I´ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but never had the opportunity.
in this series, I´ll be going over each specific weapon type in oblivion, explain it´s benefits and how to utilize it to it´s fullest potential.
Disclaimer:
this is from my own experience playing the game, and someone else might have different ideas on how to do it, but I´m gonna explain the things that worked best for me.
So, Claymores.
faster than other two handed weapons, but slower than all one-handed ones. basically, the ultimate middle ground. good for dealing high dps at max range.
Edit: Upon further testing,(as well as consulting UESP) i´ve found out that claymores and Battleaxes actually have the same speed, so the previous statement should be disregarded. claymores are actually the second slowest weapon type, tied with Battle axes.
1.What type of character build or playstyle benefits most from using them?
Especially good for tanks, who have enough armour rating to afford disregarding the shield slot.(in fact, shield usage along with two-handers is possible in this game, if you only care for the enchantments. neither armor value nor increased damage reduction from blocking will apply.)
Another application is for Maximum potential mages that will chose not to wear a shield as well as no armour so the spell capacity remains 100%.
Lastly, I would not recommend them for assassin characters, as the stealth multiplier for them is not ideal. It also requires you to have the both dagger and claymore style, which are vastly different, perfectly in mind simultaneously. if you want a secondary melee weapon as an assassin, I´d recommend short- or longswords.
claymores are best used by characters that can move fast, as you will be able to utilize the power attacks´ maximum reach and relative speed. When you use a claymore, you should also have a considerable amount of strength due to the weight. This weapon is ideal for an agressive playstyle, as quick successive attacks can be dealt consistantly. otherwise, your Build´s setup doesn´t matter outside of your blade skill.
2. how do you fight with them?
claymores are long reach, fast two-handers. getting into the range of your enemy, attacking and retreating out of it is most easily done with them. in some cases, you will even be able to hit enemies without getting in range of their attacks. in that case, backpedaling while swinging is a viable option.
however, because of the balance between speed, range and damage, the claymore lends itself to power attacks like no other weapon.
lesson 1: the direction of your movement during power atttacks can be changed mid-attack.
Meaning that for example after initiating the standing power attack, you can press the S key and your character will move ever so slightly backwards. this doesn´t seem like much, but it will often cause enemies attacks to just barely miss you.
this would go as follows: 1.you stand within enemy range. 2. you initiate your power attack, holding S after the animation starts. 3. the enemy starts an attack of their own, but gets hit by your attack before they hit you. 4. the knockback of your attack, as well as the slight distance you moved will make his attack miss. this works best on human npcs, especially good against skeletons and against most animals, however, it will often be ineffective against some of the bigger creatures from the shivering isles, as most of them have incredible reach and/or a lunging attack. also, if you see your enemy blocking after you start your attack, this is a good way to avoid the stagger. just do exactly as above except this time, you miss on purpose by slightly moving the camera left or right.with this technique, it´s kind of a hit or miss situation(pun not intended), as the enemys swing following the block will sometimes hit you. however you will avoid the stagger that can result from hitting a blocking foe. also, pressing holding S after getting staggered will sometimes get you out of range.
another good trick is to toggle walking ( as opposed to running)before doing the backwards power attack. this will make it so the distance walked during the animation will be shorter than your total reach. this will make it significantly easier to land an otherwise annoying to perform attack.
this feature is most noticeable with the sprinting power attack. especially if you have high speed. you can basically do a 360 degree turn while performing it. That way, chasing after enemies that are fleeing is possible and actually kinda fun.
lesson 2: attack-block timing.
most enemies have similar patterns for blocking and attacking. by blocking yourself, you can stagger enemies if your block skill is high enough. afterwards, you can place a number of hits, depending on your weapon type. with the claymore you´ll be able to hit a maximum of 2 times before the enemy blocks again.
so, that´s mostly it. I´ll continue to update this post whenever I find out something new. questions and criticism are appreciated.
Replies
you very much should. I feel like it doesn´t get the credit it deserves, unlike skyrim and morrowind. But despite what some people say, it´s actually really good. especially with the Shivering Isles DLC.
nothin much, holidays were rough. had an internship. barely any time to work on my projects. currently doing my oblivion weapons series and hopefully continuing my series of skyrim builds.
Sounds good look forward to it.