To give an example found nearly all over Cyrodiil, Flax gives up Flax Seed when harvested-which is the part of the plant which in real life is harvested for its health benefits. Except for a handful of game-only plants (and one remodel of an existing mushroom), every plant in Oblivion not only resembles their real-life counterparts, but the items harvested from said plants are those used in herbal and holistic remedies.

Rather, the plants used in Alchemy are modeled after real-life plants. This isn't saying that you can learn how to make magic potions that lighten carry loads or fortify your personality in real life. Related: Every Version of Skyrim Ever Released, Ranked by Metacritic Score Alchemy ingredients grow everywhere in Cyrodiil-and unintentionally offer real-life applications. It’s a skill that benefits so many playstyles and is very easy to pick up as it plays off and is rewarded by both battles and standard collecting. Unlike many other skills, Alchemy takes the items you can collect and turns these items into potions that can improve or heal the player or poison weapons during a fight.

The Alchemy skill takes this and adds the addictive and rewarding feedback loop of collecting and crafting.

Whether it's boosting an offensive skill on mud crabs along the shores near Anvil or talking to everyone in the Imperial City to increase Speechcraft, it's effortless to return to the game with the intent to boost a skill a few levels and find that several hours have passed. Despite releasing in 2006, Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has impressive graphics on top of a skill system that encourages players to continually return to the game.

Blood and mud oblivion