Vaermina is a jerk. Let’s just get that out of the way. In the world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, most Daedric Princes want to enslave your soul or burn the world, but Vaermina? She just wants to watch you sleep while she harvests your nightmares. It's creepy. It’s invasive. And honestly, it leads to one of the most mechanically bizarre items in the entire game: the Skull of Corruption.
If you’ve spent any significant time in Cyrodiil, you know the drill with Daedric quests. You go to a shrine, you offer up some random item—in this case, a Black Soul Gem—and you do a favor for a literal god. Vaermina asks you to retrieve her stolen orb from a wizard named Arkved. Getting through Arkved's Tower is a fever dream of nonsensical architecture and floating furniture, but the reward at the end of the tunnel is the Oblivion Skull of Corruption. Most players pick it up, try it once on a city guard, get confused, and then toss it into a chest in Benirus Manor. That is a massive mistake. This staff is broken in ways the developers probably didn't fully intend, and if you know how to manipulate the game’s engine, it becomes the most powerful tool in your inventory.
How the Skull Actually Works (and Why it’s Finicky)
The staff is essentially a "clone machine." When you fire a projectile from the Oblivion Skull of Corruption at an NPC, it creates a "Corrupted Clone" of that target. This clone is immediately hostile to the original and will fight them for thirty seconds. It sounds simple. It isn't.
The clone inherits the stats, the armor, and the weapons of the target. If you use it on a high-level Dremora Lord, you suddenly have a Dremora Lord fighting on your side. But here is the kicker: the clone doesn't care about you. It only cares about killing its double. This creates a chaotic battlefield where you are basically a spectator to a weird, metaphysical identity crisis. You have to be careful, though. The staff has limited charges, and if you miss your shot, you’ve just wasted a significant chunk of soul energy on a wall.
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I’ve seen people complain that the clones are weak. They aren't weak; they're just reflections. If you use the staff on a scamp, you get a crappy scamp. If you use it on a Master Wizard, things get interesting. But the real magic happens when you realize that the clone is technically a separate entity created by the game engine, which leads to the most famous exploit in Oblivion history.
The Infamous Clone Glitch
Let's talk about the "Skull of Corruption Clone Glitch." This is the reason veteran players keep the staff in their quick-select menu. Since the clone is a temporary NPC that wears a copy of the target's gear, you can actually loot the clone if you are fast enough. Or, more accurately, if you are "glitchy" enough.
Basically, if you clone a target, kill the clone, and then save/reload or use a specific timing trick to access its inventory before it vanishes, you can duplicate unique items. We are talking about things that are supposed to be one-of-a-kind. Want two Umbra swords? This is how you do it. Want a permanent version of a quest item that is supposed to be removed from your inventory? The Oblivion Skull of Corruption is your best friend.
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It feels like cheating because, well, it kind of is. But in a game as old as Oblivion, these glitches are part of the charm. They are the "secret sauce" that keeps the community experimenting decades after release. Most modern games would patch this out in a week. Bethesda? They just let it ride. It’s a testament to the weird, systemic nature of the Gamebryo engine.
The Problem with Friendly NPCs
Don't use this on your friends. Seriously. If you use the staff on a follower or a town guard, the clone counts as an attack from you in the eyes of the AI. You'll end up with a massive bounty, and the entire Imperial City Guard will be breathing down your neck. The clone acts as an extension of the player’s "aggro," which makes it a purely offensive tool despite its utility. It’s a staff of chaos, not a staff of companionship.
Getting the Most Out of Vaermina’s Gift
To actually make this thing viable for a long play-through, you need to be a master of Soul Gems. The staff eats through charge like a hungry Ogrim. If you aren't carrying Azura’s Star or a mountain of Greater Soul Gems, the Oblivion Skull of Corruption will be empty after three or four fights. It’s a high-maintenance relationship.
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Here is a pro tip: use it on enemies that use reflect damage. If you are a melee fighter and you go up against something that reflects 50% of your hits back at you, you're going to have a bad time. But if you clone that enemy, the clone’s attacks will hit the original, and the reflect damage will bounce back and forth in a way that shreds the enemy’s health bar while you sit back and eat some venison. It turns a frustrating fight into a comedy show.
Where Most People Go Wrong
The biggest misconception is that the staff is a "summoning" tool. It’s not. It’s a "debuff" tool. You aren't summoning an ally; you are creating a distraction. The best way to use it is in tight corridors where the enemy can't easily path-find around their clone. In the narrow halls of an Ayleid ruin, a corrupted clone acts as a literal meat shield that the enemy is forced to engage with.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you want to master the Skull of Corruption, you need a plan. Don't just stumble into Vaermina's quest at level 5.
- Wait until Level 20: The stats of the clones scale with the target. If you get the staff early, you're using it on weak enemies. Wait until the world is populated with Xivilai and Gloom Wraiths. That is when the staff truly shines.
- Farm Black Soul Gems first: You need one to start the quest, but you’ll need dozens to keep the staff powered. Hit up those necromancer dungeons (like Fort Istirus) early and often.
- Combine with Paralyze: Hit an enemy with a Paralyze spell first, then use the staff. This ensures the clone gets the first few hits in while the original is still trying to stand up. It maximizes that 30-second window.
- Loot the Clones: If you’re feeling brave, try the timing exploit. Kill the clone and immediately press the "search" key. If you time it right, you can snag copies of high-level enchanted armor without having to enchant it yourself.
The Oblivion Skull of Corruption isn't the most consistent weapon in the game. It’s buggy, it’s expensive to maintain, and it might get you thrown in the Bastion if you miss your aim. But it represents the peak of Oblivion's "sandbox" design. It rewards players who think outside the box and those who aren't afraid to break the game just a little bit to see what happens. Go to Vaermina’s shrine, offer up that soul gem, and start making some clones. Cyrodiil is much more interesting when there are two of everyone.