You're wandering through a damp Ayleid ruin or maybe just sleeping off a long day of questing in Cheydinhal. Suddenly, you wake up with a message on your screen about a strange dream involving blood and hunger. Congrats. You've caught Porphyric Hemophilia. In the world of Cyrodiil, this is the beginning of a massive mechanical shift that changes everything from how NPCs look at you to whether or not you can stand in the midday sun without bursting into flames.
Most people look for Oblivion how to become a vampire because they want the stat boosts. Honestly? They're huge. We’re talking massive buffs to Strength, Willpower, and Speed. But Bethesda didn't make it easy. If you don't know the specific mechanics of the disease's incubation period, you might accidentally "cure" yourself before the transformation even happens. Or worse, you become a creature of the night and realize you have no idea how to feed, leading to a quick death by sunlight the second you step out of a shop in the Imperial City.
The Mechanics of Infection
Becoming a vampire isn't instantaneous. It’s a process. First, you need to actually contract the disease, Porphyric Hemophilia. You can’t just ask a vampire to bite you in a cutscene; this is a combat-based mechanic. Every time a vampire hits you with a melee attack or a spell, there’s a small percentage chance that you’ll catch the bug.
Where do you find them? Well, the easiest spot is early in the Dark Brotherhood questline. Vincente Valtieri is a vampire. If you do a few favors for him, he’ll eventually offer to give you "The Dark Gift." This is the cleanest way to do it because it’s guaranteed. No RNG. No grinding. If you aren't a member of the brotherhood, you’ll need to head to places like Memorial Cave or Crowhaven.
Once the top-right corner of your screen says "Contracted Porphyric Hemophilia," the clock starts ticking. You have three days. During these 72 in-game hours, you are technically just a sick human. You can still walk in the sun. You can still use a temple altar to cure yourself. In fact, if you accidentally click a "Cure Disease" potion or visit a chapel, you'll wipe the progress. Don't do that. To finalize the change, you must wait the full three days and then sleep in a bed. Any bed works. An inn, your house, or even a bedroll in a dungeon. Upon waking, you get a creepy pop-up text about your changing biology. You are now a vampire.
Why Stage One is Your Best Friend
Oblivion uses a four-stage system for vampirism. This is where most players get frustrated. Basically, the longer you go without drinking blood, the stronger your powers get—but the more the sun hurts you.
When you first feed, you are at Stage One. You look normal. You can walk in the sun. You have a 5% boost to your attributes. This is the sweet spot for players who want the perks without the hassle. If you wait 24 hours without feeding, you move to Stage Two. Now, the sun starts to sizzle. By Stage Four (72 hours without feeding), you are a powerhouse with 20-point boosts to attributes like Stealth and Mysticism, but you’ll take 25 points of sun damage per second. That will kill most mid-level characters in less than ten seconds.
Basically, you have to choose your trade-off. Do you want to be a god of the night who dies the moment he steps outside? Or do you want a subtle buff that lets you play the game normally? Most veterans stay at Stage One and only let the hunger progress if they need to clear a particularly hard dungeon at night.
The Hidden Social Cost
There is another catch. At Stage Four, your face changes. You look gaunt. Your eyes turn red. NPCs in Cyrodiil aren't big fans of the undead. If you try to talk to a shopkeeper or a quest giver while at full vampirism, they will refuse to speak to you. They might even run away or attack.
To fix this, you have to feed. Feeding resets you back to Stage One. You do this by finding a sleeping NPC and "activating" them. Instead of the usual options, you’ll get a choice to "Feed" or "Pickpocket." Pro tip: the beggars in the Imperial City Waterfront are the easiest targets. They sleep outside, nobody watches them, and they’re easy to access. Just crouch, click, and gulp. You’re back to looking human.
Survival Tips for the Newly Turned
If you're serious about this, you need to change how you play. Fast travel becomes a death sentence. If you fast travel while at Stage Two or higher, the game calculates the time passed and applies the sun damage all at once when you arrive. You will literally spawn into a city and drop dead before the loading screen finishes.
- Check the clock. Always. If it’s 5:00 AM, find a basement.
- Carry "Cure Disease" potions? No. They don't work once you're a full vampire.
- Get the "Hunter’s Sight" spell. You get this automatically. It gives you Night Eye and Detect Life. Use it constantly to find "food" (sleeping NPCs) in the dark.
- The Sun Damage bypass. If you're stuck outside during the day, you can actually survive by spamming high-level Restoration spells or eating ingredients with "Restore Health" properties, but it's a desperate move.
The Infamous Cure Quest
Eventually, you might get tired of the red eyes and the sun damage. Maybe you want to finish the Knights of the Nine DLC, which you can't really do as a vampire. This leads to the quest "Vampire Cure."
I’ll be honest: this quest is a nightmare. It is widely considered one of the most tedious grinds in Elder Scrolls history. You have to find Melisande, a witch in Draeloth Farm. She asks for five empty Grand Soul Gems. Finding those alone can take hours of raiding mages' guilds. Then she wants Bloodgrass, Nightshade, and Garlic. Then she wants the blood of an Argonian.
It’s a long, multi-stage fetch quest that forces you to travel all over the map. Given that you’re likely a vampire while doing it, you’re doing most of this at night, which makes it feel twice as long. My advice? Decide if you really want to be a vampire before you commit. Reversing it is a massive chore that many players just avoid by reloading an old save.
💡 You might also like: Why Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Songs Still Get Stuck in Your Head 27 Years Later
Actionable Steps for Your New Life
If you’re ready to take the plunge, follow this specific order to ensure you don't break your game or lose progress.
- Save your game manually. Do not rely on autosaves here.
- Join the Dark Brotherhood. It's the most reliable way to get infected via Vincente.
- Get a home. You need a safe place to sleep and store items where you won't be bothered by guards or the sun. The shack in the Waterfront is cheap and perfect.
- Identify your "Blood Bank." Find three or four NPCs who sleep in accessible areas. The mages in the University or the beggars are best.
- Check your active effects menu. If you see "Vampirism" at 25, 50, 75, or 100, you know exactly where you stand. 100 means you’re at maximum power and maximum danger.
- Watch the weather. Cloudy days do not protect you. The game engine only cares about the time of day, not the cloud cover. If the sun is up, you’re burning.
Being a vampire in Oblivion is much more "hardcore" than it is in Skyrim. It requires actual management and planning. If you can handle the micromanagement of feeding and the strict schedule, the stat boosts make you an absolute tank in combat. Just don't forget to pack a few soul gems if you ever plan on becoming human again.