How to join the Thieves Guild in Oblivion

The quest to join the Thieves Guild in Oblivion is one of the funnest faction introductions in the series, as you follow rumours of the Gray Fox to a mysterious garden, and compete with fellow thieves to steal a diary before the night ends. "Why join the Thieves Guild?" you may well ask, given you can simply steal whatever you want anyway.

One key benefit the guild offers is the ability to sell stolen items, and considering Oblivion's merchants only have a purchase limit and infinite gold otherwise, it's extremely lucrative to be a thief. If you like the sound of that but can't be arsed with lockpicking, you might also want to find the Skeleton Key. Otherwise, here's how to join the thieves guild in Oblivion.

How to join the Thieves Guild in Oblivion Remastered

It's surprisingly easy to become part of the Thieves Guild in Oblivion and you can do it as soon as you exit the sewers near the Imperial City. Simply follow these steps:

1. Read a Gray Fox wanted poster in any of the Imperial City districts
2. Persuade a beggar to like you (70 disposition), ask them about the Gray Fox, and choose the "Yes, I want to work with him" option. I'd suggest speaking to Simplicia the Slow in the Market District or Puny Ancus at the Imperial City Waterfront
3. Head to the Garden of Dareloth in the Imperial City Waterfront at midnight—press T to wait or sleep on one of the bedrolls next to the garden
4. Speak to Armand Christophe and choose the Gray Fox dialogue option
5. Persuade Christophe to like you (50 disposition) and then choose the "Join the Thieves Guild" option
6. Complete the May the Best Thief Win quest to steal Amantius Allectus' diary and return it to Christophe

I'll walk you through stealing Amantius Allectus' diary down below, but the trickiest part of joining the Thieves Guild is using the persuading mechanic if you haven't before—you can select this in the bottom left when talking to someone. Honestly, the fastest way is just to bribe them with gold by selecting the left option on the wheel until their disposition—the central number—reaches the relevant number I list in the steps above.

You may also struggle to find the Garden of Dareloth, but if you follow these steps, you should have a quest marker that indicates where it is. If you're still struggling:

1. Fast travel to the Imperial City Waterfront
2. Head down the left path
3. Go left again through the archway
4. Turn left once more and carry on to the far walled garden, with a trapdoor on the right and red bushes on the left

Though not much to look at, this is the Garden of Dareloth. Now, onto the diary.

Amantius Allectus' diary location in Oblivion Remastered

To join the Thieves Guild, you'll have to complete a trial. The May the Best Thief Win quest sees you facing off against two other thieves to steal the diary of Amantius Allectus. Armand Christophe suggests you talk to beggars to work out where he lives, but here's an even better idea: I'll tell you.

Amantius Allectus lives in the Temple District—when leaving the district from the east, towards the Arboretum, his house is the first on the right. Pick the lock, head inside, and grab the diary from the desk on the right. If you do this straight away, you can beat Methredhel, the other thief you're competing against. If Methredhel grabs the diary first you'll either have to pickpocket it from her and break into her house and steal it from her chest once she deposits it and goes to sleep.

Thankfully she lives right next door to the Garden of Dareloth where you started, so that makes it nice and convenient. Bring the diary to Armand Christophe and congratulations, you're now a member of the Thieves Guild. Get out there and get stealing.