How to kill will-o-the-wisps in Oblivion Remastered

Will-o-the-wisps are a unique enemy in Oblivion since they’re seemingly immune to all damage and just don’t stop chasing you. Their ceaseless nature is matched only by their lethality, able to steal your health and magicka if they get too close.

You’re most likely to run into these glowing wisps in monster dungeons, but you’ll also find them near Azura’s Shrine after starting the Blood of the Daedra quest and outside the Swampy Cave after starting the Fighters Guild’s Mystery at Harlun’s Watch quest. No matter where you encounter will-o-the-wisps, you’re best off avoiding them altogether, but if you can’t, then you’ll need to know how to kill them.

How to kill will-o-the-wisps in Oblivion

Will-o-the-wisps are immune to all normal damage and poison, making them feel pretty much invincible. However, these ghosts do actually have a weakness: silver and daedric weapons, enchanted weapons, and magic can damage will-o-the-wisps. I also recommend using the Reflect Spell, since this reverses this enemy’s absorption attacks; rather than draining your health and magicka, you’ll be healed.

Since these ghosts are weak to magic, mage players won’t run into too many issues with will-o-the-wisps. The stronger your magic, the easier it is to kill them, too. Remember though, they’ll steal your magicka if you get close enough, so you can be caught out if you’re not careful.

On the other hand, melee characters struggle much more as basic attacks with iron or steel weapons won’t make a dent. You’ll need at least a silver weapon to take on these ghosts, which could take you a while to get. A silver bow is particularly effective here so you can keep your distance.

Unsurprisingly, taking on a ghost with your bare hands is generally not advised either, not least because they absorb your health and magicka when you’re up close and personal. Without reaching Journeyman in the hand-to-hand skill, which is level 50 or above, you won’t be able to damage them with your fists whatsoever. As such, it’ll take you a lot longer to be able to deal with this enemy if you favour fists over any actual weapon.

Once you’ve managed to kill a will-o-the-wisp, you can loot it to get glow dust. This is a valuable ingredient used in alchemy, especially for making Reflect Spell potions, though you’ll also need it to activate the Shrine of Azura. Glow dust has the following effects:

• Restore speed
• Light
• Reflect spell
• Damage health