You’ve just escaped the Imperial Prison and you’re feeling good about it. The sun hits your face, and then you dive into Lake Rumare. All good, right? Yeah, until you start drowning like you’ve never seen water before. That’s Oblivion for you. If you picked an Argonian as a starting race, then you never had any issues breathing underwater. For everyone else, it’s like ten seconds before your health bar says goodbye. But there's a way to fix this. In this guide, we’ll show you everything on how to breathe underwater in Oblivion Remastered. And of course, the legendary ring of Rumare.

Why You Even Need Water Breathing

So the thing with Oblivion is that the devs hid a surprising amount of things underwater. Chests, ruins, Ayleid artifacts, you name it. But you’ll never see half of it. That’s where water-breathing gear in Oblivion Remastered comes in. It lets you explore underwater like it’s nothing. And the best part about it is that you can get a water-breathing ring very early.

How to Get the Jewel of the Rumare (aka the Best Early Ring in the Game)

Alright, as soon as you leave the Imperial Prison Sewers, pull up your map. Look southwest, see that bridge over the big lake? That’s Lake Rumare. Right near it, you’ll find a small settlement called Weye. Head there and look for an old fisherman named Aelwin Merowald. He’s the one who’ll kick off the Go Fish quest. When you talk to him, he’s going to complain (a lot) about his bad luck with Slaughterfish. The guy’s old, tired, and getting bullied by fish. Yeah, literal fish. He’ll ask you to help him out by collecting 12 Slaughterfish Scales from the lake. Do that, and he’ll reward you with the one and only Jewel of the Rumare ring that gives you +5 to Athletics and the Water Breathing ability. Early-game treasure hunter dream, right there.

How to Complete “Go Fish”

Alright, so Aelwin gives you the quest. You check your map, and markers appear all around Lake Rumare. Each one points to an area where Slaughterfish hang out. As soon as you get close, you’ll start seeing small splashes on the water surface. Brace yourself. The fish will charge at you hard. Here are a couple of quick tips before you dive in:

• Bring a melee weapon. You’d want to use a dagger or short sword. You can’t cast spells or shoot arrows underwater. That means you have to go close combat down there.
• Keep an eye on your breath meter in the middle of your screen. When it empties, you take damage fast. Like, really fast.
• If you’re struggling, you can surface for air between fights. Kill the Slaughterfish. After that, loot their scales, and move on to the next marker. Once you do that twelve times, you’re good to go. By the way, don’t underestimate these fish. They’re small but can hit surprisingly hard. They’re even more dangerous if your armor’s trash or your health’s low. Once you’ve got all the scales, head back to Aelwin in Weye. He’ll be so grateful he’ll hand you that shiny Jewel of the Rumare like it’s nothing. Considering it’s worth 2550 gold, that’s basically the most generous fisherman in all of Cyrodiil.

What the Jewel of the Rumare Does

For starters, the Water Breathing ability lets you explore underwater indefinitely. Simply put, you’ll never drown again. It also gives a small +5 boost to Athletics. With that you can swim and run a little bit faster. It’s not so much of a difference. But in Oblivion, every little bit counts. It’s really useful early game when your character feels like they’re running through mud. You can also sell the ring if you’re desperate for gold, but honestly, don’t. The ability to breathe underwater comes in handy way too often.

Why This Ring Matters Later in the Game

We know what you’re thinking. Don’t loot it. Oblivion likes to sneak underwater sections into quests you’d least expect. A good example is the Knights of the Nine questline. There’s a part where you have to dive into a sunken Ayleid ruin. Without water breathing, forget it. You’ll be stopping every few seconds just to not drown. With the Jewel of the Rumare though? You just dive in and explore at your own pace. It turns what would’ve been a pain into a peaceful swim. Plus, it looks kind of cool having a ring that actually does something useful rather than sitting there for decoration.

The Water Exploration Perk

One of the things that made Oblivion stand out is how much hidden stuff there is underwater. That’s also why Remastered is such a great game. We’re talking about rare loot, chests, and hidden entrances that a lot of players miss. Some Ayleid wells and ruins are completely submerged, and there’s actual lore tied to some of those places. Without water breathing, you’ll never see it. So getting the Jewel of the Rumare early basically opens a whole new layer of the game. You’ll be surprised how often it comes in clutch. Even more useful when you’re exploring around the Niben Bay or Bravil area. Why Scalacube Helps if You’re Modding or Hosting If you’re one of those players who loves modding your game, Scalacube makes that super easy to run on a server. You can host your own modded setup, explore Cyrodiil with friends, and even test out water-based mods without crashing your game every five minutes. Setup’s quick, runs smooth, and it’s one of the easiest hosting options for Bethesda games. No tech degree needed.

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Conclusion

Breathing underwater doesn’t sound so important at first. However, it actually is. The world opens up in a way you don’t expect. You start diving just to see what’s hidden down there. The Jewel of the Rumare might be an early-game quest reward, but it’s honestly one of the most useful items in the game. You’ll find yourself using it even late into your playthrough. So yeah. Grab your sword, talk to Aelwin, kill some angry fish, and claim your shiny ring. Cyrodiil’s waters are full of secrets, and now you can finally go see them for yourself.