Arena (Faction)

The Arena is the main form of public entertainment in Imperial City. Located on the eastern side of the city, the Hero of Kvatch either has the option of betting on fighters in gladiatorial combat, or joining the Arena and fighting in it themself. They gain one rank for every three fights they win. The Arena houses two teams, the Yellow Team and the Blue Team, pitted against each other in a never-ending series of fights.

History of the Arena
The Arena was founded by one of the greatest warriors known to Tamriel, Gaiden Shinji, during the First Era. There is not an exact date, but the Arena was constructed sometime during the tenth century of the First Era before 1E 980, the year that marked the end of the 30-year siege of Orsinium that killed Gaiden Shinji and many other great heroes.

Gaiden Shinji was a member of the Order of Diagna. His most famous quote was "The best techniques are passed on by the survivors," which was made in 1E 947.

Description
The Arena consists of the Bloodworks (contains the Red Room and the practice room), and the Arena itself. The Arena Bloodworks is headed by Blademaster Owyn. Ysabel Andronicus is the Battle Matron and serves as the Grand Champion's trainer and manager. Grand Champion Agronak gro-Malog is practicing his swordsmanship skills. There is also find a Blue Team Gladiator, who is either practicing archery or hand to hand, and the Yellow Team Champion, who is practicing melee.

There are various iron weapons scattered around the Bloodworks and four bedrolls on which to rest on. There are also two Raiment Cabinets which contain both the Arena Light Raiment and the Arena Heavy Raiment, should the Hero of Kvatch lose track of their own.

To begin competing in the Arena, simply talk to Owyn and wear the chosen Arena Raiment. After the Hero of Kvatch tells him they are prepared to battle, proceed through the Red Room to the Arena. When returning from battle, be sure to replenish health, magicka, and fatigue at the Basin of Renewal.

Battle Rules

 * A match in the Arena can only be registered from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, though it is possible to fight in the middle of the night by waiting until it is nightime.
 * The provided armor must be worn while fighting in the arena until the Hero of Kvatch becomes Champion rank or they will be disqualified. There is a choice between light or heavy raiment.
 * The Hero of Kvatch may choose any weapon, shield, helmet, rings, or amulets to wear in addition to the provided armor, but must wear a full set of armor, including a helmet.
 * Any spells may be used.
 * Fights may take as much time as needed, but all fights are to the death.
 * Switching armor will end the battle (the only way to break a battle). However, if this is done twice, the Hero of Kvatch will be expelled from the Arena.
 * Opponents' equipment is not lootable, with the exception of fired arrows, until the Grand Championship match.
 * Prizes for each win range from 50 to 500 gold depending on rank.
 * All skills are allowed, including stealth and restoration.

Opponents and Victory Rewards
"PC Level Offset" refers to how many levels higher the opponent will be compared to the Hero of Kvatch's level. Some opponents' weapons and armor will also be leveled appropriately.

Championship
Once you have achieved the rank of Champion, you are given the option of challenging Grand Champion Agronak gro-Malog. Speak to the battle matron, Ysabel, for more information. She will let you choose an Arena Title from a list from which people will then call you by this name after you become Grand Champion. The available names are as follows (some choices depend on your character's sex):
 * The Spellslinger
 * The Butcher
 * Shadowstep
 * The Black Arrow
 * Skullcrusher
 * The Divine Avenger
 * The Messenger of Death
 * The Crimson Blade
 * The Iron Maiden (female only)
 * Lady Luck (female only)
 * Man o' War (male only)
 * Sir Slaughter (male only)
 * The Tamriel Terror
 * Dragonheart

Unlike other fights, you are allowed to wear any equipment you wish, and upon victory, you can loot the longsword, shield, and heavily enchanted armor your opponent wears. To finish the quest, you must give gro-Malog's enchanted armor to Ysabel, who then rewards you with your own version with identical enchantments, again giving you the choice of a heavy or light version.

Although an uncommon issue, if you complete Origin of the Gray Prince for Grand Champion Agronak gro-Malog before you fight him, it might count as a murder. Many have asked why this is, and that is because he does NOT fight back. He discovered the truth about his father who was a vampire, now he despises himself knowing he's half vampire. As a result, the Dark Brotherhood may visit you (if you are not already part of the faction) with the message: "Your murder has been seen by unknown forces". If you wish you can kill Agronak when he gives up via the console (see Cheats) and it will not count as a murder and the Dark Brotherhood will not visit you.

Life of the Grand Champion
After becoming the Grand Champion, you are given the option of fighting a selection of monsters gathered from around Cyrodiil once a week. The selection of monsters (and prize gold) depends on your level. Just like against Agronak, you may use whatever armor you want and loot any fallen monsters. The total amount of gold earned is as follows: The lower you level, the lower amount of gold. The fewer monsters fought, the lower amount of gold. Finally, the less damage taken, the lower amount of gold. For the most gold, fight 3 Minotaur Lords and take enough damage to have killed you (Take a lot of damage, heal, then take more damage).

Easy Arena fights
When the fight starts, run to the right side where there is a gray pillar near the closed fence and hop up on top of it. It might take a couple tries, but once you get on top of it, you can stand there without worrying about being hit. Sit there and simply use ranged attacks, such as spells.

While on top of the pillar explained above, just go into sneaking mode and they will end up turning around and lose sight of you. This way, you can deal extra damage with stealthy attacks for easier killing.

For melee-focused characters, melee fighting is fairly straightforward. Just bring plenty of health potions.

For melee-focused characters wielding a two-handed sword, block. After you've deflected the blow, strike twice. Then repeat until the targets are dead.

For thieves and the stealthy types, assuming you have points in Acrobatics and/or Athletics, a good tactic is to hit-and-run. This involves attacking with a few attacks and then stepping back to avoid the incoming enemy attack. If you're an archer, shooting a couple of arrows and then running when the opponent gets closer is also effective.

If you're low on arrows, wait for a fight with a single archer enemy. Begin the fight and walk backwards down the hallway you entered from. The enemy will follow you down and attempt to shoot you repeatedly with his/her bow. The enemy will never run out of leveled arrows and when you see one coming, sidestep slightly, letting it stick into the wooden door behind you. After a while, turn and collect the 50 or so arrows that have built up. Repeat as desired. This is a fairly easy technique when coupled with even the very first healing spell in the game as you may take a hit or two when collecting arrows. 200 arrows can be gathered in a short time using this technique.

If you have high points in Acrobatics, it is also possible to jump up on the walls and behind the fences (it may take an extra nudge by your opponent to get you up there) around the arena, where most enemies will be unable to reach you. Simply shoot them down with a bow, or use magic to take enemies down. Enemy archers and spellcasters may be a bit more difficult to fight this way, since they are ranged and can shoot you. It is best to simply rush them. When you become Grand Champion, the fences in the arena open, so you can no longer hide behind them. Use the fences as a good place to heal yourself, it will help conserve healing potions and increase your restoration skill. You can also aim through the crack between the wall and the fence, though it is quite difficult to accomplish this. Also, unless you master hitting your opponent through the crack or have a high acrobatics skill, you're stuck.

For mages and thief/mages, a good combination is to use Conjuration to summon a monster and then use Invisibility (or Chameleon if your stealth is reasonably good) to skulk around in stealth mode. Summoning in conjunction with Illusion can even be used to train your stealth and backstab skills. Combatants rarely pay any attention to conjured monsters so in general you can just sit back and re-summon, re-invisible as needed. Best of all, stealth, conjuration, and illusion are skills that are quickly trainable, the former by sneaking behind friendlies (do it with a summon, for instance) and the latter with simple spells. It is possible to beat the three-on-one fights without taking a hit using this method.

Some spells, such as Black Winter (Frost Damage + Paralyze), can be very useful against single opponents. Just paralyze them and then rush. For multiple enemies, use Fireball, or other splash-damage spells.

Some of the staves found around Cyrodiil provide potent effects. However, be sure to check that your opponent isn't resistant to the staff's effects.

You are allowed to do pretty much anything. Fight dirty. If you have an invisibility spell/potion/power, use it and hit your opponent from behind. Use poisons to drain his attributes, or use spells to disintegrate his armour. Use whatever resources you have at your disposal.

Fighting in the Arena at low levels
Strangely, it is entirely possible to become Grand Champion as low as level 1, though the fight against three simultaneous opponents can be very difficult. Against the Champion at low character levels, Porkchop may end up dealing a lot more damage than you. The Grand Champion, and nearly all other single opponents, can be defeated with a simple block and swing strategy.

Another easy way to defeat opponents, is simply staying put and sneak attacking with a bow. If you have a stealthy character, this will make arena fights very easy, as you never have to do any actual fighting. This requires a very high sneak skill, though, so don't expect to win any fights with a low level character this way.

After becoming Grand Champion at a low level, the enemy monsters will be scaled to your level, including your reward for defeating them.

A way to defeat Minotaur Lords (as Grand Champion) - Since the Minotaur Lords are so tall (especially due to the length of their horns), an easy way to defeat them is to simply retreat back down the stairs of your team entrance after the gate opens and wait for the Minotaur Lords to attack. Due to their size, they will not be able to get down the stairs and you will be able to use any ranged attack to defeat them. This allows you to fight 3 Minotaur Lords at once and get more money and experience as well as the possibility of acquiring their Grand Souls.

Betting at the Arena
Besides fighting in the Arena for yourself, there is also the option of betting on daily fights between the two teams, the Yellow Team and the Blue Team. Regardless of whether or not you have fought any fights in the Arena, you are able to bet on either team. To bet, you must speak to the gatekeeper Hundolin, a Wood Elf, at the entrance to the Arena. Speak with him between 9am and 9pm in order to place a bet of 25, 50 or 100 gold. After that, enter either of the doors to his left and watch the fight. Your luck plays a small part in the outcome of the bet. At least one of the effects luck has is to modify the health of your chosen combatant upward.


 * For luck 50-59, health is increased by 5.
 * For luck 60-69, health is increased by 10.
 * For luck 70-79, health is increased by 15.
 * For luck 80-89, health is increased by 20.
 * For luck 90-99, health is increased by 25.
 * For luck 100, health is increased by 30.
 * For luck greater than 100, health is unmodified (bug).

If you win, you win double the amount of what you bet.

You can neither fight in an Arena match while you have an outstanding bet nor can you bet on your own match.

If you have over 400 acrobatics, you can jump over the invisible wall and kill the enemy combatant yourself.

If you steal the contents of his takings chest,he will attack you every time he sees you. This means you can no longer bet on the fights as he will not talk to you. However if you steal the contents while nobody is watching you can still bet on the fights. The chest has 500 gold in it when no bets are placed in it, but the contents never respawn even if you bet more and lose.

You can easily make a good amount of gold without doing any work at all by just saving before betting on a match, then if you lose, reloading the saved game and repeating the process.

It is also possible to cheat using the console. Simply hit '~' to open the console, and select the NPC of the opposing team and type 'kill' into the console and hit enter. This will count as a 'win' and you will receive your holdings.

Bugs

 * During the later stages of matches, the blue teams entrance light floating above the doorway will disappear sometimes, and not return. (Confirmed on Xbox 360)