There are two types of hostile humanoids you may encounter on your adventures, Bandits, who specialize in light armor, and Marauders, who wear heavy armor. Depending on their level (which scales with the player), Bandits may be clad in Fur, Leather, Chain, Mythril, Elven or even Glass armor, and if you want to get your hands on some of this armor without paying an armorer for it, ridding Cyrodiil of some Bandits is a cheap and effective solution. This page will provide information on every Bandit-occupied dungeon in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, including location information, map links, farming advice and information on Bandit Ringleaders!
Page Breakdown¶
(1 of 2) Defeat Bandits,
Defeat Bandits, (left), and loot them for their light armor. They also regularly drop Lockpicks. (right)
Bandit Loot and Farming¶
Despite the best efforts of the imperial legions, Bandits roam across Cyrodiil. Their failure can be your gain, however, as one defining feature of Bandits is that they come equipped with some sort of light armor - always torso armor and boots, but an individual Bandit may randomly have more armor pieces equipped (although helmets are notoriously rare). Like most enemies in the game, Bandits scale with the player’s level, and as they level, so does their armor, meaning Bandits are likely to come equipped with gear appropriate for their - and hence, your - level. That said, what an individual Bandit is equipped with is random, but slay enough and you’re bound to find a full set of light armor you fancy. Light armor is less valuable than heavy armor, but it’s also lighter, so you can carry more of it - once you’ve maxed out either armor skill, however, the difference between the two is largely moot. Below you’ll find a list of the differen types of Bandits that can spawn and the gear they typically come equipped with:
- Bandits: Melee fights who come armed with one-handed weapons (and possibly a shield) or a two-handed weapon. They always have torso armor and boots, regularly have gloves, sometimes have leg armor, and very rarely have helmets.
- Marauder Bowmen: Armed with bows, these archers tend to have less armor than their melee counterparts, but carry a bow and dagger as a sidearm.
- Marauder Hedge Wizard: Lightly armored spellcasters, aside from the obligatory torso armor and boots, they rarely have any other armor. They come equipped with a dagger.
In addition to the aforementioned types of Bandits, some dungeons also feature a Bandit Ringleader, the most powerful - and well-equipped - variant of Bandit. These spawns are never random and they only occur in specific dungeons. That said, Bandit Ringleaders can spawn with more light armor than other Bandits, often including full sets of light armor (including helmets!) as well as enchanted pieces of gear. Like all other Bandits, the exact gear Bandit Ringleaders spawn with is random, but farming them can get you a collection of potent light armor at no expense to yourself!
Below you’ll find a list of the best Bandit dungeons to farm:
Bandit Dungeons¶
| Dungeon | Bandit Ringleader | Location | Notes | Map Marker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abandoned Mine | Yes | Far east of Bravil, past Niben Bay, near Lake Canulus. | – | Map Marker |
| Atatar | No | Southeast of Bravil, across Niben Bay, in Nibenay Valley | – | Map Marker |
| Belletor’s Folly | No | South of Kvatch. | A large, multi-floor dungeon with a high number of Bandits. | Map Marker |
| Black Rock Caverns | Yes | Northwest of Chorrol | – | Map Marker |
| Broken Promises Cave | No | Southwest of Chorrol | – | Map Marker |
| Capstone Cave | No | West of Bruma | – | Map Marker |
| Charcoal Cave | Yes | South of the Imperial City, along The Green Road leading to Bravil | Large relatively complicated dungeon, also houses animals. | Map Marker |
| Collapsed Mine | No | Far southeast of Cheydinhal | – | Map Marker |
| Crumbling Mine | Yes | Southeast of Chorrol, right next to the walls. | – | Map Marker |
| Cursed Mine | Yes | West of Skingrad | – | Map Marker |
| Deserted Mine | No | Northeast of Bravil, across Niben Bay, at the northern end of the Silverfish River. | – | Map Marker |
| Doomed Mine | No | Southeast of Cheydinhal. | – | Map Marker |
| Dzonot Cave | Yes | On the western edge of the Imperial City isle. | – | Map Marker |
| Echo Mine | No | Northwest of Skingrad. | – | Map Marker |
| Felgegeldt Cave | No | Southwest of the Imperial City. | – | Map Marker |
| Fort Nikel | No | West of the Imperial City | Contains both Bandits and Marauders, who are hostile to each other. | Map Marker |
| Horn Cave | No | South of the Imperial City | – | Map Marker |
| Hrotanda Vale | No | North of Chorrol | – | Map Marker |
| Onyx Caverns | Yes | East of Leyawiin, across the river. | – | Map Marker |
| Outlaw Endre’s Cave | No | Southwest of Bruma | – | Map Marker |
| Rickety Mine | Yes | East of Cheydinhal | – | Map Marker |
| Sercen | Yes | North of the Imperial City | – | Map Marker |
| Shattered Mine | No | North of Kvatch | – | Map Marker |
| Sinkhole Cave | No | Northwest of the Imperial City, on the Imperial City isle. | – | Map Marker |
| Squandered Mine | No | South of Cheydinhal | Part of the quest Vampire Cure. | Map Marker |
| Vilverin | Yes | Northeast of the Imperial City. | Bandit Ringleader does not respawn. | Map Marker |
(1 of 2) Some dungeons are the dens of Bandit Ringleaders,
Some dungeons are the dens of Bandit Ringleaders, (left), these stronger Bandits tend to have more pieces of armor, and often have enchanted equipment. (right)
Best Bandit Dungeons to Farm¶
Bandits are more common than Marauders, and consequently it shouldn’t be surprising that there are more good Bandit dungeons worth farming. We typically judge this on several factors: whether there’s a Bandit Leader, how long and intricate the dungeon is, how many other enemies are in the dungeon, the presence of quests or other complications, and to a lesser degree, how easy it is to reach the dungeon - proximity to the Imperial City means it’s easier to farm early-game, but this is a rather minor factor.
That said, Dzonot Cave and Sercen are both great Bandit dungeons to farm, checking nearly every box. The Crumbling Mine, Cursed Mine, Black Rock Caverns and Rickey Mine are all good choices, too, just being a bit further afield. You’re really spoiled for choice when it comes to lucrative Bandit dungeons to raid.
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