orrery is the only magnificent part of it...

I have posted my views at length elsewhere. On the whole I find the quest line more interesting than MW but I do agree the NPC rating of the Arcane University is over-hyped. Probably most of them have hardly ever been there and the names on the buildings seem very grand to them. Unfortunately I am allergic to paying for what should have been included in the main release so will not be seeing the Orrery. I will however pay for significant expansions. Maybe someone could mod a few quests requiring you to find items by visiting all forts or all Ayleid ruins or all camps or something. Most of them atm have no real purpose in the game. Awards could be a suit of Ayleid armour (from the MG), special access to the Arcane Uni (for the fighters guild) and a 100 alchemy skill - for producing invisibility and chameleon potions - for the thieves guild. Ho hum. I have a lot of ideas.

The mage scholars keep talking about how they discovered something and how this could mean something for alteration and restoration. This is interesting to listen to the first time, but when the conversation is over, they take one step and start the same conversation again....

And every time two scholars meet again and again.... It gets odd. They also say they will report it to the archmage as soon as possible. Nothing happens when they talk to me though.

I really have the feeling that Bethesda left some great stuff out from the start, so they could make money out of it. They really try to sell things. Like the orrery, nobody is going to tell me that there wasn't enough time to built it, so they just put a lock on the door and let you download it.

i know the bethseda has made a horrible jpb out of the factions in general, but the mages guild is embarrising at parts. they just couldnt be bothered to make a complex and long quest line. for every faction. and they didnt even bother bother to put in many factions either. a total of four REAL factions and a bunch of 1 quest thingies, honestly i have never finished playing morrowind (plus expansions) completely and utterly because there was so much to do. i was counting on OBLIVION to be the same, yet it was a real let down

true, one of the few mods from beth that I could see myself paying for would be those that added on factions to the game, ones that added real content. Hvent really had the play time to start mage guild yet, so I havent had the time to be dissapointed yet

Must be a Continuing Education / Distance Learning facility.

Did you have a look around for Sally Struthers pimping degrees in Magic Technology?

It is interesting that what is the real disappointment for MW players is not the quests per se but the fact that there are so few. Also the linear nature makes it feel as if they are nearly all part of one quest. At least with the mages guild there is some choice about the order of doing the first seven quests. The other guilds are completely linear. It is why, as I have posted elsewhere, it would be wrong to consider the games comparable. They are not. AS RP games go there is a lot to be said for Oblivion but MW2 it is not.

I would love to see - more quests for each guild, more factions, more types of dungeon and fewer Oblivion gates. Then it might deliver as much as MW and (with all the improvements already there) become the better game.

The Mages Guild is the only faction I've completed so far. and I enjoyed the variety of the intiial quests as well as the heroic value of the final series of quests as well. While the final series of mage guild quests may not be as epic as the main quest (which i haven't finished) as a whole the plot line in them feels much more substantial than any of the faction quests in Morrowind (and the add ons). I think they could have done more with Traven as a character and added more depth around his initial treatment of necromancers in the Mages Guild. That sounds like a story line that might be developable in a mod but it would have to be without breaking the existing mage guild finish.

The Dark Brotherhood is the other faction that I have made any real progress in. By ocmparison with the MAges Guild quests it certainly seems completely linear so far even though I have enjoyed the indiviidual differences in the DB quests I've done.

I think the single biggest disappointment faction wise in Oblivion is the absence of any religious faction. Both the Tribunal faction as well as the Nine Divines/Imperial Temple were interesting factions in Morrowind and each of the Nine Divine's cults were indivdual factrions in Daggerfall, each with its own perquisites and advancement. Their absence in Oblivion in any form other than a convenient place to get healed and have attributes restored seems like a cop out . For my taste, bring back the temple dancers and alternative sources for Enchanting and Spell making that the temples were in Daggerfall or something else interesting. Even if the Imerial Temple is a fantasy equivalent of the Catholic church in medieval Europe (to judge from the appearance ofImperial temples in Oblivion) there should be some political intrigues in the temple to make it playable as a faction or multiple factions.

Yes, Bethesda's priorities were most certainly elsewhere for Oblivion. I have to agree that the factions in OB run out too quickly - there aren't enough of them to keep me playing for a long time to come. Also, the depth of particular factions seems to be lacking - so far it's only in the MG in my opinion.

Of course, I played Morrowind, so it's only natural that a comment like that would come out of my mouth. I try not to compare the two games - Morrowind was more slow placed, with less emphasis on the action. Oblivion on the other hand is a much faster game, lot's more action. The two games are slighty apart in their representation of the RPG Genre, it seems. Morrowind is a game of size - Oblivion is a game of quality. Beth can't do both at once, unfortunately.

hmm, It may not be possible to do both at once in the original edition, but heres hoping they use any expansions they release properly to release further factions, or anything really to add more play to the game. As to the topic, have finally payed a visit to the buildings in question, Arcane University, I was expecing something a bit more grandiose despite what I'd read in the thread... bother.

Having completed all four guild quest lines (I haven't bothered w/ main quest or many other side quests), I feel that the Dark Brotherhood was probably the best as far as plot twists and whatnot, but the most fun was the Thieves Guild, especially the last mission, which is actually exciting enough to feel like a final mission. The Mages Guild was quite a bit less interesting, and the rewards for becoming Arch Mage are not what I expected them to be. The Fighters Guild quests were also a little bit more boring in my opinion. I have not played previous incarnations of the Elder Scrolls series, so I cannot compare, but I feel that getting through all of these guilds should have been a bit more challenging and rewarding, and there should simply be more of them. I hope that Bethesda focuses on making much more in-depth guild quests and new guilds altogether rather than relatively useless changes like Horse Armor. The Orrery is a nice touch, but like already mentioned, there was no reason to put off its creation such that it was necessary to be released as a "premium download." If there had been a longer, more interesting quest line for the Orrery, and perhaps a segway into a different magical guild line or something of the like, it might have been worth it. But Bethesda has still created a very impressive game, and I trust that we'll be getting some more substantial additions in the future. Just hopefully they will not break our wallets.

I was wondering, im arch´mage and can`t get in to the orrery, do i have to download the offical orrery mod to get in? Second questionmark is if the orrery is of any use, can i create or do something in there?

Best Regards Trollhunter

Answer to Trollhunter -

Yes, you need the official mod. I haven't bought it but the consensus view across a wide selection of relevant forums is that it is nothing more than a non-essential graphical ego-(insert suitable four letter word for self-excitement) on the part of Bethesda.

There is a mod that makes the Mystic Archives more what it should have looked like. Well, the second floor that is.

Something I would like to see: a set of Ebony doors (just for the entry to the main cell), instead of the standard Imperial City doors.

Ebony is magicka-proof, if I recall.

I think the Arcane University needs more cute, sexy college babes. I mean... what's a university without babes..? All we have are these dumpy Plain Jane types who stagger back and forth in really boring robes. They all look like nuns in a convent, fer cryin' out loud. Seriously, that just doesn't seem right to me. College is for partying..!!! The Arcane University needs some party girls for sure... preferably some really pretty girls who have figures as awsome as their magicka pools.

Somebody make a "University Party Girls" mod. I'd do it myself, but I'm too wrapped up right now with my own mod: I'm transforming Umbra into a half-naked Amazon who looks just like Anna Nicole Smith. Wish me luck... and if you don't see any posts from me for a few days, then somebody call the paramedics.

Hey an old thread of mine is back!
Dissapointement?! Why is this the first time I'm noticing this?

I always thought it was very small. I mean, it's an UNIVERSITY in the IMPERIAL CITY. You would think they have a huge selection of books... I'll try that mod, thanks.


You kill a guy, the orrery is built, you can go inside to see all kinds of things spinning for no reason and you can get a new greater power, which changes every month. (My friend bought it ) That's all, really. So I agree on that.

I was kinda thinking it of a place with lots of people testing out spells and a huge building. I aslo thought that there were lots of like elders and wise people (Although there are just not elders). I wanted there to be a betetr ending, I guess the best part was with the mages guild trying to get in.

WooHoo! I started page 3!

Yeah it wasnt much for me either. I wonder what the Wizard's Tower is like, the official mod. Which will be included in that new Oblivion mod bundle. But I already got all the free mods I'm happy with. Personally I prefer the mod Septim Mansion, it has all the resources of the acrane university.

I second that, the only difference between you and me is this; I bought it and then felt dissapointed, not having it will probably make you feel like your left out of something, but don't believe it for one second.
The Acane University was, well...could have been improved if you ask me. I was expecting something really grandious when i first entered in it and around it but whats done is done and its better then nothing.

Yeah, the arcane university is dissapointing.. especially if you hear all the promoting things like : you must see it once and it is realy beautiful and such