Willpower in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (including Oblivion Remastered) primarily affects how quickly your Magicka regenerates. The higher your Willpower attribute, the faster your Magicka pool refills, allowing you to cast spells more frequently without long waits
. Specifically:
- Willpower governs the regeneration rate of Magicka. For example, at 100 Willpower, Magicka fully replenishes in about 36 seconds, while at 0 Willpower, it takes around 133 seconds
- It also influences your maximum Fatigue, which affects stamina for running, jumping, and other physical activities
- Willpower is the governing attribute for the magical schools of Alteration, Destruction, and Restoration, meaning it also affects skills in these areas
- Compared to Intelligence, which determines your total Magicka pool size, Willpower controls the speed of Magicka recovery. Early in the game, increasing Intelligence is more beneficial for Magicka regeneration, but at higher levels (when total Magicka exceeds a certain threshold relative to Willpower), boosting Willpower becomes more effective for faster regeneration
- If you choose the Atronach birthsign, which prevents Magicka regeneration, increasing Willpower has little effect on Magicka recovery but can still increase maximum Fatigue and provide some spell absorption benefits
In summary, Willpower is crucial for spellcasters who want to minimize downtime between casting spells by speeding up Magicka regeneration and also gain some stamina benefits through increased Fatigue
