How to Craft Spells in Oblivion Remaster

Spellmaking is one of the most fun and powerful features in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster. If you want to create magic that's perfectly tailored to your style, you need to know how the system works. This guide will explain everything you need to know about how to craft spells in Oblivion Remaster, from unlocking the tools to making the most broken spells possible.

How to Unlock Spell Crafting in Oblivion Remaster

Before you start making custom spells, you need access to an Altar of Spellmaking. There are only two ways to do it: either by joining the Mages Guild and progressing to the Arcane University or by unlocking the Frostcrag Spire player home east of Bruma.

The first method involves visiting all seven Mages Guild Halls across Cyrodiil to collect recommendations, then speaking to Raminus Polus at the Arcane University to reach the Apprentice rank. The second method is much faster — you simply find Frostcrag Spire, buy a Magetallow Candles Box from the Mystic Emporium in the Imperial City, and activate the altar inside the tower.

Unlocking Frostcrag Spire is the faster option if you want quick access without grinding guild quests. It only costs around 3,000 Gold and also gives you a personal tower with all kinds of useful amenities. If you're playing a mage-heavy character, investing early in Frostcrag Spire is a huge boost.

Creating a Custom Spell in Oblivion Remastered

Once you have access to an altar, crafting a spell is simple. Interact with the Altar of Spellmaking to open the custom spell menu, pick an effect you know, and start adjusting its properties. You can modify the spell’s range, magnitude, area, and duration. The altar menu shows you how these choices affect the spell's gold cost and Magicka cost, so you can balance strength against your ability to cast it. Always check your maximum Magicka before finalizing a spell, because the game will let you create spells you cannot actually cast.

It's important to know that you can stack multiple effects onto a single spell if you want. Adding more effects raises the cost, but it lets you combine buffs, damage, and utility into one cast. For example, you could build a spell that heals you, shields you, and damages enemies in one button press. This is how you create truly overpowered builds in Oblivion Remaster.

Best Uses for Custom Spells

Spell crafting isn’t just for making combat monsters. You can use custom spells to level your skills faster, exploit the economy, and even get around basic gameplay limits. Some popular leveling spells include quick-cast Alteration feathers, one-second Conjuration summons, or Restoration heals you spam on yourself. Since spell timers pause during dialogue, you can also create tiny Fortify Personality buffs to slash shop prices and sell items for way more money.

Beyond leveling and shopping, custom spells open up tons of creative possibilities. Want to fast travel while overencumbered? Make a two-second Strength buff spell. Need infinite water-walking for your horse? Craft a touch-based Water Walking spell. You can even use powerful Drain Magicka combos to massively overfill your own Magicka pool for casting gigantic destruction spells. In Oblivion Remaster, spellcrafting is a flexible tool that rewards experimentation at every step.