How to join the Thieves Guild in Oblivion

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How to join the Thieves Guild in Oblivion

The Thieves Guild presents some of the best quests in all of Oblivion, so joining up should be on every player's to-do list, but it’s not quite as straightforward as signing up to a university club.

There are a number of ways to go about joining up, and below we’ll go over each.

Get caught stealing

The most straightforward is to be caught stealing or pickpocketing someone and rather than resist arrest or pay the fine, serve the jail time.

Afterwards, a Dark Elf called Myvryna Arano will approach you in the Imperial City and give you a Mysterious Note, which is an invitation to join the Thieves Guild.

Butter up a beggar

If you’d rather avoid going to jail and taking a hit to your skills, read one of the wanted posters found around the Imperial City and then find a beggar.

Raise your Disposition rating with them and then ask about Gray Fox. They’ll then invite you to join and point you in the direction of the Garden of Dareloth.

Attending the secret meeting

Either of these begins the Thieves Guild Quest, and you need to head to the Garden of Dareloth at 11PM to partake in the initiation. The Garden of Dareloth can be found behind the Abandoned Shack to the south of the pirate ship in the Imperial Waterfront District.

Alternatively, you could just “happen” upon the Garden of Dareloth at 11PM without doing any of the above. This sleight of reading-a-walkthrough will impress the Thieves Guild enough for you to "pass the first test".

How to complete May the Best Thief Win in Oblivion

At the meeting spot, you will find the Guild Doyen, Armand Christophe, alongside two other would-be thieves. Armand challenges the three of you to steal Amantius Allectus's Diary, but on the condition that you don’t kill anyone, including the other competitors, Methrdhel and Amusei.

As you are competing against others, time is of the essence and you need to find Amantius's house as soon as possible.

Armand mentions that the beggars can help you, albeit for a price. Once the competition begins, you should find a beggar right next to the Harden of Dareloth’s entrance.

Bring up Amantius Allectus's name and pay them 5 Gold. They will then tell you you can find Amantius Allectus's house in the Temple District, with the exact location now on your map.

Alternatively, you can follow Methrdhel, as they will run directly to Amantius's house, but first you need to pick the lock. It’s not too tricky, but you’ll need to be quick once inside so that she doesn’t get the diary first.

With this knowledge in mind, you can just go to the Temple District from the Waterfront, take a right and follow the wall until the end. Go right and on your left you will find the door to Amantius Allectus's house.

Inside the house, you will see a desk on the right hand side of the room and the diary is found inside it.

If you are seen stealing the diary, fret not, just make a beeline directly back to Armand Christophe and after being accepted into the Guild, you can pay him to have your wanted status removed.

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