Oblivion infinite gold cheat undermines Tamriel society [update 1]
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Mar 26th 2006 at 4:00AM }
We've been hearing of a bushel of
defects with just-released Xbox 360 title Oblivion IV, most of them relatively harmless. But this one's a real
zinger because it allows players to stop leveling altogether and simply play the equivalent of a medieval playboy.
Shall we elaborate? What happens when you couple unlimited gold with a level one character's limited judgement? Wanton carousal, all-night mead keggers, illegitimate NPCs spawning all over the place, and legions of trust fund kids who forego the noble professions of blacksmithing, shoe-mending, and inn-keeping for jobs in architecture, museum curation, and film studies research.
The world of Tamriel is going to look an awful lot like Manhattan island if this defect isn't patched, quick.
[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy.com]
[Update 1:
fixed really stupid spelling mistake. It's medieval. medieval. medieval. Got it now!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
WhiteTigerShiro @ Mar 26th 2006 4:32AM
Who'd have thunk that a game as huge as Oblivion would have glitches, and one that gives infinite gold? Simply impossible, says I!! Why, even the GTA series is completely flawless when it comes to glitches! Not a single one in any of the three games, so how could a game like Oblivion possibly have any?
(( Come back when there's a REAL glitch in the game. I mean really... how slow of a news day is it that we're reading about such a minor glitch from such a massive game? ))
Protector @ Mar 26th 2006 5:30AM
I was truly enjoying Oblivion and now that's all hanging in the balance of what I might have to do in order to continue playing. And it brings about the question of if the promise is so great does it make the fall that much more? We'll see...
EnLiven @ Mar 26th 2006 6:52AM
"mean really... how slow of a news day is it that we're reading about such a minor glitch from such a massive game? "
Joystiq is a blog, not a news aggregator. If the contributors find this relevent and worthy of being blogged then it is.
The heading pretty much summed up the article so why did you read it if you don't find it of interest?
Francesco Simi @ Mar 26th 2006 8:01AM
This bug is useless. The Oblivion developers have been so smart to make shopping based on level rather than money. Merchants show you only objects at your skill level. You'll never cheat this way, because you still have to make experience to gain advanced equipment.
Great game...
DMD @ Mar 26th 2006 8:01AM
Oh no. I was supposed to get this game and 360 on Wendsday. Turns out due to delays EB games was unable to make clean on their promise. This cheat is bad. Its these type of cheats that ruin mmo's period. Is there ever going to be a game on the 360 without glitches/dumbed down gameplay/etc. Every game I get really excited for 360 has some fault, if its not the system. Dude Im so pissed I think I've just had it with 360, I can't take this crap anymore, luckily I didn buy one of the hundreds of copiew of Oblivion they had yet as I figured I could wait for the console.
I mean its not like they were going to sell out based on the amount of people who have systems. Oh well at least someone will get it Wednsday, because im relinquising mine and getting my down payment back. Why do I think some 10 year old brat will buy Oblivion after he heres about the code, and go out and "pwn" all the noobs, yeeha! Gimme my PS3 and REV!
Sloopydrew @ Mar 26th 2006 8:02AM
Omega2k3,
Quit being a fanboy. Joystiq posted a pretty funny blog about a pretty funny glitch. Unfortunately, the glitches don't stop there. The game is full of pretty serious glitches. I absolutely love the title, but in my 17 hours and 22 minutes of playing, there has already been 2 missions that I've been unable to complete due to pretty massive glitches.
Shannon @ Mar 26th 2006 8:30AM
Yeah I almost couldn't complete a quest myself because of a glitch. For me the Chorrol Fighters Guild leader was always in her house in a locked room, as a Spell Sword I couldn't pick the lock, ended up having to pick her husbands pocket to get the key, glad I didn't get caught.
gameclu @ Mar 26th 2006 10:25AM
I was planning on picking up Oblivion for the 360 today. I'm going to hold off until it gets patched. I've already been burned by a buggy DOA4, after it erased my savefile.
I remeber the day when I waited for a game to be released before playing it. Now I wait for it to be released and then wait some more for the patch. I really hope this isn't a trend.
LaughingTarget @ Mar 26th 2006 10:27AM
It isn't too much worse than the various, obvious exploits (non-glitches) in Oblivion.
For example, join a guild and you can ransack the place and sell all the goods right back to the guild's own internal vendor. For example, in a fighter's guild, just pick up all the weapons and armor lying around and sell it to the blacksmith. Not a bug.
Glad I got the PC version though, easier to get patched, and it doesn't seem to have the same breadth of glitches and bugs that the 360 version has (which is shocking to say the least).
matt @ Mar 26th 2006 10:28AM
#6, you do realize it's a SINGLE PLAYER game right, not a MMORPG?
paul @ Mar 26th 2006 11:28AM
11^
Exactly, its a single player game, it's your decision to use these exploits or not, but Im not doing it, and thats my choice.
If Bethesda decides to fix this then they can do so at any time, force you to fix if you want to get the downloadable upgrades or such.
But why would they? The news of this is free publicity for their AWSOME game.
kilo @ Mar 26th 2006 11:32AM
this and the hd cache thing make oblivion worthless!
/sarcasm.
please, theres a thousand things done right with this game, and people gripe about 2 MINOR INSIGNIFICANT little things.
i guess some people just need those little things to keep that ol' hate for Microsoft going.
ngS @ Mar 26th 2006 11:59AM
I want that game SOOO badly.. LOVED Morrowind (still play it), I'm supposed to get it next saturday for my 360.. ... but the way people talk about the game, it seems as if the 360 version is the buggier game ever made.. .. I just hope is not as bad as everybody says.. ...
Tommy @ Mar 26th 2006 1:44PM
I really dont see a problem here. If some people want to play the game by using an exploit then by all means let them. I have the PC version of the game and I could get money even faster then this. The PC version has a bug it was shipped with too. It's called the construction set. If I want a stack of 100 gold to just appear, then poof, it appears. If I want a soul gem with a high level daedra in it, it's a piece of cake. I won't do these things because they make the game less fun, but I don't think this money exploit is going to be the end of the world. It's crappy that they shipped the game with the bug, but until there is one that you don't have to seek out in order to have it happen, there isn't a problem. (the cache thing sounds crappy though).
#8 Did it ever cross your mind that you did not find a glitch? This was just an example of the multiple solutions to problems that you can find in the game. Some people are thiefs that can pick the lock (lock picking isn't easy for low levels but I do prefer this system to Morrowind's), but some people don't have that skill, and they knew it would be next to impossible for them to pick the lock, so they put a key on her husband. If you want to steal it that works, but you could have just killed him. assuming he wasn't important.
WyattERP @ Mar 26th 2006 2:33PM
This game isn't buggy like all these whiners are making it out to be. I've played 15 hours, and haven't ran into a single bug! I'm not kidding...sure there are performance hitches occasionally, but after playing the thing for an entire day, my super hot Xbox needed a quick reboot to get things back in line. I'm sure there are some exploits, glitches, bugs - I'm just saying I have not encountered them. I'm not quite sure why people are shocked when you have thousands of people combing over every inch of a massive game, with a massive amount of stuff to do, and we are shocked when people start running across some exploits like this.
Of course, no knock on Joystiq, I appreciate the humor behind their sarcastic post. If this was an MMO, and was an easy exploit to take advantage of, it would indeed be a bigger problem. I would have to create a character simply for the sake of creating hundreds of illegitimate off-spring all over Cyrridil - LOL!
WyattERP @ Mar 26th 2006 2:59PM
ngS ... this game will NOT let you down. There are a few whiners posted complaints everywhere they can, the majority aren't posting at all because they are glued to their sets stuck in the land of Oblivion!
Lobster @ Mar 26th 2006 3:05PM
Noob 1: OMG how dare they point out a glitch in the game!? The game is so big and wonderful it's bound to have glitches so we should just ignore them!
Noob 2: Oh noes the game sucks I knew it would I told you hahahahaha it's broken forever.
Uy Tran @ Mar 26th 2006 3:27PM
As a PC Oblivion player, this post makes no sense to me. If I ever wanted to cheat in Oblivion, I'd just go to the console. But I don't.
Also, #5 is totally correct. Things for sale scale along with your level, which isn't affected by money. All this glitch allows you to do is get houses earlier (yay?) as well as recharge your ridiculously expensive charge based weapons.
Shannon @ Mar 26th 2006 3:34PM
For the record, I wasn't whining. I was pointing out a glitch in the game I have encountered. I got around it. and explained how. Still love the game and have put about 20 hours into it so far. Sheesh.
Matt @ Mar 26th 2006 3:58PM
#8 - Is that really a glitch or just a way of making a quest harder? There was someone behind a door. There was someone else with a key. You got the key and opened the door. A glitch would be if there had been no key at all.
[At least I know what to do when I get to that quest =)]
Recongoddess @ Mar 26th 2006 5:38PM
People are going to whine whine no matter what and no matter how great the game is.. I mean really.. who cares there is a 'cheat glitch' with money, it's not like this is a multiplayer game on xbl...
And.. there is NO way this glitch with the money could really help you out, even with training the game is set up that you can only 'buy' training a certain amount of times within your level and that's it until you level up on your own... stop whining..
Hello! news flash.... don't like the cheat, then don't use it.. pfft...
Simon @ Mar 26th 2006 5:44PM
I've got the PC version, and there are much more serious "glitches" in this game. Real "bugs" actually. Also the visuals have some major flaws. And let's not start talking about the AI or the "no scripting" claim. But altogether it's still a very cool game and lot's of fun. I've been doing little else this weekend. But I hope they will release some serious patch soon ...
And about the original post, I guess that was sarcasm, as unlimited gold in a single player game is as unimportant as it could get. No matter if it's a bug, a glitch or an exploit, it's only affecting the one who is abusing it ... think before you start bashing people ... especially if you're not bright enough to understand sarcasm ...
Mark D. @ Mar 26th 2006 6:00PM
Instead of taking a fanboy approach to this, let's take a well-informed approach:
In the Oblivion strategy guide(the big fat one for 25 bucks) it hints at this "glitch" and how to perform it. Given that, it's quite obvious that it's not a bug, and instead an easter egg that's available for you to use if you want, similar to the unicorn.
Omega2k3 @ Mar 26th 2006 6:45PM
Yeah... How exactly does my comment make me a fanboy? I guess you could say that I'm a fanboy of logic, because I haven't even played Oblivion.
The fact still stands that it's a single player game, and cheats or exploits like that don't really matter if you don't want them to.
The post seems like it wasn't even meant to be humorous. If it was, he failed miserably.
Shannon @ Mar 26th 2006 7:22PM
#20, Matt - it is definitely a bug. When you ask to join the fighters guild they tell you to talk to one of three people. One of whom is the person I was trying to get it. At first just to join the guild, but I ended up joining in another town, eventually my questing for the fighters guild led me back to this woman. She is the leader of the fighters of the guild, and for me at least she was NEVER ever in the guild itself. Always in her home, if you enter her home, there are 3 floors, her husband is by the front door, and if you talk to him you get no dialog options.
I sat inside her house for about 2 days. And this doesn't even include the amount of time I spent looking for her just when I was doing all the quests I could find in Chorrol. Finally I gave up, saved, and picked the husbands pocket, luckily I didn't get caught, even though I have a really low sneak/pick pocket skill. Considering you need to talk to her as part of the fighters guild main quest, I doubt it the only way to progress in the quest would be to pick pocket.
It was without a doubt a glitch, just luckily not a game ending one.
Anonymous rep @ Mar 26th 2006 10:08PM
These are not glitches - they are exploitable opportunities. You guys just have to have the right mind-set.
Sort of like on the PC version, which I got because I WANTED to be able to do mods and other things this time.
~ player.additem 0000000f "50000"
(For those people who really want 50,000 gold... - everyone else, just go here:
http://www.gamewinners.com/DOSWIN/blelderscrolls4.htm
)
Jouten Za @ Mar 26th 2006 10:16PM
I don't know what's up with this 'glitch'. It never seems to work for me. Doesn't matter what I try, once I kill him, I loot the gold and that's it, I keep hitting A button and nothing happens. It's only a one time loot. Did they fix this already? I've never pulled this off to know if it even works. If it makes a difference, I have the 'Collector's Edition' of Oblivion. Thanks
that one dude @ Mar 26th 2006 11:27PM
If you want to talk about bugs and glitches, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: Sith Lords is it. That game had more bugs than any I have ever played. You could walk through doors and walls, your party members dying from one hit but coming back to life and then dying again, characters freezing in place as you walk and all of a sudden showing up on the other side of the map, freezing, ect THOSE are glitches.
Honestly people stop throwing a bitch fit. Almost every game I have ever owned had a bug or glitch somewhere. True, some you never find and aren't as big as others. You can usually find one though if you just go exploring. Oblivion is a good game and what little bugs or glitches I saw didn't bug me at all. In fact as big as it is I'd expect it. If they'll bug you then don't buy the game it's that simple.
Matthew @ Mar 27th 2006 3:42AM
People, this is a free-form game! Because there are so many options and directions you can take, the penalty is more possible bugs.
BTW I played 'buggy' games like KOTOR2 on my PC without any problems. Maybe it's just a PC/XBox thing.
I'll be getting Oblivion on PC once I have the right card (GeForce 7800GTX), so I can play it the way it was meant to be played!
Joy @ Mar 27th 2006 7:25AM
I've only run into ONE bug that effects the bow. It makes it shoot off to the left, instead of to the cross hair. Not a big deal, though. ( That is rather annoying since I'm a marksman. )
People are moaning and complaining over bugs that I have yet to encounter, and given the fact that you can bypass them using more than one method.
I've played for little over 40 hours so far, and I've completed the Thieves Guild string of quests and I'm a Silencer in the Dark Brotherhood.
They must of done something right for me to continue playing.
Josh @ Mar 27th 2006 11:50AM
This is not a multiplayer game.. I do not understand how this cheat 'ruins the game' for anyone. If you do not want to cheat.. do not cheat.. This isn't a glitch that keeps you from completing a quest, this isn't a glitch that makes you impossible to kill.. this is just a glitch you have to go out of your way to use to get more cash. Sure it's a glitch.. but who in their right mind would WAIT to play such a great game because of this?
arrakisman @ Mar 27th 2006 12:13PM
I guess I am more tollerant of bug with the ElderScrolls series. I remeber Oblivion in DaggerFall(ES2) was where you went when you fell through a crack in the dungeon. The "patch" for this was to give you a hotkey (altF11 I think) to put you on the last piece of solid ground. I have been playing Oblivion for a few days now and have hit a few wierd things, but all in all I am really impressed with the scope and detail of the game.
Tiberius Jones @ Mar 27th 2006 2:32PM
THE MONEY GLITCH ONLY WORKS ONCE!
I did it with my first character. Racked up over 200,000 gold then went around buying better armor and a couple cool weapons.
I made a new character because my original caught vampirism. When I went to try the money glitch with the new character it didn't work. Was a patch released without me knowing? I did boot the game while watching tv so I didn't notice if a patch was applied. The reason I think so, is because Dorian's (the guy you kill for the gold) gold amount was different this time. It was 9 instead of 26.
Anyway, I'm actually my second charater more. I made it a woman, and she's a bad-ass little "Stealth Fighter-Mage", my own custom class.
On a side note. Now that I'm playing a second character I'm really seeing just how open-ended this game really is. I'm doing things completely differently than my first time through. What a blast this game is!
Don't hesitate to buy it if you haven't already.
DusterAZ @ Mar 27th 2006 2:54PM
#29, don't waste your money on a 7800GTX when a 7900GT is faster and cheaper. Or just get a 7900GTX if you still want to spend $500+.
chriso @ Mar 27th 2006 5:59PM
It's pretty unbelieveable that folks hate on stuff like this. Bugs/exploits happen. Perhaps I'm just restating/echoing what others have already said on this post but, if you don't want to wreck the game, don't use the exploit. This issue does nothing to diminsh the amazing gameplay experience this game offers. The depth and level of immersion is really unprecedented (for me, anyway). I also have been having a blast talking to friends and seeing where they are in the experience, because they are having a completely different experience. This is sandbox gameplay at its finest. Sure there are issues as with any game, but I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun gaming. Believe the hype and let the niggling cheats and whiny fanboys wallow in their own vomitus.
Jouten Za @ Mar 27th 2006 6:54PM
Yeah, I don't know what the big deal is. It's not like you solve the game in two clicks or something. I'm having a ton of fun with it even though I can't seem to get the 'money' glitch to work.
Ryan @ Mar 28th 2006 2:57PM
If you have unlimited gold then the drudgery of "working" is pretty much eliminated. You can go back to enjoying the story of the game. I use gold cheats all the time in many RPGs and they NEVER degree the game playing experience... it just speeds it up. Besides... what's all the fuss about? This is a single-player game. The economy is artificial and doesn't impact any real players. From a R&D perspective I find it intriguing! :)
Azghoul @ Apr 4th 2006 3:19PM
I may be overlooking her but I think using this has a recourse. I had to turn in 10 bear pelts to some woman in Chorrel(sp) in the fighters guild b/c I accidently stole something from them trying to talk to someone >.< So i used this cheat to buy some bear pelts. Now that I return to Chorrel she is gone. No where to be found anywhere. I looked for some time, rested and looked again. No where to be found. She is the leader of the fighters guild in Chorrel I wouldnt think she would just disappear. Am i just looking in the wrong spot? :(
Valente Castillo @ Apr 6th 2006 4:42PM
What exactly is the cheat and does it work for the 360?
doesn't matter @ Apr 30th 2006 4:41PM
The most pointless discussions can carry on like this. All of you need to learn to stop talking about things that don't matter, like this money glitch in Oblivion. I wasted so much time reading through discussions like this.
Hitch @ May 3rd 2006 1:21PM
The guy behind a door is a glitch, one that doesnt really spoil anything though. I can complete a quest to join the mages guild easily, my GF however cannot because a guy is stuck behind a secure door yet still manages to say hello to you. You can't talk further with him though.
So yeah, glitch would be correct, game spoiler would certainly not be correct though.
Awesome game.
Rod Rakos @ May 17th 2006 8:58PM
THE STUFF YOU FIND OFF CREATURES IS WORTH MORE
There is no glitch in the game the merchants have a limited amount of money per store and more according to your mercantile level... also at higher levels stealing (borrowing from figters guild mage etc ..they only have cheap eqipment that eventully is not even worth carrying and selling .....if you are killing guys and get armor worth 4000 gold who care about picking up a whole bunch of 1-a few hundred gold item waste of time when 1 creature will do the job of tons of trips to the store.
THIS CHEAT IS ONLY REALLY GOOD FOR POWER LEVELING UP TO SAY LEVEL 10....OR IF ONE OF YOUR MAJOR SKILLS TO GO UP LEVEL IS PERSONALITY OR MERCANTILE